December 19, 2004
DEFENSIVE LINE ; EA LOOKS FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE DEALS; NBA IS NEXT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIt's going to be a winter of discontent for many sports video-game makers. Major League Baseball and the NBA said they will pay close attention to the NFL's decision this...
CHOCOLATE SWEETENING UP BEAUTY & BATH
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amChocoholics, feast on this: This year's new hot ingredient will satisfy your cravings without adding pounds. The multibillion dollar cosmetic industry is rolling in chocolate: from Origins' new cocoa therapy...
SEARCHLIGHT SHINES, CRAVES OSCAR GLOW
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amPlaying the part of Miramax in this year's production of "A Star is Born" - Fox Searchlight Pictures. The studio introduced a slate of critically acclaimed independent films this year,...
SECRET SANTA - NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN TIES THE BOW ON STUNNING COMEBACK; NAUGHTY BUT NICE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTHE only thing that's desperate about Nicollette Sheridan's life these days is her hit show, "Desperate Housewives." The 41-year-old Sheridan is having the kind of second act many television actresses...
NYPD BLUE - COP DRAMA APPROACHES THE END OF AN ERA
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amHOWwill end? The show's star, Dennis Franz, doesn't know. And the show's executive producer, Stephen Bochco, isn't telling. One thing appears certain, though: No one will die. "I don't want...
MOVIE PIX - OUR MOVIE CRITIC MEGAN LEHMANN'S BEST FILMS OF THE WEEK
December 19, 2004 | 5:00am20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA Sunday, 5 p.m., SCI-FI Kirk Douglas plays a seafarer who's imprisoned aboard the submarine Nautilus by James Mason's Capt. Nemo in this special effects-laden adaptation...
TAKE IT ALL OFF - 'BIGGEST' LOSERS WIN BATTLE OF BULGE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIT'S DOWN to the waistband. There are only four contestants left. And it's every man and woman for themselves. Mo has finally won a challenge. And whiney Lisa is gone...
'WIRE' SEASON FINALE NOT TO BE MISSED
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amYOU know a TV show has guts when the producers decide to kill off their most charismatic character. That's what happened last Sunday when drug kingpin Stringer Bell (Idris Elba)...
THE DON'T MISS LIST
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amSPORTS Shaq vs. Kobe THE Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant feud is better than a Hollywood thriller. Success, jealousy, love and hate come together in one of sports' biggest rivalries. When O'Neal...
KITTY CASTS; BRONZE STATUES IMMORTALIZE DOGS, TOO
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amWhat do you give the pet who has everything? The ultimate gift: immortality. It's guaranteed with a custom bronze by sculptor Jennifer Weinik. The animal lover creates classical portraits of...
TEENAGER REWRITES CHAMPIONSHIP SCRIPT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTHIS year's U.S. championship was expected to be a battle among the prodigy of the '80s, Gata Kamsky; the prodigy who followed him, Hikaru Nakamura; and the newest and strongest...
HOT LIST - WHAT WE'RE OBSESSED WITH THIS WEEK
December 19, 2004 | 5:00am1 The White Stripes on DVD For those unfortunate enough to have never seen them live, "Under Blackpool Lights" is the next best thing - 75 minutes of footage (including...
THEATER BUFF - HOW THE DIRECTOR DEFIED 'PHANS,' MADE A MOVIE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amCan "the music of the night" stay in key on the big screen? "The Phantom of the Opera" is the highest-grossing stage production, and cast album, in history. It's also...
THIS WEEK'S MOVIES
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFAT ALBERT Fat Albert made his mark on Saturday mornings in the '70s as a cartoon version of Bill Cosby's childhood character. This live action comedy stars Kenan Thompson of...
YULE LIKE THESE - FROM AVANT GARDE TO OLD SCHOOL, HERE'S YOUR SOUNDTRACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIt may be the most wonderful time of the year, but without a stocking full of holiday music it'll be silent night around the tree this coming weekend. With more...
THE MAN BEHIND THE CLASSICS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amLET'S see: "Saturday Night Live" or ... "Hollywood Squares"? That was the choice facing Alan Zweibel in 1975, "and believe it or not," he says, "back then, that was a...
SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE - BILLY'S GO-TO JOKE GUY
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThirty years later, Alan Zweibel remembers the potato chips. He and Billy Crystal were playing Manhattan's comedy clubs back then - driving in from Long Island together in Billy's VW...
IN LIKE LYNN - THE QUALITY OF 'MERCHANT' IS NOT STRAINED BY COLLINS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThe year 2004 has been a spectacularly good one for actress Lynn Collins. The beautiful, 22-year-old New Yorker - whose screen presence was previously limited to bit parts in movies...
HOTEL HELL - DON CHEADLE PLAYS A REAL-LIFE RWANDA HERO
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFormer hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina scoffs at the notion that he is a real-life hero. This, despite the fact that he single-handedly saved the lives of more than 1,000 people...
SMALL MOVIES WITH BIG IDEAS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIT'S that time of year again, with Hollywood flooding multiplexes with would-be block busters it hopes will at tract the attention of Oscar voters and other list makers. But there...
LOOSE THAI - ASIAN WRITER PENS BREEZY BUT POIGNANT SHORT STORIES
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amSIGHTSEEING Rattawut Lapcharoensap Four stars Grove, $22 The short story is not dead. But it has taken a 26-year-old, Bangkok-raised author named Rattawut Lapcharoensap to infuse moving, imaginative new blood...
REQUIRED READING
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFans of Michel Faber's bestseller "The Crimson Petal and the White" will recognize the author's offbeat voice in the three novellas of "The Courage Consort." As usual, he's intense and...
MEET MARKET: THE PLACE WHERE THE POST HOOKS YOU UP AND SENDS YOU OUT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amMUSIC LOVER SEEKS GUY TO GET DOWN WITH THIS week, the Meet Market team decided to see if we could set up lovely Dawn, 24, with the man of her...
FOSTER-ING A ROMANCE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amNotorious bad boy actor Benicio Del Toro is finally settling down. He's in love with blond actress Sara Foster, friends of the couple are saying. Del Toro is said to...
POLS FEAR ID THEFT VIA 'NET
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amWhen Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper signed mortgage documents, he briefly noticed his Social Security number was typed right under his name. What he didn't realize at the time was...
GOETZ: I DID GOOD ; GRABS CREDIT FOR LOW CRIME
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTwenty years after his name became synonymous with gun violence, subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz said the infamous shooting was "good" for New York. Goetz also revealed that he has been...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA dumb robber walked into a bank in downtown Milwaukee, handed the teller a note, took the money and ran. But the robber's note was written on the back of...
BRAVEST EYE CIG IN FATAL BX. FIRE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA man in his 70s was found dead in his ninth-floor apartment in The Bronx yesterday, and fire officials are investigating whether the cause of the blaze was smoking in...
HORRIFIC RASH OF MOTHER MURDERS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amMurdered mother-to-be Bobbie Jo Stinnett is the latest victim of a disturbing nationwide trend - the killing of pregnant women or new moms - which has left a 1,367 women...
'YANK FAN' BANK ROBBERS SHOWING WARPED TEAM SPIRIT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTwo of New York's most wanted bank robbers are fans of the Bronx Bombers - they pulled heists wearing Yankees caps. But cops don't know their names and are looking...
M.C. PROBLEM CHILD; RICH-KID RAPPER RILES L.I.
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA 14-year-old prodigy from Long Island is making a name for himself in the rap world - by bashing the 'burbs. Harrison Schneider, whose rap name is Problem Child, lives...
BELOVED MOM OF TWO KILLED BY HIT-AND-RUN SICKO
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA devoted mother of two was mowed down and killed by a hit-and-run driver yesterday in upper Manhattan. Sandra Capellan, 49, who was looking to a Christmastime celebration of her...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amMANHATTAN (s,l) *** A straphanger escaped with his life after being struck by a subway train at the Union Square station early yesterday, police said. The unidentified 34-year-old man descended...
'SNAKE' IS COILED UP AT HOME
December 19, 2004 | 5:00am"The Snake" is in his hole. Barry Schenker, the teacher accused of having a long-term illicit affair with one of his students, is hiding out, not rearing his mulleted head...
DEVOUT KIN PRAY FOR $CAM SUSPECT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThe prominent family of disgraced Wall Street high roller Calvin Darden - accused of bilking millions from big-name brokerage firms - said yesterday they are hoping God will get them...
KOCH SPEAKS UP ON KERIK
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFormer Mayor Ed Koch yesterday called ex-NYPD top cop Bernard Kerik a "disgrace" for allegedly attempting to hide his controversial past before President Bush tapped him to become the nation's...
GOETZ: I DID GOOD; GRABS CREDIT FOR LOW CRIME
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTwenty years after his name became synonymous with gun violence, unrepentant subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz said the infamous shooting was "just what the doctor ordered for New York City." The...
GOTTI TURNCOAT ALSO SLAPPED JUNIOR
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA star mob turncoat witness can boast that he verbally whacked two Gottis in one trial. While testifying in the case against reputed Gambino boss Peter Gotti, former Gambino captain...
KERIK TAX 'BREAK' ; IRS-DODGING LOVERDUCKED DISCIPLINE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA city correction officer romantically linked to Bernard Kerik when he was correction commissioner got away with breaking tax rules that led to more than 100 of her co-workers being...
SLAIN BX. GI 'HAD JOB TO DO'
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA reluctant warrior, who left his home and family in The Bronx for the dangers of Iraq because he "had a job to do," was killed by a sniper last...
COUNCIL TO ENFORCE 'PARTY' DISCIPLINE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amALCOHOL is no longer al lowed at City Council work parties as a direct result of the latest sexual-harassment case to rock the local legislature. The booze ban was issued...
CIA GOSSIP GAL'S UNDER-THE-COVERS TALE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFueled by a childhood love of "Harriet the Spy" and James Bond, Lindsay Moran decided she wanted to become a spy - and, in 1998, was thrilled when the CIA...
HOTEL OF THE DOOMED ; INMATES TELL OF DEGRADING DEATH ROW CELL HELL THAT AWAITS SCOTT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIT'S late at night, and every thing's dark and quiet, except for the occasional sound of a guard's footsteps. Michael Wayne Hunter is sleeping in his 5-by-9-foot cell. He hears...
MYSTERY OF 'MAD' GENEROSA ; AMMON WIDOW'S DELUSIONS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amMurderess. Foul-mouthed, rampaging madwoman. Imperious, irrational control freak. That's how the late Generosa Ammon was portrayed last week at the murder trial of her sweet-talking electrician turned lover, turned husband,...
SUICIDE BEFUDDLES N.J. HOSP
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIt's still a mystery how an 83-year-old man managed to blow his brains out in his bed at Hackensack University Medical Center - one of New Jersey's biggest and most...
JUNIOR ALSO SLIMED IN GOTTI TRIAL
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA star mob turncoat witness can boast that he verbally whacked two Gottis in one trial. While testifying in the case against reputed Gambino boss Peter Gotti, former Gambino captain...
JUDGE DREAD ; FUROR BREWING OVER THE STATE'S 'NASTIEST' JURIST
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amHe could be the worst judge in the state. At least that's what some people in Columbia County are saying about Paul Czajka, a local jurist under fire for allegedly...
$1 MIL TREASURE 'BURIED' IN BOOK; LOCAL RICH GUY PLAYS REAL-LIFE WILLY WONKA
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThe search is on. A fairy tale that will spawn a nationwide treasure hunt hits store shelves as early as tomorrow. And if you're smart enough to follow the clues,...
$LIMED MOMS TEAM UP TO HUNT DOWN DEADBEAT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA man listed on the city's "Deadbeat Hall of Shame" has dodged the child-support enforcement system for 16 years - refusing to pay for three children from three different mothers....
DAD IN HOSP BATTLE; WON'T TELL WIFE KIDS DIED
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amA Bronx man whose two children were killed in a house fire is engaged in an emotional tug-of-war with a Manhattan hospital over when he should inform his critically injured...
JUDGE DREAD - FUROR BREWS OVER STATE'S 'NASTY' JURIST
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amHe could be the worst judge in the state. At least that's what some people in Columbia County are saying about Paul Czajka, a local jurist under fire for allegedly...
IN-HIDING 'SNAKE' IS COILED UP AT HOME
December 19, 2004 | 5:00am"The Snake" is in his hole. Barry Schenker, the teacher accused of having a long-term illicit affair with one of his students, is hiding out, not rearing his mulleted head...
SUM OF ALL FEARS - THREAT OF COLOSSAL CHOKE HAS JETS PUMPED FOR SEAHAWKS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFrustration has been oozing from every nook and cranny of the Jets' locker room this week. LaMont Jordan was the first to step forward and tell it like it is,...
OUTDOOR CONGRESS TAKING NEW JERSEY BACK FROM DEP
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTHE battles in New Jersey over who controls what happens with fish and game continues to go back and forth, the latest being the withdrawal of a proposed rule that...
THESE NHL SCABS WON'T HEAL
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFOR the second time since the lockout began on Sept. 16, an NHL owner has unwittingly revealed his league's agenda. First, it was Atlanta's Steve Belkin talking out of turn...
BIG EAST KEEPS BCS MUSCLE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amWhile the rest of the college football world may have been questioning the Big East's status as a major player, league commissioner Mike Tranghese wasn't. Turns out he had an...
SCALABRINE TAKES ON NEW ROLE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amNET NOTES TORONTO - With Jason Kidd, minutes are always an issue these days. But for the very short future, the minutes question for the Nets really has settled in...
WANTED: BIG BODY IN MIDDLE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTORONTO - It is a moment the Nets anticipate and hope to savor over and over with their athletic triumvirate that has Vince Carter joining Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson....
'ZO MAY AWAIT BUYOUT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amTORONTO - Heck, no, Zo won't go. KA0:Several league sources say that Alonzo Mourning, who signed with the Nets two summers ago to team with Jason Kidd as a way...
BIG DEAL UP TO SELIG ; RANDY-TO-YANKEES IN COMMISH'S HANDS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThe Yankees, Dodgers and Diamondbacks completed the paperwork on a blockbuster deal yesterday and submitted the forms to commissioner Bud Selig's office. Now, they wait for Selig to examine them...
DELGADO IS OMAR'S MAIN FOCUS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amOmar Minaya has an offer on the table to Moises Alou and his finger on the pulse of the Sammy Sosa trade front. The Mets have also been strongly in...
HOUSTON FINDING HIS OLD BOUNCE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIt is not only what Allan Houston is doing in games, it is what he is doing after them that shows he is almost back at full strength. After Houston...
WILKENS WARY OF CARTER'S HEALTH
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES When Vince Carter's name came up yesterday after Knicks practice, Lenny Wilkens first head-faked, then he took a small dig at the man he once coached. "Vince Carter?"...
STEELERS GET BOOST FROM BUS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThere is very little flash to Pittsburgh, either the city or the bruising football teams it produces. The Steelers don't win pretty, and don't often win big. But they win...
NYRA TRIGGERED WEIGHT RAIDS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThree days after state troopers dispatched by N.Y. State Attorney General Elliott Spitzer "raided" Aqueduct in an investigation said to involve jockeys' weights, the New York Racing Association revealed yesterday...
BIG BEN'S RIGHT ON TIME
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIT'S mind-boggling, really. We mean, beyond Eli Manning's mind being boggled for four weeks by shifting linebackers, or two Giant free safeties, the second better than the first, going down...
KICK RETURN OPENS HISTORY BOOKS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES It's not often you see team history, especially when the team is 80 years old. Willie Ponder's 91-yard touchdown return to start yesterday's game against the Steelers was...
THOMAS PREPARES FOR BIG DECISION
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amRob Thomas insists his traveling days are over. "I found the right place for me," Thomas said. "It took me a while to get here, but it's worth it." Thomas,...
'RULE' HAS SECOND THOUGHTS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00am1ST RACE - Sometimes you don't blame jockey when heavy favorite gets beat, you blame horse. Cardinal Rule, with Rich Migliore up, 6-5 in field of N.Y.-bred maidens off two...
GOOD RIDDANCE ; SELFISH MOURNING HAD TO GO
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIF Vince Carter never plays a game for the Nets, it was still a great trade. Deporting Alonzo Mourning, out-and-out the most selfish player I've ever covered, and his contaminated...
RARE GIFT ENDS SLIDE IN BIG A'S LADIES 'CAP
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amRare Gift, a talented but trouble-plagued 3-year-old filly who was winless since February while frequently playing the bridesmaid's role, finally made it to the altar yesterday, leading gate-to-wire under Rich...
BIG BLUE CAN'T ; STEEL VICTORY ; MANNING ALMOST PULLS OUT UPSET
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amSteelers 33Giants 30 The Giants lost a game yesterday, but anyone who witnessed the thrilling 33-30 loss to the mighty Steelers had to share a common thought: Eli Manning grew...
BIG BEN RIGHT ON TIME
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amIT'S mind-boggling. We mean, really, really mind-boggling, beyond the expected boggling of any rookie quarterback's mind by shifting linebackers, or the night-and-day difference in Eli Manning yesterday or, most confounding...
BIG BLUE CAN'T STEEL VICTORY; MANNING ALMOST PULLS OUT UPSET
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amSteelers 33Giants 30 Eli Manning had nothing to base the feeling on, yet for some reason he was confident in his heart that the Giants would win this game. For...
SECONDARY GRIPES ; BIG BLUE 'D' BACKS QUESTION SCHEMES
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES The Giants in yesterday's 33-30 loss to the Steelers allowed 469 yards, the highest total for an opponent in a regulation game since Sept. 10, 2001, when the...
JILTED JINTS ZAPPED BY ZEBRAS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amOne call was made, one call was not. After their 33-30 loss to the Steelers yesterday, the Giants were fretting and fuming about both. Down by three with 3:12 remaining,...
PONDER KR SETS TONE FOR OFFENSE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFor the past few weeks, the Giants' offense has had about as much spark as a dead battery, and their games about as much excitement as a dusty mausoleum. Willie...
DUKE-ING IT OUT ; OFFENSIVE SWITCH SPARKS DEVILS' RALLY OVER OU
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amDuke 78Oklahoma 67 As the Oklahoma players took the court after Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called a timeout in the opening moments of the second half, several of them smiled...
GANG GREEN HAS UPPER HAND IN WILD-CARD SHUFFLE
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amJET NOTES Lost in all the angst that the Jets' slumping offense has created this week is the fact that they're in the driver's seat for a wild-card playoff berth....
THE BIG SCHILL CHILL - PEDRO AND RANDY CHOSE NEW YORK BECAUSE THEY CAN'T STAND CURT
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amCURT Schilling choosing to pitch in Boston helped win the Red Sox their first World Series in 86 years, but in the long run the Yankees and Mets could both...
BLOOMY COME LATELY - CITY HALL FINALLY WAKES UP TO DOLANVISION'S TACTICS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amFUNNY how things, because they seldom work out, always work out. On one hand, it's nice to know that the NYC mayor's office openly recognizes Jim Dolan's Cablevision as brazenly...
SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH...OMAR MINAYA
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThe Post's Steve Serby spent some time with the Mets GM after the Pedro Martinez press conference on Thursday. Q: How do you deal with the spectre of the Yankees...
NEW ORLEANS, N.Y. - BIG APPLE BASEBALL RELIGION SPREADS TO STREETS OF BIG EASY
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amNEW ORLEANS - Spent a few days here this week on a little R&R, and the funniest thing happened: people wanted to talk baseball with me. There is no baseball...
STEROID DANGER A CLICK AWAY - INTERNET GIVING MORE YOUNG ATHLETES THE CHANCE TO LIVE LARGE & DIE YOUNG
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThese are not the words of a drug educator, a coach or someone looking out for your child's best interest. They are the words of a drug dealer. Not the...
TO HELL AND BACK WITH MR. NEW JERSEY
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amMIKE Romano, 40, points to a picture from 20 years ago of four bodybuilders, the strongest of young men, all seemingly in perfect condition. Mike is the one on the...
HEAD TO HEAD - THE HIGH PRICE OF ELI
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amPost football writer Paul Schwartz and columnist Mike Vaccaro slug it out over whether the Giants, upon further review, blew it by trading up for Eli Manning instead of waiting...
DUKE'S UP, NOT DOWN - BLUE DEVILS IGNORE EXPERTS, JUST WIN
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amThere was more than a touch of evil delight this preseason when fans and experts discussed the prospects for Duke basketball. This was going to be the season the evil...
BELTRAN SNEAKING UP ON CENTER-FIELD LEGENDS
December 19, 2004 | 5:00amCARLOS Beltran will be an over-the-shoulder catch for the Yankees or Mets or anybody else. Superagent Scott Boras has the info to back that up, including this statistic: Beltran is...