August 11, 2004

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: SONYBMG'S CEO PLANS

Andy Lack's day has finally arrived. Last week, both Sony and BMG brass met at Bertelsmann chief Gunther Thielen's home in the south of France to close the music merger...

HOLLINGER, BOARD TALKING DEAL

Hollinger International is in early-stage discussions over a settlement with its board of directors for their liability in the ongoing financial scandal at the newspaper giant, The Post has learned....

LILES GETS WARNER MUSIC JOB

Kevin Liles, who recently resigned as president of Def Jam Records, is expected to take on a high-level post at Warner Music Group, The Post has learned. Liles, sources say,...

GOOGLE IPO STILL ON TARGET; DATE NOT SET

Google is forging ahead with a plan to go public despite hitting a rough patch. The company said yesterday it expects to close the bidder registration for its initial public...

BED, BATH SHUT OUT BY MAY & MACY'S

Eliot Spitzer says his crackdown on merchandise-rigging of fine china and tableware at bridal registries in the nation's two biggest department store chains is aimed at fighting a "long history...

LAMB CHOPPED AT C-SPAN

"Booknotes" the weekly author interview series hosted by Brian Lamb, is being dropped by C-SPAN after a 15 1/2-year run. "I'm just switching gears," said Lamb, who is also chairman...

A&F PLANS NEW 5TH AVE. STORE

ABERCROMBIE & Fitch is opening a flagship on Fifth Ave., taking the location currently held by Fendi. The youth leading retailer, which has only a South Street Seaport location in...

APPRENTICES BACK DONALD

Donald Trump's proteges have clearly learned one important lesson: loyalty. Former contestants of "The Apprentice," the hit reality TV show hosted by Trump, shared few reservations about taking their business...

SALON HEAD TO PEN RFK BOOK - TALBOT TO AUTHOR MEMOIR, BUT DENIES HE'LL LEAVE WEB 'ZINE

SALON founder David Talbot is said to have snagged a deal to write a book about slain Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Sources are also buzzing that he may use that...

TRUMP TARNISHED - RED-HOT BRAND TAKES A HIT WITH CASINO BANKRUPTCY

The sizzling Donald Trump brand took a beating yesterday, as his casino empire ducked into bankruptcy protection. On TV, Trump is a model of what young business hopefuls aspire to...

'FALLEN' & SHE CAN'T GET UP

SARAH McLACHLAN THE 2 million-plus sales of Sarah McLachlan's "Afterglow" album would seem to say her comeback after six years has been a success. Yet, with a third of the...

BACK AT THE 'CASINO' RANCH

THEY all know Wayne Shadd, the marketing director of Las Vegas' Green Valley Ranch and one of the unlikely stars of the Discovery Channel's "American Casino." And even if Shadd...

BETTING ON VEGAS - SHOWS TAP INTO NEW HOT SPOT

VEGAS is sizzling - on TV. Say hello to Vegaswood, with no less than four primetime shows set in Sin City this season. Two, including "CSI" and "Las Vegas" are...

SECT IN THE CITY - MOSE ISN'T READY TO GO BACK TO THE AMISH LIFE JUST YET, GUYS

IT only took "Amish in the City" housemate Mose one morning in midtown Manhattan to size up the lay of the land. "In New York City, drivers don't look at...

PUT A KIRK IN IT

REPORTS of Captain Kirk beaming back up onto "Star Trek" again are getting stronger. A trailer for the new season of UPN's "Enterprise" showing William Shatner reprising his famous role...

FLIGHT OF FANCY

DANNY DECKCHAIR[] (Two stars) Aussie fluff. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sex, profanity). At the Union Square, Broadway and East 13th Street. 'DANNY Deckchair" is a pleasant trifle from...

THE MADDIN CROWD

COWARDS BEND THE KNEE [] (Three stars)GUY Maddin is at it again. The retro-auteur from Winnipeg, Canada, follows his most successful work yet, "The Saddest Music in the World," with...

'PRINCESS' CHARMING - HATHAWAY HATH SPARKLE APLENTY IN ENCHANTING 'DIARIES' SEQUEL; ROYALLY DELIGHTFUL

THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT [** 1/2] (Two and one-half stars) A treat for tweens. Running time: 115 minutes. Rated G. At AMC Empire, Loews 84th Street, Kips Bay,...

'SPRINGER' LEAK - LOSING CASH FAST; B'WAY STOP IN DOUBT

ONE year ago, "Jerry Springer, the Opera" was just about the hottest theatrical property in the world. It was playing to packed houses at the National Theatre in London, theater...

STARRY NIGHT FOR LUCINDA

AFTER years of suffering the obscurity of cult stardom, alt-country queen Lucinda Williams projected pure star quality last night before a packed Central Park SummerStage crowd. The singer's dry-throated, world-weary...

STARR REPORT

Historical '4400' USA's "The 4400" finished its run as the top-rated original (scripted) series in basic cable history. The six-episode series, which aired over five hours, averaged 5.9 million viewers,...

COURT TV: ABC JURY SHOW A BAD IDEA

THE chief executive of Court TV is speaking out against the placement of television cameras in jury rooms and vowing that jury deliberations will never be shown on the cable...

TRINITY LESS THAN GRAND

Trinity [2 Stars] Tribeca Grand Hotel 2 Sixth Ave., at Church Street (212) 519-6678 HOW long can a trendoid downtown hotel go without a trendoid restaurant? The Tribeca Grand has...

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - TAKE TRAIN, NOT PLANE, TO THIS SUMMER'S ESCAPIST EATERIES

SUBWAY sandwich takes on new meaning when you're panini'd between sweaty bodies on the rush hour 6 train. And even the Capital of the World loses its allure when the...

POPULAR CHEF COOKS UP RETURN TO CITY

TURNS out the rumor of chef Claude Troisgros coming back to New York is true. Troisgros, who owns a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro and is a consulting chef at...

OH PARATHA, GOOD FARE ART THOU

Roomali [2 ½ Stars] 97 Lexington Ave. (at 27th St.) (212) 679-8900 IF bread has gotten a bad rap from a certain segment of the dieting population lately, don't blame...

DIEGO EN FUEGO - MEXICAN HEARTTHROB BURNS UP THE SCREEN IN NEW FLICK

LISTEN up, chicas! Diego Luna, the pretty-boy actor from "Y Tu Mamá También," is looking for a girlfriend. "Is there something else to do in life than have a woman...

GOLDEN DREAMS - PUERTO RICO-BORN MARITZA CORREIA TRIES TO SWIM ALL THE WAY TO OLYMPIC VICTORY

IN Olympian Maritza Correia's room in Athens, Ga., she has the Puerto Rican flag on one wall, the Guyana flag on another and the United States on another. In Athens...

LET THE GAMES BEGIN - THESE ELITE LATINO ATHLETES ARE OFF TO ATHENS

LISA FERNANDEZ Softball When people call Lisa Fernandez the greatest softball player ever, she gets emotional. She thinks about her father, Antonio, who emigrated from Cuba just prior to the...

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP - METAMORPHOSIS DAY SPA WILL HELP TO TRANSFORM YOU INTO A BRAND NEW PERSON

CLEO Londono learned beauty secrets from her grandmother, a massage therapist and herbologist in her native Colombia. As a little girl in Cali, she would help her abuela mix creams...

HUNKS OVER HARLEM - DENZEL AND BENICIO SHOOT AROUND TOWN, A REALITY SHOW WITH A GREEN CARD FIRST PRIZE

WATCH out Harlem girls, because two of the biggest Hollywood hunks will be shooting in your neck of the woods soon. Boricua Benicio del Toro and Denzel Washington will begin...

SOUL POWER - THREE EISING LATIN R&B STARS

BACK in the early nineties, R&B singer Maxwell suffered through the ignominy of having his record label leave his debut album, "Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite," sitting on the shelf for...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN * Police yesterday offered a $2,000 reward for the capture of a gunman who sexually assaulted a female worker during an attempted robbery at a Bay Ridge furniture store....

SCOOTERS A TICKET TO ROB

Police on Long Island are searching for two youths who robbed two other teens of the hottest items on the street, pocket motorcycle scooters - stolen goods that also serve...

TERRIER-IFYING ORDEAL - DOG STUCK IN DRAIN WITH NASTY RACCOON

Long Island cops responding to a yelp for help rescued a pooch who got stuck in a storm drain while chasing a raccoon. Marty, a 7-year-old Jack Russell terrier, took...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A motorist in Vernon, Vt. pulled over a squad car driven by the local police chief and announced he was looking for a cop to arrest him for DWI. Chief...

SHRINK FOR ZETA 'STALKER'

A Los Angeles judge yesterday ordered the woman accused of stalking Catherine Zeta-Jones to see a court-appointed psychiatrist so the doctor can determine her legal competency. Judge John Wiley appointed...

ALL OVER THE MAP ON IRAQ - KERRY'S STANCES STILL DON'T MAKE SENSE

JOHN Kerry finally defined his position on the war in Iraq - or his latest one, anyway. It took a direct challenge from President Bush, who asked if Kerry would...

QUICK AND E-Z AT OUTERBRIDGE

Drivers will be able to zip through high-speed E-ZPass toll lanes next year at the Outerbridge Crossing under a new Port Authority program to keep traffic flowing, officials said. The...

PROTESTERS SHIFT GEARS BACK TO 'PARK' DEMAND

The largest protest group expected at the Republican convention did a sudden U-turn yesterday, reneging on a deal with the city to use the West Side Highway for a 250,000-person...

ALL EYES ON HOT BLOND SWEETIE WITH BABY VOICE

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Amber. Amber. Sweet, hot Amber. How the hell could you do this to me, Amber? Scott Peterson could barely take his eyes off Amber Frey, in...

PUT YOURSELF ON A POSTAGE STAMP

Talk about a personal letter. Dispensing with centuries of tradition, the United States Postal Service yesterday began allowing living people - or their pets, cars or favorite buildings - to...

TEENAGE ANGST - KIDS FEEL LESS HOPE FOR U.S. FUTURE

American teenagers are less optimistic about the future, care a lot about the presidential election and are under more pressure to get good grades than to do drugs, drink or...

NAOMI MAID JUST OUT TO CLEAN UP, SAYS LAWYER

The lawyer for caustic catwalker Naomi Campbell flashed his claws yesterday, saying Millicent Burton, the maid who claims she was attacked by the supermodel, is just out to take his...

QUEENS TEEN GUNNED DOWN

A Queens teenager was fatally shot less than a week after being released from jail - in what his family believes was a set-up. Brandon Smart, 19, received a phone...

COPS & BRAVEST HINT AT CONVENTION STRIKE

Police officers and firefighters said yesterday they have reached an impasse in their contract talks with the Bloomberg administration - and refused to rule out a strike or sickouts during...

GIANTS STUNNED BY TISCH

New York Giants players and staff said yesterday they were shocked to hear billionaire co-owner Bob Tisch had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer - while his friends across the...

HOUSE GOPER GETS CIA NOD

WASHINGTON - President Bush has tapped a spy-turned-congressman - who was discussing Osama bin Laden over breakfast with the Pakistani intelligence chief when planes slammed into the World Trade Center...

VICTIM KIN RIP KILLER - JAIL FOR HIT-RUN COWARD

A spineless hit-and-run killer showed no emotion in a Manhattan courtroom yesterday as his victim's loved ones bared their grief and rage - with one saying, "I hope you rot."...

COMMUTER PANIC - TERRIFIED PATH RIDERS BREAK WINDOWS TO ESCAPE FIRE

Dozens of alarmed PATH passengers went into a panic on a train yesterday after a track fire sent thick smoke into the air - forcing riders to kick out windows...

CAMPAIGN WAR ZONE - BUSH FIRES BARBS AS JOHN STANDS BY IRAQ VOTE

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday mocked John Kerry for trying to run as an anti-war candidate while agreeing Saddam Hussein should have been toppled even if he didn't have weapons...

HAMPTONS DIARY

NICK & TONI'S, the East Hampton eatery, has fostered many a romantic feeling, but it's never seen the likes of '60s hippie love - until now. Model Stephanie Seymour, the...

WATCH OUT FOR MARY KAY, TOWN IS WARNED

Sex-offender bulletins containing Mary Kay Letourneau's photo have been sent to 1,000 homes in and around the Seattle suburb where the teacher temptress has been living since her release from...

NEW APEMAN SHOCK - TOT WAS ON DRUGS AMID '80S BUSTS

The ex-cop/ex-con owner of an "attack monkey" who bit a child has a past marked by allegations that his toddler daughter ingested drugs and that he possessed an arsenal of...

NEW $$ LIFE FOR 50 PETS AT SHELTER

Dog-loving lawyers, fat-cat CEOs and New Yorkers of all stripes yesterday came to the defense of the 50 animals facing a death sentence unless their shelter pays their hefty yellow-pages...

MOSQUE MAN WIRED CASH

ALBANY - A Muslim cleric arrested last week in Albany on terrorism-related charges sent as much as $18,000 to relatives in Iraq, wired another $1,300 to a man in Greece,...

GAY-TAUNT STABBING ON SUBWAY

A subway rider who was listening to music through headphones remained blissfully unaware he was the object of gay-baiting taunts - and then was stabbed in the shoulder, cops said...

FAKES FLATTER VUITTON BIG

The chief designer of heavyweight handbag maker Louis Vuitton said he's "flattered" that other firms are making knockoffs of his trend-setting, multicolored bag - even as his firm charges a...

POLS WIPE OUT PATAKI SCHOOL CUTS

ALBANY - State lawmakers eliminated Gov. Pataki's proposed cuts in higher-education spending yesterday as they moved ahead with plans to complete a new $101 billion state budget by the end...

DENTIST DRILLED OVER 'SLURS'

Three Hispanic women filed a job-discrimination suit yesterday against a 71-year-old Upper West Side dentist they claim humiliated them with slurs such as "monkey" and "gorilla." "Where is your tail,...

TENANT FROM HELL - LOVESICK PERV FINED $4.6M FOR TRASHING HOME

An obsessed Nassau County man who coveted his landlord's wife was ordered to pay the couple $4.6 million in damages for trashing their home and stealing photo albums containing pictures...

PIRRO ASKS HYNES' SON TO RESIGN

Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said yesterday she had asked for the resignation of one of her top prosecutors - the son of Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes - after an...

ROCKETTES' OWNERS KICK 'ILLEGAL' SITE

Radio City Entertainment yesterday filed a federal lawsuit to stomp on Florida cybersquatters it charges are trying make money off its famous Rockettes on the Internet. The suit high-kicks Nett...

N.Y. MAN EYED AS TERROR TOURIST - TAPED HIGH-RISES IN 6 CITIES: FEDS

A Pakistani who lives in Queens is being held in Charlotte, N.C., after videotaping skyscrapers in six major U.S. cities and making mysterious money transfers totaling $100,000, prosecutors said yesterday....

GREEN LIGHT FOR CHURCH 'SEX' TRIAL

A Manhattan federal judge gave the go-ahead yesterday to try the former director of Riverside Church's prestigious basketball program for the alleged sex abuse of one of his players more...

CITY KEEPS GEAR-SHIFTING PROTESTERS OUT OF PARK

The city yesterday shot down a last-ditch effort by a protest group to demonstrate in Central Park during the Republican convention after the group pulled a sudden U-turn and reneged...

NEIGHBOR FROM HELL - LOVESICK PERV FINED $4.6M FOR TRASHING HOME

An obsessed Nassau County man who coveted his landlord's wife was ordered to pay the couple $4.6 million in damages for trashing their home and stealing photo albums containing pictures...

BIKER DIES IN B'KLYN CRASH

A Connecticut man was killed yesterday after his motorcycle plowed into a car at a Brooklyn intersection, cops said. Neville Moseley, 41, of Hartford, was riding a 2004 Yamaha east...

BEDDER IS NOW WORSE - SEX STALLS DIVORCE BID

A Long Island woman may have blown her bid for a divorce by saying yes to a little nookie with her adulterous husband after he 'fessed up to an affair....

'SPY'SCRAPER VID-CAM BUST - NYER TAPED BLDGS. IN 6 CITIES

A Pakistani who lives in Queens is being held in Charlotte, N.C., after videotaping skyscrapers in six major U.S. cities and making mysterious money transfers totaling $120,000, prosecutors said yesterday....

BUST IN GRANDMA'S MURDER

A 25-year-old man was arrested yesterday for battering an 88-year-old grandmother in her ransacked Queens home and leaving her to die with her hands and ankles bound, cops said. The...

GUNS, GRENADES IN BX. ARSENAL BUST

A cache of weapons and explosives was pulled out of a 45-year-old Bronx man's apartment last night, police sources said. The Firearms Task Force executed a search warrant at the...

BLAZE TORCHES QNS. BUILDING

A raging fire ripped through a two-story building in Queens early this morning, fire officials said. The blaze erupted at 91-07 138th Pl. in Jamaica just after 1:40 a.m. The...

POSTER GIRL PERV - MARY KAY WARNINGS

Sex-offender notification bulletins containing Mary Kay Letourneau's photo have been sent to 1,000 homes in and around the Seattle suburb where the schoolteacher temptress has been living since her release...

BAD NEWS BROWN - KEVIN KOD BY TEXAS; SHEFF MAY SIT AGAIN

Rangers 7 - Yankees 1 ARLINGTON - Two of the Yankees' biggest cogs were out of it last night. Kevin Brown felt washed out and Gary Sheffield had to be...

GREEKS GET TOUGH FIRST GAME: U.S.

WOMEN'S SOCCER ATHENS - In the bars and the restaurants of Plaka, in that part of downtown where things don't truly begin to get interesting until 10 or 11 o'clock...

ATHENS REALLY READY

ATHENS - Yep, it's finished. It's done. I checked it out. I kicked the tires (or at least a few chairs, which were bolted solidly to the concrete). Three miles...

RANGERS SIGN NYLANDER, LUNDMARK

The Rangers signed two centers yesterday, and neither was Mark Messier, whose prospects of returning to Broadway continue to fade. Reverting to familiar form, the Blueshirts landed unrestricted free agent...

SOFTBALL SALVATION - TEAM HELPING ITS COACH AFTER DEATH OF WIFE

ATHENS - No quality is more revered by coaches than an athlete who plays in pain. Those players are known as gamers, or, when the hyperbole reaches an absurd crescendo,...

THORPE ALL READY TO BATTLE PHELPS

OLYMPIC NOTES ATHENS - Ian Thorpe knew the question was coming, because it was inevitable. Even this soon before the start of these Olympic Games, there is one event the...

EVANS LIKES JETS' D-LINE

JET NOTES Asked to forecast the kind of season the Jets' defensive line might have, Josh Evans was not shy yesterday. The defensive tackle, very much the heartbeat of the...

MANNING HAS KNEE BRACED FOR TROUBLE

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - Eli Manning looked different yesterday morning as he took the field for practice. There on his left leg was a large, imposing and very noticeable knee...

PUNTER A JETS PROBLEM

There was a time when both Mike Westhoff and the Jets, existing in different worlds back then, were spoiled when it came to finding a competent punter. The past three...

NO MALINGERING - COACH WARY OF GIANTS WITH SUSPECT INJURIES

ALBANY - Each day the irritation grows, not so much by what he says but how he says it. Tom Coughlin bristles when asked about the burgeoning list of Giants...

SECOND COMING - ELS TIRED OF BEING BRIDESMAID

HAVEN, Wis. - It is golf's double standard: You finish second in a tournament, earn a couple hundred thousand dollars, but go home feeling like a loser. That disappointment doubles...

GOMEZ GETS HUGE RAISE

It hardly qualifies as an arbitration triumph, but Scott Gomez received a 190 percent raise yesterday in the first of three Devils' salary cases slated this week. The Devils' top...

TIGER EXCITED ABOUT HIS PLAY

PGA NOTES HAVEN, Wis. - He is winless in his last nine majors, but Tiger Woods said he's "excited" about the way he's been playing lately and likes his chances...

SWINDELL KNOWS HIS SHORTCOMINGS

Cyclones right-hander Mike Swindell has shown signs of dominance this season and according to his coach Tony Tijerina is sure to be promoted for his hard work at season's end....

QUAIL IN-HAND WORTH THREE FOR BUSH

PRESIDENT Bush last week unveiled plans to reinstate the early re-enrollment and extension period for the Conservation Reserve Program, which is critical to increasing wildlife habitat and game populations. Bush...

DIKEMBE REFUSES TO DISCUSS ISIAH

Former Knicks center Dikembe Mutombo couldn't say enough nice things about owner James Dolan and Garden prez Steve Mills as they supported his attempts to build more hospitals in Africa....

TIME TO TUNE OUT BLATHERING BOSS

WE are George Steinbrenner City. We are addicted to a man who by all logical reviews is at least borderline certifiable. We have absorbed all of his worst characteristics, all...

PIAZZA BATTLES KNEE WOES

MET NOTES There may be an explanation for Mike Piazza's hitting woes. There may also be some more bad news for the Met slugger. Mets GM Jim Duquette said Piazza...

GIAMBI'S READY TO BEGIN REHAB

YANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - Jason Giambi is ready to resume baseball activities and will begin working out in Tampa today. However, the Yankees haven't put a timetable on the first...

GLAVINE IN ACCIDENT - METS PITCHER LOSES FRONT TEETH IN CRASH

With their fortunes already sagging, the Mets were dealt a potentially staggering blow yesterday afternoon when Tom Glavine was involved in a car accident. Glavine was lucky to escape relatively...

HIDALGO'S 'HAPPY' TO BE A MET

Mets GM Jim Duquette has been raked over the coals since making a pair of trade-deadline deals for starting pitchers Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano and giving up Scott Kazmir,...

JOE STANDS FIRM - SAYS HE'LL PLAY LOFTON IN RF, DESPITE GEORGE'S WISH

ARLINGTON - If Joe Torre believes that playing Kenny Lofton in right field provides the Yankees with the best chance to win on a given day, Torre will play Lofton...

GLAVINE IN ACCIDENT - CAB CRASH COSTS METS SOUTHPAW TWO FRONT TEETH

With their fortunes already sagging, the Mets narrowly avoided a staggering blow yesterday when Tom Glavine escaped with only minor injuries following a car accident. Glavine, the Mets' All-Star lefty,...

METS' YOUNG SHOWING HEART

Mets 7 - Astros 3 If there's one thing 2004 is teaching the Mets, it's this: 2005 may not be so bad after all. Same goes for 2006 and beyond....

JOE STANDS GROUND

ARLINGTON - If Joe Torre believes that playing Kenny Lofton in right field provides the Yankees with the best chance to win on a given day, the manager will play...

GIAMBI SET TO GO

YANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - Jason Giambi arrived at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa yesterday to start a comeback from a benign tumor. However, the club doesn't know when...

DRESE LIGHTNING - HOT RANGER RIGHTY SHUTS DOWN BOMBERS

Rangers 7 - Yankees 1 ARLINGTON - One pitch was high and away. Another low and in. The violent delivery told you Kevin Brown was pitching for the Yankees, but...

BROOKLYN'S BULLPEN LETS SWINDELL DOWN

S.I. Yanks 6 - Cyclones 3 Until he hit a wall in the sixth inning, Cyclones starter Mike Swindell was cruising. But his bullpen let him down in last night's...

HIDALGO'S PAYING OFF FOR METS

If there were any doubt that the Mets committed grand larceny when they unloaded a pair of mediocre pitchers to Houston for Richard Hidalgo, last night the Astros got a...

WRIGHT, REYES BASH ASTROS

Mets 7 - Astros 3 Look close enough and you can see it. You can see two players standing roughly 40 feet apart on the left side of the infield....

ROCKET BELONGS IN BRONX

ROGER CLEMENS belongs in a pennant race. He doesn't belong on a 55-56 team on the outside looking in on the wild-card race. The Boss should stop wasting his time...