May 3, 2006

STRAPPED WEB SITE RAISES $$

Troubled Internet retailer Overstock.com, reeling from a cash-flow crisis, announced it has privately placed 1 million shares of stock yesterday at a below-market price, raising $25 million. Overstock officials refused...

SONY BOSSES LOCK HORNS

New SonyBMG chief Rolf Schmidt-Holtz is facing his first serious political battle: deciding who will run Sony's Columbia Records, The Post has learned. Schmidt-Holtz took the reigns of the hornets'...

APPLE WINS MUSIC $$ CLASH

Apple boss Steve Jobs won a resounding victory over the record industry this week as the company extended contracts for iTunes that will allow Apple to keep intact the standard...

ASIA HOTELIER CHECKING IN

ANOTHER international luxury hotel brand has finally found not one, but two city niches, and each will be tied to an architectural gem. We've learned that Singapore-based Amanresorts CEO Adrian...

AUSTRIA BACKS REFCO-TIED BAWAG

Bawag, the little Austrian bank in big trouble over its role in the collapse of Refco, got the Austrian government to guarantee deposits as it cut a richer-than-expected deal with...

PAID-FOR PUNDIT - ANALYST CASHES IN ON TELECOM TALK

Major U.S. newspapers often quote Jeff Kagan - regarded as one of the most influential telecommunications analysts - but invariably leave out the fact that he is paid by many...

SPRING FASHIONS HAVE BIG STORES FEELING EXPOSED

The neutral colors and skinny-bottomed silhouettes that sizzled on the fashion runways seem to be falling flat at shopping malls, causing some analysts to worry whether the new looks will...

DOT-COM DAY$ - INTERNET TO GRAB SHARE OF TV AD BUCKS

For the first time, the Internet is poised to capture its share of ad dollars in the annual upfront market the major networks have long reserved for selling television ad...

AMERIQUEST'S AMBASSADOR OF DOOM

Billionaire Roland Arnall, who built Ameriquest into the largest mortgage lender for poor credit risks, is shutting down most of his company to focus on being the new U.S. ambassador...

MARIA, FED HEAD GO HEAD-TO-HEAD

Maria Bartiromo is giving Ben Bernanke a good race to see who can move markets the most by their very utterances. It all began four trading sessions ago on Friday...

SPARKS FLY AHEAD OF NYMEX VOTE

One week before New York Mercantile Exchange members vote on a new board, two former exchange bosses are fighting over the future of the world's largest energy market. Former Nymex...

STRAPPED WEB SITE RAISES $$ IN DEAL

Troubled Internet retailer Overstock.com, reeling from a cash-flow crisis, announced it has privately placed one million shares of stock yesterday at a below-market price, raising $25 million. Overstock officials refused...

THE SOURCE, GOING ONCE...

THE auctioneer's gavel should slam down tomorrow on The Source. When it is over, The Source founder David Mays will see the stock he once held as the controlling shareholder...

IT DOESN'T DESERVE A FOLLOWING

'FOLLOWING Sean" should really have been called "Following Ralph," as in Ralph Arlyck, the documentary's director. In 1969, Arlyck achieved a bit of notoriety over his short film "Sean," an...

SPRING BEAK; RUNNING SCARED FROM THE 'BIRD FLU' MOVIE

IF the bird-flu chickens come home to roost, your goose is cooked. That's basically the gist of ABC's highly touted new bird flu movie - the first made-for-TV disaster movie...

RYAN: FIGHT IS MY FAULT

RYAN Seacrest blames his "feud" with Paula Abdul on a misunderstanding of his own making. "Paula and I are great. We are fine," Seacrest tells Ellen DeGeneres on today's "Ellen...

TONY WITH AN O; OPRAH LEADS AWARD LIST OF LIKELY HOSTS

WHO'S going to host this year's Tony Awards? Several names are being bandied about. The top choice is, of course, Oprah Winfrey, co-producer of what is sure to be one...

STARR REPORT

A: Stay tuned! "24" executive producer Howard Gordon sat for a conference call yesterday, al though he couldn't, of course, divulge much about upcom ing shows. (And who wants to...

BATTLE OF THE BUDDHAS

HOW much more miso-glazed black cod can one Meatpacking District stand? Just when the odiferous eating zone's Asian apocalypse seemed over with Morimoto's crashlanding, enter the brawling Buddhas: gargantuan Buddakan,...

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (BUT NOT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING) - THE N.Y. ART OF BEING PALS TO GET FREE STUFF; WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE ... YOU GET EVERYTHING!

DO people love you for who you are - or just for your awesome, mind-blowing employee discount? If you work at Starbucks, it's a pound of free coffee every single...

EATERY BAITS A NEW HOOK

LURE Fishbar is reopening, nearly four months after fire and flood shuttered the SoHo eatery. "We are about ready to go live again," said co-owner John McDonald, who hopes to...

LOVE & DEATH IN IRAQ - QNS. GI, FIANCÉE MET SAME FATE

The Queens soldier who was killed in Iraq last week had already known the horrors of war - his fiancée died there three years ago. Sgt. José Gomez, 23, of...

WHO'D RIP OFF THIS CHILD? - DISABLED GIRL'S WALKER STOLEN

A heartless crook on Long Island stole a disabled girl's walker, leaving the 8-year-old "angel" with no way of moving around on her own, cops said yesterday. Police are investigating...

THE TRIBES ARE BACK - GLOBALIZATION'S FALSE PROPHECIES

WHEN pop bestsellers tell you something's bound to happen, bet on the opposite result. Now globalization is supposed make our values and tastes converge: Nascar Americans and Islamist terrorists will...

CELL-THEFT GIZMO 'RING AND STING'

So you spent $300 on your fancy new cellphone, and then you lost it. Spend $8 more and you might be able to find it. An India-based software firm has...

CHENEY'S FAMILY 'OUTING'

WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney hugged daughter Mary when she told him she was gay as a high-school junior and said, "I just want you to be happy," she reveals...

VAMPIRE ARREST WARRANT - BLOWS OFF COURT

Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the 15-year-old girl accused of bloody "vampire" attacks in Queens, after she failed to show up for a court date. A lawyer for...

MIKE HEDGES ON ENDORSING RUDY

It's too early to back anyone for president in 2008 - including Rudy Giuliani, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday. "I'll have to take a look at who is running for president...

IOWA DEMS LIKE HILLARY - BUT NOT HER CHANCES

DES MOINES, Iowa - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is respected by Democrats who vote in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses - but many are skeptical about her chances of winning the White...

KILLER RAPIST GETS 25 YRS.

A Brooklyn man whose crimes make him "unfit for human society" was sentenced to 25 years yesterday in Queens Supreme Court for raping a teenager - on top of the...

$$ FOR GOV'S PREZ DREAMS

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki bagged more than $110,000 in big-ticket contributions last week at a giant Manhattan fund-raiser expected in the final tally to gross at least $1 million for...

DEMS' REPORT BURNS BIG OIL

Congressional Democrats charged yesterday that big oil companies are "raking in outrageous profits" while transportation costs for the average family continue to rise. The average U.S. household with children will...

'IDOL' MINDS AS BALLOT BOZOS

One of three "American Idol" viewers believes a vote to Fox's wildly popular talent-search program counts at least as much as voting for president, according to a new survey. Pursuant,...

CITY'S LANDLORDS OUT TO HIKE RENTS BY 8%

Claiming that no one can predict future costs for operating rent-stabilized buildings, landlords yesterday asked the Rent Guidelines Board to end two-year lease renewals and suggested a hike this year...

ARCHITECTS FOR TOWERS 3 & 4

Two world-renowned architects have been named to design a pair of office towers slated for the Church Street corridor at the World Trade Center. British architect Richard Rogers will design...

S&M EXEC TO BE TIED UP A WHILE - DOMINATRIX'S CLIENT CAGED 6 YEARS FOR EMBEZZLING 237G

Beaten-down accountant Abraham Alexander was slapped with up to six years in state bondage yesterday after admitting he embezzled nearly $250,000 and used the money for spanking sessions with a...

COUNCIL MOVES VS. ABSENTEES

The City Council's attendance policy is being overhauled to cut down on no-shows - including a possible rule that legislators provide a written notice if they won't be present at...

HOSP 'CIG SHELTER' FIRESTORM

Elmhurst Hospital wants to build two specially designed, taxpayer-funded "smoking shelters," The Post has learned. The city-funded Queens hospital sent out a request yesterday for bids to build the shelters....

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS * A woman was held hostage for more than hour last night after her boyfriend smashed her in the head with a hammer and kept cops and paramedics out...

MIKE FEELS ALIEN-ATED FROM PROTEST

Mayor Bloomberg took a shot at Monday's immigration protests by saying yesterday that he didn't take part because he has a job to do. "I was working yesterday," Bloomberg said....

SUBWAY PHONES FULL OF HANG-UPS

Cellphones still don't work in the subways - and, based on a study released yesterday, neither do a lot of old-fashioned pay phones. Roughly a quarter of the pay phones...

AGONY & ECSTASY - EBERSOL HEARS CRASH REPORT AMID SONS' FILM TRIUMPH

In a roller-coaster day of emotion, TV exec Dick Ebersol went from learning the frustrating findings of an investigation into the plane crash that killed his son, to the triumphant...

'97' REASONS TO EVICT HOTHEADS - LANDLORD AIMING BOOT AT HIP-HOP STATION

Funkmaster Flex could be out on his fanny as the result of a lawsuit filed yesterday to evict Hot 97 in the wake of the latest shooting connected to the...

LAND, SEA & AIR CRUISE OF FILM HYPE - 'MISSION' IGNITION IN CITY TODAY

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Follow Tom Cruise via land, sea and air - and underground in a $10,000 rented subway - all around the city today...

LANDMARK DAY IN CITY

Five blocks in the far western part of Greenwich Village were designated landmarks yesterday - protecting their historic buildings from being knocked down and replaced by high-rises. In a unanimous...

EMPIRE STATE LEAPER SAVED

A guard and a good Samaritan teamed up to save a homeless man from jumping off the 86th floor of the Empire State Building yesterday, police said. Alexander Water, 36,...

SEX SCANDAL JOLTS CONGRESS

WASHINGTON - Congress was abuzz yesterday over a shocking investigation of lawmakers that involves a top spy, limos, and hookers. Federal prosecutors are investigating whether contractors provided rogue former Rep....

SEX-FUELED CAR BIG A GROPE DOPE: AIDE - $190M LAWSUIT VS. TOYOTA CEO

Toyota's top U.S. exec got rear-ended yesterday with a shocking $190 million sex-harassment suit that accuses him of groping his personal assistant, wooing her with roses and jewelry and bragging...

ANGER IS RISING OVER HONCHO'S VIAGRA QUIP

State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello startled some officials attending a Hispanic legislators' conference in Albany last weekend with a bawdy joke about Hispanic men not needing Viagra, The Post has...

KIDDIE FIEND EXPOSED IN SKETCH

This is the fiend (right) who has posed as a cop to expose himself to four young girls in Brooklyn and Queens over the past several weeks, police said. The...

MOB-CASE FEDS BID TO SEAL COURT

The feds have asked a judge to bar the public from the courtroom during testimony from an FBI agent who infiltrated the Gambino crime family for more than two years...

B'KLYN ARENA FOE'S AIDE DEFECTS TO TEAM RATNER

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The top aide to the highest-profile opponent of Bruce Ratner's $3.5 billion plan to build a professional basketball arena in Brooklyn has abruptly...

SICKOUT HITS PROTEST SCHOOL

Teachers and staff at a beleaguered Coney Island high school staged a sickout yesterday to protest the arrests of five students and a guidance counselor during a demonstration supporting their...

HERO COP RECALLS HAIL OF FIRE

A hero NYPD cop yesterday recalled in chilling detail how he was shot eight times a quarter-century ago when black militants unleashed a fusillade that killed his partner. Richard Rainey...

'PERP' SQUAWK BY COP IN DWI HORROR

A liquored-up off-duty cop who turned Harlem into a personal demolition derby in 2004 - causing four consecutive car crashes in 45 minutes - pleaded guilty to assault and drunken...

FAKE-GYNO PERV GETS 6 MONTHS

A phony gynecologist who lured women to motel rooms to perform fake exams was sentenced yesterday in Queens Supreme Court to six months in jail and a decade of probation....

CYCLE CRASH KILLS G-MAN

A 31-year-old off-duty FBI agent died yesterday morning from injuries he sustained when he crashed his motorcycle into the rear of a city bus, police said. Matthew Inman, a native...

'WHIPPED' COP'S WIFE IS BUSTED AGAIN

It was strike three and you're in jail yesterday for a Staten Island woman who was previously freed without bail after she allegedly pistol-whipped her estranged husband and threatened a...

DALY TEES OFF ON OWN $TUPIDITY

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Golf bad boy John Daly said yesterday he was "stupid" to blow $50 million to $60 million on gambling during his 12 roller coaster years on the...

'TIMES' SCARE FAMILY TERROR - PLUNGING STEEL ROD STRIKES CAR

A steel rod that pried loose from the top floors of the new New York Times Tower nearly impaled a passing car - piercing a closed sunroof, injuring a couple...

BREW-HAHA ON BAR LAW

A controversial proposed law could severely limit the number of new liquor licenses in the city by nixing exceptions governing watering holes' proximity to each other. Bar owners are fuming...

WHO'D RIP OFF PALSY CHILD? - DISABLED GIRL'S WALKER STOLEN

A heartless Long Island crook stole a disabled girl's walker, leaving the 8-year-old "angel" with no way of moving around on her own, cops said yesterday. Police are investigating how...

'CLAM UP' ON MENU - RESTAURANT-STAB OMERTA

A jaded crowd of 21st century guys and dolls watched as a pair of Brooklyn wiseguys - brothers-in-law and business partners - got into a bloody, fatal brawl at the...

FIREBALL ON THE SKYLINE - 'ARSON' BLAZE SHOCKS B'KLYN

The raging inferno that ripped through a historic Brooklyn warehouse complex yesterday was immediately labeled suspicious - and eyewitnesses told cops they saw a man pouring a flammable liquid on...

LANDMARK DAY FOR THE VILLAGE

Five blocks in Greenwich Village were designated landmarks yesterday - protecting their historic buildings from being torn down and replaced by high-rises. In a unanimous vote, the city's Landmarks Preservation...

STOLEN-ART TALLY GROWS

More paintings being shipped from Florida to New York were reported stolen yesterday. A representative of Swedish artist Hawk Alfredson - whose work is on display at The Chelsea Hotel...

ICE HEIST AN INDY 400(G)

Two armed men snatched $400,000 in diamonds from a Manhattan gem dealer while he was on a sales trip to Indianapolis, investigators said. The merchant, who was not identified, had...

8 CITY WORKERS IN 'MEDI$CAM'

Eight city workers were busted yesterday for issuing hundreds of Medicaid cards to ineligible or phantom residents in exchange for cash, authorities said. The massive fraud ring - which also...

'PERP' SQUAWK BY DWI COP

A liquored-up off-duty cop who caused four Harlem car crashes in 45 minutes in 2004 pleaded guilty to assault and drunken driving yesterday and faces 3 ½ years in prison....

FAMED SHRINK HURT IN CENTRAL PK. BIKE MISHAP

A renowned 80-year-old psychiatrist and NYU professor was critically injured last night when he tumbled off his bike after colliding with a jogger in Central Park. Sabert Basescu, of NYU's...

SHAME OF A BUSTED 'SOPRANO' - ACTOR FEELS 'TERRIBLE'

"Sopranos" actor John Ventimiglia "feels terrible and embarrassed" about his drunk-driving and drug bust in Brooklyn, his lawyer said yesterday. The humbled character actor - who plays New Jersey restaurant...

SLEAZY SEXUAL DRIVES - D.C. LIMO SCANDAL

WASHINGTON - Congress was abuzz yesterday over a shocking investigation of lawmakers that involves a top spy, limos, and hookers. Federal prosecutors are investigating whether contractors provided rogue Rep. Randall...

COP'S SON WHO SHOT SELF DIES

The heartbroken family of a Long Island boy who accidentally shot himself with his father's NYPD gun removed him from life support after tests showed no hope for recovery. Tyler...

BUTCHERED 'MOB' GUY HAD NO HOPE - WITNESS' CHILLING TALE

A key witness to the bloody stabbing death of a Genovese mob associate by his own brother-in-law outside a Brooklyn restaurant told a jury yesterday the victim didn't have a...

SHAME OF A 'SOPRANO' - ACTOR FEELS

"Sopranos" actor John Ventimiglia "feels terrible and embarrassed" about his drunk-driving and drug bust in Brooklyn, his lawyer said yesterday. The humbled character actor - who plays New Jersey restaurant...

8 NAILED IN MEDICAID CARD FRAUD

Eight city workers were busted yesterday for issuing hundreds of Medicaid cards to ineligible or phantom residents in exchange for cash, authorities said. The massive fraud ring - which also...

FIREBALL ON THE SKYLINE - MONSTER BLAZE STUNS B'KLYN

A raging inferno that ripped through a historic Brooklyn warehouse complex yesterday was so intense that it melted nearby trucks down to their wheels and left shell-shocked 9/11 survivors fleeing...

STERN HIGH ON KNICKS

NBA Commissioner David Stern predicted yesterday the Knicks will emerge from their laughingstock status next season in year two of the Larry Brown era. Stern watched his words carefully because,...

JEFFERSON HAPPY TO NET A BIG ONE

NET NOTES For the series, the Nets' shooting at the 3-point line was more like numbers for the Mendoza Line. So last night, Richard Jefferson, who had missed 9-of-10 trifectas...

THE OFFENSE RESTS - BATS FAIL; MAINE SINKS

Nationals 6Mets 2 The runs were barely there. The hits were barely there. The Mets offense was barely there. In their 6-2 loss to the Nationals at Shea last night,...

SHARPE CUTS DEAL WITH NBC

NBC officially announced yesterday Sterling Sharpe will be on its Football Night in America Sunday night studio show, confirming a report that appeared in The Post on Jan. 2. Sharpe...

FEDS SET NEW LIMITS FOR FLUKE

FLUKE fishing is as much a part of the summer as baseball, and like the Yankees and Mets, there have been lean years and good years. Just like our baseball...

JUST CALL DRAFTEE JINTS' MINI-MOSS

The questions and opinions have clung to Sinorice Moss far tighter than any defensive back has been able to stick with him. Are you too small, and can you measure...

POLL: JETER OVER-RATED - BELTRAN, A-ROD NEXT IN MAGAZINE

YANKEE NOTES BOSTON - Derek Jeter smiled at the news that his peers named him the most over-rated player in the big leagues. In a Sports Illustrated poll of 470...

JERMAINE MAY APPEAL FINE

Jermaine O'Neal said his allergies caused him to skip practice Monday. But the Pacers' 6-foot-11 center still is allergic to the officiating in this series - and he can't prattling...

ELIAS WON'T TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE

Patrik Elias knows the day is coming when he'll have the opportunity to sign with any NHL team he wants, when he'll have the luxury of auctioning himself to the...

B'KLYN PROGRESS IS STEADY: STERN

NET NOTES The Nets' move to Brooklyn is going to happen, NBA Commissioner David Stern said. Just don't hold your breath. "I think this is a process that has broad...

PEDRO'S GETTING PROPER REST

MET NOTES Pedro Martinez will make his sixth start of the year for the Mets tonight, and he continues to get the balanced rest he got last season between starts....

ORTIZ MAY TRUMP MVP RACE CARD

BOSTON - David Ortiz tormented more than the Yankees again on Monday night. He bedeviled Alex Rodriguez once more, as well. When Ortiz took a Yankee reliever into the Red...

PEDRO'S GETTING HIS REST

MET NOTES Slated to make his sixth start of the year tonight, Pedro Martinez continues to get the balanced rest that he got last season in between starts. Last year...

WRIGHT CAN'T EJECT SLUMP

Cliff Floyd's hitting slump was easy to see, and as long as David Wright and Carlos Delgado were red-hot, easy for the Mets to overcome. But with Wright now in...

KIDD GIVES 'EM ALL THE BREAKS!

Richard Jefferson has seen Jason Kidd win games in many ways for the Nets, whether it's finding teammates in the half-court offense, getting rebounds or occasionally, hitting clutch shots. But...

NENAD STEPPING UP

PEJA Stojakovic couldn't go, again, which took the stretch out of the Pacers offense, again. It not only made it a reach for the Pacers to win this series, but...

POWERLESS PACERS BREAKING DOWN

The most painful part of Peja Stojakovic's absence is having to start - and end - with rookie small forward Danny Granger. Vince Carter exposed the Pacers' inexperience in the...

PLAYERS: JETER OVER-RATED

YANKEE NOTES BOSTON - Derek Jeter smiled at the news that his peers named him the most over-rated player in the big leagues. In a Sports Illustrated poll of 470...

VINCE SLAMS INDY TO BRINK - 34 POINTS, KEY DUNK GIVE NETS 3-2 EDGE

GAME 5 NETS 92 PACERS 86 The Nets found themselves in a real-life horror film last night. All game, they bludgeoned the Pacers with the all-around artistry of Vince Carter,...

PAPELBON HAS NO FEAR

BOSTON - Everyone in Red Sox Nation knows it's bound to happen, even if they don't want to admit it. One of these days, the team's fireballing rookie closer, Jonathan...

NO CLEAN BREAK - SLUMPING A-ROD TO STAY AT NO. 4

BOSTON - Alex Rodriguez admits he may be over-thinking, and the manager says the reigning AL MVP is asking himself for more than he is willing to give. Yet, those...

MOST VALUABLE PAPI - ORTIZ SHOWS WHY HE TOPPLES A-ROD

BOSTON - David Ortiz tormented more than the Yankees again Monday night.He bedeviled Alex Rodriguez once more,as well. When Ortiz took a Yankees reliever into the Red Sox bullpen for...

THE OFFENSE RESTS METS' BATS FAIL; NATS SINK MAINE

Nationals 6 Mets 2 There can 't be any alibis why the Mets did not hit last night. Pitcher Brian Bannister was hurt,but the Mets 'lineup had all its regular...

SENOR SMOKE - SANCHEZ MUSCLES UP MET BULLPEN

The Mets 'bullpen has been the best in baseball,and the best of the best has been Duaner Sanchez. When they acquired him this offseason,they knew he had electrifying stuff. They...

BLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY - FANS DON'T ENGAGE IN CIVIL WAR

BOSTON - The sad thing is how surprised we are by civility now, as it applies to the Yankees and the Red Sox, as it pertains to the several dozen...

JERSEY'S JUST BETTER

JUST like it 's always harder to score in the fourth quarter,the deeper you go into any playoff series,the more difficult it becomes to score in every quarter. "By and...

COMING ON FAST - JAZIL COUNTING ON POWERFUL LATE KICK

LOUISVILLE - The prevailing consensus on Saturday's Kentucky Derby is that it is so jammed with maniacal speed horses that the race could fall apart in the stretch, leaving a...

WEST POINT 'ARMY' READY FOR D-DAY

LOUISVILLE - Terry Finley, president of West Point Thoroughbreds Inc., 17 partners in the syndicate that owns West Point's colt Flashy Bull, and more than 100 of their closest friends...

NET FOCUS: AVOID TURNOVERS

This is the postseason,the time of the NBA year when games become street brawls with all the aesthetic appeal of roofing tar.It 's the time when open-court offensive creativity takes...

SPEED MAY CRY 'WOLF' IN STRETCH

LOUISVILLE - In three straight prep races at Oaklawn Park over the past few months, Steppenwolfer, a live longshot for Saturday's 132nd Kentucky Derby, has played Wile E. Coyote to...

NETS NEED CLIFF FOR HIS DEFENSE

Throughout the Nets ' first-round series against the Pacers,Clifford Robinson has said he doesn 't care how many points he scores or how many shots he takes. "That 's not...

'JUMBO JIMMY' COMES UP BIG - JIM LEYRITZ, THE BRASH ANTI-YANKEE, SWINGS INTO BOMBER LORE

"Birth of a Dynasty, Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees," by Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman, is out in bookstores and tells the story of that poignant championship season....

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Pick your poison. New drinking fountains at all 100 public schools in Seattle have been turned off after unsafe levels of arsenic were found in the water at five schools....