August 14, 2004
MIRAMAX LAYING OFF STAFF
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amNew York-based movie studio Miramax announced its long-awaited slate of layoffs yesterday, but the number of people cut was far less than expected. Miramax laid off about 65 people, or...
NAUTICA STORE CLOSING
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amNautica is moving out of Rockefeller Center. The retailer's 13,000 square foot, bi-level flagship was opened to great fanfare in 2002 when it took over the space of the former...
SEC WON'T KO THE GOOGLE IPO
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGoogle, already overexposed from the hype surrounding its initial public stock offering, revealed that an interview its founders gave to Playboy magazine may have violated the so-called quiet period surrounding...
ECONOMY SLIPS ON NEW HIGH FOR OIL
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amOil's soaring price is taking a big chunk out of the economy, pushing the U.S. trade deficit to an all-time high of $55.82 billion in June. "America is bleeding badly...
PLAZA SALE POSTS RECORD AT $840,000 PER ROOM
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amThe $675 million sale of the landmark Plaza Hotel announced yesterday is a landmark deal, too: It's the highest price ever paid on a per-room basis in New York City...
MARKET REPORT
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amWHEN I started this column, I wanted to talk about interest rates. Really. After all, the Federal Reserve hiked the short-term rate a quarter point this week. That caused lots...
THE NEW SUBURBANITES - YOUNG NEW YORKERS ARE NOW FINDING EXCITEMENT IN THE 'BURBS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amANNMARIE BUTLER, 25, and her roommate, Kirsten Leahy, 26, know how to have fun. In the evenings, they hit the local bars with their friends; on weekends, they like to...
GIMME SHELTER
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amHOWARD'S HAMPTONS SHOCK-JOCK Howard Sternwas so shocked over getting cut out of an East Hampton property, that he's suspended his search for a Hamptons home. "He's had enough of looking...
AT HOME WITH ... STEVE KARSAY - NO. 31'S FLAVOR
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amLAST May, Yankees relief pitcher Steve Karsay was sidelined due to a shoulder injury. Some might see this as a major setback, but Karsay saw opportunity - to decorate, that...
HOOKING UP - ONCE-DINGY COLUMBIA ST. COMES INTO ITS OWN
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amYOU know interest in a neighborhood is rising when realtors start naming it. Take the bit of waterfront Brooklyn west of the BQE, bordered by Atlantic Avenue to the north...
KILBORN LEAVING CBS GIG
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amCRAIG Kilborn helped pull the plug on his own late-night show. Kilborn, who's leaving as the host of CBS' "Late Late Show" after five years, is said to have asked...
ENJOY THESE SUMMER-ONLY EVENTS BEFORE THEY GO AWAY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amWhere does all the time go? It's seems like just last week it was Memorial Day. But all of a sudden, it's mid- August, and there are only a couple...
IT'S A WRAP FOR PHISH
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amThe greatest jam band in America is calling it quits this weekend, 21 years and one great Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor later. If you're reading this, you probably...
DUMB VS. DUMBER - DIMWITTED CREATURE FEATURE A REAL YAWN-FEST
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amALIEN VS. PREDATOR (one star) Monotonous monster mishmash. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, horror images, slime, gore). At the Empire, the Union Square, the Harlem USA, others....
THE DUDE ABIDES
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amAchievers unite! The Lebowski Fest, a hipster phenomenon that started three years ago in a Louisville, Kentucky, bowling alley, is coming to New York for the first time tonight. "It's...
FLA. CAUGHT IN A 'NIGHTMARE' ; * CATEGORY 4 STORM SLAMS SHORE * 8 DEAD AS REGION IS SWAMPED * GOV. BUSH FEARS $15B DAMAGE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amHurricane Charley roared ashore yesterday, pounding west-central Florida with 145 mph winds, shutting down Disney World and sending thousands of terrified residents fleeing before an expected 15-foot tidal surge that...
MISPLACED KEYES; EMBARRASSING GOP & THE RIGHT
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amWHY does anyone still take Alan Keyes seriously? The two-time Mary land Senate nominee and two-time presidential candidate just jumped into the Illinois Senate race against Democratic star-in-the-making Barack Obama....
WEIRD BUT TRUE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amThe free postcards offered to customers at Cracker Barrel restaurants in Columbia, S.C., say "Greetings from Columbia" and feature a picture of a big fountain with water flowing from geese,...
DOWN IN FLAMES - DRUGGIE LIGHTS UP IN SINKING CAR: COPS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA hopped-up crackhead who led cops on a chase in Suffolk County early yesterday ended up crashing his car into a private lake, where, with officers looking on, he decided...
BUSH PICKING UP THE PACE WITH AN OLYMPIAN AD PUSH
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush is turning to the hype surrounding the Olympics with a new ad released yesterday that includes shots of athletes - and touts the number of democratic...
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amEpic embarrassment tempered the patriotic pride Greece felt on the opening day of the Athens Olympics yesterday as two of the country's hero athletes were given extra time to explain...
GOP DEMANDS: STEP DOWN NOW
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amTop New Jersey Republicans - including former Gov. Christie Whitman - yesterday called on Gov. Jim McGreevey to "do the right thing" and quit immediately, charging he can't function effectively...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amMANHATTAN *** Cops are asking for the public's assistance in finding this escaped prisoner (above) who slugged a cop inside an Upper East Side station house before he took off....
ONE-HIT BLUNDER ; MOBSTER PLEADS GUILTY IN DEATH OF FED'S DAD
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA reputed mob boss pleaded guilty yesterday to arranging a hit that prosecutors say was aimed at a former Mafia-busting federal prosecutor, but resulted in the death of his elderly...
CHEVY: THIEVES RUINED 'VACATION'
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amIs Chevy Chase's $10,000 Cartier wristwatch buried among the mounds of high-end loot cops seized in an airport sting early yesterday morning? The famed funnyman hopes so. Chase told The...
MCG AND THE G-MEN ; FBI LOOKS INTO GOV'S BLACKMAIL CLAIM - BUT MAY PROBE HIM, TOO
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amThe FBI is investigating fallen New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey's claim that a former male lover tried to extort $5 million from him and is expected to examine the governor's...
COPS BUST MOSQUE-PERV SUSPECT
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA 10-year-old girl was sexually mauled in a prestigious Manhattan mosque by a janitor who dragged her into a room, put his hand over her mouth and attacked her, authorities...
CIPEL'S FATHER IS LEFT REELING IN ISRAEL
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - Golan Cipel's parents were surprised they hadn't received a phone call from him in a week - and stunned when they heard the news from New Jersey. "My...
'TORSO' SLUR OUTRAGE AT AIRLINE GATE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA wheelchair-bound British passenger - who has no arms or legs - yesterday sued Air France for discrimination after managers allegedly refused to board her on a trip from Manchester...
JUDGE-BRIBING CREEP GUILTY IN THREATS TO WIFE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA Brooklyn father - who earler pleaded guilty to paying $10,000 to a judge to rig his divorce and custody battle - was found guilty yesterday of violating an order...
FLA. CAUGHT IN A 'NIGHTMARE'; * CATEGORY 4 STORM SLAMS SHORE * RAGING TOWARD 6.5M RESIDENTS * GOV. BUSH FEARS $15B DAMAGE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amHurricane Charley roared ashore yesterday, pounding west-central Florida with 145 mph winds, shutting down Disney World and sending thousands of terrified residents fleeing before an expected 15-foot tidal surge that...
PLAZA SWEET: SELLS FOR PRINCELY $675M
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amThe Plaza hotel has been sold to a new owner, and part or all of the fabled playground of the rich and famous may be turned into luxury condos. Saudi...
LET THE GAMES BEGIN - OLYMPICS BACK TO THEIR BIRTHPLACE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGreece welcomed the Olympics home yesterday with a stirring opening ceremony in Athens that invoked powerful ancient mythology even as it bowed to modern reality - anti-terror helicopters. The patrolling...
HE'S NO GOOD FOR YOU, GIRL!
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amDitch him, Dina! That was a longtime friend's advice yesterday for New Jersey first lady Dina Matos McGreevey. "If it was me, the day he told me he was gay,...
SKY-HIGH N.Y. TERROR DRILL TODAY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amThe skies above Manhattan will be filled with military and police air power today as authorities stage a secret sky-high anti-terror training drill in preparation for the GOP convention. The...
MCGREEVEY AIDE SLAPS BACK: I'M A SEX VICTIM
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA former aide to New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey charged yesterday that the disgraced governor made repeated sexual advances toward him - and retaliated with full fury when he was...
GREEKS MISS DRUG TESTS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amATHENS - The Olympics' host country was home to some embarrassment yesterday as two of Greece's champion athletes were given two extra days to explain why they missed a drug...
DOWN IN FLAMES ; DRUGGIE LIGHTS UP IN SINKING CAR: COPS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA hopped-up crackhead who led cops on a chase in Suffolk County early yesterday ended up crashing his car into a private lake where, with officers looking on, he decided...
LOHAN DAD: I DIDN'T GO WILD
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amActress Lindsay Lohan's father has denied reports he tried to kick in the door of his estranged wife's Long Island home. "I did not kick in the door," said Michael...
STORM'S LAST RAINY HURRAH DUE IN JERSEY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amCharley will probably not be a hurricane by the time he gets to the tri-state area - but New Jersey could still get hammered by several inches of rain and...
FLA. CAUGHT IN A 'NIGHTMARE' ; * CATEGORY 4 STORM SLAMS SHORE * RAGING TOWARD 6.5M RESIDENTS * GOV. BUSH FEARS $15B DAMAGE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amHurricane Charley roared ashore yesterday, pounding west-central Florida with 145 mph winds, shutting down Disney World and sending thousands of terrified residents fleeing before an expected 15-foot tidal surge that...
MAN DIES IN QUEENS STABBING
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amA 60-year-old Queens man was arrested last night for stabbing an acquaintance who was flirting with his wife, police sources said. Ronald Erby stabbed the 49-year-old man - whose name...
CHEVY: THIEVING JFK SCREENERS RUINED MY 'VACATION'
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amIs Chevy Chase's $10,000 Cartier wristwatch buried among the mounds of high-end loot cops seized in an airport sting early yesterday morning? The famed funnyman hopes so. Chase told The...
TORRE GOES TO SIX-MAN ROTATION
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSEATTLE - When it comes to the Yankees' rotation, it's the Joy of Six. With Mike Mussina due off the DL on Tuesday, Javier Vazquez expected to pitch Wednesday after...
BIG BANG - BOMBER BATS ROAR IN ROUT OF MARINERS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amYankees 11Mariners 3 SEATTLE - Bob Melvin was faced with a very important decision early last night: Remove his married players from the game to avoid serious injury or hook...
JETS TAKE IT QUEASY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSaints 23Jets 13 NEW ORLEANS - These are the kinds of games that make Herman Edwards physically ill. Watching his team turn the ball over and commit penalties is worse...
REESE STAYS IN THE RUNNING
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amJET NOTES NEW ORLEANS - There aren't a lot of openings in the Jets' talented backfield, but Johnathan Reese has given the coaches something to think about. Reese, the former...
DAYNE STEALS BIG BLUE SHOW
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGIANT NOTES Tom Coughlin is giving Ron Dayne a chance to show he can be a vital part of the Giants offense and after one preseason game, Dayne is on...
VILMA, COLEMAN MAKE DEBUTS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amJET NOTES NEW ORLEANS - Jonathan Vilma, the Jets' No. 1 draft pick, made his NFL debut last night, playing linebacker and on special teams. The Jets, facing the Saints...
PHILLY SAYING FAREWELL TO 'SMARTY'
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSmarty Jones will parade at Philadelphia Park today before heading to stud in Kentucky. Given history of Philly sports fans, will there be more boos than cheers? There is life...
GIANTS GET PRE-PARED ; STACKHOUSE GLAD TO BE BACK
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amWhen last we saw Charles Stackhouse, he was being berated by Jim Fassel in a wildly emotional scene on the practice fields at the University at Albany. Not only did...
ANCIENT IDEALS LIVE ON
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amOLYMPIA, Greece - Three hundred kilometers from here, on another track in another Greek city, the first crinkles in the happy face wrapped around these Olympic Games have surfaced. It...
U.S. HOOPS TEAM EYES NEW LEGACY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amATHENS - Dream Team. Dream Team. Dream Team. Pardon the pun, but the 2004 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team is hearing those words in its sleep. It is not a...
BALTO STAR HEADS FIELD IN 'SWORD'
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSARATOGA SPRINGS - For a Grade 1 race with a $500,000 purse, today's Sword Dancer Handicap, at a mile-and-a-half over the soggy inner turf course at the Old Spa, came...
CASH NOT PLANNING BIG DEALS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES SEATTLE - Brian Cashman is hip to what's available on the trade market these days, but the Yankee GM is nowhere near as busy as he was in...
WHAT'S SPANISH FOR 'ACE'? SUDDENLY, EL DUQUE IS YANKS' NUMERO UNO
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSEATTLE - Kevin Brown is back in the Yankee rotation. Mike Mussina and Javier Vazquez are on the way back. Orlando "El Duque: Hernandez? All the way back. How else...
NIEDERMAYER TO RECEIVE $7M
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amDuring the likely NHL lockout, Lou Lamoriello shouldn't be among the anti-arbitration militants. The procedure worked just fine for the Devils' GM this week. Lamoriello emerged triumphant from his set...
BASKETBALL TEAM GETS SCARE
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amNOTEBOOK ATHENS - The U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, which had been practicing in Istanbul prior to its arrival here on Thursday, got a scary reminder of the security concerns...
DONNIE ON THE SPOT ; JETS COORDINATOR EXCITED TO START
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amNEW ORLEANS - Memo to Jets' fans: Watch Donnie Henderson this season. Watch Henderson's defense. Better yet: Watch them both. Both are sure to provide entertainment in the form of...
AMAZIN'S ARMED & DANGEROUS - LITERALLY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amMET NOTES Critics assert the Met clubhouse has a country-club feel. True or not, archery is now one of the pregame activities. Yesterday afternoon, pitchers Mike DeJean and Braden Looper...
MANNING GLAD HE'S NOT IN S.D.
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGIANT NOTES On the eve of his Giants debut last night in a preseason game against the Chiefs, Eli Manning sounded comfortable with his surroundings. Why not? After all, he...
KELLY'S IN DANGER OF RYDER MISS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amPGA NOTES HAVEN, Wis. - Wisconsin native Jerry Kelly had high hopes coming into the 86th PGA Championship. He was playing on a familiar course and needed a good showing...
HEAVY MEDAL ; PHELPS BEGINS GOLDEN QUEST
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amATHENS - By the close of business today, we will know a whole lot more about the burgeoning legend of Michael Phelps and, if all goes according to plan, the...
MICK: COURSE TOO EASY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00am"The true challenge of the course just doesn't come out."PHIL MICKELSON HAVEN, Wis. - Usually, pro golfers complain that a course in unfair or too difficult (i.e. Shinnecock Hills), but...
FANNING THE FLAME ; WITH STIRRING CEREMONY, GAMES GET UNDER WAY
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amATHENS - It was magnificent. It was breathtaking. It was everything the skeptics said it would not be, could not be. Olympic Stadium went dark and suddenly blinding white strobe...
BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH ; TIGER JUST MAKES CUT TO CONTINUE HIS RECORD STREAK
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amHAVEN, Wis. - The streak lives! Seldom has someone trying to make the cut garnered so much attention. But all eyes were on Tiger Woods yesterday as he struggled to...
CRACK OPEN A SIX-PACK - YANKS KEEP HALF-DOZEN IN ROTATION
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSEATTLE - When it comes to the Yankees' rotation, it's the Joy of Six. With Mike Mussina due off the DL Tuesday, Javier Vazquez expected to pitch Wednesday after getting...
TRIO OF LOCALS CUT OUT
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amPGA NOTES HAVEN, Wis. - Craig Thomas hoped after shooting a 1-over 73 in Thursday's opening round, he would make the cut in his first PGA Championship. But Thomas, a...
A-ROD KO'ED BY FLU
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES SEATTLE - Alex Rodriguez was scratched from last night's starting lineup against the Mariners with a viral infection. "He has the flu and a sore throat," Joe Torre...
PONDER SHOWS SOME FLASHES
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGIANT NOTES Almost desperate to locate a few players who can make a contribution in the return game, the Giants last night saw some encouraging signs from receiver Willie Ponder....
REYES DL'D, MAYBE DONE FOR YEAR
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amMets 10D'backs 6 The black cloud hovering over the Mets grew darker yesterday afternoon when Jose Reyes was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left fibula - an injury...
UP & DOWN FOR JETS
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amSaints 23Jets 13 NEW ORLEANS - What did we learn about the Jets in their 23-13 loss to the Saints in last night's preseason opener at the Superdome? First, the...
SORE BACK PUTS KAZ ON BENCH
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amMET NOTES Not only are the Mets missing Jose Reyes, but Kaz Matsui doesn't sound like he'll be back anytime soon, either. The shortstop is out with back spasms after...
DAYNE STEALS THE SHOW - TWO TD RUNS HIGHLIGHT COMEBACK WIN
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGiants 34 Chiefs 24 On a night when all eyes were trained on evaluating the quarterbacks, who could have imagined that Ron Dayne - remember him? - last night would...
GIANT BATTLE BREWING - ELI SHINES IN COMEBACK WIN
August 14, 2004 | 4:00amGiants 34 Chiefs 24 As the Giants last night rallied from an early 14-point deficit and rolled to a 34-24 preseason victory over the Chiefs, it was not hard to...