January 6, 2006

SIRIUS WINDFALL - STERN HITS $218M IN STOCK AS SUBSCRIBERS ZOOM

Shock jock Howard Stern is still three days away from his satellite debut, but the controversial radio host has already raked in some $218 million worth of stock in Sirius...

BURLINGTON BOOSTED - REVENUE LIFT SHOULD OPEN BIDDER'S EYES

Better-than-expected quarterly results at bargain retailer Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. should boost the founding family's plan to sell the New Jersey company to private investors by the end of...

GOOGLE-NAIRE$ - FOUNDERS' WEEKLY PAYCHECKS EQUAL $43M

Barely in their 30s, the two founders of Google are eclipsing the paydays of the world's richest man Bill Gates - by drawing down the world's biggest paychecks of $43...

GAP'S DECEMBER BUST SPARKS SHAKEUP TALK

A big decline in monthly same-store sales reported yesterday by The Gap, Inc. has analysts speculating that the troubled retail giant is in for a management-shakeup or potential breakup. The...

JITTERS OVER SHARON SLAM ISRAELI MARKETS

Wall Street braced for the possible spread of economic fallout as Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fought for his life after a stroke. Jittery investors in the world's capitals were...

SWIMMING UPSTREAM - MONEY-LOSING, SALMON-HUED OBSERVER BEING SHOPPED

THE New York Observer, the salmon-colored weekly that carved out an audience among Manhattan's elite, is quietly being shopped around. Its circulation has stalled around the 45,000 level and it...

OHIO PENSION FUND SHIELDS INVESTOR TIES

Officials at a large Ohio pension fund have decided to hold off on releasing part of a controversial report detailing its investments with secretive private equity and venture capital funds...

COLOMBIAN COMEDY IS THE WHEEL DEAL

EL CARRO [***] (Three stars)IT'S nice to see a movie from Colombia that doesn't deal with that nation's bloody drug woes. Credit Luis Orjuela, a TV director making his big-screen...

BOY'S HOLOCAUST JOURNEY HAS UNIVERSAL THEME

AS a Hungarian Jew packs up for deportation to a Nazi work camp in 1944, a Jewish neighbor stops by with some parting advice: "Keep your chin down, old boy,...

DOOM SERVICE

WHAT kind of hellspawn might result if "Saw" bought a copy of "Let's Go: Europe" and went backpacking across Europe to have a one-night stand with Dracula? Something like "Hostel,"...

A TEEN ANGEL IN TEHRAN

CENSORS in Iran must have been smoking weed when they approved "I'm Taraneh, 15," a sympathetic portrait of an unwed mother. Taraneh's mom is dead, her father's in jail and...

FILM RACE HEATS UP

GAY cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain" continued to lead the Oscar stampede yesterday with nominations for actor and director awards - which also boosted the Academy prospects for "Crash" and "Good...

PHANTOM'S SPIRIT - CHANCE FIND ON FIFTH AVE. LED TO HIT FOR LLOYD WEBBER

ASK Andrew Lloyd Webber to explain the enduring appeal of "The Phantom of the Opera" - which on Monday night becomes the longest-running show in Broadway history - and he...

LOWER EAST SLIDE

'KILL the Poor" is sort of a poor man's "Rent" - minus the music and the AIDS - and much blander than the title would have you expect. The gentrification...

ROSE BOWL SETS RECORD

TEXAS' stunning 41-38 defeat of USC in Wednesday's Rose Bowl snared 35.6 million viewers - the biggest audience to watch a college- football championship game since 1991, when Nielsen began...

HATCH IN A HOLE - 'SURVIVOR' STAR WON'S BE ABLE TO TELL JURY HE WAS SIMPLY SLOPPY

RICHARD Hatch, the most famous "Survivor" of all, is already facing in uphill battle in federal court - and his trial doesn't even start until next week. A federal judge...

PASSION PLAY - 'DANIEL' FILLS THAT HOLE IN THE GROUND LEFT BY 'SIX FEET UNDER'

The Book of Daniel" Tonight at 9 on NBC/Ch. 4 (three and one half stars) IF you've been Jonesing for "Six Feet Under," since it met its untimely demise earlier...

STARR REPORT

Kmetko back on TV Former E! personality Steve Kmetko, who filled in last November on QTelevision, has now joined the net work full-time. Kmetko anchors "QTN World News with Steve...

TIME TO CELEBRATE

SEAN Antanaitis, of the trio Celebration, is one of those talented multi-instrumentalists you often read about and wonder how on earth do they do it. As part of the Baltimore-based...

STAR BURSTS - STAR JONES TELLS FANS HOW TO GET HER PERFECT LIFE

STAR Jones Reynolds is shining. Her hair is shining. Her lips are shining. Her bling is shining. "I am on the journey toward shining," she clarifies, sitting at The Core...

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT - WEEK IS OVER, BUT HERE'S HOW TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF

WE hope a week on the Social-Lite Diet has helped you shed pounds for the new year. It's only the beginning though. According to the master plan, you must continue...

KATHERINE'S DIET DIARY

WELL, my diet odyssey is over. One week of living like the rich - at least the thin rich. The result? After gallons of water, half a dozen eggs and...

ANTIQUES DEALER IN GUN BUST

A Manhattan antiques dealer was ordered held without bail yesterday after prosecutors described him as "a big-time drug and gun dealer." Eric Sedge, 41, faces 100 counts of selling assault...

'YOU TOOK OUR LIVES'

A Long Island driver convicted of mowing down and killing a pair of bicyclists faced the angry family of one of his victims when he was sentenced yesterday. Edwin Jones,...

'I WONDER - WAS MY BABY SCARED?' MA ASKS KILLER

The grief-wracked mother of a 3-month-old baby boy shaken to death by his own father confronted her husband, the admitted killer, in Queens court yesterday as he was sentenced to...

PATAKI'S 'AIR' WAR VS. PERVS

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday took to the skies yesterday to push for tougher laws against sexual predators. Pataki flew to Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, holding airport press conferences urging...

'RIGHT'-THINKING MAG SLAPS 'LEFTY' PATAKI

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki, who is eyeing a race for the presidency, has won the dubious distinction of being named to a list of the Top 10 RINOS - Republicans...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * Police yesterday were searching for a suspect in the fatal stabbing of an Upper West Side man. Javier Garvas (above), 29, who also goes by Raul Galvez, allegedly...

FAMILY ON HOLD - CELLS & PAGERS DISRUPT HOME LIFE: STUDY

Cellphones and pagers may make communicating a breeze, but they're taking a heavy toll on American family life. A new study reveals that adults who use them around-the-clock to call...

N.Y. JEWS OFFER THEIR PRAYERS

Jewish New Yorkers yesterday praised Ariel Sharon as a man of war who became a man of peace - and wondered what kind of leader will succeed him. "He taught...

QUINN ROLLS UP SLEEVES

New City Council Speaker Christine Quinn moved into her City Hall office yesterday and immediately got down to her first day of work. "She's going to meet with every single...

SHARON'S LEGACY: ISRAEL'S ANSWER...

AS a military man, Ariel Sharon was one of the boldest and least conventional battlefield commanders of the 20th century, devising innovative ways to seize and hold territory over the...

RANGEL GIVES UP JACK'S 2G

WASHINGTON - Rep. Charles Rangel - the New Yorker who got the most campaign cash from corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff's clients - yesterday said he'll give $2,000 from Abramoff's law...

TRANSIT JUDGE'S TICKET UPGRADED

The judge overseeing the city's transit case was named yesterday to head Brooklyn's civil court. Judge Theodore Jones is to take over as administrative judge, a post created when Brooklyn's...

ATTACK DUO SUES COPA

Two Copacabana patrons have filed suit against the West Side nightclub, saying they were stabbed and beaten there last January because there wasn't enough security. Angel Arroyo and Gelson Perez,...

RENT BEEF SHUTS 2ND AVE. DELI

The 2nd Avenue Deli is apparently second place in the hearts - and stomachs - of New Yorkers. The deli, which has been clogging arteries at the corner of East...

LOOKING GRIM FOR THE SOLE SURVIVOR

What little remains of the West Virginia mining miracle may be slipping away, doctors said yesterday, as the sole survivor of the Sago mine explosion lapsed into a coma, and...

LEARNING PERV - SCHOOL-STAFF SEX BUSTS SURGE

Pervert public-school staffers were nabbed in record numbers last year, leading to 43 percent more recommendations from city investigators that employees be fired or disciplined. A report issued yesterday by...

GOP WANTS ELIOT E-MAILS

ALBANY - State GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik filed a sweeping Freedom of Information request yesterday for all of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's e-mails regarding his alleged threats against John Whitehead...

DAY-CARE HOME TO TEEN RAPIST

Worried moms yanked their kids out of a Brooklyn day-care center yesterday after learning a convicted rapist busted on gun charges has been freed by a judge to live there....

N.Y. AN '05 TOUR DE FORCE

New York's resurgent tourism industry hit another milestone last year, as a record 41 million out-of-towners flocked to the Big Apple - including 8.25 million in November and December alone,...

'I WENT TO SLEEP' - FAREWELL NOTES FROM TRAGIC W. VA. COAL MINERS SAY THEY DIDN'T SUFFER IN DEATH

At least they didn't suffer. In notes left behind in a West Virginia coal mine, the trapped and dying miners assured their loved ones that their final hours were not...

OSCAR GETS 'DAILY' DOSE - JON WILL HOST THE AWARDS

And the winner is . . . Jon Stewart. The outspoken host of Comedy Central's New York-based satirical nightly newscast, "The Daily Show," has been tapped to host the Academy...

TWU BIGS DUMB'STRUCK' BY EBAY IDIOT

Leaders in the Transport Workers Union were outraged yesterday that a fellow union official sold strike posters they had autographed for posterity. Eladio Diaz, an executive board member of the...

MISFORTUNE COULD BE BIBI'S BIG BOOST

Former Prime Minister and current opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is best positioned to gain political strength in the wake of Ariel Sharon's stroke, in what may well be one of...

PUSH COMES TO SHOVE FOR 'BULLY' TEACH

A 25-year veteran Bronx middle school teacher was awaiting arraignment yesterday on assault and child endangerment charges after being accused of thrusting a 10-year-old boy against a wall following a...

BUSH: MAY GOD BLESS THIS 'GOOD & STRONG MAN'

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday hailed Ariel Sharon as "a man who had a vision for peace," and asked God's blessings on the desperately ill Israeli prime minister. "Our nation...

END OF AN ERA FOR ISRAELIS - BRAIN-DAMAGED ARIEL WILL NEVER RULE AGAIN: DOCS

JERUSALEM - Rabbis and relatives prayed at Ariel Sharon's bedside yesterday, as doctors said it will take days before they know whether the stricken Israeli prime minister suffered permanent damage...

STALKER SON: SHE LOVED ME

A man accused of stalking his biological mother because she spurned his attempts to be a part of her life sobbed yesterday as he told a jury, "She said she...

CITY'S STATS SHOW US CHEATING DEATH

The death rate in New York City reached its lowest point in history in 2004 - 7.2 per 1,000, the Health Department reported yesterday. Officials attributed the drop - down...

W. INVITES HIS CRITICS

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday reached out beyond his inner circle and called in foreign-policy pros from the past - including some tough Democratic critics - to talk about Iraq....

LEONA'S 'MEAN' DOG BEATS RAP

A lawsuit by a housekeeper who said she was maimed by Leona Helmsley's dog Trouble has no legal bite, a judge ruled. In a decision released yesterday, Manhattan Supreme Court...

FBI 'LEAK' BOMBSHELL

The Brooklyn DA's Office - armed with "bombshell" new evidence - is investigating charges that an FBI agent who retired nine years ago leaked confidential intelligence to a Mafia boss....

INCISION DIVISION

Mayor Bloomberg intervened yesterday in a holy war between the city Health Department and Hasidic leaders who are battling over a controversial mouth-to-penis circumcision practice that health officials claim infected...

POOCH IN TUG O' LOVE - FAMILY'S $6M SUIT

An angry Manhattan dad has filed a $6 million lawsuit against a woman who's refusing to give his family's dog back to his cancer-stricken daughter. In papers filed in Manhattan...

STERN: OK BY ME IF MY KID'S NUDE

Howard Stern said yesterday it was OK with him if his leggy actress daughter, Emily, wants to perform naked on stage. "I am proud of her, no matter what she...

DA: BROKER STOLE 320G FROM CLIENT, 95

A Queens broker swiped more than $320,000 from a 95-year-old client and socked the money away in his own accounts, prosecutors charged yesterday. The broker, Peter Lau, 37, of Hauppauge,...

I WOULD NEVER SHAME BADGE - ACCUSED 'MOB' COP SPEAKS

In his first public words since being branded a mob cop, former NYPD Detective Stephen Caracappa said the feds' charges are "ludicrous" and swore the real men responsible will be...

TWU BIGS DUMB'STRUCK' BY EBAY SELLER

Leaders of the Transport Workers Union were outraged yesterday that a fellow official sold strike posters they had autographed for posterity. Eladio Diaz, an executive board member of the TWU...

'WINDOWS' BACK OPEN - 9/11 SURVIVORS LAUNCH EATERY

You can kill the dreamers but not the dream. So say former Windows on the World employees who survived 9/11 and are today working at a new restaurant - one...

RAPIST WORRY AT DAY CARE

Worried moms yanked their kids out of a Brooklyn day-care center yesterday after learning a convicted rapist, busted on gun charges, has been freed by a judge to live there....

JON TO BE 'ANCHOR' FOR OSCAR

And the winner is . . . Jon Stewart. The host of Comedy Central's satirical newscast, "The Daily Show," has been tapped to host the Academy Awards March 5 for...

'RIGHTY' MAG MAULS PATAKI

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki, who is eyeing a race for the presidency, has won the dubious distinction of being named to a list of the Top 10 RINOS - Republicans...

QUINN ROLLING UP HER SLEEVES

New City Council Speaker Christine Quinn moved into her City Hall office yesterday and immediately got down to her first day of work. "She's going to meet with every single...

STEALTH 100G ATM SCAM

A team of clever crooks ripped off more than $100,000 from at least 50 unsuspecting ATM users in Chinatown and on Staten Island in one of the largest ever info-heists...

HOLY COW! $2M CHURCH MILK SKIM

Like playground bullies, workers from the New York Archdiocese pocketed milk money from kids - skimming nearly $2 million, federal prosecutors say. The sour scam was run out of the...

HARLEM SEX THUG TIED TO FLA. ATTACKS

A pervert who attacked an elderly Harlem woman last year has been linked with the help of DNA to three attempted sex assaults in Miami Beach, police said yesterday. Investigators...

MAN KILLED BY 2 CARS IN QNS.

A man was crushed to death when he was hit by two cars yesterday near a Queens Supreme Court building, police said. The 51-year-old victim, who was not identified, was...

LAWMEN SAY FIEND'S GOAL WAS WAVE OF FEAR

Peter Braunstein is a sicko serial sex attacker wannabe bent on terrifying as many of the beautiful, smart-dressed women in his inner circle as he could get away with, law-enforcement...

HARLEM LANDLORD, 84, DIES IN APARTMENT FIRE

An elderly Harlem landlord was killed in a fire in his apartment last night, fire officials said. It took firefighters almost an hour to find the body of the 84-year-old...

ROB-&-RUN TALES IN PERV PETE'S 'DIARY'

IN A rambling "diary" he kept while on the run, ac cused sex fiend Peter Braunstein tells of committing armed street rip-offs to stay on the lam - and even...

FINAL NOTE FROM TRAGIC MINER: SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE

At least they didn't suffer. In notes found in a West Virginia coal mine, the trapped and dying miners assured their loved ones that their final hours were not spent...

LEONA DOG BEATS RAP

A lawsuit by a housekeeper who said she was maimed by Leona Helmsley's dog Trouble has no legal bite, a judge has ruled. In a decision released yesterday, Manhattan Supreme...

HOLY COW! CHURCH STAFF'S $2M MILK SKIM

Like common playground bullies, workers from the New York Archdiocese pocketed milk money from kids - skimming nearly $2 million, federal prosecutors say. The sour scam was run out of...

MYSTICAL MIKE TIPS HIS HAND

Bloomberg, a painter? That's what came out of a close encounter the mayor had yesterday with this palm reader - and did she have news for him. "His headline has...

PUP TUG OF LOVE LOVE - FAMILY SUES FOR $6M OVER 'SWIPED' PET

An angry Manhattan dad has filed a $6 million lawsuit against the woman he says is refusing to give his family's dog back to his cancer-stricken daughter. In papers filed...

EATERY IS A 9/11 DREAM COME TO LIFE

You can kill the dreamers but not the dream. So say former Windows on the World employees who survived 9/11 to go to work at a new restaurant - one...

PERV PETE'S DIARY BARES HIS SNEAKY STICKUPS & PURSE-GRABS

IN A rambling "diary" he kept while on the run, accused sex fiend Peter Braunstein tells of committing armed street rip-offs to stay on the lam - and even scribbled...

FIEND'S GOAL A 'WAVE OF FEAR'

Peter Braunstein is a sicko serial sex attacker wannabe bent on terrifying as many of the beautiful, smart-dressed women in his inner circle as he could get away with, law...

FEELY WON'T JUST TWIST IN THE WIND

THE last thing Jay Feely can afford to be thinking about on Sunday, before he probably either produces or denies the Giants their first playoff victory in five seasons, is...

LARRY: ARIZA DELUSIONAL

Jerome James has crawled out of Larry Brown's doghouse while Trevor Ariza is trapped deeper. The war of words between Ariza and Brown escalated yesterday when the Knick coach called...

THE FAN'S CORNER

Daniel Berger has been sweating it out ever since he smacked down the competition in Week 12 with an 11-4-1 record. One competitor came close. Paul Ellsworth went 10-4-2 in...

TIKI 4TH IN MVP VOTE

GIANT NOTES Tiki Barber is the MVP of the Giants, but he isn't the MVP of the NFL. That honor went to another running back, Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks,...

CURRY: WE ARE GONNA GET BETTER

KNICK NOTES Eddy Curry's first season as a Knick may not live up to the hype, but the center asked fans to remain patient. "Even if this year isn't the...

LIMITLESS VALUE; TIKI'S ONE GIANT ADVANTAGE VS. CATS

TIKI Barber. He should be the NFL's MVP and he is The Reason you pick the Giants over John Fox's excellent Panthers in the NFC wild-card game Sunday. Maybe The...

ISLES KNEE-DEEP AFTER SNOW FALL

The knee injury Garth Snow suffered Wednesday is twice as bad as originally thought. The Islanders yesterday announced that Snow suffered MCL sprains in both knees - not just the...

OL' ROBBY IS 'D' MAN

One game, he's banging with Shaquille O'Neal inside; the next, he's chasing the likes of Al Harrington or Donyell Marshall around the perimeter. Now consider, not only does Cliff Robinson...

COREY'S SET FOR SMITH

The last time Giants cornerback Corey Webster faced the Panthers, the rookie had two takeaways, including stripping the ball out of Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith's renowned hands. But that...

RULAND HAS GAELS ROLLIN'

NOBODY took Iona coach Jeff Ruland seriously when he proclaimed his fellow MAAC coaches were foolish for picking the Gaels as the preseason No. 1 choice. "I don't understand that,"...

SHOWTIME FOR JUDAH AND 'TATA'

Showtime is the underdog among boxing's major networks, with a smaller budget, less marketing muscle and several million fewer viewers than rival HBO. But the network enjoyed its best year...

LARRY CAN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT

AS usual, Larry Brown took care of basketball business by adopting a coward's approach in delivering negative reviews and bad news on a player's doorstep. Instead of notifying Trevor Ariza...

LEITER MAY BE BACK

The broadcast booth and politics will have to wait. Al Leiter, it turns out, is not the retiring type. The Yankees are close to signing Leiter to a minor league...

BUCKLEY: COACH BETTER OFF GONE

He only spent one year with the Jets playing for Herman Edwards, but Terrell Buckley insists the Chiefs will be the big winner if and when Edwards starts working in...

AS THE HERM TURNS; K.C. STALLS AS WOODY BOILS

Calamity, as always, reigns at Weeb Ewbank Hall. But that's the way it always is with the Jets, New York's other football team which is now in serious jeopardy of...

JETS CLOSING IN ON COMPENSATION DEAL WITH CHIEFS

Calamity, as always, reigns at Weeb Ewbank Hall. But that's the way it always is with the Jets, New York's other football team, who now are in serious jeopardy of...

RANGER WEEKES SPOT; FANS LET GOALIE HEAR IT IN OT LOSS

OVERTIMEFlyers 4Rangers 3 The overtime goal Henrik Lundqvist surrendered on Tuesday to Tampa Bay's Vinny Prospal wasn't an especially good one, but when the game ended in defeat for the...

ELIAS LIFTS MARK TO 2-0

Devils 5Canadiens 4 The two-game turnaround is a one-man show. What a difference a star makes. "I'm amazed. For not playing in a year it's unbelievable," Jay Pandolfo said after...

MANNY STAYING PUT

Manny Ramirez emerged from his silence yesterday - and doused all speculation about a trade to the Mets. After agitating for a trade for months, Ramirez flip-flopped and claimed he'll...

5 QUESTIONS FOR PHIL SIMMS

This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with CBS' Phil Simms. Simms, 51, will work the Steelers-Bengals game Sunday - but the former Giant QB would not offer a...

MARCHAND'S MEMO OF THE WEEK

To: ABC Execs From: Andrew Marchand Re: Dancing With The Stars CC: Jerry Rice Dear Execs: Why was Jerry Rice interviewed during your Fiesta Bowl coverage? He must have played...

CRIS: I'D CROSS TO PLAY-BY-PLAY = SAYS NBC BOSS WILL MAKE CALL ON SHIFT

If Cris Collinsworth is asked by NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol to be the network's Football Night in America play-by-player for next season he will do it - but he...

PANTHERS' D WILL PUT GIANTS ON ICE

Two different but similar teams clash Sunday when the Giants and Panthers do battle in an NFC Wild Card playoff game at Giants Stadium. Each club has a transcendent offensive...

UNLIKELY X-FACTOR - FEAGLES CAN GIVE GIANTS A REAL LEG UP

Sunday Panthers at Giants 1 p.m., Fox Fox Sports' Troy Aikman didn't mention just the big names when asked about the difference makers for this Sunday's playoff showdown between the...

SOMETHIN' TO B-ELI-EVE IN - MILD-MANNERED MANNING CONTENT BEING HIMSELF

Of course he watched the playoffs growing up, especially when the Colts and big brother Peyton were on the tube. Young Eli Manning, born of quarterback royalty, sat back and...

BRANDON HAS SHORT MEMORY

CHARLOTTE - As soon as he learned the Giants would be his opponent in the first round of the playoffs, Brandon Short picked up the phone. The Panthers outside linebacker...

PANTHERS PLOT TO STOP BURRESS

CHARLOTTE - Most of the talk in the Panthers' locker room this week has centered on stopping Tiki Barber. But the team's defensive backs know while No. 21 is the...

ABC COULDN'T LIVE UP TO HYPE

BEST Seat In The House Blues: So it's the third quarter, a one-point game for the national title when ABC's Dan Fouts alertly hollers, "Texas has gone to a no-huddle...

FOREVER YOUNG - QUESTIONS LINGER ABOUT VINCE'S FUTURE

LOS ANGELES - As the Texas team bus headed towards Los Angeles Airport yesterday, coach Mack Brown placed a call to his longtime friend, Gil Brandt, the NFL's super scout....

ECLIPSE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Finalists for the 2005 Eclipse Award championships were announced yesterday, as voted upon by members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers and Daily Racing Form. Winners will...

BELTRAN HAS HEALTHY HOPES

His good friend Carlos Delgado is on board. He has no worries about the health of Pedro Martinez, his other pal. And he's recovered from the nagging injuries that scuttled...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

You can build up quite an appetite breaking and entering. James Michael Fowler, 26, was charged with burglary after a neighbor watching the house spotted a pan of cocktail franks...