May 19, 2006

TRUMAN READY TO ROLL - PLANS TO LAUNCH CULTURE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE HERE

JAMES Truman, the man who left as editorial director of Condé Nast about 18 months ago, is finally hitting the streets with a prototype for his new magazine, Culture &...

LEHMAN POACHES BUSH COUSIN FOR HEDGE FUNDS

After months of courtship, Lehman Brothers landed George H. Walker IV - a gilded Goldman Sachs partner and President Bush's second cousin - as head of its huge asset management...

APPLE'S NEW MAC ATTACK

New Yorkers can now have an Apple a day - and all night, too. Manhattan's second Apple Store, a large, airy glass cube with sales space one floor below street...

MOOD OF GLOOM HITS BOOK EXPO AMERICA

Book publishers are gathering in Washington, D.C., this week for the annual Book Expo America amid one of the more gloomy publishing environments in years. Two major publishers, Random House...

LIPMAN EYES STEWART FOR CONDÉ BIZ MAG

Joanne Lipman, the editor-in-chief of the new Condé Nast business magazine, is said to be trying to convince her old friend from the Wall Street Journal, James Stewart, to leave...

ANN TAYLOR HURT BY EXIT

The recent departure of a top Ann Taylor executive, after only eight months on the job, has left some Wall Street analysts wondering whether the company's highly touted makeover is...

LEGAL GIANT SUED; MILBERG SKIM CHARGED

LOS ANGELES - Grand jurors indicted a major New York law firm and four lawyers for allegedly bilking more than $216 million from companies by illegally engineering class-action lawsuits -...

BEAR FLIP-FLOPS ON NYSE PAY

After criticizing the New York Stock Exchange's pay scale Monday, a Bear Stearns analyst changed his tune yesterday after taking into account salaries of workers at a Big Board subsidiary....

THE KING SERVES UP IPO BURGER WITH CHEE$E

Burger King's initial public offering yesterday served up nearly $2.4 billion in paper profits for three private equity giants that purchased the fast-food chain just a little over three years...

'IDOL' RIVALS SCAT, RESIGNED TO BEING ALSO-RANS

With ratings monster "American Idol" slated for a sixth season, rivals still haven't figured out how to stop it from slaughtering everything in its path. That became clear this week...

MARY'S HOT PICK

CLARK Terry, who cut his teeth in the St. Louis jazz scene in the '40s, is big among the revival swing set. And this trumpet man and flugelhornest, now 85,...

CASINO BEAT

ATLANTIC CITY His aim is still true - Elvis Costello (above) headlines VH1 Classics' Decades Rock Live show tonight at 9 at the Trump Taj Mahal. He'll be joined by...

BASELINE BALL - SUBWAY SERIES PITS SNY VS. YES IN BATTLE OF STYLES

ONE side brags of its tradition and national reputation, backed up by numbers and trophies won. The other side takes great pride in its role as an upstart and appeal...

WHERE'S MONA? DA VINCI DELETED

I'VE got one question for "The Da Vinci Code" director Ron Howard: Where's the da Vinci? Nobody's going to argue that Dan Brown's best-selling novel was great literature. The reason...

THAT DARN KAT

SOME Elliott fans are furious at finalist Katharine McPhee for appearing to celebrate seconds after she was told she'd made it to the final episode of the season. McPhee's reaction...

TWO COUPLES, ONE GUNSHOT

LEMMING *** (three stars) CHARLOTTE Rampling has a relatively small role in "Lemming," but the 60-year-old star proves the high point of the suspenseful black comedy from France. A perfectly...

GOOD & ANGRY

12 AND HOLDING*** (three stars) Burning for youth.Running time: 94 minutes. Rated R (violence, sexual content involving minors, profanity). At the Empire, the 1st and 62nd, the IFC Center. HERE'S...

THRONE FOR A LOSS

THE KING* (one star) Royal pain.Running time: 105 minutes. Rated R (graphic violence, sex, profanity). At the Sunshine, Houston Street, near First Avenue. THERE is no tragedy without character, yet...

HE SAYS, WE LISTEN

SAY ANYTHING SAY Anything is a second- bounce band. Their album " . . . is a Real Boy" was released in 2004, but nobody took notice until this past...

HEDGE FUN - YOINKS, AND AWAY! ZANY FLICK REVIVES LOONEY SPIRIT

OVER THE HEDGE (three and a half stars) Mocking the suburbs. Running time: 83 minutes. Rated PG (some rude humor). At the Kips Bay, the Orpheum, the 84th Street, others....

THISCLOSE - ELLIOTT BOWS OUT WITH A FINALE NOD TO TAYLOR

ELLIOTT Yamin - late of "American Idol" - has a favorite for the finale: Taylor Hicks. "We bonded over everything, man," Yamin said about the grey-haired 29-year-old from Alabama who...

STARR REPORT

Garner(ing) no #s The penultimate episode of Jennifer Garner's ABC series, "Alias," snared only only only 5.4 million viewers (8-9 p.m.) Wednesday - cable numbers. It just goes to show...

BLOODY SMART

SO much (fake) blood gets spilled during "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" that it seems only fair that the goriest show on Broadway give some back. And so it will -...

IT'S SURE TO BE MIND-WOGGLING

TAYLOR Hicks broke me this week. He swal lowed his words to "You Are So Beautiful," but his "Try a Little Tenderness" was sweet (except for the jarring ending, which...

TONY SUB SNUB; NO NOD HAS PRYCE FEELING A BIT ROTTEN

IT was intended as a celebration of an actor who pulls off the tricky task of replacing another actor in a Broadway show. But the Tony Award for Best Performance...

PUTTING OUR KIDS BACK TOGETHER IN IRAQ

LIKE the war itself, there is nothing easy in HBO's exceptional documentary "Baghdad ER" - except the incredible bravery of the American soldiers in Iraq and the docs who try...

RIGHTS TURN WRONG - STATE BIG A 'HARASSER'

ALBANY - A top official with the state Division of Human Rights was fired after an investigation found he sexually harassed a woman who had brought an unrelated complaint to...

ANDY DANDY IN DEM POLL

ALBANY - Former federal Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo leads former Public Advocate Mark Green, 34-26 percent, in the five-way race for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, according to a...

RUDY TURNS RIGHT INTO HEART OF DIXIE TO BACK PAL

ATLANTA - Looking to shore up his right flank, Rudy Giuliani embraced former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed as the man with "the right ideas" at a campaign fund-raiser yesterday...

GA$-CUT BOOST

Gov. Pataki said yesterday that he backs a plan to slash the state sales tax on gasoline. "I've never met a tax cut I don't like, and I expect that...

FIEND COPS TO LOVER SLAY

His body quivering and tears slipping from his eyes, a Bronx man in the middle of his murder trial reversed his plea and admitted he slammed a hammer into his...

ADS TARGET BEATEN GALS

The city unveiled a new ad campaign yesterday aimed at putting an end to domestic violence. The public-service ads, which feature pictures of battered women, will appear in subways, buses,...

RAPE-SLAY RAP ON BX. 'GUESTS'

A Bronx woman was raped and stabbed to death by two neighborhood teens her live-in boyfriend brought into their home, police said yesterday. Dashawn Harris, 16, and Raynel Poole, 18,...

HOLLYWOOD AT WAR; BUT NOT QUITE AGAINST TERROR

HOLLYWOOD'S first venture into the minefields of the War on Terror was "United 93," a masterpiece. We're just now getting a sense of what its future ventures might be like....

'TERROR TIC' JFK CHECK

WASHINGTON - Security screeners at the nation's busiest airports - including JFK - will start scanning passengers for nervous tics and sweaty brows under a new government security strategy. The...

'GAY SEX HARASS' SHOCKER FOR POL; ROCKLAND DEM BAILS FROM ASSEMBLY AMID WHISPERS OF INTERN SCANDALS

ALBANY - Two-term Rockland County Assemblyman Ryan Karben, a rising star in state Democratic politics, abruptly resigned yesterday amid what sources said were allegations of improper sexual approaches to young...

'URINE' FOR A GOOD TALKING TO

There's a new way to dissuade drunks from getting behind the wheel - a talking urinal. The Wizmark will be offered free to some 100 Nassau County bars next week,...

ED RALLIES FOR 'LESSEN' PLANS

Hundreds of teachers, parents and students across the city picketed outside their schools yesterday in a push to reduce overcrowding. "There's not even enough room on the classroom rug for...

FINEST'S MOLE ROLE

An undercover cop who had spent time probing the alleged Herald Square bomb plotter revealed a post-9/11 investigative tactic used by the NYPD in their continuing war on terror. The...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN (lcf) *** An elderly street vendor was struck and killed by a van that ran onto a sidewalk in Chinatown yesterday, cops said. Ying Kit Wu, 66, was struck...

NYPD RAI$E RAGE UNION SAYS 6% OFFER NOT ENOUGH

Cops' starting salaries would jump from $25,000 to $36,123 under an offer made yesterday by Mayor Bloomberg, a proposal that the city said will improve NYPD recruiting efforts - but...

NO CHURCH FOR MOB BIG

A federal judge yesterday made short work of a reputed Mafia boss' plea to be sprung from prison to attend his daughter's first Communion - saying Bonan-no way! Michael "Mikey...

RING 'RAMPAGE'; 'THEFT' OF DEAD MA'S GEM FUELED SUV ATTACK: COPS

A Long Island man who maliciously mowed down his friend's family with his SUV - critically injuring the grandfather - did so because he believed his pal swiped his dead...

POVICH WANTS MAURY-TORIUM

He airs other people's dirty laundry for a living, but Maury Povich is hoping to have the sensational sex harassment charges against his show dealt with in private. Lawyers for...

DAD WANTS JUSTICE FOR EXECUTED DAUGHTER

Tiesha Sargeant's inconsolable father cried out for justice yesterday as her boyfriend - who told cops he watched helplessly as the young Condé Nast employee was shot dead in their...

COP IN 'COKE RING'; INDICTED IN $5M CASE

A disgraced ex-NYPD cop was indicted yesterday on charges she conspired with a gun-toting gang of thugs to rip off millions of dollars' worth of cocaine from the stash house...

GOTTI GUY'S 'CUT!' THREAT; CAPO BOASTED OF CENSORING SEX FROM DAPPER DON BIOPIC BY MUSCLING STAR

John Gotti's girlfriends were glaringly absent from an HBO movie that glorified his life - and reputed Gambino capo Greg DePalma took the credit, boasting that he threatened to torture...

PRINCIPALS WANT TO ENTER THE 'ZONE'

City public-school principals want more power - and they want it now. More than 300 principals have applied to lead so-called empowerment schools, where they would shrug off the reins...

CABS' BREATH OF FRESH AIR

The city's taxis may be yellow - but more than 200 new cabs are going green. The Taxi and Limousine Commission is putting 308 new medallions up for sale next...

PAUL 'SICK' OF STORMY HEATHER

Paul McCartney's marriage is beyond "Help" - because he's "sick and tired" of his wife's constant nagging, according to published reports. "Enough is enough," he told pals before making the...

STUDENT STABBED IN HS FIGHT

An argument inside an Upper West Side high school turned bloody yesterday when the altercation spilled outdoors and an 18-year-old student was stabbed in the neck, police and education officials...

RUNAWAY BRIDE BEAU BOLTS; LEAVES GA. PEACH IN A LURCH

The Runaway Bride's fiancé is running away - from her. Jennifer Wilbanks, 33, made headlines when she faked her own kidnapping and disappeared the day she was supposed to get...

BIG-SPENDING'ROBBER' REV.; LAVISHED GIFTS ON GUY BUDDY

A Catholic priest at a wealthy Connecticut church swiped hundreds of thousands of dollars in parish funds to lavish on his "very good" male friend - buying him steak dinners,...

LIBERTY BID A CROWN JEWEL

WASHINGTON - The House voted yesterday to spend $1 million to open the Statue of Liberty's majestic crown to tourists and New Yorkers seeking an inspiring view of Manhattan. Rep....

NEW CANCER DRUG FOR LADY KILLER

Millions of women's lives could be saved by a new miracle vaccine that wipes out the viruses that cause 70 percent of cervical-cancer cases. The vaccine, called Gardasil, is safe...

ARRIBA! ARRIBA! BUSH JOINS 'CHASE' ON MEX BORDER

WASHINGTON - President Bush got a firsthand dune-buggy tour of the U.S.-Mexico border yesterday - and viewed a barbed-wire barrier - as the White House belatedly came out for at...

CITY WRONG TO $TIFF SICK 9/11 BIG: MIKE

The city's bid to deny a former Rudy Giuliani aide medical benefits for a suspected Ground Zero-related respiratory illness was "wrong," Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday. Bloomberg said that as soon...

TERROR COP GETS MEDAL

Port Authority Detective Thomas McHale Jr. received the agency's Medal of Honor yesterday for the heroism he displayed in the War on Terror during tours in Afghanistan and Pakistan. McHale...

BIG-SPENDING 'ROBBER' REV.; LAVISHED GIFTS ON GUY BUDDY

A Catholic priest at a wealthy Connecticut church swiped hundreds of thousands of dollars in parish funds to lavish on his "very good" male friend - buying him steak dinners,...

W. SIDE HS STAB MELEE

An argument at an Upper West Side high school turned bloody yesterday when it spilled onto the street and an 18-year-old student was stabbed in the neck, police and education...

BOOB BRIT'S BABY BOBBLE; 'OOPS' #3 IN N.Y. FOR RITZ DITZ

Britney Spears' child-care techniques seem to be growing positively "Toxic" - she nearly dropped her 8-month-old son on his head yesterday as she tottered out of a posh Manhattan hotel...

NO-SHOW GOV TO BLAME

SALLY Regenhard, the self-appointed sufferer-in-chief of 9/11 victims' family members, sat in the front row at Sheldon Silver's Ground Zero hearing yesterday and muttered repeatedly, "It's a joke, it's a...

CRYBABY KILLER GETS 20 TO LIFE

His body quivering and tears slipping from his eyes, a Bronx man in the middle of his murder trial reversed his plea and admitted he slammed a hammer into his...

JFK SECURITY WILL CHECK FOR TICS

WASHINGTON - Security screeners at the nation's busiest airports - including JFK - will start scanning passengers for nervous tics and sweaty brows under a new government security strategy. The...

GAS-CUT BOO$T

Gov. Pataki said yesterday he backs a plan to slash the state sales tax on gasoline. "I've never met a tax cut I don't like," he said. Mayor Bloomberg, with...

TORRICELLI PROBED IN OIL-FOOD SCANDAL

Disgraced former New Jersey senator Robert Torricelli is being investigated in connection with allegations he urged Iraq to give a U.S. company lucrative contracts as part of the United Nations'...

GAL'S 4TH BUST OVER HUBBY WOE

A Staten Island woman was arrested for the fourth time yesterday in her ongoing battle with her estranged ex-cop husband, police said. Mildred Azrak surrendered to cops on grand-larceny charges...

RIGHTS BIG AXED OVER 'SEX' RAP

ALBANY - A top official with the state Division of Human Rights was fired after a probe found he sexually harassed a woman who had brought an unrelated complaint to...

TWO KIDS KILLED IN HIT-&-RUN

Two young children in New Jersey died after they were mowed down by a hit-and-run driver last night, authorities said. The 2-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl, whose names were...

NEW VACCINE VS. CERVICAL CANCER

Millions of women could be saved by a new miracle vaccine that prevents the viruses that cause 70 percent of cervical-cancer cases. The vaccine, called Gardasil, is safe and effective...

TEEN STAR'S NEW PITCH: A WIFE, 30

Teenage baseball phenom Danny Almonte has hit a home run by marrying a woman believed to be more than 10 years his senior, sources said yesterday. The 19-year-old pitcher -...

NICE SAVE, GUYS!

Ilisa Lynn Juried jumps into her saviors' arms yesterday, as she reunites with FDNY paramedics Ben Harris (left) and Ashley Alejo - who rescued the Florida teen from a near-fatal...

JOCKS-GONE-WILD PIX GET COLLEGE EXAMS

At least three prominent area universities are investigating sports-team hazing pictures posted on a Web site that specializes in the exploits of naughty jocks. Photos of a baseball-team hazing party...

NEW $NAG HITS WTC

Just when it appeared Ground Zero was finally getting on track, developer Larry Silverstein stunned a legislative hearing yesterday by warning that his insurers might not fork over nearly $1...

HS STAB MELEE

An argument at an Upper West Side high school turned bloody yesterday when it spilled onto the street and an 18-year-old student was stabbed in the neck, police and education...

SUBWAY IDOL - AUDITIONS FOR TRACK STARDOM

Who will be the next Subway Idol? Seventy aspiring musicians will compete in front of a live audience at Grand Central Station today for a chance to entertain millions -...

NEW RX BATTLES CERVICAL CANCER

Millions of women's lives could be saved by a new miracle vaccine that wipes out the viruses that cause 70 percent of cervicalcancer cases. The vaccine, called Gardasil, is safe...

'SUV RAMPAGE' DRIVER IN A RING RAGE

A Long Island man who maliciously mowed down his friend's family with his SUV - critically injuring the grandfather - did so because he believed his pal swiped his dead...

INSURANCE $NAG IS SHAKING WTC DEAL

Just when it appeared Ground Zero was finally getting on track, developer Larry Silverstein stunned a legislative hearing yesterday by warning that his insurers might not fork over nearly $1...

NO-SHOW GOV TO BLAME IN DEBACLE

SALLY REGENHARD, the self-appointed sufferer-in-chief of 9/11 victims' family members, sat in the front row at Sheldon Silver's Ground Zero hearing yesterday and muttered repeatedly, "It's a joke, it's a...

YEAH, IT'S A LOTTA MEET! - LEITER: 6 GAMES TOO MUCH FOR SUBWAY SERIES

Ernie Banks is famous for saying, "Let's play two.'' Al Leiter says let's play three - and stop it there. The recently retired Leiter - who has viewed YankeesMets from...

5 QUESTIONS FOR RON DARLING

This week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with former Met Ron Darling, a member of the 1986 World Series champs. Darling, 45, is in his first season calling Met...

MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: METS VS. YANKS (WHO HAS THE BETTER RADIO TEAM?)

John Sterling's over-the-top and often inaccurate Yankee calls on WCBS have become an almost daily fixture for laughs on Mike and The Mad Dog. Sterling's homer act is sort of...

LISTEN UP! ENBERG ADDS RADIO GIG - HE'LL WORK NFL'S LATE-SEASON PACKAGE; ANALYST TBA

Oh, my! CBS' Dick Enberg is on the verge of signing with Westwood One Radio to be its play-by-player on the new eight-game, late-season Thursday-Saturday NFL package, NYP TV Sports...

BETTOR'S GUIDE TO THE 131ST PREAKNESS STAKES

131st running Distance 1 3/16 miles All starters carry 126 pounds Total purse $1,000,000 Post time 6:15 p.m. TV: Ch. 4, 5:00 p.m. Horses are listed in post position order....

ALL YOU'VE GOT (2006)

When a private school burns down, the girls volleyball team is forced to combine with its rival at a public school - and this being MTV, everyone is good-looking in...

IT'S STEP TWO FOR BARBARO

BALTIMORE - If the chief function of the Preakness Stakes is to validate - or reassess - the outcome of the Kentucky Derby, tomorrow's classic at Pimlico could be an...

TRULY A TEAM GAME

THERE are plenty of intoxicating reasons why the Cavaliers are one exacting win away from purging the pious Pistons from the playoffs and pole-vaulting into a showdown with Padre Riles'...

'BOY' LOOKS SPECIAL

BALTIMORE - Trainer Nick Zito may have a hope and a prayer, and not much more, when it comes to winning tomorrow's Preakness with George Steinbrenner's Hemingway's Key. But in...

JOCKEYS FUND LAUNCHED

BALTIMORE - A consortium of racetracks and racing organizations has established a new charity, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, to provide aid to badly injured riders in North America, it...

TAKE THE 'Z' TRAIN - FOR YANKS, NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT METS

They will play the games to win and catch a contact buzz from the electricity flowing from loud voices in the seats at Shea Stadium. Yet to the Yankees, the...

HAMMY FORCES BANNISTER OUT

MET NOTES ST. LOUIS - Brian Bannister is probably not going to be joining the Mets instantaneously. Bannister, who has been on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring,...

EARLY PREAKNESS BETTING BEGINS

Advance wagering on tomorrow's Preakness Stakes is available at OTB and area tracks beginning today. A Pimlico Special-Preakness double closes today at 5:43 p.m., post time for the Special. Belmont...

GETTIN' CLOSE - NETS: 'WE CAN WIN' IN '07

One year ago, the Nets were eliminated from the playoffs by Miami and went into the summer knowing they needed to find depth. One year later, the Nets were eliminated...

PAINSTRIPES - CROSBY, CHACON LATEST CASUALTIES

Rangers 6 - Yankees 2 With the Yankees losing two more players to injury yesterday, their attrition rate is higher than the worst public school in New York. Not only...

LIMA CRIME - CARDINALS BEAT UP ON JOSE EARLY

Cardinals 6 - Mets 3 ST. LOUIS - Jose Lima's results aren't changing. Lima had his third start in 12 days for the Mets yesterday, and he again was ineffective...

KNICKS KEEP LARRY IN DARK

Though he has not been invited or disinvited, Knicks exiled coach Larry Brown has ordered his coaching staff to crash the party Monday for the Knicks' first pre-draft workouts. As...

PAVANO SUFFERS SETBACK, AGAIN

YANKEE NOTES Carl Pavano joked yesterday that he would return to a mound sometime "this century" proving even he is in on the punchline now. Pavano was taken for "films"...

CONFIDENT ANNIKA: WATCH ME GO NOW

The bold words that came so matter-of-factly from Annika Sorenstam after yesterday's Sybase Classic first round at Wykagyl CC could have been borne from any number of things. Maybe they...

MOTHER NATURE CAN'T PUT DAMPER ON ACTION

THE daily dose of rain that seemed to last forever certainly kept anglers to a minimum, but those who did not mind getting wet went home waterlogged but happy. Fluke...

LENNY RIPS ISIAH, BROWN

With his final Knicks paycheck cashed last month, Lenny Wilkens lashed out yesterday at his former boss, Isiah Thomas, saying he regretted ever becoming the Knicks coach. Wilkens criticized the...

SIX YEARS LATER, MEANING HAS RETURNED TO THESE MEETINGS

THEY'LL arrive at Shea Stadium bloodied a bit, stumbling a bit, staggering a bit, and still they'll present the prettiest Subway Series picture we've seen in a good long while....

RESPONSE UNIT - RANDY HAS THE STAGE TO START A REBOUND

MIKE Mussina will face Pedro Martinez tomorrow, the eighth time in two wonderful careers that they have tangled. In some ways, though, it is a fresh matchup. For Mussina and...

LOCALS ONLY - FOR 72 HOURS, IT'S ALL NEW YORK AT SHEA

ST. LOUIS - Both teams are really the visitors this weekend. The city is the host. New York City is the home team. The Mets and Yankees will go at...

SORE LOSERS - CROSBY, CHACON LATEST CASUALTIES IN LOSS TO TEXAS

Rangers 6 - Yankees 2 With the Yankees losing two more players to injury yesterday, their attrition rate is higher than the worst public school in New York. Not only...

PREAK PERFORMANCE - THERE'S A RIGHT WAY TO BET TOMORROW'S RACE

BALTIMORE - Hi ho, Pimlico! Advance betting opens today on tomorrow's 131st Preakness, with Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro the heavy favorite in a field of nine going a mileandthreesixteenths. The...

THE MATCHUPS

IT'S that time of the year when New York's baseball teams participate in the first of two three-game sets called the "Subway Series." Introduced in 1997, it has been a...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

You know that old saying, "The grass is always greener . . ." Well, that was the case in Adelanto, Calif., after a neighbor stole the entire front yard of...