January 26, 2006
BALLY MEETS WITH CRITICS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amBally Total Fitness management is girding for a showdown in Chicago today with two activist hedge funds trying to oust the head of the embattled health club chain. The two...
SPITZER MAY USE ALABAMA DECISION AGAINST GRASSO
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amRICHARD Grasso, meet Richard Scrushy. Eliot Spitzer thinks you two share more than just a first name. Scrushy is the founder and former head of HealthSouth Corp. Even though he...
HOLD THAT IGER - DISNEY CHAIR HELD BACK NEGATIVE REPORT ON CANDIDATE
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amDisney Chairman George Mitchell quashed a negative evaluation of Bob Iger by the media giant's executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles last year and never brought the report to the...
BIG MAC WHACK - MCDONALD'S REFORMER CLAIMS VICTORY, BUT SHARES FALL
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA hedge fund manager with grand plans for McDonald's has backed off his threat to battle the Golden Arches over its stagnant stock price, claiming the company has met many...
LACE IN MIDST OF A COMEBACK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amOnce the stuff of doilies and Afghans, lace and crochet are making a fashion comeback this spring. In ways not seen since the boho craze of the 1970s, lace and...
AUDITOR'S PARTING SHOT: 'TAKE TWO, SCREW YOU'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThe head of scandal-ridden video game maker Take Two Interactive's audit committee quit yesterday, but not without filing a doozy of a resignation letter. Barbara Kaczynski, who joined the Take...
MY TWO MOMS - MOST PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME WITH ONE
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amBEFORE there was fake reality TV - in the guise of famous, infamous, and desperate-to-be-famous families cooking up phony drama and unfunny situations to make their scary, boring lives inside...
YELLOWCARD ALIVE & KICKIN' IN A NEW DIRECTION
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amAT the record-release party for their new album, "Lights And Sounds," it was clear the punk-pop band that takes its name from a soccer penalty warning -Yellowcard - is at...
REPETITION DILUTES BALLET'S ORIGINALITY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amAT 32, Christopher Wheeldon, resident choreographer of New York City Ballet, is the most sought-after dancemaker of his generation. And the expectations placed upon him are not always realistic. At...
CHILLIN' WITH DILLON - FILM REBEL MATT READY TO DIVERSIFY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amPARK CITY, Utah - After 27 years as Hollywood's quintessential "Outsider," Matt Dillon is ready to join the club. Dillon, who has been playing rebels since his 1979 debut (when...
KICKING UPN TO THE CURB - CH. 9 DROPS NET LOGO
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amIF UPN can live without Ch. 9, then Ch. 9 can live without UPN. Fox-owned Ch. 9 yesterday removed the "UPN" from its on-screen logo and renamed its nightly newscast,...
DEATH IN 'SMALLVILLE'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amFANS of "Smallville" will get the shock of their lives tonight when the show marks its 100th episode - by killing off a fan favorite. In the episode (8 p.m./Ch....
STARR REPORT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amDeGenerosity of Ellen Ellen DeGeneres turns 48 today (it's OK, she doesn't mind the age thing) and, of course, will celebrate on today's "Ellen DeGeneres Show" (10 a.m./Ch. 4). She...
YES! YES! YES! - DID WE JUST SEE THE NEXT 'IDOL'?
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amSORRY, "Idol" fans, the show's over. That's it - everybody go home. Bye, bye. It was fun while it lasted. "American Idol" began its fifth season only a week ago,...
SNUBWAY - THE VIDEO IPOD COMMUTE: RUDE, LOUD & PORNOGRAPHIC.
January 26, 2006 | 5:00am'I'LL never forget three years ago, when I was on the airplane and some guy was watching some really hot love scenes on his laptop DVD," says Robert Thompson, professor...
DOG'S 'PLAY' TUG STRANGLES GIRL - PET YANKS ON SCARF & DRAGS L.I. 6-YEAR-OLD
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA Long Island girl who just celebrated her 6th birthday last weekend was strangled by her playful pet pooch, who dragged the child by her scarf in a fatal tug-of-war,...
KILLER CANARY TO WALK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA killer who helped nail a vicious Staten Island child kidnapper has won his own bid for freedom - apparently with the help of the District Attorney's Office, The Post...
BURQA JERKA JACKO AND JUNIORS - GIRL GUISE CAN'T FOOL ARABS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amMichael Jackson soared to new heights of weirdness, if that's possible, parading around the streets of Bahrain yesterday dressed as an Arab woman. But the ultra-bizarre disguise didn't fool locals,...
POL GETS 6G 'FOR NOT HOLDING MEETINGS'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn legislator has been rewarded with a $6,000 raise for chairing a committee that rarely meets, The Post has learned. City Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez (left) is going to receive...
GOV HAILS TAX BREAK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amGov. Pataki touted his controversial $500 education tax-credit proposal yesterday at a Brooklyn community center, calling it a tool "to empower parents." Under the proposal, families with incomes of up...
ABUSED EX RIPS COP-SLAY DEFENDANT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA girlfriend abused by an accused cop-killer bolstered the prosecution's case yesterday, tearfully telling a Brooklyn jury he said he was going to do something "stupid" before he allegedly gunned...
COPS PUT THE BITE ON 'KILLER'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amSix human bites on a dead Harlem man's hand and arm have yielded enough saliva for a DNA match to be made to his killer, Manhattan prosecutors said yesterday. Convicted...
PALESTINE ELECTION RESULTS TERRIFYING - 'DESTROY ISRAEL' HAMAS CLAIMS UNOFFICIAL MAJORITY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - The Hamas terror group made a stunning showing in yesterday's historic Palestinian elections and early today independently claimed a winning majority in the 132-seat race. But Hamas officials...
S.I. PERV-TEACH VICTIM SUES CHURCH
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThe furious family of a Staten Island Catholic schoolgirl who'd been repeatedly sexually abused by a female gym teacher has sued the New York Archdiocese for unspecified money damages. Officials...
HOUSING ADVOCATES SLAP SLUMLORDS' BANK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amSome of the city's worst slumlords have turned to a single bank to finance their broken-down empires, a housing-advocacy group has found. A report by Housing Here & Now identified...
RARE TUMOR KILLED GIRL IN SCHOOL
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA 6-year-old girl who mysteriously collapsed and died in her Chinatown school suffered from a rare heart tumor, officials said yesterday. Jasmine Man's death last Nov. 29 was caused by...
LANDLORDS LEFT HOLDING THE BAG
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA judge has ordered three notorious Canal Street-area landlords to shoulder responsibility for tenants who peddle phony Louis Vuitton handbags and other imitation products, court records show. In the fashion...
SPITZ ON FRITZ - FORCED TO STALL ON PATERSON PICK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amALBANY - Eliot Spitzer was forced yesterday to shelve plans for a formal announcement that he had chosen David Paterson for his lieutenant-governor running mate after a rival candidate fought...
STARS GRIEVE WITH PENNS - MYSTERY DEATH OF CHRIS 'DEVASTATING'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amLOS ANGELES - Friends and relatives of actor Chris Penn grappled yesterday with the shocking news of his death, as investigators worked to determine the cause. "West Wing" star and...
OSAMA TAPE JUSTIFIES SPYING: W.
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday said he takes Osama bin Laden's latest tape threats against America "seriously," and cited them as proof that his controversial eavesdropping program is vital. "I...
HILL TO VOTE NO ON 'RADICAL' ALITO
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday announced she would vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, blasting the top court pick for his "radical ideology." Clinton, who graduated from...
'TAX CHEAT' FLED TO ISRAEL
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amFugitive accountant David Cohen - wanted on charges he helped clients cheat the taxman out of $7.5 million - has turned up in Israel, law enforcement sources said yesterday. Cops...
FEDS HIGH ON CITY AIR CONTROL
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amOvertime is down and safety has improved at the air-traffic facility that steers planes toward the city's three main airports, FAA officials said yesterday. They said better supervision at the...
NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amBrooklyn families plagued by domestic violence will no longer be bounced from court to court, thanks to a new program that handles criminal, family and matrimonial cases all in the...
NEW BRONX LOVE MONKEY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThe Bronx Zoo has an adorable new resident - a gorilla born Jan. 11. Workers still don't know whether it's a boy or girl because its mom will be clutching...
BLOOMY OUT TO PUT WTC ON FAST TRACK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg is going to call for an accelerated timetable to rebuild the World Trade Center site in his State of the City Address today, according to City Hall officials....
TEARS FOR AN ANGEL - BRONFMAN LAID TO REST
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amMore than 1,000 mourners bade a sad farewell to philanthropist Andrea Bronfman yesterday, recalling her as a woman of "incredible generosity of spirit." Delivering one of the six eulogies at...
HELL WITH U, TWU - MTA OFFER TAKES GOODIES OFF TABLE
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amNext stop, arbitration. The MTA yesterday petitioned a state board to send their contract dispute to binding arbitration - and opened the gambit with an offer to the transit workers...
CREEP - SICKO'S 800 SECRET VIDS OF HS GIRLS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThousands of unsuspecting teenage girls and women at two Brooklyn high schools were for 17 years the target of a peeping handyman who secretly installed video cameras in the school...
'BEAT' COPS SUED - KELLY CUZ 'ASSAULTED'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA man who says he was beaten by two plainclothes cops who were not impressed by the fact that he's Police Commissioner Ray Kelly's cousin is suing the city for...
UGLY TACTICS LOSING HIM POINTS FOR CREDIBILITY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amISIAH THOMAS says he sexually harassed no one. Period. End of story. So why does the hoops legend look so guilty? The Knicks president yesterday declared himself a mensch -...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * A man was stabbed to death in front of his East Harlem home yesterday, police said. Pedro Torres, 43, was knifed once in the chest during a fight...
ANTI-TERROR 'STEEL RING'
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThe NYPD and top counterterrorism officials are considering installing a fortress-like network of surveillance cameras - based on London's "ring of steel" - in the Financial District and Midtown. At...
NORMAN'S ATTORNEY SUES HIM
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amDethroned Brooklyn Democratic leader Clarence Norman got an unpleasant surprise this week when his former lawyer, Roger Adler, took him out to lunch in Brooklyn Heights. Along with lunch, Adler...
CHIEF APPOINTED
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amPolice Commissioner Ray Kelly yesterday appointed Chief Douglas Zeigler to head the Community Affairs Bureau - the first time a uniformed chief will lead a unit that had always been...
KNICK DUO TRADES SHOTS - ISIAH SLAMS FEMALE FORMER EXEC'S HARASS SUIT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amKnicks President Isiah Thomas blasted back yesterday at a former team executive who filed a blockbuster lawsuit accusing him of being a slobbering sex harasser. "For me, this is just...
ALL ABOARD ZZZZZ TRAIN - 2ND STIFF SNOOZES ON JOB IN SUBWAY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amStation agents, this is your wake-up call. A Post reader spied yet another transit snorer dozing in his booth, and the paper has received a half-dozen similar reports yesterday from...
MA WAS IN HOT WATER - EYED BEFORE DROWN BID
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA troubled young Bronx mother was already being investigated by the city's embattled child-welfare agency when she tried to drown her infant daughter in a bathtub, police and relatives said...
ACS FEARS MASS RESIGNATIONS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amFallout from the death of Nixzmary Brown has officials bracing for a wave of resignations by stressed-out child-welfare workers. "It's a tough job," said Faye Moore, vice president of Local...
PELOSI COUSIN ADMITS DUI SLAY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA cousin and former attorney for murderer Danny Pelosi broke down in tears yesterday as he pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing an elderly tourist in a drunken-driving collision in...
N.Y. SCI-FINALIST KIDS RULE - GRAB 13 SPOTS IN INTEL CONTEST
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amNew York high-school students stunned the competition at the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search contest yesterday, snagging 13 of the 40 finalist slots for a chance to win the $100,000...
ABRAHAM LINCOLN - OUR 16TH PRESIDENT - 1861-1865
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amWhen the dispute between union vs. states' rights erupted into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln guided the nation through its greatest challenge. PRESIDENT Abraham Lincoln made it clear from the...
PELOSI KIN ADMITS DUI SLAY
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA cousin and former attorney for murderer Danny Pelosi broke down in tears yesterday as he pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing an elderly tourist in a drunken-driving collision in...
PALESTINE ELECTION RESULTS TERRIFYING - 'DESTROY ISRAEL' HAMAS RIGHT ON FATAH'S HEELS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - The Hamas terror group made a stunning showing in yesterday's historic Palestinian elections and early today independently claimed a winning majority in the 132-seat race. But Hamas officials...
ACS FEARS LOSS OF STAFF
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amFallout from the death of Nixzmary Brown has officials bracing for a wave of resignations by stressed-out child-welfare workers, a fear already realized in one Queens office where three caseworkers...
TUB MOM ALREADY IN HOT WATER
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amA troubled young Bronx mother was already being investigated by the city's embattled child-welfare agency when she tried to drown her infant daughter in a bathtub, police and family said...
THE WAY TO JOSE - MINAYA WANTS RIGHTY FOR METS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amOMAR Minaya is not done. He scans the Mets landscape and sees at least two more trades he is aching to complete and, believe it or not, neither has anything...
DAMON EXCITED ABOUT CLASSIC
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amJohnny Damon left no doubt yesterday that the new center fielder in The Bronx is a Yankee Doodle Dandy who is happy to "show off" his talent to the world....
LATEST SPILL KOS LOPEZ, VEGA
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amRash of weird spills at winter meet continued in yesterday's fourth race when 9-5 favorite A Song for Hope, after chasing pace very wide around turn, was backing up deep...
OLYMPIC SNOWBOARD TEAM SET
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amHALFPIPE superstar Shaun White, snowboardcross world champions Lindsey Jacobellis from Stratton, Vt., and Seth Wescott head a 16-member U.S. Olympic snowboard team following the last U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix qualifier...
MARTY KEEPS ZIPPIN' ALONG
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - As their shutouts continue, the Devils return to what was then the high point of their season, looking to create another. They have won 10-of-11 as they visit...
ISLES NEED SHIP TO COME ABOUT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amReplacement coach against replacement coach for the third straight game, the Islanders need this one to be the charm. The Isles, with Brad Shaw at the helm, are coming off...
PEP TALK MAY HELP RANGERS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amAfter Tuesday night's sluggish peformance against Buffalo, coach Tom Renney figured the Rangers needed a team meeting - four days early. At the beginning of the season, Renney chiseled the...
NO BIG PUSH BY ISIAH FOR ARTEST
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES The Knicks did not land Ron Artest, but at least they got a break yesterday in avoiding him and the Kings' Peja Stojakovic. The Kings, playing at the...
ON WRIGHT TRACK - NET ROOKIE GETTING HANG OF NBA LIFE
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amLOS ANGELES - Antoine Wright is starting to get it. The Net rookie, like most rookies, figured he would come to the NBA, get it all down in a couple...
VINCE DENIES COMMENTS WERE KOBE-BASHING
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amNET NOTES LOS ANGELES - Vince Carter was in the middle of a firestorm and didn't know why. He had addressed Kobe Bryant's 81-point explosion. He said it was great,...
ARTURO IS UNDER THE GUN VS. DANE
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amArturo Gatti, knocked out by Floyd Mayweather last June, comes to a crossroads Saturday night in Atlantic City, where he can still generate gridlock. Promoters say that more than 10,000...
SINKING ISLES NEED WIN VS. PENGUINS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amReplacement coach against replacement coach for the third straight game, the Islanders need this one to be the charm. The Isles, with Brad Shaw at the helm, are coming off...
PIAZZA STILL ON HOLD
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThe Yankees probably will pass on Mike Piazza, a major-league official told The Post yesterday. Although sources said GM Brian Cashman hadn't made a final decision, the former Met isn't...
'DINGER FREED FROM JET PACT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amMike Heimerdinger has been freed. The Jets offensive coordinator was released from his contract yesterday, ending what has been a rather contentious and unnecessary week of uncertainty. Heimerdinger had two...
RUTGERS CAN'T FIND WAY HOME
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amProvidence 79 - Rutgers 69 Just over a week ago, cruising along with a 12-4 record and a pair of encouraging Big East wins, many wondered how good Rutgers was....
CONN-SEQUENCES - TOP-RANKED HUSKIES SQUASH UPSTART STORM
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amUConn 66 - St. John's 50 STORRS - When the fury ended - after two technical fouls and two ejections, after 22 blocked shots and tougher defense than you'll see...
PLAYERS BACK ISIAH
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES The players and coaches were in full support of Isiah Thomas yesterday after he was smacked with a sexual harassment suit by their former marketing director. "That's not...
NETS IN PAIN - STIFF BACK LIMITS CARTER TO 3 POINTS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amClippers 90 - Nets 77 LOS ANGELES - The Nets didn't score and they didn't defend. So naturally they lost to the Clippers. But all of that was secondary. Vince...
CONN-SEQUENCES - NO. 1 HUSKIES SQUASH STORM UPSET HOPES
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amUConn 66 - St. John's 50 STORRS - When the fury ended - after two technical fouls and two ejections, after 22 blocked shots and tougher defense than you'll see...
EVEN IF INNOCENT, ISIAH COULD FACE AX
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amNONE of us really knows what actually transpired between Isiah Thomas and Anucha Browne Sanders, a female senior vice president at the Garden, who has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit...
FRANCHISE, IF POSSIBLE, LOOKS EVEN MORE DYSFUNCTIONAL
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amFIRST of all, none of us really knows what actually transpired between Knicks president Isiah Thomas and Anucha Browne Sanders, a female senior vice president at the Garden, who has...
THEY ARE NOT FIT FOR KINGS - FADING KNICKS DROP SIXTH STRAIGHT IN OT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amOT: Kings 106 - Knicks 102 Knicks president Isiah Thomas was in his normal stop in the tunnel. Owner James Dolan was in his seat behind the baseline, by the...
SWAP & GO - PACERS, KINGS FINALLY CLOSE ARTEST DEAL
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amRon Artest finally got what he wanted: He's no longer a Pacer. And for now, at least, Sacramento is happy to have him. The troubled forward, who has been suspended...
THEY ARE NOT FIT FOR KINGS - STEPHON RETURNS - BUT KNICKS DROP 6TH STRAIGHT
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amOVERTIME: Kings 106 - Knicks 102 Knicks president Isiah Thomas was in his normal spot in the tunnel. Owner James Dolan was in his seat behind the baseline, by the...
THE CLOUD OF CONTROVERSY - ISIAH KEEPS KNICKS ABREAST OF SITUATION
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amKnick players awoke to another lawsuit yesterday, another scandal, another distraction they did not need a week after the Antonio Davis mess. Before the Knicks participated in the morning shootaround...
THE BIG RED 'DOG - STORM FEELS DISSED BY ODDSMAKERS
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amSTORRS - On Compliment Day, St. John's awoke to an insult. Despite having won three straight Big East games and garnering seven points from media members earlier this week in...
PIAZZA LIKELY WON'T BE YANK
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amThe Yankees probably will pass on Mike Piazza, a major-league official told The Post yesterday. Although sources said GM Brian Cashman was evaluating the situation and hadn't made a final...
THORN: PEJA HELPS PACERS, BUT HE'S NO REG
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amNET NOTES LOS ANGELES - It's too simple - and wrong - to say the Pacers are replacing Reggie Miller and his shooting with Peja Stojakovic. "I wouldn't say that,"...
GARDEN IGNORES FLAP
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amPerhaps no one at MSG Network had heard the news, yet. Or maybe Jim Dolan figured that no one outside the Garden had heard about it, yet, and he wanted...
KNIGHTS SENIOR SHAPES UP GAME IN NICK OF TIME
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amWhile Jimmie Inglis was taking his protracted sojourn through the backwoods of basketball - from St. Lucia to little-known Christian Faith Academy, from The Bronx and Globe Tech to Eastern...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
January 26, 2006 | 5:00amLewis Miller joked with his son as he opened his gas bill that the amount would likely give him a heart attack. Then, he saw he'd been charged $8,095 for...