April 23, 2005

BIGGIE HAVAS INVESTOR SEEKS SEATS

Escalating a power struggle over global ad giant Havas, French corporate raider Vincent Bollore will seek four seats on the company's board at a crucial shareholder meeting. Bollore said yesterday...

NASDAQ HITS BACK - INSTINET BUY WILL FACE OFF AGAINST NYSE-ARCHIPELAGO

The battle for stock market supremacy has been joined. Nasdaq said yesterday it would buy Instinet's INET, the No. 2 electronic market, to protect its position as the leading electronic...

QWEST MAKES 'FINAL' MCI BID

Despite its meager $3-range stock price, Qwest wants MCI to make a quick decision today to marry Qwest instead of its richer suitor Verizon. The MCI board has already turned...

HE'LL "FIGER" NEXT MOVE

TOMMY HILFIGER wanted to set the record straight, after we reported that his deal to buy a $25 million Bridgehampton mansion fell through. The fashion guru says that it wasn't...

MY NEW HOME

IT sounds like the script for a sitcom: two families and two houses, side by side. But one house was a fixer-upper, and one in just-renovated shape. In this market,...

GNOME SALES

The New York Botanical Garden Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Road, The Bronx (718) 817-8700 Sale: April 29-May 1 Open: Fri., 11 a.m.-8 p.m./Sat., Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Annual sale...

WASH AND SPIN DOCTORS - TODAY'S LAUNDRY TECHNOLOGY HAS COMPUTER BRAINS - AND NEW COLORS

OK, so the newest high-tech laundry systems are pricier than the old ones (the KitchenAid system costs $7,000, and it won't even drive you to work). But the new systems...

CBS ROLLS TO VICTORY

CBS continued its Thursday-night domination this past week, with "Survivor" and "CSI" leading the way. "Survivor: Palau" snared nearly 19 million viewers from 8 to 9 p.m., leading into a...

LAUGH 'TIL IT HURTS - RITTER'S 'TRUE STORY' HAS TRAGIC ENDING

IT seemed pretty astounding to me that five seconds after John Ritter prematurely died from an undetected tear in his aorta, he was practically being put up for sainthood. And...

LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULDN'T

LENNY Kravitz's soul train rode the rails into New York, but didn't have enough coal to make the grade Thursday at the Beacon Theatre. Loathed by the music press for...

HOG WILD - MISS PIGGY SETS THE TRIBECA FEST ON FIRE; THE BIG PIG-TURE

THE Tribeca Film Festival is back in town, so we reached out to its biggest star. Sorry, Mr. De Niro - we mean Miss Piggy. The porcine beauty is starring...

ROYAL FLUSHED

SOMEBODY slipped the ubiquitous second-banana Anthony Anderson a banana peel for his first starring vehicle, the vile "King's Ransom." So embarrassing that New Line Cinema (which screened even "Son of...

SWING INTO RECESS

Get out! At least, that's what kids are supposed to do when spring recess rolls around. But the funny thing about spring is, you never know what the weather has...

REST OF THE FEST

THE work for this year's Tribeca Film Festival began last September, when a handful of pre-screeners and programmers began watching films - about 3,000 in all, including 75 familyfriendly ones...

LATE-NIGHT HOSP DRAMAKEEPS TRAGIC BX. BOY ON LIFE SUPPORT

A midnight visit by a judge to the bedside of a brain-dead Bronx teen helped forge an agreement between the boy's family and hosptial officials that will keep the child...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

The alligator wasn't even teed off when Harold Parris' ball landed on its tail as it sunbathed near the green on the Robber's Row golf course in Hilton Head, S.C....

ELECTION-YEAR RENT BREAK IN THE WORKS

Landlords' operating costs last year came in lower than expected, officials revealed yesterday - giving the Bloomberg administration an opportunity to impose lower rent hikes in an election year. The...

DON'T EGGSPECT HAWK CHICKS

Hawk huggers fear the city's most famous lovebirds may not become parents this year. Pale Male's chicks are at least one week past due, but no fuzzy heads have appeared...

TAXPAYERS GRILL FREDDY ON HIS STOCK-LEVY PLAN

Some "savvy" Brooklyn parents gave Fernando Ferrer all he could handle yesterday over his proposed stock-transfer tax, grilling him on why city taxpayers should be expected to pick up part...

NEW TV $$ BLITZ ON STADIUM

Cablevision will double its TV ad campaign next week in a nearly $350,000 blitz to throw Mayor Bloomberg's proposed West Side stadium for a loss, sources said. The Jets will...

'COUNTED' OUT - ADVOCATES RIP HOMELESS 'UNDERESTIMATE'

There are about 4,395 homeless people regularly sleeping in the streets and on the subways, according to the city's recent count. Advocates for the homeless immediately dismissed the city's figure...

MIKE A SEX-TEACHER SOFTIE: WEINER

Accusing Mayor Bloomberg of being soft on sexual predator teachers, Democratic challenger Rep. Anthony Weiner yesterday ripped into the mayor for dubbing teacher-student sex as "business as usual." "If this...

'93 WTC TRIAL CHAOS - JUDGE QUITS AT LAST SEC

A Manhattan judge has delayed the 1993 World Trade Center bombing litigation for the last time. Stanley Sklar, the Manhattan Supreme Court justice who for an astonishing 12 years has...

JEWS OBSERVE PASSOVER TODAY IN SUNDOWN

Passover begins at sundown tonight and Jews will gather with family and friends at seder meals to ponder the traditional query: "Why is this night different from all other nights?"...

JEALOUS KERRY FUMES AS DEM BOOSTS HILL

WASHINGTON - A fuming John Kerry had "daggers in his eyes" after a fellow Democrat promoted Hillary Rodham Clinton for president - suggesting the 2004 loser is green with envy...

PANEL TO PROBE FOSTER KIDS' HIV-DRUG TRIALS

The city has asked an independent group to determine whether proper procedures were followed when 465 HIV-positive children in foster care were put in clinical drug trials from 1988 to...

RABID RACCOON PUTS THE BITE ON BX. WOMEN

A rabid raccoon bit two women in The Bronx, the first confirmed cases in which a sickened animal has bitten a human in the Big Apple in almost five years,...

A BRONX TALE TO MAKE A CITY SICK WITH SHAME

THIS much we know: Taran Francis of The Bronx - poor, on Medicaid, 13 years old - went into a hospital on Monday complaining of a headache. On Thursday, he...

JOB-TRAINING TEACHERS GET KICK IN THE CAREER

Vocational teachers in city public schools beware - you're being put on notice. Hundreds of veteran teachers with licenses in obsolete subjects such as stenography, typing and jewelry-making are being...

HILL: MY $$ MAN 'WILL BE CLEARED'

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday stood behind her indicted former fund-raiser after prosecutors said Ted Kennedy's brother-in-law taped him making "incriminating" statements about her Senate campaign's Hollywood gala....

KID SURVIVES FALL FROM SCHOOL ROOF

A 7-year-old boy told his teacher he was going to the bathroom but instead managed to get up on the school roof and plunged three stories to the ground -...

DRAMA STUDENTS ACT OUT AGAINST KERREY

Students at the prestigious Actors Studio demanded answers from New School president Bob Kerrey yesterday about the future relationship between the acting school and the university. Chanting "Hey, Hey, B.K.,...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

THE BRONX * They're both Outlaws - but only one of them was arrested yesterday. That's because Ricky Outlaw, 19, allegedly stabbed his 18-year-old brother Kevin, in the right shoulder...

A CRASHING BLOW - KIN CRY OVER LIGHT SENTENCE FOR S.I. FERRY BOSS' SLAY PLEA

Staten Island Ferry boss Patrick Ryan copped a plea to seaman's manslaughter for the horrific crash that led to 11 passengers' deaths, but he'll likely serve less than a year...

HOSP DRAMA AS BX. JUDGE HALTS BID TO TAKE KID OFF LIFE SUPPORT

A Bronx judge issued an injunction yesterday barring doctors at Montefiore Medical Center from removing a 13-year-old boy from life support as his bewildered family tries to figure out why...

EMS BOSS QUITS AMID TRIP PROBE

The FDNY official in charge of the Emergency Medical Service quit suddenly yesterday amid an investigation into free trips he accepted from a city vendor, The Post has learned. The...

LOVELORN COP KILLER'S PAROLE BID KO'D

A convicted cop killer who advertised for a wife on the Internet had his dreams of conjugal bliss dashed when the state Parole Board rejected his bid for freedom. Bruce...

JUDGE QUITS '93 WTC BOMB TRIAL AT LAST SEC

A Manhattan judge has delayed the 1993 World Trade Center bombing litigation for the last time. Stanley Sklar, the Manhattan Supreme Court justice who for an astonishing 12 years has...

JEWS OBSERVE PASSOVER TODAY AT SUNDOWN

Passover begins at sundown tonight and Jews will gather with family and friends at seder meals to ponder the traditional query: "Why is this night different from all other nights?"...

OH, ROWE IS ME - JACKO EX TO TESTIFY FOR DA

In another twist in the Michael Jackson case, Debbie Rowe - the pop star's ex-wife and mother of two of his three kids - will testify for the prosecution next...

BEAU BUSTED IN PREGNANT GAL-PAL SLAY

A sanitation worker whose pregnant girlfriend was found floating in the Hudson River with a bullet in her head has been indicted for second-degree murder, police said yesterday. Roscoe Glinton...

SKULLS FOUND OUTSIDE BX. APT.

A garbage bag stuffed with human-looking skulls was found yesterday in a Bronx building, police said. Cops said a resident at 1955 Grand Concourse opened a white garbage bag left...

'SOPRANOS' BAD BOY IN NEW MESS

Three years to the day after "Sopranos" bad boy Robert Iler copped a plea in a mugging case, the actor finds himself in a new imbroglio involving an assault on...

UNBORN BABY'S FATHER BUSTED IN GAL-PAL SLAY

A sanitation worker whose pregnant girlfriend was found floating in the Hudson River with a bullet in her head has been indicted for second-degree murder, police said yesterday. Roscoe Glinton...

MEET A NEW SUPER STAR - YOUNG HUNK SUITS UP AS MAN OF STEEL

Look! But not up in the sky! Here's a first glimpse of square-jawed Brandon Routh now that the hunky newcomer has stepped into Superman's legendary tights. The 6-foot-2 former soap...

MIKE A SEX-TEACH SOFTIE: WEINER

Accusing Mayor Bloomberg of being soft on sexual predator teachers, Democratic challenger Rep. Anthony Weiner yesterday ripped into the mayor for dubbing teacher-student sex as "business as usual." "If this...

SETTLERS MARK PASSOVER WITH NEW EXODUS

JERUSALEM - To night, as millions of Jews celebrate Passover, the shadow of a modern Jewish exodus falls across Israel - the evacuation this summer of settlers from the Gaza...

EMS BOSS QUITS AS FREE-TRIP SCANDAL EXPOSED

The Fire Department official in charge of the Emergency Medical Service quit suddenly yesterday amid an investigation into free trips he accepted from a city vendor, The Post has learned....

METROS SEEK STAR POWER

To put the star in the Metro- Stars, Jersey boy Bob Bradley had to cross the Atlantic. The arrival of Youri Djorkaeff is clearly the biggest upgrade for the Metros,...

JINTS CONTENT TO STAY AT 43

The calls are infrequent, especially compared with a year ago at this time, and usually not long in duration. Other teams ask Giants GM Ernie Accorsi if he wants to...

RJ READY TO GO; SHAQ UNCERTAIN

NET NOTES Richard Jefferson will be the "X" factor in the opening round of the playoffs, unquestionably. And yesterday, for the first time since Jan. 8, Jefferson, returning from surgery...

ISIAH: STEPH'S NOT UNTOUCHABLE

It appears no coincidence that at the same time Knicks president Isiah Thomas said Thursday he was pursuing Phil Jackson, he let it out that Stephon Marbury could be available...

IT'S A GUESSING GAME - NINERS WON'T SAY WHO'LL BE THE ONE

Six of the top players who will be chosen in today's NFL Draft stood on the corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue yesterday morning attempting to toss a football...

'ROCKY' IS READY FOR LEXINGTON

Remember Mr. Bill from "Saturday Night Live," the little clay figure who suffered misfortune at every turn? Today, in the Grade 2, $325,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, horseracing's version of...

FALL POINT PEN - YANKS HOPE SOLID SHOWING SPELLS RELIEF

The way the Yankee bullpen had stunk this season, it was improbable that it could hold Thursday night's one-run lead from the sixth inning on. So one of the most...

JETS LOOK UPWARD

If you think the Jets are done dealing, think again. Don't be a bit surprised to see the Jets, fresh off their trade for tight end Doug Jolley this week,...

FEELING THE STRAIN: ISHII LANDS ON DL

MET NOTES The Mets rotation, already without starting pitchers Steve Trachsel (herniated disc) and Kris Benson (strained pectoral muscle), took another blow yesterday when an MRI on Kaz Ishii's sore...

'TALK' RETURNS IN FORT MARCY

Better Talk Now, upset winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Turf, makes first start of year today in Grade 3, $100,000 Fort Marcy Handicap over Aqueduct's turf course, assuming rain...

NO. 8 WITH A BULLET - HEALTHY KIDD HAS NETS HEATING UP

Last year, Jason Kidd entered the playoffs - more like limped into them - dragging an ailing knee. This year, Kidd is healthy, playing at a level virtually equal to...

WILD EAST HAS PLENTY TO LOVE

SOME Eastern Conference playoff observations: HEAT vs. NETS: Only someone more cynical than myself would dare to suggest the league gave Miami an extra day to begin this series in...

JUICY BOOT - EX-MET ROBERTS FAILS TEST

The black cloud of baseball's steroids controversy found its way to Queens yesterday when it was revealed former Mets pitcher Grant Roberts failed a steroids test during spring training. Roberts,...

SIERRA TO MISS UP TO 6 WEEKS

YANKEE NOTES The good news is that Ruben Sierra doesn't need surgery right now, but the Yankees don't expect him back soon anytime soon, either. An MRI yesterday revealed a...

STAR SEARCH: MORE TALENT

Fire 1 - MetroStars 0 With Youri Djorkaeff the lone bright spot in the MetroStars' winless start, coach Bob Bradley plans to talk tomorrow to another former French star, Laurent...

ACHING ISHII LANDS ON 15-DAY DL

MET NOTES Already with starting pitchers Steve Trachsel (back) and Kris Benson (pectoral strain) out with injuries, the Met rotation took another shot to the gut yesterday when an MRI...

KEVIN AND HELL - RANGERS - AND BX. BOOBIRDS - BATTER BROWN

Two batters - and two hits - into last night's game, Kevin Brown already heard the boos. They were deserved. For those who weren't kept away by the mist, the...

HOME STRETCH - METS' SHEA DOMINANCE CONTINUES AS GLAVINE STOPS NATS

Mets 3 - Nationals 1 Last night, the Washington Nationals were a new team in name only. To Tom Glavine, they were the same old Expos. The Expos are now...

HOME STRETCH - GLAVINE. METS SIZZLE AT SHEA

Mets 3 - Nationals 1 Last night, the Washington Nationals were a new team in name only. To Tom Glavine, they were the same old Expos. The Expos are now...

DIGGING DOUG - METS' SECOND CHOICE SHINING AT FIRST BASE

It generally doesn't happen, but these are the New Mets, and through the first two weeks of the season it appears they got lucky. Doug Mientkiewicz was a secondary option...