October 4, 2004

L.I. LOLITA IN $WEET DEAL FOR HER NEW TELL-ALL PUB

With the publication of her book "If I Knew Then," Amy Fisher has done more than transform herself from Long Island Lolita to wife, mother, journalist and champion of victims'...

WEINSTEIN-DISNEY BRAWL GETTING CLOSER TO FINALE

The battle of movie independence is getting closer to a showdown between Disney boss Michael Eisner and his best producers, the movie mogul brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Hollywood has...

CHINESE, OIL WOES SQUEEZE ECONOMY

World financial leaders continued this weekend to pressure the Chinese government to cool its overheated economy, the engine that's straining world oil supplies and slowing growth in the United States....

U.S. NEWS GETS NEW PREZ

Now that Fred "The Duck Slayer" Drasner is out of the picture at Mort Zuckerman's media holdings, insiders are jockeying to fill the holes in the lineup. At the embattled...

FOREIGN FILM FIASCO; NO OSCAR NODS FOR TOP WORLD DIRECTORS

'THE Motorcycle Diaries" and "Look at Me" received glowing reviews from critics - yet these popular foreign films, among oth ers, won't be eligible for the foreign-language Oscar at this...

CUL-DE-SEX: STYLING HOUSEWIVES HEAT UP THE 'BURBS

TIRED of getting your fashion fix from "Sex and the City" reruns? Tune into "Desperate Housewives," the new ABC prime-time soap that should be subtitled "Sex and the Suburbs." The...

LET'S BE FRANK - MONSTERS MASH IN REMAKES OF HALLOWEEN CLASSIC

FRANKENSTEIN, meet Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's 200-year-old, man-made monster is a hot property this year heading into the Halloween season, with no less than two made-for-TV movies about the creature. One...

GET YOUR TIVO FROM THE ROAD

SONY has designed the ultimate carry-on lug gage - a portable, wireless TV that can play a viewer's favorite stations anywhere in the world. The LocationFree TV, as it's called,...

STARR REPORT

No couchin' it . . . Elisabeth Hasselbeck made it look easy going from "Survivor" to a co-host of "The View" - but, she says, she deserves her place on...

SYRIA SMUGGLE CABAL BACKING IRAQ GUERRILLAS

WASHINGTON - A secret Syrian and Iraqi smuggling network that made billions of dollars busting U.N. sanctions during Saddam Hussein's regime is now involved in organizing and financing violent anti-U.S....

AD TAKES THE CAKE ; RIPS SENATE FOES' SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE

WHAT is sure to be a controversial new TV commercial features U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and GOP challenger Howard Mills standing together - as a gay couple atop a wedding...

HINTS OF 9/11 ATTACKS IN BIN LADEN PAL'S BOOK

A crony of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to kill Americans and Jews everywhere - using planes as weapons - in a book released just months before the...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Michigan rock band had the hottest act in town when the guitarist dropped his pants, set fire to his thong, then whipped off the flaming material. The cheesy act...

'SHARK TALE' REELS IN $49M FOR TOP SPOT

"Shark Tale" took a massive bite out of the box office. The animated fish story, which features a Who's Who of celebrity voices, hooked the No. 1 spot over the...

BLESSED ARE THE BEAKS

Dogs, cats, snakes, birds and other assorted critters, like humans, packed The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine yesterday to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis and the blessing of...

POWERBALL POT A SWEET $177M

Powerball's bounce just got a whole lot bigger. With nobody winning the grand prize over the weekend, Wednesday's jackpot is now $177 million. The numbers picked in Saturday's drawing of...

JAGUAR SPOTTY IN CRASH TESTS

The snazzy Jaguar X-Type got poor marks in a new set of side-impact crash simulations, while a Mitsubishi that's $12,500 cheaper took top honors, according to results announced yesterday. In...

DIRTY-BOMB PLAN UP IN SMOKE

A British-based Islamic terrorist cell that had plans to attack American financial institutions may have also been plotting to build a dirty bomb - made out of smoke detectors, according...

VEEP RIVALS SET FOR THEIR SHOWDOWN

WASHINGTON - The pressure is on for vice-presidential hopeful John Edwards to maintain the Democratic ticket's momentum when he locks wits with Vice President Dick Cheney in Cleveland tomorrow night....

GOPERS DO A 'JOB' ON KERRY

WASHINGTON - The White House slapped back at John Kerry yesterday for spouting economic doom on the campaign trail, charging that his proposed solutions would "destroy jobs." Kerry yesterday moved...

HERE'S MCG'S POLKA FACE ; DANCES AT POLISH PARADE

New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey crossed the Hudson yesterday and danced up Fifth Avenue in a top hat and tails. As he stepped off for the 67th annual Pulaski Day...

ISLAND TRIP SOURS AS JAIL LOOMS

With her final moments of freedom ticking away, Martha Stewart looked downright downtrodden yesterday as she made her last splash in the Bahamian surf. The doyenne of domesticity had flown...

DON'T BLAME CITY IN DAY-CARE DEATH: BLOOMBERG

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday the city couldn't have saved a 7-month-old boy who was crushed to death at a Queens day-care center during a visit from a city inspector. Asked...

CITY'S OLYMPIC GAMBLE

Mayor Bloomberg's insistence that New York must begin work on a West Side stadium before the International Olympic Committee picks a host for the 2012 games is a dramatic departure...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN *** The young man found dumped in a bag in Crown Heights was fatally stabbed in an apparent drug-related attack, police said yesterday. The body of Lionel Ashley, 26,...

GAZA FEELS THE HEAT

JERUSALEM - Israel yesterday vowed to intensify the military's bloody crackdown in the Gaza Strip, as up to a dozen more Palestinians died in the continuing offensive. "The troops are...

ALLIES DEFEAT SAMARRA REBS ; VICTORY PAVES WAY FOR JANUARY VOTE

American and Iraqi forces yesterday claimed victory in Samarra, the first rebel-held city to fall in the coalition's renewed effort to retake enemy territory before January's scheduled elections. "This has...

WHINY VELELLA WAS A JAILHOUSE WRECK

ALBANY - Despite having to serve only a cushy, three-month jail sentence, former state Sen. Guy Velella was a sniveling coward behind bars, moaning to friends that the conditions were...

'RAPE' CLUB MANAGER IS CHARGED

A topless-club manager was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after a 17-year-old stripper claimed she was raped in the Brooklyn flesh joint, cops said yesterday. Michael Arab,...

JOHN POLL-VAULTS INTO TIE

WASHINGTON - John Kerry received a big boost from his debate performance last week - he's stormed back into the race for the White House and pulled dead even with...

SUN SETS AT LAST ON LIBS' SEASON

GAME 3Sun 60Liberty 57 UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The house always wins. And even the Liberty left Mohegan Sun yesterday shaking their heads, eliminated from the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals by...

GRANNY IN BUSH WHACK ; 'RAISES CANE' VS. W FAN

An Upper West Side woman says she was am-Bushed by a cane-wielding 86-year-old woman who apparently isn't fond of the president. Linda Fuda, 62, told The Post she was waiting...

SEX HAS MAD AVE. AQUIVER ; XTRAORDINARY NEW SHOP

Armani, Chanel, Yves St. Laurent - and now a sex shop. Madison Avenue is going XXX-rated. A saucy new lingerie store which peddles more than panties has just opened on...

HOST WITH MOST; REGIS IS 'EAGER' TO EMCEE GALA

Proud New Yorker and talk-show king Regis Philbin will emcee his third New York Post Liberty Medal Awards Thursday night at a Gracie Mansion gala reception. "There's an award show...

HERO COP DIES IN CHASE HORROR

A former NYPD homicide investigator who went on to become a hero Florida Highway Patrol trooper has been killed during a chase, officials said yesterday. Darryl L. Haywood, 49, died...

JUDE TO BE LAW-FULLY WEDDED

Dashing actor Jude Law secretly got engaged to stunning young co-star Sienna Miller during a romantic stopover in Venice last week, pals revealed. Law, 31, popped the question to his...

GRACIE MANSION EVENT TO HONOR UNSUNG HEROES

Ten ordinary New Yorkers whose extraordinary contributions, creativity and courage epitomize the city's unsung heroes will be awarded the New York Post's Liberty Medals Thursday at a Gracie Mansion reception....

HEIRLOOM BACK FROM 'CLEANERS'

A missing $30,000 family heirloom, stolen by a house cleaner from a Manhattan apartment, has been recovered by the NYPD. "I feel amazing, like it is an absolute miracle," said...

CITY PAYDAY 'RAISES' EYEBROWS

Mayor Bloomberg's nearly two-year lag in appointing a commission to set new salaries for top city officials has led bosses to take matters into their own hands - and even...

TIGER TO WED TOMORROW

Golf great Tiger Woods is set to wed his sexpot Swedish honey tomorrow in a lavish ceremony in Barbados, sources said yesterday. The 28-year-old superstar and his fiancée, leggy former...

RIKERS GANG KILLS INMATE

A Rikers Island inmate died after he was beaten yesterday by a mob of other prisoners, authorities said. The violence erupted at 1:30 p.m. on the walkway between two cellblocks...

GORY ORDEAL OF QNS. STAB VICTIM

A stabbing victim was fighting for his life early today after he collapsed in a pool of blood on a Queens street last night while trying to flag down a...

DEM FLASHED 'WRITE' STUFF AT DEBATE

Was John Kerry trying to pull something at the debate last week? That question was burning up the Internet yesterday after a slo-mo review of the footage showed the Massachusetts...

IT'S OFFICIAL: 'APPRENTICE' REALLY FIRED

Jennifer, you really are fired. "Apprentice" wannabe Jennifer Crisafulli, who was "fired" by Donald Trump last week for not being a team player, has officially been sacked from her real-life...

BABY DEATH ISN'T CITY'S FAULT: MIKE

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday the city couldn't have saved a 7-month-old boy who died at a Queens day-care center while an inspector was visiting In a cold assessment of the...

CAR-THEFT HELL; WORST PLACE IN CITY (UNLESS YOU'RE A CROOK)

The Soundview section of The Bronx is the city's top shopping area - for car thieves. A Post survey of police statistics has found that auto thefts across the city...

CAN'T FINISH YOUR WINE? DOGGY-BAG IT

An amendment to the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Law now allows restaurant customers to take home their partially consumed bottle of wine. But few diners are aware that the law...

9/11 HINTS IN OSAMA PAL'S BOOK

A crony of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to kill Americans and Jews everywhere - using planes as weapons - in a book released just months before the...

ARAB CHILD SAVES 5 ISRAELIS IN DEATH

JERUSALEM - A 9-year-old Palestinian boy who died in a traffic accident helped save the lives of five Israelis with transplants of his organs. The family of Amin Salhuth said...

FANS WANT TRINIDAD- HOPKINS II

IT took just eight explosive rounds for Felix "Tito" Trinidad to put himself back atop boxing's mantle of greatness. His destruction of Ricardo Mayorga Saturday night at the Garden belied...

BAKER COULD BE KNICKS' CENTER

When Vin Baker held his charity golf tournament in August, Cablevision's James Dolan and Isiah Thomas schlepped to Hartford to attend. When the Knicks decided to re-sign Vin Baker for...

KARL DECLINES NETS' INVITATION

The Nets' search for a power forward to replace Kenyon Martin led them to Karl Malone, but the Mailman told the team he wasn't interested. The Nets, who open training...

YANKEES PRACTICING MARX-IST ECONOMICS

"Getta you tootsie frootsie ice cream!" It struck Lloyd Stone, an old friend who Friday bought tickets online to a Yanks' divisional series game, that he'd just lived a scene...

JASON SPOT SHAKY

Yanks 3 Blue Jays 2 YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - Friday night Joe Torre said Jason Giambi was a long shot not to make the ALDS roster. However, based on Giambi's...

SHOCKEY FLAUNTS AND TAUNTS

GREEN BAY - The completion covered 26 yards, and suddenly the Giants were 40 yards from a go-ahead touchdown with just over 15 minutes left. And then Jeremy Shockey couldn't...

NYCOTB SHUT DOWN BY OUTAGE

New York City OTB was hit by a mysterious power outage at its 1501 Broadway headquarters about 3:20 p.m. yesterday that shut down all betting, TV and its website. Operation...

CHRISTIE KICKING HIMSELF

GIANT NOTES GREEN BAY - Not once, but twice, the Giants had an opportunity to seal yesterday's eventual 14-7 victory over the Packers and not once, but twice, kicker Steve...

HAVE A 'SOTA ; YANKS TO FACE TWINS IN ALDS

Yankees 3 Blue Jays 2 TORONTO - Their regular season complete, the Yankees left for the States yesterday not knowing who their opponent in the American League Division Series was...

MINNY-HA-HA FOR BOMBERS

THIS was last year, early October, and the Minnesota Twins were still basking in the afterglow of what they believed was a major tectonic shift in the American League power...

TO VICTOR GOES SPOILS IN JET WIN

JET NOTES MIAMI - With the anticipated arrival of first-round draft pick Jonathan Vilma, Jets' linebacker Victor Hobson has been flying a bit under the radar this season. Yesterday, playing...

TIKI RUNS CLUB TO BIG BLUE HEAVEN

GREEN BAY - The Giants shot themselves in the foot so many times yesterday a centipede would have been embarrassed and scurrying for the off-limits trainer's room. And it doesn't...

BANGED-UP FAVRE CAN'T FINISH IT OFF

GREEN BAY - Last week, Brett Favre appeared on the Packers' injury report for the 40th time during his 192-game starting streak. He had a bruised hamstring and a left...

JETS SLIP BY FEEBLE FISH - IMPROVE TO 3-0BEHIND MARTIN,KEY INT RETURN

Jets 17 Dolphins 9D+> MIAMI - For the Jets, this game had danger spray-painted all over it like graffiti on the subway walls. The Jets went to Miami seeking a...

METS SHEA GOODBYE

It began with a slogan - Catch the Energy. It ended with a manager fired, a general manager demoted and a phenom traded. It ended with 15 players having spent...

SURPRISE! JINTS DON'T PACK IT IN ; CLOBBER FAVRE; GO TO 3-1

GREEN BAY - After the job was complete and the Giants officially became one of the NFL's truly surprising teams one month into the season, the excitement was split unequally....

REYES READY FOR BODY WORK

MET NOTES In the next couple of weeks, Jose Reyes will begin trying to get his health on track. Reyes, who is paramount to the Mets' success next season, revealed...

SUB-PAR CHAD NOT SPOILER

MIAMI - What we've had, for the most part, is a starry-eyed courtship between a long-suffering team and the quarterback of its dreams. What we got yesterday afternoon was the...

JUST CALL HIM TODDY BALLGAME

While Todd Zeile refrained from reciting Lou Gehrig's famous words during a pre-game ceremony, Zeile did go out like Ted Williams. In the sixth, in his final major-league at-bat, Zeile...

JETS SLIP BY FEEBLE FISH - IMPROVE TO 3-0 BEHIND MARTIN, KEY INT RETURN

JETS 17 DOLPHINS 9 MIAMI - With each step they take, each win they tuck away in this early part of the NFL season, we find out a little more...

DONNIE DELIVERS AGAIN

MIAMI - This is when the hours of staring at flickering images in darkened rooms finally pays off. Right here. Right now. Donnie Abraham's mind was racing, absorbing what he...

MAWAE PROVES ADEPT AT GOING TO HIS LEFT

JET NOTES MIAMI - Kevin Mawae, nursing a broken finger on his right hand, surprised no one when he showed up on the field yesterday starting his 158th consecutive NFL...

MARTIN CRACKS TOP 10

MIAMI - Curtis Martin yesterday moved into 10th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list. But, despite having faced the Dolphins 18 times entering yesterday's game, he hadn't gathered a...

CHAD AFTERTHOUGHT

MIAMI - Slowly, stubbornly, the platitudes and the cliches morph into evidence. Slowly, stub bornly, the words that so often tumble from Herman Edwards' lips are beginning to strike a...