November 5, 2004
COURTING GAYS - CORPORATIONS MAKING BIG PITCH AT EXPO
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amBig companies are hoping to marry their brands to gays and lesbians this weekend - about 20,000 of them. In the first days after the presidential election - in which...
REBA GROWS EMPIRE WITH SPORTSWEAR LINE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00am"Annie Get Your Gun" is now packing designer clothing instead of heat. Reba McEntire - the country singer, author, Broadway and sitcom star - is teaming up with Dillard's to...
FEINBERG TO RUN CA COMPENSATION FUND
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amKenneth R. Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the distribution of $7 billion to victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, was appointed yesterday to head up the Computer Associates shareholder compensation...
BODY COUNT RISES - SPITZER'S INSURANCE PROBE CLAIMS MORE EXECS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe casualties of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's probe of bid-rigging and restraint of trade in the insurance industry are beginning to pile up. Ace Ltd., a Bermuda-based insurer headed by...
N.Y. STORES FORESEE BIG HOLIDAY BOOM
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amNew York stores can expect their best holiday shopping season in five years. Retail experts say a major comeback has been quietly building since January, with new stores opening their...
STOCK GUSHER - OIL PRICES KEEP SLIDING, MARKET CLIMBS 177
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTumbling oil prices loosened their costly grip on Wall Street at last in a post-election rally that's pushed stocks higher for two days. Blue chips reached their highest levels in...
ALTRIA BREAKUP OF PHILIP MORRIS, KRAFT IN WORKS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amAltria Group Inc., the owner of Philip Morris and Kraft Foods Inc., is preparing for a possible breakup of the company in order to increase value to shareholders. Speaking at...
SHOE DRIVE STEPS ON TOES
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amKenneth Cole is accusing rival Cole Haan of big footing its annual shoe drive. Cole Haan advertisements that began appearing this week urging consumers to donate "gently worn" shoes in...
DA EYES DESIGN GROUP - MISSING-MONEY PROBE AT ART-DIRECTION NONPROFIT
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Manhattan District Attorney's office is investigating alleged financial misdeeds at the nonprofit Society of Publication Designers and its recently ousted executive director. Bride Whelan - who had run the...
STARR REPORT
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amRare images of legendary boxer Jack Johnson will be flashed on the Garden's Jumbotron during next Saturday's (Nov. 13) fight card to promote Ken Burns' upcoming PBS documentary, "Unforgivable Blackness."...
DANCE PICK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amLAST CHANCES: This weekend offers the last chances (the last five chances, to be accurate) to see American Ballet Theater's current fall season at City Center and Eliot Feld's MAN...
KIDS' PICK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00am"DAY OF THE DEAD: Celebrate El Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday honoring the dearly departed, at the Brooklyn Children's Museum tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m. Taste delicious...
ROCK PICK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amNOT AS SIMPLE AS PUNK-POP PIE: Canadian rockers Simple Plan have done a lot of growing up since they released their debut disc, "No Pads, No Helmets . . ....
FILM PICK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amSLICE AND DICE ACADEMY: You say you have a strong stomach? Then make your way to Lincoln Center for "Suspiria" (1977), Dario Argento's ghoulish genre goodie. The Italian scaremaster spares...
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amALFIE[ 1/2] (One and one-half stars) Another ill-conceived remake. Running time: 103 minutes. Rated R (sexual content, some language and drug use). At the Lincoln Square, the Battery Park, others....
FAWNING DOC SEES JAY-Z 'FADE' AWAY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amFADE TO BLACK[] (One star) For hard-core fans only. Running time: 106 minutes. Rated R (pervasive profanity and misogynistic lyrics). At the Empire, the Harlem USA, others. RAPPER Jay-Z, who's...
LOVER BOY LOSER
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amRAJ Bhakta, the long-winded lothario who stood out on "The Apprentice 2" as much for his bow ties as he did for hitting on beautiful women, was the latest board...
LOCAL WEATHER CHANNEL STORMS THE CITY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amNBC is preparing to launch a 24/7 digital weather channel that will air here on Time Warner Cable. The channel, NBC4 Weather Plus, will air on Time Warner Cable/Ch. 731...
FAMILY JEWEL - 'INCREDIBLES'IS A GUTSY, DAZZLING SUPER 'TOON; RIGHT IN 'TOON
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTHE INCREDIBLES [****] (Four stars) Don't miss it. Running time: 115 minutes. Rated PG (action violence). At the Kips Bay, the Union Square, the Chelsea, others. SHREK who? The jolly...
EARLIMART MELODY IN PAL'S MEMORY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amEARLIMART has nailed the lush melodic sound of Elliott Smith. The new album, "Treble & Tremble," is a tribute of sorts to the late singer/songwriter, who committed suicide last year....
PLAYING IT BY ART - WILSON SHRUGS OFF THE FATE OF 'GEM'
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWHILE theater owners, lawyers and general managers are still scrambling to get August Wilson's play "Gem of the Ocean" back on track for a Broadway run, the playwright himself says...
INDIE MUSIC PICK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amRECORD SALES: If rifling through cases of vinyl (rare, old, new) and CDs (rare, old, new) is your idea of a good time, then spend some time at the WFMU...
SIX HURT ABOARD JFK JET
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amSix people were injured when an American Airlines flight bound for Kennedy Airport hit severe turbulence last night as it was about to land. Three passengers and three flight attendants...
DANNY DEMON DELAY - TRIAL FUROR OVER 'DEVIL'
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amDanny Pelosi's murder trial came to a screeching halt yesterday when his lawyer asked Pelosi's sister - a key prosecution witness - if her relatives thought Ted Ammon's widow was...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amNo worries, mate - I'm a no-frills flier! A man tried to get a free flight to Australia by stripping naked at Los Angeles International Airport, dashing across the tarmac...
ZONGO COP PREPS FOR JAN. TRIAL
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe young plainclothes cop who fatally shot an unarmed African immigrant in a Chelsea warehouse is gearing up for a manslaughter trial tentatively scheduled for mid-January, his lawyer said yesterday....
SHELLS SMASH FOE AS FALLUJAH BATTLE STARTS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - U.S. military forces pounded terrorist strongholds in the Iraqi city of Fallujah with thundering air and artillery assaults yesterday ahead of an all-out military offensive designed to break...
INAUGURAL A PRICEY-PARTY TIME
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amForget Springsteen and Bon Jovi - now it's "red state" conservatives who are going to party like rock stars during Dubya's presidential inauguration in January, paying up to $1 million...
LANDLORD FROM HELL IS EVICTED
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTenants cheered yesterday when a court-appointed manager - accompanied by armed federal housing agents - seized control of their foul-smelling, violation-ridden Harlem apartment building. The early-morning takeover of the 231-unit...
ONE WOMAN WHO FOUGHT IT TWICE - AND WON
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amStay positive, Elizabeth - you're going to beat this thing. That's the optimistic word from 67-year-old Susan Pollack of Manhattan, a gutsy breast-cancer survivor who's overcome the killer disease -...
BIG APPLE FAREWELL FOR N'TUCKET GAL
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe heartbroken family and friends of a murdered Nantucket woman are gathering in Manhattan today to honor the slain self-made entrepreneur. The memorial service for Beth Lochtefeld, whose jilted ex-lover...
SCARY JURY DUTY - FEW TAKERS FOR GOTTI
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amNew Yorkers admitted yesterday they fear serving as jurors in the Peter Gotti mob trial - even though their identities will be kept under wraps. "I would fear retaliation. I...
JACKO SLAPS AWAY - NEW RAP ON DA
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amSANTA MARIA, Calif. - A judge yesterday rejected Michael Jackson's bid to boot local prosecutors from his child-molestation case - but not before Jacko's lawyer lobbed fresh misconduct allegations against...
BURIAL SITE COULD CAUSE GRAVE PROBLEMS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe first conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the post-Arafat era will be where to bury the longtime PLO chairman. Arafat repeatedly has expressed his wish to be buried in...
BUMBLERS ON CITY JAIL PANEL IGNORED LAWS TO SPRING GUY & NIX OTHERS[[BT]]
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amMembers of the tiny commission that sprung former state Sen. Guy Velella from Rikers Island were ignorant of the panel's rules and may have bungled hundreds of other cases that...
MUDSLINGERS TRIED TO OUT CANDIDATE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amVitriolic campaigners took a page from New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey's resignation script and tried to falsely "out" a candidate as a lesbian. In the waning days of a race...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amBROOKLYN * Cops are offering a $2,000 reward for the capture of a Brooklyn man (above) who they say tried to kill his ex-girlfriend. Gerrard "Butchie" Hawkins, 27, clashed with...
AT DEATH'S DOOR - ARAFAT'S END 'DAYS OR WEEKS' AWAY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amYasser Arafat is in "grave condition" with little chance of recovering from a mystery illness, officials at his French hospital said yesterday. A medical source told Agence France-Presse the Palestinian...
BULGING BICEPS! SIX PACKS! YES, LADIES, MEN ARE BACK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTHE good news keeps on coming, America. After conducting an intensive investigation, I am here to report that the male of the species - for too long feminized, intellectualized and...
TEEN BUSTED IN NUN ROBBERY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA young man was busted yesterday for holding a gun on a nun and stealing $4,000 in tuition money from a Brooklyn Catholic school, police said. Carl Laurent, 17, of...
HER ODDS ARE GOOD IF IT WAS CAUGHT EARLY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amElizabeth Edwards' chances of beating breast cancer depend on how early it was detected and whether it spread. She found out Wednesday she had invasive ductal cancer, the most common...
SHARON & DUBYA WAIT FOR NEW GUY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amLAST April 14 at the White House, when Ariel Sharon presented President Bush with his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, he also warned the president he might break...
SHE'D BE A 'HILL' OF A PREZ: CHUCK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amSen. Chuck Schumer yesterday said his junior partner in the Senate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the "front-runner" in the battle to win the White House in 2008. "I think the...
COMMISSION IMPOSSIBLE: LOWDOWN ON ALL ITS GOOFS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight had nothing on the Local Conditional Release Commission. Before its makeover last month by Mayor Bloomberg, the four- member panel stumbled through its mission...
F-16 'ATTACKS' N.J. - PILOT SHOOTS UP SCHOOL IN TRAINING BLUNDER WHILE THE KIDS ARE AWAY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA fighter pilot strafed a New Jersey school, firing 25 rounds from his wing-mounted cannon in what the military is calling an accident during a nighttime exercise. The Wednesday incident...
DEAD WRONG - QNS. FUNERAL DUO ADMIT $3M INSURANCE SCAM
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA Queens undertaker and his wife 'fessed up to pocketing $3.1 million through a ghoulish fraud scheme that involved fabricating five fictitious deaths in order to cash in on lucrative...
BRIDAL GOWNTOWN - KLEINFELD EYES MANHATTAN SITE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amLegendary Brooklyn bridal salon Kleinfeld is saying "I do" to a marriage with Manhattan. The famed shop, which dresses 7,000 blushing brides-to-be a year in gowns ranging in price from...
B'KLYN TEEN BUSTED IN HS SEX ATTACK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA 16-year-old boy was arrested on charges he put his hand over a classmate's mouth, dragged her upstairs in their Brooklyn school and fondled her, authorities said yesterday. The ordeal...
CANCER SHOCKER - SEN. EDWARDS' WIFE HAS BREAST DISEASE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amElizabeth Edwards received a devastating blow just hours after watching her husband and John Kerry admit defeat - doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer. The 55-year-old lawyer and mother of...
LOTS OF HOOP-LA IN HARLEM EVICT SUIT
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA Harlem community group says the National Basketball Players Association has unleashed a full-court press to try to bounce them out of their offices. "We're devastated and perplexed. These are...
MONTCLAIR KIDS BASK IN FREEDOM
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTwo New Jersey high-school football players cleared on charges of raping a classmate could be back on the sideline tomorrow after celebrating the biggest win of their lives. After a...
SAYING GRACIE: B'KLYN HONORS BRAVE KID
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amBrooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is proclaiming tomorrow "Amelia-Grace Day" - the day the 3-year-old's community is throwing a block party to raise money for her lifesaving bone-marrow transplant. "Brooklynites...
STATE AID TO $OFTEN MTA FARE INCREASES
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amStraphangers will be hit with a smaller-than-expected fare hike and no major service cuts next year under a new MTA proposal that takes into account higher-than-expected government subsidies, officials said...
CITY TAB FOR JETS' STADIUM COULD DOUBLE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA Jets football stadium on the West Side could cost the city $600 million - double what was expected - if lawmakers don't approve the state's share of the project,...
BOATER SUICIDE - SHOOTS SELF AFTER EVICTION FROM B'KLYN DOCK
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA Brooklyn man despondent over losing his fishing-boat home to a developer was found dead of a bullet wound yesterday, along with a note saying he couldn't bear the idea...
SECURITY WIN FOR WALL ST.
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA Manhattan judge has given the green light to plans to tighten security on streets around the New York Stock Exchange. State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub tossed out two...
BUSH TO PUSH A BIG AGENDA - VOWS TO SPEND 'POLITICAL CAPITAL' ON WAR, TAX LAW
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amPresident Bush yesterday claimed a national mandate, saying he earned "political capital" with a re-election victory that gave him a record 59 million votes - and intends to use it...
THIEF RAPES SHOP GAL AT GUNPOINT
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA woman was raped at gunpoint in the back room of a Brooklyn cellphone store by a thug who ran off with an armful of wireless equipment, police said. The...
BUMBLERS ON CITY JAIL PANEL IGNORED LAWS TO SPRING GUY & NIX OTHERS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amMembers of the tiny commission that sprung former state Sen. Guy Velella from Rikers Island were ignorant of the panel's rules and may have bungled hundreds of other cases that...
PIMP GUILTY OF BEATING HOOKER
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA Queens jury yesterday found a 32-year-old pimp guilty of savagely beating a prostitute. "I didn't do it!" shouted Jeff Jerome as the jury delivered its verdict to Queens Supreme...
MEET THE DUBYA PUPPY
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - There's a new resident at the White House. First Dog Barney now has a pal named Miss Beazley. The White House said the Scottish terrier puppy (left), bred...
PERP'S CRAZED 'ESCAPE' LEAP
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amA man being held on drug charges cheated death last night after jumping from a fifth-story window of a lower Manhattan courthouse building, officials said. The man, whose name was...
NETS: WE'LL IMPROVE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amCHICAGO - In recent seasons, the Nets carried certain identifiable traits like badges of honor. For starters, they would defend. Then they would run. Or they would die trying. And...
BAD ACTS NO SURPRISE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amIT WAS one of those easy, day-after and day-after-that stories from the college football weekend. It made all the papers. Last Saturday, Chris Henry, West Virginia's gifted, 6-5 junior receiver,...
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, ACTION'S STILL STRONG
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTHE wrecks and reefs in New York's marine waters saw a decisive upswing in blackfishing this past week and, now that the second half of the porgy season has begun,...
FRANK GETS EXTENSION
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amCHICAGO - You know the story. Little guy - literally - has big dreams of playing basketball. No way. So Lawrence Frank figured he'd coach. And he wound up as...
KIDD TRADE REPORT IRKS THORN
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amCHICAGO - If Jason Kidd or someone representing him tried to broker a trade to a contender, it was done without the Nets' permission. "That's illegal. You can't do that...
GIANT REVIVAL IS SOMETHING VERY 'SPECIAL'
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amHe figures it will be what he calls "teach tape material," surely must-see viewing in darkened meeting rooms where special-teams players are assembled. David Tyree assumes the play that he,...
WILSON WINS DEFENSIVE HONOR
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES The word is getting out on Gibril Wilson. Once a well-kept secret among the Giants, the rookie safety is starting to attract major attention. Wilson yesterday was named...
LOADED FOR BEAR - BIG BLUE'S IN HUNT FOR ANOTHER BIG WIN
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWHILE the Giants' true colors probably lie somewhere between their dismal home loss to Detroit and rousing win in Minnesota, it's doubtful Tom Coughlin will allow them to stink up...
THE FAN'S CORNER
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amNine-year-old Dominique Blackman has had all kinds of time on his hands since he broke his leg two months ago. "One of my classmates tried to do a wrestling move...
H.S. COACH: WILLIE PERFECT FOR METS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWillie Randolph's baseball coach at Tilden High School believes the Mets have hit a home run. "I think it's great for New York baseball," Marv Glaubach said of the Mets'...
BROWNE SOLDIERS ON
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amDan Browne was meant to be a marathoner, not so much for his athlete's physiology but his warrior's psychology. After all, is a grueling, 12-mile hump over hills lugging a...
UNDER THE RADAR - JETS' 'FERGIE' GRABBING EVERYTHING BUT SPOTLIGHT
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWhen you weigh 305 pounds and stand 6-foot-3, it's difficult to find yourself lost anywhere. But that's what Jason Ferguson is among his fellow Jet defensive linemen - overshadowed by...
A REAL FAMILY MAN
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWILLIE Randolph's wife Gretchen sat in the front row, to her left was their son Andre, who was drafted by the Yankees, and next to Andre was family friend Bob...
THE MAGIC'S BACK IN ORLANDO
November 5, 2004 | 5:00am"IT'S never too early to revolutionize opinions or retract them." That's my saying. Only two nights into the NBA schedule and I'm already going the other way. I've already seen...
HAYWARD'S NEW BOSS AT NYRA
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amCharles Hayward, former president and chief executive officer of the Daily Racing Form and a self-professed "big racing fan," was named president and CEO of the New York Racing Association...
DAZZLING DEBUT FOR TREVOR
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES For those who arrived late to the Trevor Ariza preseason party, he officially arrived into Knick fans' consciousness with 5:21 left in the first half in Wednesday's opener...
LEN DEFENDS LINEUP MOVES
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amKnick coach Lenny Wilkens defended his fourth-quarter rotation in Wednesday's season opener, saying he will always go with the hot hand. Surprisingly, Wilkens stuck with rookie Trevor Ariza, making his...
NEW SKIPPER HAS WRIGHT STUFF
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amMET NOTES Willie Randolph's new players already know plenty about their new manager, with one thing in particular standing out. "He knows how to win," David Wright said. "He's a...
METS EXPECT TO WIN WITH WILLIE - MINAYA PLANS ON LONG-TERM ALLIANCE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThere had been so many interviews for Willie Randolph over the years that he couldn't remember the total anymore. Was it 11 or 12? Even Randolph wasn't sure. What Randolph...
GANG GREEN'S GOING GREAT, BUT CLOCK'S TICKING
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Jets have won six of seven games because they have six or seven players on their way to the Pro Bowl. They are loaded. In a good way, we...
MEL'S DEPARTURE IS STILL UP IN AIR
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe Mel Stottlemyre Saga has more pieces than Earth, Wind & Fire. Tuesday, the long-time Yankees pitching coach gave off signals he was retiring that were so strong George Steinbrenner...
METS HIRED RIGHT GUY, JETER SAYS
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThe Red Sox are world champions and Willie Randolph is the Mets' manager. Welcome to Derek Jeter's upside-down world. Since joining the Yankees full-time in 1996, two of the many...
RETURN OF COWART ISN'T CERTAIN
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amJET NOTES Not so fast on the Sam Cowart return. One day after he was upgraded to probable, the Jets' linebacker yesterday sounded somewhat pessimistic about returning to the field...
VALENTINE'S WAY IS PATH TO TAKE
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amTHE job is different from any other, and for that alone Willie Randolph may have been the only candidate capable of doing it properly. For that reason alone, he should...
YA GOTTA BELIEVE! - NO HYPE: JETS AND GIANTS LOOK PLAYOFF-BOUND
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amPhil Simms treats hype the way he used to treat Dexter Manley barreling down for a sack. He sidesteps it, watching it pass by to avoid being swarmed by it....
5 QUESTIONS FOR MIKE DITKA
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amThis week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with ESPN's Mike Ditka. The 65-year-old former player and coach is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Q: How serious were...
MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK - GEORGE W. BUSH VS. JOHN KERRY (WHO DID BETTER ON SPORTSCENTER?)
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amOn the eve of the election, ESPN's SportsCenter aired interviews with both George W. Bush and John Kerry. Bush looked much more comfortable discussing sports than he did debating Kerry....
NET GAIN FOR MARV? - ALBERT, YES STILL TALKING
November 5, 2004 | 5:00amWith the NBA season already underway, Marv Albert, incredibly, is still in negotiations with Net ownership to call games on YES this year, sources tell NYP TV Sports. New Net...