December 24, 2005
DEPT. STORES DREAMING OF A BLACK CHRISTMAS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amWho cares if it's white as long as it's not in the red, say U.S. department store chains that should be in for a black Christmas this year. While bad...
BALLY BARS BOARD BID
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amBally Total Fitness Corp. yesterday said two activist shareholders may have triggered its anti-takeover, or "poison pill," plan by working together to force an overhaul of the beleaguered health club...
BROKEN HOMES - VAST DECLINE CHILLS RED-HOT HOUSING MARKET
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amNew home sales, one of the pistons of the American economic engine over the past five years, dropped in November, suggesting that broader economic growth may soon start slowing. Sales...
GIMME SHELTER
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThe bad news lair TATUM O'NEAL, the poster child for "E! True Hollywood Story," has sold her three-bedroom loft for $2.1 million. The 42-year-old troubled thespian, whose career peaked at...
HOME SHOPPING CLUB - LOVE CANDLES
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amABC Carpet & Home 888 Broadway at 19th Street (212) 473-3000 Sale: Dec. 26-31 Open: Sun., 11 a.m.-7 p.m./Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-8 p.m./Sat., 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Post-holiday discounts will include Brazilian...
WHAT TO WATCH DURING TOMORROW'S HOLIDAY
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amWITH more and more channels to choose from each year, Christmas TV viewing can get pretty confusing. So as our gift to you, The Post has put together a mini-viewing...
KILLER BLACK BOOK; FAMILY'S NEW CLUE IN DAHLIA MURDER
December 24, 2005 | 5:00am"48 Hours Mystery: Black Dahlia Confidential" Tonight at 10 on CBS/Ch. 2 * * * (three stars) SOME reruns deserve a second chance, and this particular segment of "48 Hours...
GO HANUKKAH-RAZY! WHEN IT COMES TO HIPNESS, CHRISTMAS CAN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amCHRISTMAS, it must be said, is not hip. Never has been. Sure, it can be warm and fuzzy in a Norman Rockwell-"White Christmas" way, poignant in a "Gift of the...
OY TO THE WORLD - IT'S A TRADITION, NU?
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amI love yule the way only a Jewish girl can. Tomorrow - when Christmas Day, for the first time in decades, dovetails with the first night of Hanukkah - my...
EX-BEAU'S NAKED RAGE; CHARGED IN STRIPPER BUTCHERY
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA personal trainer and rock-star wannabe was indicted yesterday on charges that he killed his ex-girlfriend, topless dancer Catherine Woods. "Not guilty," a bedraggled Paul Cortez told Manhattan Supreme Court...
HARLEM HIP-HOPPER'S GUN RAP
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA rapper who describes himself as a "Wild Cowboy" allegedly acted like an Old West gunslinger this week when he waved a large pistol at three teens in Harlem, police...
WOUNDED RIDER GOT REAL 'TIRED'
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA bartender at the Stage Deli says transit workers who thought they were about to go on strike last week inadvertently smashed his kneecap by tossing a tire down a...
FOXY CHEWED OUT OVER GUM TANTRUM
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amFoxy Brown had a judge seeing red yesterday after the raunchy rapper stuck out her tongue at the jurist, scuffled with court officers and ended up handcuffed to a bench...
ALMIGHTY NEW NAME IS HIS GIFT TO HIMSELF
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA Manhattan man got some holiday cheer yesterday when a judge approved his name change - to Jesus Christ. The former José Luis Espinal, 42, of Washington Heights, said he'd...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amBROOKLYN *** Cops say the crook pictured above made off with cash after holding up a Midwood bank this week. The unidentified suspect walked inside the Washington Mutual branch at...
HIS NAKED RAGE; BEAU CHARGED IN STRIPPER BUTCHERY
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA personal trainer and rock-star wannabe was indicted yesterday on charges that he killed his ex-girlfriend, topless dancer Catherine Woods. "Not guilty," a bedraggled Paul Cortez told Manhattan Supreme Court...
CAR KILLS TRAGIC QNS. GRANNY
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amAn elderly Queens woman was struck and killed by a car as she crossed a Flushing street last night, police said. Anna Douzakis, 80, was hit at 6 p.m. as...
QUICK BLITZ SINKS ISLES
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amSenators 4Isles 2 The only goalie at the Coliseum last night who didn't feel the wrath of the home crowd's holiday jeer was Garth Snow. He didn't play. Isles goaltender...
GET THE 'TRAIN' OUT OF WORKOUT TRAINING
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amRoger Toussaint isn't the biggest loser. Maybe it's you. The transit strike was the start of new exercise and diet plan for many a New Yorker who was forced onto...
'PHYSICAL' EVIDENCE SAYS SHARON'S OK
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amIsraeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, recovering from a mild stroke, took the unusual step yesterday of letting his doctors talk about his health - and his battle with his waistline....
ALITO IN WIRETAP FIRESTORM
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito wrote a 1984 memo arguing that the U.S. attorneys general should be granted immunity from lawsuits on illegal wiretapping, creating a political firestorm....
ROBBER STABS MAN ON WEST SIDE
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA man was stabbed during an apparent knifepoint robbery on the Upper West Side last night, police said. The victim was cut once in his neck in front of 35...
CHENEY ABUSES POWER
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney exercised his executive iPod privileges on a recent Air Force Two flight where electrical plugs were at a premium because of a power fritz....
PERV PETE CUT DOWN TO SIZE
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amFormer fashion writer Peter Braunstein was sporting a new, even creepier look in court yesterday when a pros ecutor announced that he'd been indicted for a horrific, 13-hour Hallow een...
PIRRO OFFERS $ENATE REFUND
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amJeanine Pirro (left) will not transfer any funds raised for her now-defunct U.S. Senate race against Sen. Hillary Clin ton into her campaign for New York attorney general, The Post...
PATAKI NIXES SCHOOL-$LAP BILL
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday announced that he vetoed a bill that would have fined New York City $10,000 a day for not bargaining in good faith with its school...
BYE TO MORTAL 'CHIN'; PRIEST BROTHER LEADS RITES FOR 'GOOD' MOBSTER
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amHundreds of mourners - and some undercover officers - heard the Rev. Louis Gigante lead a funeral Mass yesterday for his brother, late crime boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante, at a...
WE'RE WHOLLY ROLLING; DELIGHT & BITTERNESS FOR STRIKE-FREE RIDERS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amHallelujah! After three days of picket lines, sprained ankles and endless aggravation, commuters breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday as the transit system finally got back on track. "I've...
BLOOMBERG KEEPS IT RAIL
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amLike thousands of other weary straphangers, Mayor Bloomberg returned to the subway yesterday - and was met mostly with smiles. Even from transit workers. The station-booth clerk at the Park...
MUGGERS RETURN, TOO
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amJust hours after the picketers went back to work yesterday, a New Jersey woman became the subway's first post-strike mugging victim. "He leaned over me. He put his hand in...
ED EYES SENATE RE-RUN; WITHDREW VS. PIRRO
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amALBANY - Ed Cox, Richard Nixon's son-in-law, who quit the Senate race, may get back in now that Jeanine Pirro has switched to the race for attorney general, a top...
OVERDOSE OMEN IN DUNGY DEATH
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amNew details emerged yesterday in the tragic apparent suicide of the 18-year-old son of NFL head coach Tony Dungy - whose personal problems surfaced after an overdose two months ago...
WE'RE IN FOR A YULE WATERLOG
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amChristmas is looking wet, not white. The clear weather that got us through the transit strike without a drop or flake will change tomorrow, when there's a slight chance of...
SUIT OVER TRANSPLANT INFECTIONS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThree New Jerseyans who got bone transplants from tissue that may have been illegally harvested from New York funeral-home corpses have tested positive for hepatitis and syphilis, their lawyer said...
WELD HITS SPITZER'S 'THREATS'
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amALBANY - Republican gubernatorial hopeful William Weld blasted state Attorney General and potential rival Eliot Spitzer yesterday for allegedly threatening one of Wall Street's best-known figures. "This was wildly improper...
BIKING HERO HANGING ON
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThe firefighter hit by a bus while riding his bicycle to work during the transit strike is still fighting for his life, doctors said yesterday. Matthew Long, 39, was struck...
CELLPHONE TALE HARD TO SWALLOW
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA 24-year-old in Blue Springs, Mo., made sure her boyfriend got the message when she told him he couldn't use her cellphone. She swallowed it. Or at least she tried....
TRAGIC MOM DEFENDS 'KID-KILLER'
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThe mother of the 22-month-old Bronx boy allegedly beaten to death by her jailbird boyfriend told the accused killer's family that he never hit her kids, his lawyer said yesterday....
MAYOR SNIPES AT D.C.; RIPS POLS ON GUNS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amLocal and state measures to rein in the scourge of guns can't possibly succeed while Washington looks the other way, Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday. "The problem with gun sales is...
A HOLY MAN IN NAME
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA Manhattan man got some holiday cheer yesterday when a judge approved his name change - to Jesus Christ. "I'm very grateful," said Christ, 42, of Washington Heights. The former...
INAUG A BIALYSTOCK & BLOOMBERG AFFAIR
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThe post-inaugural bash for Mayor Bloomberg will take place at the same landmark building where parts of "The Producers" were filmed, The Post has learned. The sprawling Emigrant Bank Building...
CELEBS' CARDS DECK THE HALLS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amWonder how the holiday greeting cards sent out by not-so-average Joes stack up against yours? The Post picked a handful of VIP cards to give you an idea. They're a...
QNS. DAD ADOPTS SPIRIT OF LOVE
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThe boys, boisterous, healthy and full of dreams, were hoping for a glittering tree and presents and maybe even a little snow. But what Timothy, Kevon and Rory really wanted...
NETS HEATING UP ; PUT WIN STREAK ON LINE IN MIAMI
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amMIAMI - Listen to Miami coach Pat Riley sing the praises of the Nets and you come away thinking the Heat had lost 10 straight to New Jersey instead of...
JOE CAN'T BUNGLE BOMBERS' LINEUP
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES Joe Torre knows Johnny Damon will hit first and Derek Jeter will bat second. Beyond that, the Yankees manager doesn't know what the best lineup in baseball will...
PATRIOT 'D' IS MAKING LIKE STEEL CURTAIN
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amIn order for the Jets to keep Monday night's game from becoming a laugher, they must find a way to solve the puzzle that is the Patriots defense. Such a...
MANE THING: DAMON'S HEART
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amJOHNNY Damonwould run into the Green Monster or dive into a base and be so banged up that Red Sox manager Terry Francona would tell his center fielder on the...
THRASHERS GREASE WOEFUL DEVILS' SLIDE
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThrashers 1Devils 0 Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is learning it wasn't Larry Robinson's fault. And if it wasn't, we know whose it is. The Devils scored even less for Lamoriello...
SLUMPBUSTERS; KNICKS END 7-GAME SKID
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amKnicks 98Jazz 90 Facing a wretched seven-game slide in this wretched Knicks season, Larry Brown sent a message by starting veteran Antonio Davis last night, the only player who has...
CON-VINCE-ING ; CARTER'S 51 BEAT HEAT, STRETCH NETS' STREAK TO 5
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amNets 95Heat 88 MIAMI - For the Nets, it's five wins and counting - legitimately counting - thanks to 51 points from Vince Carter. More impressive than how the Nets...
OSI GETS 6-YEAR EXTENSION ; UMENYIORA GETS 6-YEAR EXTENSION
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES LANDOVER, Md. - At a salary of $380,000 for this season, Giants DE Osi Umenyiora was the best bargain in the NFL. The third-year player leads the NFC...
GIANTS AIM TO SEAL THE DEAL; STRAHAN'S MANTRA: JUST WIN NOW, BABY
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amLANDOVER, Md. - Lingering is fine over a glass of wine or a splendid meal, but for the Giants, lingering over their playoff fortunes is not healthy. Not today, with...
COLDIE BUT GOODIE ; TEAM GETS HOT UNDER GIBBS IN DECEMBER
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amASHBURN, Va. - Most NFL teams move practice indoors this time of year, but the Redskins stay outside, braving the elements. Joe Gibbs does not believe in practice bubbles. If...
BATES RETURN HAS ISLANDERS FEELIN' UPBEAT
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amShawn Bates, arguably the Islanders' early-season MVP before being hurt, was expected back in the lineup last night against the Senators. While Bates, one of the team's inspirational leaders, was...
HE'S EVERYTHING YANKS WANTED FOR CHRISTMAS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amYOU know what the best Christmas present for Yankees fans is? Johnny Damon wants to be here. Being a Yankee matters to him. Every now and again, it isn't a...
MANNY'S ADVICE: GO TO NY
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amAs Johnny Damon was still deciding whether to defect to the Yankees, he leaned on some stunning advice from Manny Ramirez, Damon and his wife told The Post yesterday. Before...
LAST MEETING WAS 'UNUSUAL'
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES LANDOVER, Md. - The only time the Redskins have been blown out this season was by the Giants, 36-0, on Oct. 30, and those who were there realize...
JOHNNY GIVES HOLIDAY GREETING - EXCITED DAMON ALL SMILES FOR INTRODUCTION IN BRONX
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amThe most famous hat in sports sat nicely atop the hair, which had a fresh cut. A pinstriped No. 18 jersey fit perfectly. And 18 roses from the Yankees to...
NETS HEATING UP - PUT WIN STREAK ON LINE IN MIAMI
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amMIAMI - Listen to Miami coach Pat Riley sing the praises of the Nets and you come away thinking the Heat had lost 10 straight to New Jersey instead of...
LONG LAYOFF OVER FOR DEVS' ALBELIN
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amDespite the 17 NHL seasons under Tommy Albelin's belt, he felt something else there, too. "Butterflies," the 41-year-old defenseman said. "I'm a little excited. I wouldn't call it nervous," Albelin...
TURNING JEERS TO CHEERS - SLUMPING KNICKS AIM TO QUIET GARDEN BOOS
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amLarry Brown believes Isiah Thomas has it right: A player needs a certain mental toughness to survive as an athlete in New York. But the Knicks coach would not blame...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
December 24, 2005 | 5:00amA group of public-spirited Milwaukee citizens wants to give the city a warmer image - by moving its official thermometer to a warmer location. The thermometer currently takes reading at...