December 8, 2004

INDIE EXECS IN OWN 'BAND'

The largest U.S. independent record labels are banding together to form a trade association that will help them get better prices from online music services, The Post has learned. For...

JAY-Z, DASH SPLIT IN $10M UNIVERSAL DEAL

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z's rocky relationship with business partner Damon Dash is now officially over, The Post has learned. Jay-Z and Dash, who have been partners in Roc-A-Fella Records with Universal...

EX-VIVENDI CHIEF FINED $1.35M

Jean-Marie Messier, the disgraced former chief executive at media giant Vivendi Universal, was fined $1.35 million yesterday for misleading investors. The company itself received an identical fine. The fines came...

GOT MILK? STUDIO BLDG. GETS $55M

THE Meat Packing District's anchor building, which houses fancy retailer Jeffrey and Milk Studios, is being sold for $55 million to Angelo, Gordon & Co. - the same group that...

TRIB NAMES NEW CIRC CHIEF

Newsday parent Tribune Co. named a new circulation head to oversee its publishing group following a massive circulation scandal at the Long Island paper. Vincent Casanova, 51, was appointed to...

LARGE AND SMALL RETAILERS FEAR WAL-MART'S ENTRY INTO QUEENS

Life is about to change for 13 Target and Kmart stores in the city - the 64,000-pound retailing gorilla Wal-Mart has announced plans to open up its first Big Apple...

SPORTS CLUB/LA IN TALKS WITH MILLENNIUM

The troubled Sports Club Company, which counts dozens of celebrities as members and owns the high-profile Reebok Sports Club in New York, is in advanced talks to be sold to...

POITIER SAW 'DEEP MISMATCH'

Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier, who starred in "To Sir, With Love," took the stand yesterday to testify about another Hollywood drama: Michael Ovitz's brief and controversial stint as president of...

GALOTTI'S BIG CITY ADVENTURE; TAKES VERMONT NEIGHBORS TO MEET TRUMP, TOUR 'GMA'

MR. Big still has the juice. Ron Galotti, the high-living ex-Conde Nast publisher who chucked it all for the simple life, was back in the Big Apple this weekend with...

CSFB ROCKED - SWISS PARENT FOLDS IN BANK, DUMPS WEAK UNITS

In a move to cut costs and boost profits, Credit Suisse First Boston plans to integrate itself with its Swiss parent in yet another makeover at the beleaguered Wall Street...

TRIBUNE APPOINTS NEW CIRCULATION CHIEF

Newsday parent Tribune Co. named a new circulation head to oversee its publishing group following a massive circulation scandal at the Long Island paper. Vincent Casanova, 51, was appointed to...

ONLINE CASINO WINS 'GHOST' BID

The online casino that already owns the "sacred sandwich" will pay $65,100 for another wacky Web find: the "ghost cane." GoldenPalace.com, an Internet gambling firm, said it won an eBay...

LADIES' MEN FULL OF HOLIDAY CHEER

BARENAKED LADIES WITH their trademark mix of humor and harmony, Canada's Barenaked Ladies won over the audience, playing a jumble of seasonal Christmas and Hanukkah tunes, hits - and even...

HEY, FANGS FOR NOTHIN'

BLADE: TRINITY (one star) Sucky vampire flick. Running time: 114 minutes. Rated R (pervasive violence and profanity). At the 34th Street, the Kips Bay, the Union Square, others. QUICK, get...

NOW THAT'S ITALIAN!

ABBOCCATO ½ (two and one half stars) 136 W. 55TH ST. (212) 265-4000 THE Livanos family, conquerors of the seas at four-star Oceana, have launched Abboccato to take on "true"...

ON THE SIDE- ROCCO'S 22ND STREET ROLLS ON

THE end of Rocco's 22nd St. will officially come tomorrow when the former reality TV-series space at 12 E. 22nd Street reopens as Brasserio Caviar & Banana. The partnership between...

'LAW & OVER'; DA ROHM'S FINAL DAY 'BITTERSWEET'

DEPARTING "Law & Order" star Elisabeth Rohm braced herself for a flood of emotions while shooting her final scenes yesterday - and then she walked onto the show's courtroom set....

PRECIOUS CRYSTAL; WHEN BILLY MET B'WAY: KA-CHING!

IN a season full of misfires, at last a hit. "700 Sundays," Billy Crys tal's one-man show about growing up on Long Island in the 1950s, sold over $500,000 worth...

KANYE DIG IT! ALL ABOUT THE 'COLLEGE DROPOUT' WHO ACED THE GRAMMY NOMS

The 27-year-old artist brags about his sexual prowess in one song - and praises Jesus in the next. And while he's produced albums for rappers including Jay-Z, Twista and Ludacris,...

LEAVE IT TO CLEAVER - SLICING AND DICING WITH THE SANTOKU, THE SEASON'S MUST-HAVE KNIFE

THERE'S a new knife on the block. Browse through any cooking catalog and you'll inevitably find a photo of a santoku knife - this season's "it" kitchen gadget - next...

STARR REPORT

Colin Farrell, currently headlining the box-office stinker "Alexander," will guest-star on NBC's "Scrubs," according to E! Online, which broke the story yester day - reporting that Farrell was approached by...

KIRSTIE'S THE BUTT OF 'FAT' JOKES

IF fat actors John Good man, Jason Alexander and James Gandolfini can have TV shows, why can't Kirstie Alley? That's what Kirstie Alley would like to know. She poses the...

FINE AND ANDY - GARCIA TALKS ABOUT HIS MOST PERSONAL FILM PROJECT TO DATE

OSCAR-NOMINATED actor Andy Garcia has more than 40 films under his belt - having worked with Hollywood's créme de la créme directors, from Francis Ford Coppolla to Brian De Palma...

FLYING HIGH - TV'S '24' STAR HECTOR LARESCA LIFTS OFF AS LEONARDO'S SIDEKICK IN THE BIOPIC 'THE AVIATOR'

DON'T be fooled by Vincent Laresca's scowl - at heart he's a regular nice guy. This Latin hottie - who played the notorious drug lord Hector Salazar on Fox's "24"...

ONE ON ONE WITH FELIPE - LOPEZ, ONCE BASKETBALL'S GOLDEN BOY, IS DRIVING FOR A BIG COMEBACK TO THE NBA

ON a cell phone from the opposite end of the country, Felipe Lopez shrieks at the thought. On December 19, he turns 30. "Wow!" he says from Long Beach, Calif....

BROOKLYN GUARDSMAN IS KILLED

A Brooklyn National Guardsman - who told his children that "there's no greater honor than to die for your country" - was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq, the...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Oink vey! Wild pigs are running rampant in Florida. A wolf pack - uh, pig pack - of boars has been tearing through the suburbs of Melbourne, shredding lawns and...

SOMETHING'S FISHY ABOUT US

The verdict: We're all gill-ty! A new study finds that the human parathyroid gland, which controls the amount of calcium in the blood, evolved from the gills of fish. The...

DEFINING SPITZER: THE A.G.'S DILEMMA

TO absolutely no one's surprise, Eliot Spitzer yesterday tossed his hat into the race for governor via a series of phone calls and e-mails. It wasn't a full-fledged heave, mind...

BELEAGUERED ANNAN DIGS IN HIS HEELS

WASHINGTON - Embattled U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan hung tough yesterday, insisting he won't resign despite mounting political pressure over the U.N. oil-for-food scandal. Speaking to reporters at U.N. headquarters, Annan...

U.N. SLICKSTER EYED IN LAUNDER SCHEME

WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators are examining whether the former head of the U.N. oil-for-food program laundered profits from shady oil deals with Saddam Hussein through family businesses in Cyprus to...

WEST IS BEST; 10 GRAMMY NODS FOR RAPPER KANYE

Dead is hip, rock is dead, and long live hip-hop. That was the message yesterday from L.A. at the 47th annual Grammy nominations, where Chicago rapper Kanye West was crowned...

MIKE HINTS AT HEDGE ON TAX ROLLBACK

Temporary surcharges on sales and income taxes should phase out on schedule next year "if at all possible," Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday in his first comments on the politically charged...

CITY SITES EYED FOR 'NATIVE' HS

A Seattle university is scoping out New York City for a future high school where Native American teenagers could earn up to two years worth of college credits. Antioch University...

EARLY PREZ POLL PREDICTS RUDY-HILL RACE

WASHINGTON - Two New Yorkers, Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Hillary Clinton, are the 2008 presidential candidate early favorites in the key swing state of Florida, a new poll shows. And...

PREZ TO AWARD 9/11 MEDALS

WASHINGTON - President Bush will award special new medals to the families of hero cops and firefighters who died at the Twin Towers on 9/11 in a ceremony marking the...

'GOTCHA' GETS METRO-NORTH

They shouldn't have gone to the videotape. Metro-North got slammed with a $121,000 verdict after hiring a private investigator to videotape an employee the railroad thought was faking her back...

BENEFITS AWARDED TO FAMILY

ALBANY - The state Legislature yesterday awarded lifetime death benefits and health insurance to the family of Bronx firefighter Chris Engeldrum, who was killed in Iraq while serving in the...

TRUE MIDEAST HOPE; EGYPT HAILS NEW EFFORT MADE BY OLD FOES

Israel and the new Palestinian leadership have made significant progress toward peace and have agreed on a major push next year - including a possible Washington summit, Egypt's official news...

TEARS FOR AN L.I. SOLDIER EAGER TO SERVE

More than 300 people braved driving rain yesterday to bid farewell to a beloved Long Island soldier tragically killed in Iraq two weeks ago. Wilfredo Urbina, 29, of Baldwin, was...

AIRTRAIN GAL FILES $240M RAPE SUIT

A female carpenter who worked on building the AirTrain to JFK has lobbed a shocking $240 million sexual-harassment suit at the world's second-largest construction company, claiming she was raped on...

'SLAY' LORD GUILTY ; TRIED TO KILL APT. DUO

A jury yesterday convicted a Queens landlord of ordering a vicious knife attack on two tenants in a bloodthirsty bid to get them out of their rent-controlled apartment. A panel...

FERRY GOOD NEWS FOR S.I.

The City Council overwhelmingly approved a bill yesterday requiring more service on the Staten Island Ferry - over vociferous objections from the Bloomberg administration. The lawmakers said many Staten Islanders...

FRIEND & HERO TO ALL; NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT FOR CHRIS

PHIL Engeldrum had been dry-eyed until I mentioned the Friday nights in the pub. "Yeah, what a great, great kid," said the father of Chris Engeldrum, 39, as the words...

I'LL FIX THE STATE; ELIOT THROWS HAT IN RING FOR GOV RUN

ALBANY - State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, vowing to bring a "new creativity and aggressiveness" to a state government in "crisis," made it official yesterday: He's running for governor. "I've...

'I'M TESTIFYING' - DANNY SHOCKS COURT WITH DEMAND TO TAKE STAND

Defiant murder suspect Danny Pelosi pulled a bizarre fast one that startled the judge, prosecution, jurors and apparently even his own lawyer in court yesterday by suddenly putting himself on...

NBC HAS THE GOODS ON SHOWS

NBC hopes to turn "Must See TV" into "Must Buy TV." The Peacock Network says it will start offering products online that are seen on some its top shows like...

BONDS' 'ROID BLOCK - FANS GAGGED AT 7G GIG

For $7,500, you can spend five minutes with Barry Bonds and ask him anything you want - unless, of course, you want to ask about steroids. Bonds and Yankee third-baseman...

SEX-FIEND KID - 14-YEAR-OLD TERRORIZED UPPER E. SIDE: COPS

Manhattan prosecutors say he had sex on his mind and a real-looking toy gun when he prowled the Upper East Side streets in his oversized gray parka and white Nike...

PREZ THANKS MARINE FORCES

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday flew to California to thank Marines for going into harm's way to protect America - and thank families who face the anxiety of a holiday...

MAYOR FLARES UP AT REBELLIOUS BRAVEST

Mayor Bloomberg defended his fire commissioner yesterday after disgruntled FDNY union members - furious over manpower cuts and the zero-tolerance crackdown on booze and sex in firehouses - delivered a...

'MY MOM CRIES ALL THE TIME'; SLAIN MAN'S LITTLE GIRL WRITES TO JUDGE

The daughter of a Queens bridge painter senselessly shot and killed last month misses her father so much that even his old pillow brings on tears, the girl writes in...

HANUKKAH HIZZONER ; MIKE KICKS OFF 8-DAY FESTIVAL

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, began at sundown last night with the lighting of the first candle on the menorah - and with Mayor Bloomberg saying the city has...

JETS JILTED IN $1.4B JAVITS EXPANSION

State lawmakers yesterday gave long-awaited approval for a $1.4 billion expansion to the Javits Convention Center, but the legislation ignores Mayor Bloomberg's call for a West Side stadium for the...

BAG IN GUT POINTS TO OD BY ODB

Even after death, wildman rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard is full of surprises - the Wu-Tang Clan founding member died with a white powdery substance hidden in his body, a law-enforcement...

'RAT' BITES GOTTI; SQUEALING IS REVENGE

A top mob turncoat yesterday said Peter Gotti "broke my heart" by demoting him - and said he is exacting revenge by snitching about crimes committed by the reputed Gambino...

FREE RING CIRCUS: ZILLIONAIRE TRUMP DEALS TO GET WEDDING BAND GRATIS

Donald Trump knows the "Art of the Deal" - and he is proving it by getting this $1.5 million freebie wedding ring that he will present Melania Knauss at their...

UKRAINE POL POISONED, SAYS DOCTOR

A poison-wielding assassin tried to kill Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko with a toxic brew as he campaigned before last month's fraud-filled election in the former Soviet state, an Austrian...

TRUCK MOWS DOWN E. SIDE WOMAN, 86

An 86-year old Upper East Side woman was in critical condition today after she was hit by a truck on a rain-drenched street moments after buying her monthly supply of...

'BITE' TEACHER IS ACQUITTED

A Brooklyn science teacher was breathing easier yesterday after a jury acquitted him of biting a student's nose in a wild classroom melee earlier this year. Bryant Murphy, 41, was...

KID SEX FIEND; 14-YEAR-OLD TERRORIZED UPPER E. SIDE: COPS

Manhattan prosecutors say he had sex on his mind, a real-looking toy gun in his hand, and some of the toniest streets to prowl in his oversized gray parka and...

'STRANGER' RAPES PLUMMET, NEW FIGURES SHOW

Rapes committed by men unknown to their victims have plummeted nearly 20 percent in the city so far this year, The Post has learned. The impressive drop in "stranger rapes"...

BONDS' POISON PILL; 'ROID GAG AT 7G FAN GIG

For $7,500, you can spend five minutes with Barry Bonds and ask him anything you want - unless you want to ask about steroids. Bonds and Yankee third-baseman Alex Rodriguez...

REV. AL'S MI$TRESS: REPORT

The Rev. Al Sharpton reportedly lavished his alleged mistress with expensive gifts, including a $7,000 watch and jewels. Al and Kathy Sharpton, who were married for more than two decades,...

ELIOT VOWSTO FIX N.Y.; SPITZER'S HAT IN RING FOR GOV RUN

ALBANY - State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, vowing to bring a "new creativity and aggressiveness" to a state government in "crisis," made it official yesterday: He's running for governor. "I've...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS *** Cops say this man (above) is wanted in connection with the murder of a city correction officer in an airport hotel last weekend. George "Blaze" Saravanos, 20, is...

BROOKLYN GUARDSMAN KILLED IN BAGHDAD

A National Guardsman from Brooklyn was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq, the military announced yesterday. Cpl. Joseph Behnke, 45, died Saturday in Baghdad, officials said. Behnke was assigned...

EAST SIDE MADAM; TRUMP PALACE GAL 'RAN HOOKER RING'

A Manhattan madam with a Mercedes and a posh Trump Palace pad has been busted for running a multimillion-dollar, high-priced call-girl ring with her sister, cops said yesterday. Jenny Paulino,...

YANKS INK TONY, NEAR JARET DEAL; CAIRO'S A GONER

The Yankees believe Tony Womack is a better second baseman and a smarter investment than Miguel Cairo. That's why at 10:30 last night - 90 minutes before the arbitration-offering deadline...

OLERUD OUT; LIEBER PHILLY-BOUND

John Olerud is done in The Bronx and Jon Lieber is close to leaving the Yankees for the Phillies. Olerud, who wasn't offered arbitration by the Yankees last night because,...

TATUM LIVES UP TO FAME

For Jack Tatum, just walking into the Waldorf-Astoria last night was an accomplishment. The hard-hitting safety, who made his reputation at Ohio State and with the Oakland Raiders, had his...

JETS DESERVE RESPECT

IT'S time we showed the Jets a bit more respect, time everyone took them a bit more seriously. Pick up any national magazine that covers the NFL or sign onto...

BIG DAY FOR JIMMY V - MAYOR HONORS COACH;CLASSIC AT GARDEN

If you're on the subway this morning, turn to your left or right and chances are the person next to you has dealt with cancer or knows someone who's faced...

NORM SEEKING CORE

With St. John's men's basketball program in a rebuilding stage, it was fitting that head coach Norm Roberts was talking yesterday about building a foundation - a core that you...

WAIT WATCHERS - HOUSTON ACTIVATED, BUT HE WON'T SUIT UP

MEMPHIS - If you thought things couldn't get weirder regarding Allan Houston's comeback, they did. The Knicks' morning shootaround was a rendition of "Who's on First, What's On Second and...

COACH K REMEMBERS ONE SWEET WIN IN '86

By the time Mike Krzyzewski brings his Duke team to the Garden on Dec. 18 for a showdown with Oklahoma, he almost surely will arrive as only the seventh active...

WITH KIDD HEALTHY, NETS AWAIT OFFERS

If Kidd continues to look good, the calls will come. And there will be reports streaming in from across the NBA landscape - Dallas, Minnesota, Portland, Denver, Memphis . ....

RJ'S GLAD TO HAVE KIDD BACK ON FLOOR

CLEVELAND - Jason Kidd is back with the Nets - witness a second straight victory for the initial time this season - and no one is more grateful than Richard...

YANKS EYE WOMACK - HE COULD REPLACE CAIROAS BOMBER 2ND BASEMAN

Apparently the Yankees aren't totally convinced Miguel Cairo can repeat a solid 2004 season in 2005. If they were, the club wouldn't be talking to Cardinal free-agent second baseman Tony...

WITH VINCE ON MARKET, ISIAH'S WILLING TO WAIT

KNICK NOTES MEMPHIS - For some reason, Knicks president Isiah Thomas thinks he's got a chance at Vince Carter. He's willing to wait it out and not budge, stick with...

METS, HIDALGO CRAWL AND AL WALKS

While the Mets unceremoniously cut ties with Al Leiter prior to yesterday afternoon, their dalliance with Richard Hidalgo went down to the final hours. The club had until midnight to...

HEY, IT'S A START - UNION TAKES SMALL STEP FORWARD ON 'ROIDS

THIS is not a solution, just a starting point, so there is no reason to offer up a hallelujah chorus to the baseball heavens just yet. Steroids don't disappear from...

FEHR: NEW POLICY MAY BE NEAR

PHOENIX - The players' association has finally seen the light. Players Association executive director Donald Fehr announced here yesterday the union has taken the first step toward a new drug...

FOR COACH K, '86 STILL SPECIAL

By the time Mike Krzyzewski brings his Duke team to the Garden on Dec. 18 for a showdown with Oklahoma, he almost surely will arrive as only the seventh active...

UNION BENDS ON 'ROIDS - OKS NEGOTIATIONS; TOUGHER RULES MAY KICK IN BY SPRING

PHOENIX - The players' association has finally seen the light. Donald Fehr, the union's executive director, announced yesterday the players have taken the first step toward a new drug plan...

NETS HAVE CAV-ITY PROBLEM

Cavs 103Nets 97 CLEVELAND - The Nets were right where they wanted to be, the city of Cleveland notwithstanding. They fought back from a deficit and were tied. They were...

THORN NOT LOOKING TO DEAL KIDD

NET NOTES CLEVELAND - Nets president Rod Thorn admitted he wasn't deluged with calls inquiring about Jason Kidd yesterday. And that's fine by him. "As far as I'm concerned, I...

MORE ALLAN ANTICS - HOUSTON'S ACTIVATED, NOTIN UNIFORM AS GRIZZLIES ROLL

Grizzlies 96 Knicks 88 MEMPHIS - Do the Knicks realize preseason is over? That the games count now? If the Knicks lose the Atlantic Division by one game, the organization...

PITT PUNISHMENT; DEFENSE MAULS MEMPHIS

JIMMY V CLASSICPitt 70Memphis 51 Pittsburgh point guard Carl Krauser is a Bronx kid and a former amateur boxer, so he knows tough when he sees it; and he knows...

MORE ALLAN ANTICS - HOUSTON'S ACTIVATED, NOT IN UNIFORM AS GRIZZLIES ROLL

Grizzlies 96 Knicks 88 MEMPHIS - Do the Knicks realize preseason is over? That the games count now? If the Knicks lose the Atlantic Division by one game, the organization...

MISSED FREE THROWS HAUNT 'CUSE AGAIN

JIMMY V CLASSIC Okla. St. 74 Syracuse 60 An old nemesis came back to haunt Syracuse last night. The free-throw line became the folly stripe. Even Gerry McNamara, Syracuse's deadly...

NUMBERS DON'T ELI - IT'S TIME FOR GIANTS TO OPEN UP OFFENSE

The young quarterback is struggling. The last thing you want to do is load him up, thrust upon him even more of a burden, ask him to do what he...

YANKEES INK WOMACK - CAIRO GONE

The Yankees don't believe Miguel Cairo can repeat a solid 2003 season in 2004. That's why at 10:30 last night - 90 minutes before the arbitration-offering deadline - they signed...