November 27, 2005

FAO SCHWARZ TOYING WITH FORMULA

Famed toy store FAO Schwarz is not yet ready for its close up. Too bad, its second crucial holiday shopping season since emerging from bankruptcy started 48 hours ago. While...

OK, I PAID OFF MY DEBTS. NOW WHAT DO I DO?

Dear John: After just paying off my debts, what should I do with my money in this market and economy? B.K.T. Dear B.K.T.: I'd recommend, "take a vacation." But that,...

MUSIC MATTERS - WAL-MART ADDING MUSCLE TO MUSIC, VIDEO BIZ

As holiday shoppers crowd Wal-Mart stores this weekend to start their holiday shopping, the country's No. 1 retailer is quietly moving on a plan to keep them coming back long...

DISHING HUMBLE PIE - TREND GROWING; EXECS APOLOGIZE

There's a new business strategy sweeping through executive suites from coast to coast - humility. It's popping up in press conferences given by CEOs of struggling firms and in mea...

SERIAL SCHEMER - SULPHCO ENERGY OUTFIT MAY BE TOO SLICK

Investors looking for an underpriced energy stock might have thoght they stumbled upon a potential cash gusher last month. SulphCo, a Sparks, Nev.-based concern, said it invented a process to...

IT'S GO TIME - WILL THE BROTHERS ESCAPE ON 'PRISON BREAK'?; CAN THEY PULL IT OFF?

THIS week's "Prison Break" is a cliffhanger in more ways than one. On the show, the escape plan that's been in the works since the series began Aug. 29 is...

THURSDAY NIGHT VERDICT: 'O.C.' IS O-V-E-R

WATCHING TV for a living is harder than it looks. A TV critic cannot simply sit there without a negative thought popping into his head. At all times, he must...

THE DON'T MISS LIST

DRAMA Soap siren FOR those who wonder how their old soap opera stars are faring, you might want to tune in for "Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again." At one time...

CHEESY 'SMALLVILLE' SELLS FORD FUSION

'The actual Ford commercials seemed less like ads than the show's script.' PRODUCT placement? Heck, product placement seems like a benign and antiquated phrase given that we're already being socked...

'FELICITY' - WHAT'S A REVOLUTIONARY WAR DOLL TO DO?

'She's so wholesome. You can't find anything like that any more.' -Carolyn McEwen SPUNKY and a little bit tomboyish, 10-year-old Felicity Merriman is just like the girl next door -...

REEL GOOD - LINDA STASI PREVIEWS THIS WEEK'S BEST MOVIES

SOUNDER (1972) Sunday, 12 noon, TCM A family of black sharecroppers weathers the Depression after the father (Paul Winfield) is sent to prison for stealing to support his family. So...

YUMMY CAUSE; GINGERBREAD DOGHOUSES & KITTY PASTRIES

'TIS the season to give back, and in that spirit, the city's top pastry chefs have joined forces to bake "edible architecture" for a pet cause: gingerbread homes for animals....

NEW HYBRID SPORT PACKS REAL PUNCH

MIXING cross-country skiing with rifle marks manship sounded bizarre - until it became known as the biathlon. But is the world ready for the hybrid sport called chess boxing? Yes,...

THE HOT SEAT

WHY do we love Adam Gold-berg? Maybe it's because he's the only actor to turn a Jewish salutation into a hipster catchphrase: "Shabbat shalom, motherf---er!" was his rallying cry in...

HOT LIST - WHAT WE'RE OBSESSED WITH THIS WEEK

1 Alphabet charms Best known for her simple-yet-genius initial charms, jewelry designer Helen Ficalora - a fave of fashion editors - has just opened her first shop at 21 Cleveland...

HOW 'PURPLE' ROSE TO B'WAY - THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE, BUT $10M (SOME OF IT OPRAH'S) FORGES 'THE COLOR PURPLE' MUSICAL

CONSIDER the source: a tale rife with rape, racism, poverty and abuse. Hardly the stuff of a big Broadway musical - which is why, when someone first suggested bringing "The...

ROCK AND RIVALRY - PORTLAND'S DANDYS HIT N.Y.C.

NEO-PSYCHEDELIC rockers the Dandy Warhols got a lot of attention last summer when the documentary "DiG!" explored their friendship-cum-rivalry with another band, the edgier, less successful Brian Jonestown Massacre. The...

THIS WEEK'S CDS

THE DARKNESS "One Way Ticket to Hell ... and Back" 3 STARS Atlantic It really doesn't matter if the Darkness is serious or teasing us with their gimmicky retro-rock attack....

IN THE MATRIX - WHAT'S KORN GOT IN COMMON WITH AVRIL, BRITNEY AND MARIAH?

When Korn previews their new record at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday night, fans will get a glimpse into lead singer Jonathan Davis' psyche - which to hear him tell...

UNDER THEIR SPELL - THE MAGIC NUMBERS CONJURE PERFECTLY SAD POP SONGS

YOU can't win the lottery or pass a math test with the magic numbers for which singer-songwriter Romeo Stodart named his band. The soft-spoken, charming 27-year-old leader of the Magic...

PRET A PRAIRIE - ROBERT ALTMAN TAKES NPR FAVE HOLLYWOOD

Pulling onto a freeway in St. Paul, Minn., Garrison Keillor is on his way to get a new passport. He's listening to Maureen Dowd and on the phone with The...

FROM MTV TO THE MOVIE SCREEN, 'FLUX' HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN FLUX

EXTREME CLOSE- UP: A fly, trapped in closing eyelashes. That's one of the most memorable, and telling, images from the 1995 cartoon "Aeon Flux," a staple of the trippy MTV...

HEAR THIS

IN CONCERT At Irving Plaza: Metal act Arch Enemy tomorrow. Punks From First to Last on Tuesday. Alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr. tape their Friday and Saturday shows for a future live...

MEET MARKET - THE PLACE WHERE THE POST HOOKS YOU UP AND SENDS YOU OUT

CUTE CO-ED COVETS COOL, CALM COHORT MEET Katie, an adorable Columbia University junior. When she's not studying Hindi and film, Katie spends her time "watching movies, reading and spending too...

REVOLVING DOORMAN; PLAZA ICON MAKES WELCOME RETURN

Eddie Trinka - the iconic Plaza doorman who welcomed the Beatles in 1964 - is getting back to where he once belonged. Seven months after the landmark closed as an...

COPS PULL ELDERLY SISTERS FROM FIRE

Two heroic Long Island cops saved two elderly sisters from a fire after busting down the front door of their burning house, police said yesterday. While on patrol in Huntington...

SAFE & SORRY HEIST; STORE 'ROBBERS' FOILED

An insider plot to rob a Sears safe on Black Friday backfired on the four alleged culprits - including a former Sears security employee - when they were nabbed by...

9-MONTH HORROR ; MOTHER SAYS RAPED GIRL, 12, LIVED IN FEAR

The mother of the 12-year-old girl who unexpectedly gave birth on Thanksgiving after being violently raped at gunpoint earlier this year, said her daughter was terrorized for nine months by...

HIS DARKER PAST ; 'FIREMAN' PERV IN WEIRD 1983 BUST

Long before he allegedly put on a firefighter's outfit and attacked a Chelsea woman on Halloween, accused sex-assault scribe Peter Braunstein and a pal were arrested for going after a...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN *** A Midtown security guard was held for hours yesterday after a prostitute apparently falsely accused him of rape - police later finding out that she made up the...

TEARFUL CROWDS MOURN 'A CREATIVE SPIRIT' ; 400 AT B'KLYN RITES FOR BELIZE SLAY VICTIM

Hundreds gathered yesterday to mourn the Brooklyn backpacker murdered in Belize - bemoaning a life cut short while celebrating a young woman who "saw beauty all around her." The emotional,...

HOSP'S DOCS LET MY SON DIE ; STALLED ON OP IN KILLER WAIT FOR MEDICAID, MA SAYS

An anguished mother says her 24-year-old son died waiting for surgery at an elite Manhattan hospital because he had no health insurance. "When you get insurance, we'll take care of...

AMPUTEE IS KING OF HILL; B'KLYNITE SET FOR PARALYMPIC GLORY

After two bullets tore through Ralph Green's body in a brutal Brooklyn shooting, the 16-year-old lost his left leg - and thought his life was over. It had really just...

STATE PROBING 'FATAL DELAY'

The state health commissioner has ordered a full-scale investigation of Manny Lanza's death and a probe of the Health Department's "inexcusable error" in handling complaints raised by his family earlier...

LOST 9/11 CROWBAR FOUND ON EBAY

A firefighting tool that disappeared from a Bronx firetruck at Ground Zero on Sept. 11 has been returned after an eagle-eyed captain spotted the device for sale on eBay. Capt....

PERV FLEES S.I. MENTAL HOSP

Cops were on the hunt yesterday for an alleged sexual predator who walked out of a non-secure mental hospital on Staten Island. Cops scoured the borough for Anthony Lee, 41...

KID-RAPE SHOCK ; CREEP CHARGED WITH ATTACKING CHILD IN 1997

The alleged gun-toting rapist of a 12-year-old girl who gave birth on Thanksgiving has been charged with the same crime before, The Post has learned. Guillermo Gorostiza, 44, was charged...

7 FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN BLAZE

Smoke billowed from the 20th floor and seven firefighters required treatment for smoke inhalation after a fire struck the Municipal Building in downtown Manhattan yesterday. The one-alarmer broke out at...

L.I. BB BUST NETS QUARTET

Two men in their 20s and two teenagers were arrested yesterday on suspicion of shooting up Long Island businesses and cars with a pellet gun last month, authorities said. The...

HANDBILL HARDBALL

A state law aimed at keeping annoying fliers, coupons and menus off the windshields of parked cars - and out of the gutter - will get a whole lot tougher...

CLUBBER KILLED IN 'DRUG' SMASH

A Brooklyn man yesterday smashed his car on the Jackie Robinson Parkway, killing his passenger and leaving his vehicle a mangled, smoking wreck. Ayodele Onansanya, 26, and his late friend,...

GET KIDS OFF THE BOTTLE FAST: STUDY

Letting kids over a year old continue to bottle-feed may be bad for their health, researchers warn. A study by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Children's Hospital of...

GUNMAN'S DEATH WISH UNFULFILLED BY POLICE

A gunman who admitted he wanted to commit "suicide by cop" was arrested unharmed yesterday after threatening police and leading them on a bizarre chase and shootout through Brooklyn streets....

BEEP SPENDS TAX $$ ON HIGH-DEF TV

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro not only won re-election three weeks ago but also ended up with a $1,441 high-definition TV bought with taxpayer matching funds. In one of...

CITY CONDOM CLASS EYED

Educators are set to unveil a sex-in-the-city-age curriculum for school kids this week - a how-to tutorial on HIV and AIDS prevention that includes instruction on the use of a...

BLOOMY'S 'UNLIMITED' OPTIONS IN COUNCIL TERM FIGHT

MAYOR Bloomberg is holding an ace up his sleeve if the City Council decides to overturn the term-limits law through legislation next year. The question is: Will he use it?...

PRECINCT OF THE FUTURE ; CENTRAL PK. STATION TO GET OVERHAUL

The 135-year-old Central Park police station is getting a $29 million futuristic facelift. The Post got an exclusive peek at the city's proposed design for the station house, including the...

PRESENTS FOR THE POSH - GAZILLION-DOLLAR GIFTS OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS

When you don't know what to buy the significant other who has everything, this is where you might turn. A selection of the most outrageous, expensive and elite gifts and...

'DEATH WISH' NIXED - HIV MAN GOADS COPS

A gunman who admitted he wanted to commit "suicide by cop" was arrested unharmed yesterday after threatening police and leading them on a bizarre chase and shootout through Brooklyn streets....

SOHO FOOD FIGHT OVER LANDMARK

A former nightclub owner 's plan to open a largescale restaurant on a quiet, cobblestone street in SoHo has the community up in arms. Richard Panson - former owner of...

DEVS RIDE HOT SCOTT

The coach who isn't Pat Burns didn't just risk ticking off his No. 1 center. Larry Robinson accomplished it, and he likes the results. Robinson has been all over Scott...

MILE HIGH MOVEMENT: LUONGO TO 'LANCHE?

NEARLY 10 years after pulling the Dec. 6, 1995 deal with Montreal for unhappy, elite goaltender Patrick Roy that positioned his team to become an NHL power, Colorado GM Pierre...

FEAGLES' RECORD KICKS IN

GIANT NOTES SEATTLE - The gang's all here today for Jeff Feagles, who will stage a family reunion of sorts when he sets an NFL record by playing in his...

YANKS CAUGHT STANDING STILL

PENNANTS are won in the offseason. That's why this has been such a fascinating week in Flushing, Fenway and Toronto, and a curious one in The Bronx. The offensive upgrade...

PURGE CAPTURES CIGAR

Once upon a time, trainer Todd Pletcher's Purge was considered one of the top young horses in the nation. Early in his 3-year-old campaign, he was favored over Smarty Jones...

THREE IN ROW FOR JOHNNY V.

In the aftermath of three-horse spill Friday at Big A, C.C. Lopez, whose mount, 6-year-old mare Happy Face, initiated chain-reaction when she broke down turning for home, is out six...

BROWN SHOWING TRUE COLORS ; KNICKS COACH ALWAYS SAYS GRASS IS GREENER

NOT yet on the job two months and already Larry Brown has revealed his true self. Still, just in case New York's sophisticated fans and picky press aren't giving the...

THIS TIME, STEPH HAS ANSWER

Even on a day when his own coach said there is no comparison between Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson, Marbury got the better of Iverson. Yes, Iverson went for 40...

YANKS GET BUSY WITH GILES

The agent for free-agent outfielder Brian Giles and Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke yesterday. With Giles likely not returning to the Padres after the club turned down a three-year, $30...

LIONS ROAR INTO PSAL TITLE GAME

PSAL SEMIFINALLehman 48Canarsie 0 Someone informed Carmine Colasanto after last week's win in the PSAL quarterfinals that it was the coach's 190th win in his 30-year career. The Lehman coach...

RYAN'S DEAL UPS ANTE FOR WAGNER, METS

Billy Wagner was supposed to set the market for closers this offseason, and B.J. Ryan was expected to fall in line behind him. One problem, though: Toronto and Ryan didn't...

HATS OFF TO BLAKE FOR BIG ISLE WIN

Isles 4Flyers 2 PHILADELPHIA - Coming off a disheartening Black Friday loss to Ottawa on their home ice, the Islanders rebounded yesterday with what Steve Stirling called one of their...

LET THE KIDS PLAY

NATE Robinson had been quietly going about his business at that hour of the day when Madison Square Garden can seem as intimate as a study. He'd had the worst...

SEE YA NATE-R ; ROBINSON BURIES 3, SHOCKS SIXERS IN OT

OVERTIME Knicks 105 Sixers 102 Yes, Larry Brown was right. Nate Robinson is now a "highlight film." The Knicks' 5-9 rookie point guard's high-arcing, buzzer-beating, right-corner 3-point prayer that won...

RED STORM SURGE; ST. JOHN'S AVENGES 2004 LOSS TO NIAGARA

St. John's 67Niagara 61 Fear is supposed to be a great motivator. Shame and embarrassment aren't bad ones either. When Niagara blew out St. John's last season, the game was...

BOWL BOUND; ROUT OF CINCY GIVES RUTGERS INSIGHT

Rutgers 44Cincinnati 9 PISCATAWAY - All season long, the Rutgers' defense has rallied around a 1984 Metallica song, "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Yesterday, the track could have been titled...

MARBURY ENJOYS FRYE'S COOKING

KNICK NOTES Stephon Marbury gave Knicks rookie Channing Frye the highest praise yesterday, comparing him to Tim Duncan. Frye, making his first start with Eddy Curry sidelined with a strained...

BOWL BOUND; ROUT OF CINCY INSIGHT-FUL FOR RUTGERS

Rutgers 44Cincinnati 9 PISCATAWAY - On third downs at home this season, the Rutgers defense has rallied around a 1984 Metallica song chosen by coach Greg Schiano that blares over...

RED STORM SURGE ; GAIN REVENGE ON NIAGARA

St. John's 67Niagara 61 When Niagara blew out St. John's last season, it was talked about in diners from Brooklyn to Buffalo. The final score, 102-81, wasn't the embarrassment; the...

IT'S EARLY, BUT ... NETS NEED WIN 'IN WORST WAY'

LOS ANGELES - The team president is concerned, the coach is still searching for a rotation he trusts, and the players - at least those not wondering about their minutes...

SEND OUT THE CLOWNS ; PREGAME CIRCUSES STILL SO SAD

SEVERAL weeks ago, after we wrote that there's too often no good reason to go out of one's way to watch any of the three NFL national TV Sunday pregame...

'YANK'S' 'VIVID' VICTORY

Strong Yankee showed he was aptly named, turning a late bid from Hambletonian champ Vivid Photo to score a one-length victory in the $610,000 Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt and gelding...

TRAINER EXITS AS CROWN WINNER

Rocknroll Hanover put in an "Aus-some" performance in the $555,000, 3-year-old colt and gelding pace last night at the Meadowlands on Breeders Crown night, giving retiring trainer Brett Pelling of...

SHOOTING SPREE - RANGERS PREVAIL IN THRILLING MARATHON

SHOOTOUT Rangers 3Capitals 2 By the time the shootout ended, nearly everything that had come before it at the Garden had been forgotten. And for good reason, as well, because...

GET GIFT ANGLES ONLINE

THE holiday season means giving; if you have someone who loves the water and the outdoors, a great Web site will help you with gifts and can even help you...

VISION QWEST - THEY'D BE GIANTS OF NFC IF THEY CAN WIN IN SEATTLE

SEATTLE - There are years when the season drags on, when the final regular-season game can't come quickly enough, when other teams mull over playoff scenarios and the Giants plan...

ON THE DARK SIDE - 2-8 JETS VS. 2-8 SAINTS IN PRIME-TIME HORROR SHOW

Herman Edwards is a realist. He knows what the country thinks about his Jets and the game they'll play tonight against the Saints. Both teams are 2-8. Both have no...

BENCH BARKS - NETS IN D-NIAL RIDE PINE

LOS ANGELES - So now the Nets want to build on some of the positives they saw in a defeat. Not exactly the way this season was supposed to go,...

SEASONS IN THE SUN (& RAIN) - N.Y.'S BIGGEST SURPRISES, LETDOWNS

THE RANGERS have been exhilarating. The Jets have been exhausting. The Rangers have been the best kind of sports-fan surprise: the team that comes out of nowhere, that drops out...

TROJANS LIVIN' WITH LEGENDS - WHERE USC RATES AMONG COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S GREATEST DYNASTIES

The discussions have begun across the country from water coolers to talk radio stations: Is the current Southern California dynasty the greatest in the history of college football? As the...

POWER'S TURNED OFF - RANGERS STRUGGLE ON PP

On the whole, the Rangers have been far greater than the sum of their parts. On the power play, however, they've been far less. Maybe someone might like to explain...