June 7, 2004
EC REPORT TEARS INTO SONY-BMG MERGER
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amThe European Commission believes the pending merger between Sony Music and BMG would reduce consumer choice and strengthen existing price collusion among the major music companies, according to an EC...
BIG-SCREEN DEAL - BUYOUT FIRMS CLOSE IN ON $1.5B DEAL FOR LOEWS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amA team of low-profile buyout firms may soon be making its silver screen debut. Led by Bain Capital and Spectrum Equity Investors, the team is nearing a deal to snap...
'CHINESE' WATER TORTURE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amCHINESE FRIENDSPlaywrights Horizons, 416 W. 42nd St. (212) 279-4200. A man's estranged son, along with two college chums, drop in on the father, tie him up and make him answer...
SAVING TITANIC - WRECKAGE BEING WRECKED BY PIRATES
June 7, 2004 | 4:00am"SINCE I'M THE PERSON WHO FOUND THE TITANIC, I HEAR ABOUT IT WHETHER I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT OR NOT," - ROBERT BALLARD DR. Robert Ballard's 1985 discovery of...
STARR REPORT
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amNo axe to grind Legendary rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen breaks his five-year silence in the August issue of Guitar World - and talks about Howard Stern, among other topics....
'DAY' BREAK - SOLVING A MURDER IN SLO-MO
June 7, 2004 | 4:00am"Five Days to Midnight" [*] (One star) Tonight through Thursday night at 9 on Sci Fi Channel LET the record show that the climactic scene in "Five Days to Midnight"...
SARAH'S STYLE SECRETS - A LOOK AT HOW THE FASHION WORLD'S NEW 'ICON' ALWAYS PULLS IT OFF; DRESSING LIKE A FASHION ICON
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amAUDREY Hepburn. Lauren Bacall. Diana Vreeland. And now, Sarah Jessica Parker. Tonight, she'll be crowned a "fashion icon" by Council of Fashion Designers of America - a rarely awarded honor...
REAGAN MADE THIS YOUNG LEFTY SEE THE RIGHT
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amAT FIRST, I thought the man laughable. Dreadful, actually. Ronald Reagan was an actor who dared talk tough to the scary Soviets, and broke with decades of political orthodoxy by...
SILVER REFUSES TO EXPOSE GREEN
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amASSEMBLY Speaker Sheldon Silver is refusing to release the Ethics Committee report on disgraced former Assemblyman Roger Green, despite hopes by committee members he would do so. "The expectation was...
HAMPTONS SET TO PUTT ON RITZ - BRACING FOR U.S. OPEN HORDES
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amIf you think the Hamptons couldn't get any busier this summer, fore!-gedaboudit. More than 100,000 golf fans - and several thousand support staffers - are about to converge on Shinnecock...
GIPPER COULD DEFUSE A TIME BOMB WITH HIS HUMOR
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amLET me paraphrase the philosophers: "Death is no tragedy - except for those who haven't lived." President Ronald Wilson Reagan, despite the torment of his last decade, lived more lives...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amSure, obesity's a big problem in America, but some folks think the PTA at the Chandler School in Duxbury, Mass., has gone too far - they've banned cupcakes from class...
FORMER MODEL LEAVES ENGAGEMENT RING IN TAXI
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amA heartbroken former high-fashion model who left her antique engagement ring in the back seat of a taxi is reaching out to New York's hacks for help. "This ring has...
FINEST CLAIM TOP GRID TITLE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amThe NYPD's football team was the nation's finest Saturday after beating a squad of cops and firefighters from Phoenix for the National Public Safety Football League title. Coach Sgt. Mike...
HAMPTONS BRACING FOR OPEN SEASON
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amIf you think the Hamptons couldn't get any busier this summer, fore!-gedaboudit. More than 100,000 golf fans - and several thousand support staffers - are about to converge on Shinnecock...
WHY ELECTRIC 'AVENUE' SPELLED TROUBLE FOR WITCHES
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTHE puppet David slew the green Goliath. In what Broadway insiders last night were calling one of the biggest upsets in Tony Award history, "Avenue Q," the raunchy little puppet...
PATTI'S SEPARATE PEACE - RECONCILED WITH FATHER BEFORE DECLINE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Patti Davis, who feuded with her parents for decades, says she made peace with her father just before Alzheimer's disease struck almost 10 years ago. Davis recalls walking...
CHENEY'S BUNKER REVEALED
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amConsider the undisclosed location disclosed. In the weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney hid out at "Site R," an underground bunker seven miles from Camp David, deep...
'POTTER' GOLD - 'HARRY' WORKS HIS BOX-OFFICE MAGIC
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amAudiences are still wild about Harry. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" cast the boy wizard's most potent spell yet over the box office, with the magical fantasy selling...
PIT-BULL HORROR - COPS KILL DOG AFTER SAVAGE ATTACK ON WOMAN
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amCops shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked and critically injured a woman inside a Harlem building, police and witnesses said yesterday. Two officers responding to 911 calls...
DUBYA HAILS RON - 'PEOPLE LOVED TO BE IN HIS PRESENCE'
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amPresident Bush yesterday hailed Ronald Reagan as a "great president" who could light up a room just by walking in and make everyone feel at home. "There was something unbelievably...
FDNY CUSS BUST - BADGE BATTLE BOILS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amThe bitter war between cops and smoke-eaters escalated again yesterday as a veteran Brooklyn firefighter cursed and fought police when they busted him for allegedly running an illegal social club....
GORBY PRAISES OLD FOE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amFormer Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said yesterday he was taking the death of Ronald Reagan "very hard" - describing his archenemy during the Cold War as a man of peace....
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTHE BRONX * Forty-five men were busted for ticket scalping at Yankee Stadium in a three-day police sweep, cops said yesterday. On June 1, 3 and 5, undercover cops in...
APPLE'S STAR APPEAL - ADS HAIL SAFE CITY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amCity marketing officials are enlisting the help of some of the Big Apple's most recognizable faces to convince tourists Gotham is no longer Crime Capital USA. Despite recent statistics showing...
HAMPTONS DIARY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amMARTHA STEWART, sunnyside up. The doyenne of domesticity was spotted eating breakfast with her daughter, Alexis, at the Candy Kitchen yesterday, and Martha appeared not to have a care in...
9'S DAYS NUMBERED - TA STUDY COULD MEAN END OF LINE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amThe No. 9 train could be down for the count. The Transit Authority will conduct a review of the line this summer to determine whether or not to scrap it...
DRIVER BURNED ALIVE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amA motorist was burned alive when his car crashed and burst into flames on the Long Island Expressway yesterday - despite the heroic efforts of a passenger to pull him...
HEALTH STRIKE THREAT TO ELDERLY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amMore than 20,000 home health-care workers are expected to go on a three-day strike today to demand higher wages and better health benefits. Tens of thousands of elderly people who...
PRETENDERS PALE BESIDE OLD VETERANS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amPOINTE DU HOC, France - The strangest thing about the D-Day anniversary was the swarms of military re-enactors and vintage vehicle enthusiasts who tooled around the countryside in World War...
HIS SON TELLS OF THE END
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - The late President Ronald Reagan's son Michael said yesterday that his father slipped away "peacefully," capping a sad week that family members knew was his last. He...
BOOK BARES CHENEY'S 9/11 HIDEOUT
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amConsider the undisclosed location disclosed. In the weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Vice President Dick Cheney hid out at "Site R," an underground bunker seven miles from Camp David, deep...
BLISS FOR BRIDE J.LO - INSIDE STORY OF WEDDING TO MARC
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amHere's Jennifer Lopez basking in wedded bliss moments after marrying hubby No. 3, Marc Anthony, over the weekend. But bliss might not be the word for the hunky salsa star...
GRISLY FIND IN E. VILLAGE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amA homeless man made a gruesome discovery yesterday when he tried to take an abandoned trunk off an East Village sidewalk, police said. Finding the black trunk too heavy to...
U.S. AND FRANCE UNITE IN PRAISE - BUSH, CHIRAC HAIL NORMANDY HEROES
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTop world leaders yesterday solemnly joined forces on Normandy's historic beaches to mark the 60th anniversary of the landmark D-Day invasion, honoring the heroes who fought and died to free...
'FINEST' FOOTBALL TEAM IN THE COUNTRY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amThe NYPD's football team was the nation's best Saturday after beating a squad of cops and firefighters from Phoenix for the National Public Safety Football League title. The team's coach,...
THE NATION PAYS TRIBUTE - * OUTPOURING BY AMERICANS * D.C. STATE FUNERAL FRIDAY * HONORED AT ST. PATRICK'S
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amA stricken nation yesterday prepared to grant the late "Great Communicator" his final wish - that he lie in state on both coasts so that ordinary folk could pay their...
PIT-BULL HORROR ATTACK
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amCops shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked and critically injured a woman inside a Harlem building, police and witnesses said yesterday. Two officers responding to 911 calls...
'Q' TIPS OVER THE FAVORITE - PUPPET MASTERS UPSET 'WICKED'
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amNeither witches nor "The Boy from Oz" was a match for the raunchy puppets of "Avenue Q," which blew away the competition at the annual Tony Awards last night. The...
MILESTONE FOR HEART SURVIVOR
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTwenty years ago today, Jason Blatter became the first New York child to have a heart transplant. After a 15-hour operation, he was given a 40 percent chance of surviving....
LITTLER LEAGUES - FEWER CHILDREN SIGN UP TO PLAY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amBy Rosters for Little League boys baseball and girls softball are down 10 percent nationally in the last seven years - from a peak of 2.99 million in 1997 to...
TONY KILLS TONY - FIFTH SEASON ENDS WITH A BANG
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amIt was about as close as "The Sopranos" ever gets to a happy ending. When "The Sopranos" ended its fifth season last night on HBO, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) no...
J.LO'S HOUR OF FLOWER - PHOTO PEEK AT FAIRY-TALE NUPS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amHere's Jennifer Lopez - still daring to wear white - moments after she married Hubby No. 3 Marc Anthony over the weekend. But the hunky salsa star's head may be...
U.S. ICON WAS TRUE TO HIMSELF AND HIS COUNTRY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00am. Three years earlier, he challenged then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." [Reuters] -ALL IN THE FAMILY: President Reagan and First Lady Nancy pose with their family...
SERVIS-ABLE THEORY - JOCKS 'SACRIFICED'
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amSMARTY Jones' trainer John Servis charged yesterday that jockeys riding in the Belmont Stakes "sacrificed their own horses" to get the public idol beaten and deny him the Triple Crown....
COSTAS GETS THE POINT
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTHAT a network sportscaster is scrupulously honest shouldn't be a big thing. But then, the more you watch and listen and the more you think about it, it has become...
160-POUND OSCAR MAY BE TOO MUCH
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amLAS VEGAS - It's time to seriously question Oscar De La Hoya's logic for moving up to 160 pounds to fight as a middleweight. In winning world titles in five...
SPOTLIGHT'S ON KURT
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amExactly one month ago, his every move was studied and analyzed, ludicrously so, but such was the fish-bowl existence Eli Manning dove into when he said "No" to the Chargers...
LOTS OF REASONS FOR 'SMARTY' FAILURE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amDON'T call him "Dopey Jones." The "Philly Flash" is no flash-in-the-pan. Smarty Jones ran a corker in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. After racing more than eight miles this spring - counting...
GROIN STRAIN KEEPS JETER ON THE SHELF
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES Derek Jeter is a longshot candidate for the disabled list, yet he also could return within the next couple of games. The Yankees aren't sure how close their...
MIKE STAYED IN THE ZONE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amMike Mussina struck out 10 yesterday and retired 12 consecutive Texas batters between the third and seventh innings, while Rangers starter Ryan Drese pitched a five-strikeout complete game. Texas manager...
BERNIE'S LEADOFF SUCCESS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amBernie Williams batted leadoff for the first time in eight years yesterday, and judging from the results, he is not at all out of his element there. In fact, the...
FOR METS, VICTORY JUST A PIAZZA CAKE - REEL IN MARLINS AS CONFIDENCE GROWS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amThe verdict after the Mets' dozen contests against the NL East elite is pretty simple. "We're up to the task," manager Art Howe said. "We can hold our own with...
'TEC KNOCKOUT FOR PETERSON
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amMET NOTES QuesTec may be rearing its mechanical head again. The umpire-evaluation machine was a topic yesterday at Shea, as the Mets did not get the benefit of several balls-and-strike...
PHIL'S NO. UP AT MSG? - DON'T COUNT ON IT, JAX SAYS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Phil Jackson can't imagine how proud former Knicks coach Red Holzman would be if he were alive today, with his former pupil on the verge of shattering...
AL DOESN'T QUITE HAVE LEIT STUFF
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amAl Leiter didn't have his best command, walked a half-dozen batters, and failed to get out of the sixth inning yet again. But yesterday was still the most satisfying game...
IF AT FIRST, MIKE'LL SUCCEED
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amAS long as the weather feels like early April, the Mets may as well start over again. They wiped their slate clean to a break-even point, 28-28, yesterday, jumping on...
MALONE HANDLING NEW ROLE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amFINALS NOTES LOS ANGELES - Karl Malone has remained the most subdued Laker. He left the Western Conference championship ceremony early. He didn't accept less money to come to L.A....
YANKS NEED MORE STARTS LIKE THIS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTHE Yankees have 23 come-from-behind victories and that has inspired a gushing analysis that works something like this: "Boy, these Yanks have a relentless offense and a never-say-die nature." Here...
BIG UPSET IN L.A. - PISTONS STUN LAKERS IN OPENER
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Hold the Laker coronation. The new "Bad Boys" of the East plan to make The Finals a series to remember. In a Game 1 upset just as...
FITTING FINALE TONIGHT - FLAMES, BOLTS SET FOR GAME 7
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTAMPA - One last game. One last game for the Stanley Cup. One last NHL game for who knows how long? It's Game 7 here tonight between the Flames and...
MIKE MAKES ALL THE RIGHT MOVES - STYMIES RANGERS BACKED BY GIAMBI, WILLIAMS HRS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amYankees 2 - Rangers 1 Mike Mussina didn't feel one step ahead of the Rangers yesterday, yet he moved his pitches around the strike zone like chess pieces on a...
MARTINEZ SAVES GW ON LAST PLAY
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amPSAL SEMIFINALS: Geo. Wash. 5 - Tottenville 4 Deyvi Martinez thought he was about to send George Washington to its first PSAL championship game since 1997 when a grounder was...
XAVERIAN RIPS MOORE, GAINS CHSAA FINALS
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amDennis Canale has known his team's limitations since his best pitcher, Pedro Beato, was lost for the season with an arm injury. "I didn't figure we'd pitch our way to...
JAX ISN'T EXPECTING KNICKS TRIBUTE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Phil Jackson can't imagine how proud Knicks coach Red Holzman would be if he were alive today, with his former pupil on the verge of breaking Red...
ARTIE SCHILLER CRUISES HOME IN HILL PRINCE
June 7, 2004 | 4:00amTaking advantage of a paceless race, Rich Migliore took Artie Schiller out of his element a bit, making the lead less than a half-mile into yesterday's Hill Prince at Belmont,...