December 13, 2004
D'TOWN CLEANING UP: HARVARD
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amNew York City's economy is picking up steam and employers are gaining confidence, especially in downtown Manhattan, a recently released Harvard study has found. The study was undertaken not by...
UPSTART'S TECH PLAY RATTLING INSURERS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amNot everyone in the insurance business is afraid of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Brent Bannerman smiles every time the crusading prosecutor finds another insurance broker rigging bids or...
KALIKOW CA$H COW - BLDG. NEAR TRANSIT HUB A WINDFALL FOR MTA BOSS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amReal estate mogul and MTA chairman Peter Kalikow has put 195 Broadway up for sale just as plans are kicking into high gear for the MTA's spectacular new Fulton Street...
SPRINT-NEXTEL DEAL COULD SLAM MOTOROLA
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThere are few smiling faces at Motorola Inc. today. That's because the company has been the exclusive handset supplier to Nextel Communications for years and stands to be the big...
'L' WORD ON 'O.C.' - NEW ROMANCE IS JUST FOR GIRLS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amALEX, the freewheeling character on "The O.C." played by Olivia Wilde, will embark on a lesbian relationship with Marissa (Mischa Barton), says show creator Josh Schwartz. "Marissa is at a...
OPRAH'S NEXT BIG THING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amIt seems Oprah Winfrey is going to start developing new chat shows for her company, a trade magazine reported. Details of the agreement with television syndicator King World were not...
FCC EYES OLYMPICS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Federal Communications Commission has asked NBC to submit a tape of its coverage of the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies to determine if some of the dancing was too sexy...
PIXIE-LATED LUSTER SHINES ON ALT-ROCK FANS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amIN the harsh light of reality, Pixies are more musical myth than magic. At the band's opening night concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom Saturday, the quartet was good, but at...
GUYS AS DOLLS - HOUSE OF WAX FOR DANCERS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amBEAUTY takes its toll - just ask the all-male chorus line of "La Cage aux Folles." "As Svetlana said when she ripped the wax off my ass, 'No pain no...
THE STUFF OF PRESTO CHANGE-O
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amHERE'S what it takes each week to turn a dozen guys into showgirls at "La Cage aux Folles": * 145 wigs * 60 pairs of high heels, in men's sizes...
SANTA KILLING KIDS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTHE ratings for all those Christmas classics are flying like Santa's sleigh this year. Shows like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty Returns" and "Frosty the Snowman" are seeing audience ratings...
BETAMAX-STYLE DEATH MATCH FOR DVD
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA high-tech DVD format battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers is shaping up to be a 21st century version of the 1980s VHS/Betamax brawl. Sometime around 2006,...
STARR REPORT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThe uproar over Tavis Smiley's departure from NPR is growing louder by the day. Since Smiley's Nov. 29 announcement that he's giving up "The Tavis Smiley Show" after three years...
PUMP UP - WEIGHING IN ON ARNIE'S 'RUN' TO GOVERNOR
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amNO, the man at right isn't Arnold Schwarzenegger - but he will play Arnold on TV. He's actually actor Roland Kickinger, who's been cast to play the young Arnold in...
THIS FANTASY SHOULD STAY NAMELESS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amFROM Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr., the father-son team who brought you such terrible television as "The 10th Kingdom" and the even worse "Dinotopia," comes yet another mind-number,...
PRESENT DANGER - GUYS: ONE FALSE MOVE AND YOU'LL BE SINGLE BY NEW YEAR'S
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amJAMES Mason is happy he's single this Christmas. "I have an uncanny knack for giving women the wrong thing," says the 28-year-old beverage consultant. "My worst experience was when a...
'SIDEWAYS' IS THE TOAST OF L.A.
December 13, 2004 | 5:00am'SIDEWAYS," a bittersweet road comedy set in California's wine country, drew a round of toasts - five awards, including best picture - from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Liam...
REELING PATAKI WILL AX TWO TOP POLITICAL GURUS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amGOV. PATAKI, stung by a string of Republican losses and the growing perception of his own vulnerability, has decided to fire his top political consultants, The Post has learned. Pataki's...
'SEX' & VIOLINS AT POPS - HARASS SUIT VS. BOSS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amAn accomplished violinist is playing a sordid tune about the New York Pops orchestra - claiming her hiring depended on whether she performed sex with the concert master. Heather Bixler,...
'OCEAN'S TWELVE' VERY $EEWORTHY
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amAmerica's filmgoers this weekend asked themselves: Why test something new when you have sequels to savor? The top two movies, "Ocean's Twelve" and "Blade: Trinity," raked in more dough at...
TRAGIC KIDS PLEA FOR DOG'S RETURN
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA young brother and sister were hoping for a holiday miracle yesterday after losing their beloved little dog - a gift their dad gave them just four days before he...
BX. MAN BUSTED IN KID'S SHOOTING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA Bronx man whose stray gunfire hit a 4-year-old girl earlier this month was nabbed by police over the weekend - with a loaded gun in his vehicle, cops said...
LORD OF THE RING - FINEST RETRIEVE WEDDING BAND
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA Seattle couple celebrating their 10th anniversary in the city had nothing but praise for New York's Finest yesterday after two cops fished the pair's $1,200 platinum wedding band out...
H'WOOD HAWKS - FILMMAKER SWOOPS IN TO CHRONICLE BIRDS' SAGA
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThe Belgian filmmaker who first made famous Pale Male and Lola - two red-tailed hawks booted from atop a swanky city building last week - joined hundreds of protesters yesterday...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA Phoenix city official was killed after he crawled out from the driver's seat of his speeding Mercedes-Benz, stood atop the roof and "car-surfed." Kevin Keogh, 55, the city's finance...
TWO U.S. TROOPS DIED YESTERDAY IN IRAQ ...
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTwo U.S. troops died yesterday in Iraq as American and Iraqi government forces battled guerrillas in Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and other hotbeds of insurgent resistance. An Army soldier was killed...
L.I. TEENS NAILED IN 'BOB ROB - SQUAREPANTS HEIST FOILED
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThey were caught with their SquarePants down. As part of a rapidly inflating crime spree, two teens were nabbed trying to steal a SpongeBob SquarePants balloon from the roof of...
SNEAK ATTACK - 4 ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED IN BOMBING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amHopes for a smooth transitional peace following the death of Yasser Arafat were dashed yesterday as Palestinian terrorists blew up an Israeli army outpost on the Gaza-Egypt border, killing at...
PELOSI JURY ON JOB - SKIP CHURCH & LUNCH
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amStalwart jurors skipped plans to go to church yesterday morning and went straight into the second day of deliberations in the Danny Pelosi murder trial, asking for readbacks of the...
BLAZE SCORCHES SALON IN YONKERS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amWomen - and their hairstylists - ran from a Yonkers salon yesterday after a three-alarm blaze broke out in the back of the shop and quickly spread to other stores,...
MIKE HOLDS FATE OF GUY KIN'S CUSHY JOB
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amGuy Velella's son-in-law quietly holds a plum, $127,000-a-year job in city government - and Mayor Bloomberg now has to decide if he'll keep it. The son-in-law, Peter Caliendo, has been...
JIMMY WIFE IS FED UP - 'AFFAIR' SPARKS SPLIT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThe wife of embattled restaurateur Jimmy Rodriguez says he cheated on her, lied to her and even hit her with his car - but he finally went too far when...
GUY'S GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD: DAY 77
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amCONVICTED influence-peddler Guy Velella left Rikers Island on Sept. 28 - set free illegally by an obscure municipal panel with ties to Velella's buddies in Albany and New York City...
10 GIS DIE IN IRAQ FIGHTING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTen U.S. troops were killed in three separate incidents yesterday in Iraq as coalition forces battled guerrillas in Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and the western Anbar providence, a hotbed of terrorism....
PELOSI TRIAL SHOCK - 'PAL' PRAYS TO JURORS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA mysterious bleached blonde threw the Danny Pelosi trial into turmoil yesterday after she clasped her hands as if in prayer and mouthed the words, "Not guilty, not guilty" to...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amQUEENS * One man was fatally stabbed and another wounded during an apparent drug feud outside their Sunnyside apartment building, police said yesterday. Juan Quesada got into a heated argument...
MYSTERY IN 5-CAR PILEUP ON FDR
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPolice are investigating whether a five-vehicle accident on the FDR Drive last night was caused by an object thrown off an overpass. Shortly before 8 p.m., an object slammed into...
STEROID CLASS FOR HS COACHES
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPublic high-school coaches citywide will be taught how to prevent their players from following the leads of Jason Giambi and other top athletes linked to steroids. The Department of Education...
SNEAK ATTACK - 5 ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILLED IN BOMBING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amHopes for a smooth transitional peace following the death of Yasser Arafat were dashed yesterday as Palestinian terrorists blew up an Israeli army outpost on the Gaza-Egypt border, killing at...
SADDAM EATS 'LIKE A KING'
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThe world's No. 1 bad guy - Saddam Hussein - was reported to be on a hunger strike on this anniversary of his capture, but U.S. military officials yesterday said...
DEM INAUGURAL TIX GO BEGGING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - As Republicans clamor for tickets to go to President Bush's Jan. 20 inaugural, Democratic lawmakers from New York - which voted for loser John Kerry - said they...
9/11 GIRL WILL STARE TERROR IN FACE
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amThe gutsy daughter of a Manhattan firefighter who died in the 9/11 attacks has gone to Israel to see firsthand how people face the daily threat of terrorism. Tara Feinberg,...
'COUNTERFEIT' CUPCAKES - CREMALITA DID 'FAKE' & BAKE: SUIT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amOwners of a Manhattan bakery say that when it comes to rip-offs, Cremalita takes the cake - literally. The owners of Crumbs Bake Shop plan to file suit today against...
AMID ALL THIS TURMOIL, REMEMBER HIS HEROISM
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTHE gangster pulls his silver automatic out, squeezes the trigger twice, and suddenly Detective Hector Santiago feels a 9 mm bullet tear through his right elbow. "I roll out of...
SEN. JOE TOUTED AS NEW CZAR
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday was urged to consider a candidate for Homeland Security chief who could easily be confirmed - Sen. Joe Lieberman. "Sen. Lieberman, if he's interested, would...
OOPS! SNAKE SENT BY EXPRESSS MAIL
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amSheila Himmerick just wanted her DVD player fixed - but she mistakenly sent her son's pet snake on a wild ride halfway across the country inside a box containing the...
SANCTIONS-BUSTING SCOFFLAW A LIFELONG DIRTY DEALER
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - When Saddam Hussein launched his sinister campaign to woo international support through sweetheart oil deals under the U.N. oil-for-food program, there was no better-qualified fixer to rig the...
GAL'S SUIT MAY 'RACK' UP $2M
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA young woman who flaunted her breasts while doing calisthenics for a "Girls Gone Wild" shoot is hopping mad that her buxom bosoms actually appear on the tape - and...
STADIUM TRESPASSER LOOKS FOR YUKKY BREAK
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amMajor league clown John McCarthy, who ran around the Shea Stadium outfield in May with a Howard Stern sign, wants to trade the searchlight for the spotlight and become a...
SHEA WHAT? RANDI 'TIX' IT TO MIKE
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTeachers-union president Randi Weingarten has a holiday present for Mayor Bloomberg - a New York Mets ticket in the nosebleed section at Shea Stadium. Two months after the pair cozied...
CITY, FED PROBES EYE PARDONGATE BILLIONAIRE AS A 'MAJOR PLAYER' IN SADDAM'S SCAM
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Billionaire Marc Rich has emerged as a central figure in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal and is under investigation for brokering deals in which scores of international politicians and...
KERIK WAS A SHOO-IN - FACED NO DEM BLOCK
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amSenate Democrats weren't planning to quash the appointment of Bernard Kerik to the top spot at Homeland Security - they were saving their fight for Bush nominations to the Supreme...
GAL'S SUIT MAY 'RACK' UP $2 MIL
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amA young woman who flaunted her breasts while doing calisthenics for a "Girls Gone Wild" shoot is hopping mad that her buxom bosoms actually appear on the tape - and...
SHEA WHAT? RANDI 'TIX' IT TO MIKE WITH LOUSY METS SEATS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTeachers-union president Randi Weingarten has a holiday present for Mayor Bloomberg - a New York Mets ticket in the nosebleed section at Shea Stadium. Two months after the pair cozied...
FRISCO MANAGER ALOU BACKS HIS MAN BONDS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - The Barry Bonds Defense Fund may not have been born quite yet - but a second manager spoke out in support of the Giant slugger yesterday. After Cubs...
BORAS READY TO CLOSE DEALS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - It was by far the deadest day of the winter meetings - and then Scott Boras strutted into the Anaheim Marriott lobby at dinner time. The super agent,...
A-ROD MISSES AT CHARITY HYPE
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTHE suggestion that Alex Rodriguez' participation in Friday's ugly, $7,500-per-"guest" autograph session was mitigated because, unlike co-star Barry Bonds, Rodriguez would donate part of his take to charity, makes for...
KING'S IDEA: A TOURNAMENT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amLAS VEGAS - The ballroom at Mandalay Bay was decorated late Saturday night for an elaborate post-fight conference where Vitali Klitschko was to celebrate his eighth-round technical knockout over Danny...
NHL WAR LORDS PLAY TRICK CARD
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amSO now with some time to regain its balance after being caught completely off guard Thursday by the NHLPA's CBA proposal, the NHL propaganda machine is back in full operation,...
CAMBY WOULD LOVE RETURN TO KNICKS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amMarcus Camby wants another crack at New York. Shipped to Denver in a draft-day deal two years ago, Camby admitted yesterday he, and his buddy Latrell Sprewell, yearn to return...
ALLAN STRIDES BACK TO GARDEN OF CHEERS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amOn a day the Knicks honored guards from the past, Allan Houston, with some creaky knees, checked back in at the Garden for the first time since last March. "I...
JETS JUNKED BY STEEP PITT FALL - INTS, MISCUES HURT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amSteelers 17 - Jets 6 PITTSBURGH - The Jets came to Heinz Field yesterday seeking elite status. They left realizing that they're not quite there yet, in spite of the...
ISIAH: WE WON'T DEAL HOUSTON
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Isiah Thomas acknowledged Allan Houston won't be included in any potential Vince Carter trade. But Thomas made it seem like it's his call, not Toronto's, declaring he will...
CRAW-SWISH - HOT-SHOT JAMAL POWERS KNICKS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amKnicks 107 - Nuggets 96 It was supposed to be Allan Houston's Garden coronation. But a recently struggling Jamal Crawford stole the show and may have saved his starting job...
NICE WIN FOR 'NAUGHTY'
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amOn day when track was playing to speed, Naughty New Yorker defied bias in $75,000 Damon Runyon Stakes for N.Y.-bred 2-year-olds at mile-and-sixteenth. Next-to-last of 12 in early going under...
NETS GIVIN' BEST EFFORT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amTravis Best heard the word going around the league. He was done. Finished. Washed up. Need a back-up point guard? Check if Cousy wants to play again. He's got to...
TIKI'S BACK TO FUMBLE FOIBLES
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amBALTIMORE - He sees himself falling into the same trap that befell him a year ago, trying to balance watching his team crumble around him with the temptation to try...
MILTON, YANKS DRIFT APART - SIDES SPLIT OVER $3M DIFFERENCE
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - At one time, Eric Milton appeared to be a lock to join the Yankees. He is left-handed, wanted the challenge of The Bronx and was looking forward to...
OLIVER TAKES ROLE AS LEADER SERIOUSLY
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amBefore Ronald Ramon went to Pitt, he gave some parting words to his former teammates at All Hallows, including Codi Oliver. "He said that I had to be the leader...
BIG UNIT TALKS REVISITED - YANKS, D'BACKS BACK TO TABLE
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - Get ready for the latest round of Randy Johnson-to-the-Yankees talk. According to multiple industry sources, the Diamondbacks are ready to return to the trade table with the Yankees...
WARNER PROVIDES SPARK
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES BALTIMORE - As soon as Kurt Warner stepped onto the field yesterday, everything got better for the Giants, who trailed 37-7 midway though the fourth quarter of an...
IT COULD BE SHORT STAY FOR MATSUI
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - It was only a year ago that Kaz Matsui constituted the Mets' splashiest offseason signing. He was touted as a dazzling infielder who fit their plan and would...
JETS CAN'T MEASURE UP TO STEELERS
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPITTSBURGH - At some point, the overworked defense was going to be asked to make one too many plays, one too many stops. At some point, the Jets were going...
COUGHLIN RIGHT TO KEEP THE KID THE MAN
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amBALTIMORE - There might be something even worse than a zero quarterback rating and Tom Coughlin may find it out. Ben Roethlisberger on the same field Saturday as Eli Manning...
ELI TOSSES UP BIG BLUE ZERO - WOEFUL LOSS NOT ENOUGH TO COST MANNING HIS JOB
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amBALTIMORE - As he came off the field, Eli Manning knew he had just lost a game and, moments later, learned he has not lost his job. But he knew...
MARTIN'S NOW FIFTH IN CAREER RUSHING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amJET NOTES PITTSBURGH - Curtis Martin continued his march toward the Hall of Fame yesterday by moving into fifth on the all-time career rushing list. Oddly enough, the player he...
AMAZIN'S WAIT AND WONDER
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - The Mets are out of the Richie Sexson sweepstakes, shopping Kaz Matsui and still waiting for Pedro Martinez. No wonder Omar Minaya sounded exhausted yesterday. Sighed the Mets'...
TALENTED BACKCOURT HAS RICE SIMMERIN'
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amRussell Robinson. Keydren Clark. Andre Barrett. The list is seemingly endless. Nearly every year, a new crop of talented guards emerges at Rice to help the Raiders overwhelm opponents. This...
BELTRAN WILL HAVE TO WAIT
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES ANAHEIM - Yankee fans shouldn't be looking for Carlos Beltran under their Christmas tree. While the switch-hitting center fielder is likely to land in The Bronx, Yankee officials...
JETS JUNKED BY STEEP PITT FALL - INTS, MISCUES RUIN COMING-OUT PARTY
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amSteelers 17 - Jets 6 PITTSBURGH - Shaun Ellis, usually among the humblest, quietest Jets, stood restlessly before his stall in the Heinz Field visitor's locker room and seethed after...
AMAZIN'SWAIT AND WONDER
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - The Mets are out of the Richie Sexson sweepstakes, shopping Kaz Matsui and still waiting for Pedro Martinez. No wonder Omar Minaya sounded exhausted yesterday. Sighed the Mets'...
YANKS, MILTON DRIFT APART - CONTRACT TALKS HIT $3M SNAG
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amANAHEIM - At one time, Eric Milton appeared to be a lock to join the Yankees. He wanted the challenge of The Bronx and was looking forward to rejoining the...
CHAD ACCEPTS BLAME AS GANG BUSTER
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPITTSBURGH - The Jets had a chance yesterday to announce themselves loud and clear as a team to be reckoned with in January, and their franchise quarterback came up with...
NO D-LIGHT IN JET LAND
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPITTSBURGH - They wouldn't allow themselves to use their weariness as a crutch later on, and maybe that is the best thing they can take away from this aggravating day....
BETTIS BETTERS MARTIN
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPITTSBURGH - While Curtis Martin continued his march toward the Hall of Fame yesterday by moving into fifth place on the all-time career rushing list, Jerome Bettis, the man he...
BIG BEN KEEPS TICKING
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amPITTSBURGH - It isn't always going to be this easy for Ben Roethlisberger. He knows this. He knows there will be halves like the first half of yesterday's 17-6 Steelers...
BUCKLEY GETS PITTS-BURNED
December 13, 2004 | 5:00amJET NOTES PITTSBURGH - One of the killer plays in the game for the Jets in yesterday's loss came when Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with little-used receiver Lee Mays...