July 23, 2006

INTERMIX REFUSES TO YIELD AS U.S. RETAIL SALES SLUMP

Retail sales are slowing across the country - turning some executives cautious - but they have not deterred the owners of a fast-growing retail chain from the fast-based growth plans....

NAME YOUR SHADE

If you're having trouble finding a sweater, suit or pants in that exact shade of green, Kevin Ryan is here to help you. Ryan, the former CEO of DoubleClick, has...

THE ECONOMY, BUSH AND ROSE-COLORED GLASSES

Dear John: I am continuously having this argument with my wife. She insists that the economy is in great shape but the media refuses to report this strength because it...

NY TIMES' ABOUT BUY REDEEMED

Initially mocked for spending $410 million on About.com, The New York Times Company has become a financial laughing stock while the Internet portal is no joke. Late-night comedians Stephen Colbert...

TANGLED UP IN BOB - DYLAN'S ALL OVER POP-CULTURE SCENE

Suddenly, Bob Dylan is everywhere. In the last two years, the reclusive singer/songwriter has morphed into Mr. Accessible - appearing in a commercial for Victoria's Secret, hosting a show on...

$KY'S THE LIMIT - SUN VALLEY BUZZ BOOSTS YOUTUBE TOWARD $1B

WHAT is a week at investment bank Allen & Co.'s annual Sun Valley confab worth? For Chad Hurley, the founder of the hot online video company YouTube, it might be...

TOPPS SET FOR BATTLE OVER BAZOOKA JOE

Shareholders are bracing for the Battle for Bazooka Joe this Thursday. The bubble gum brand icon will take center stage this week as Topps Inc., the maker of baseball cards...

MUSICAL SCARES

LAST week, we reported how South Korean actress Sung Hyun- ah turned down a chance to be interviewed for Cine File about her movie "Time," directed by Kim Ki-duk. That's...

GM DIES DAYS AFTER IMPRESSIVE RESULTS

FIVE days after winning his final tournament, the world's busiest grandmaster, Aleksander Wojtkiewicz of Baltimore, died at age 43. The Polish émigré was coming off the most successful period of...

'PUBLIC' POX - JESSICA SIMPSON'S DISTURBING NEW VIDEO

NEVER mind those rumors about Jared Leto or Dane Cook. Newly single Jessica Simpson would rather make sweet love to Ben & Jerry instead. The proof comes in her laughable...

HOT LIST - WHAT WE'RE OBSESSED WITH THIS WEEK

Cult comics Videogamers know Master Chief is the man - now you can, too, with Marvel's 128-page "Halo: Graphic Novel." The Bleeding Edge has also launched a comic series, centered...

TINY FROGGER - 'MISS SUNSHINE' HAS MORE IN MIND THAN ACTING

HEY kids, here's a novel approach to getting your parents to let you see an Rrated movie: Star in one. That's how 10-year-old Abigail Breslin did it. Her new film,...

CONJOIN THE BAND! THE WEIRD HARMONY OF 'BROTHERS OF THE HEAD'

LUKE and Harry Treadaway have always been close - as identical twins tend to be. But they got really, really close on the set of their first film, "Brothers of...

THE WITHER OF OZZ - OLD-FASHIONED METAL TAKES A BACKSEAT AT OZZFEST

JUDGING by this year's Ozzfest lineup, one thing's sure - this ain't the heavy metal Ozzy Osbourne invented. For years, Ozzfest offered up star-studded collections of tried-and-true metal bands. In...

TOM HITS H'WAY

TOM PETTY "Highway Companion" (three and a half stars) American IT'S easy to say Tom Petty's new solo record is about learning to get old in a young world, since...

DOGS ON FILM - THE BEST MOVIE ACTORS AREN'T ALWAYS PEOPLE

CINEPHILES who love dogs, this reporter included, make a pastime of looking out for memorable performances by movie mutts. Forget Lassie and the Shaggy Dog - that's kid stuff. We're...

'KYLE XY' - MYSTERIOUS TEEN LEARNS HOW TO BE HUMAN

STOP me if you've heard this one before: a naked guy wakes up in the middle of the woods, somehow makes his way to Seattle, but can't remember anything about...

GLUT OF TALENT SHOWS GUARANTEES BURNOUT

THE quickest way to exhaust a category of TV shows is to have one or more of them break out as huge hits. That's what's happening this summer as the...

PEDESTRIAN JOKES INSPIRE INSIPID AD CAMPAIGNS

AND to think they accused Milton Berle of making a living off of stolen jokes . . . We've often wondered how many ad agencies have accepted a big check...

THE DON'T MISS LIST

MADE FOR TV Save the world FROM the creator of "XMen" and "Spider-man" comes the story of Daniel Leight (Jason Connery), a government agent who discovers he has super powers...

REEL GOOD - LINDA STASI PREVIEWS THIS WEEK'S BEST MOVIES

THE DEER HUNTER (1978) Tuesday,3 p.m.,USA A nearly unbearable portrait of the impact of the Vietnam War on a blue-collar Pennsylvania town. Directed by Michael Cimino, the stellar cast includes...

DEM BIG MANTON DIES AT 73

Queens Democratic Party leader Thomas Manton died yesterday evening after a long illness. He was 73. Manton died at Calvary Hospice in The Bronx, according to longtime friend and spokesman...

OLD SCARS, NEW GRIEF FOR 'SON OF SAM' VICTIM

Thirty years after "Son of Sam" slayer David Berkowitz began his notorious killing spree, Robert Violante endures the scars of the madman's evil - and is plagued by continuing tragedy....

I'LL KILL HIM IF HE WALKS:TRAGIC DAD

"Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz was denied parole last week, but his lawyer is gearing up for an "all-out" effort to win his release when he's next eligible in...

FAREWELL TO SLAIN PRIEST

More than 1,000 parishioners alternately wept and smiled during the funeral service for Msgr. William Costello, a man remembered for his Irish sense of humor, passion for the Mets and...

SINATRA'S 'KID' SINGING BLUES

A woman claiming to be Frank Sinatra's daughter said her mother led a sad, isolated life in Ol' Blue Eyes' shadow, hiding their out-of-wedlock child for more than 50 years,...

APPLE'S POWER STRUGGLE IS HERE TO STAY

Blackouts and brownouts like those hitting northwest Queens could become the norm in the New York region, according to worried energy experts who say electricity demand is growing faster than...

MOM-SLAY REVENGE; TWO BROTHERS KILL 'ABUSE' BEAU WITH PISTOL & SABER

After an abusive boyfriend gunned down a Brooklyn mother in a drunken rage, her two stunned sons stabbed him in the chest with a sword and then shot him in...

'CRACK' SHOTS: FEDS BUST CITY GUN RING

A pair of Virginia felons paid associates with clean rap sheets to buy guns - often tossing them a lump of crack for their trouble - then sold their deadly...

JUNIOR OFFICER'S SLIP IN SHIP TIP

The reason the Crown Princess drastically tipped to the side - sparking havoc on board and hundreds of injuries - was because a junior officer "panicked" while steering, it was...

TEARS FOR TRAGIC BX. CRASH TRIO

Friends and relatives gathered yesterday at Riverside Church to bid farewell to three of the six people tragically killed in a horrific car wreck on the Bronx River Parkway two...

RALLY RIPS 'DANCING DUD' MIKE

A bizarre collection of aging hippies, young club kids, ballroom dancers and one bikini-clad hula hooper got footloose yesterday at Mayor Bloomberg's town house - protesting the city's laws against...

PAVAROTTI'S PAIN; FRAIL AFTER SURGERY

Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti returned home from the hospital yesterday, looking fatigued and fragile from his ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer. Pavarotti, 70, went under the knife two weeks ago...

IT'S 'HEIL KITTY' - BROOKLYN STRAYLOOKS LIKE HITLER

His name is Hermes, but you can call him Hitler. Not only does the stray cat found in Williamsburg have a creepy resemblance to history's most notorious mustached dictator, "he...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS *** Cops have made an arrest in connection with the murder of a St. Albans man. Troy Dobson, 44, turned himself in early yesterday to detectives looking into his...

COOK POWER TRIP ; STRINGS PULLED IN '82 BUST

Peter Cook's detour from polo grounds to prison yard as a young man stunned his rich, socially connected family and friends - and they did everything in their power to...

TROOPS INVADE HEZ FOE'S LAIRS; * ISRAEL SEIZES KEY LEB ZONES * TARGETING 'SEA TO MOUNTAINS'

JERUSALEM - Israeli forces stormed into southern Lebanon yesterday in attacks "from the sea to the mountains" as they bombed Hezbollah outposts and seized its strongholds in a muscle-flexing bid...

SECOND SUBWAY ROBBERY

A token-booth clerk was held up at gunpoint in Brooklyn yesterday - in the second such robbery this month - and an enraged union official offered to put up a...

RESCUE AFTER TOT CLIMBS OUT WINDOW

A baby was rescued by cops yesterday as he perched precariously on an air-conditioner jutting out from the third floor of his family's Staten Island home, police said. One-year-old Matthew...

DIM-BULB CON ED BOSSTO QNS.: DUH! NO END TO BLACKOUT IN SIGHT

Damage to Con Ed's underground electric network is worse than expected, leaving powerless northwest Queens residents with no relief in sight - and the bumbling utility's boss scratching his head....

A SECRET KEPT; WHEN THE MEDIA PUT LIVES AHEAD OF A SCOOP

TOWARD the end of 1979, hundreds of American and Canadian journalists and news organizations got hold of a dynamite news story that would have made personal reputations and careers and...

'I CAN'T FORGIVE MYSELF': DWI GAL; GRIEF OVER MONSIGNOR HIT-RUN SLAY

The woman accused of drunkenly mowing down a beloved Long Island priest burst into tears yesterday as she talked of the forgiveness shown by his fellow clergy members. "It means...

DIM-BULB CON ED BOSS TO QNS.: DUH! OFFERS NO HOPE ON END OF BLACKOUT

Damage to Con Ed's underground electric network is worse than expected - and the no-voltage disaster has left the utility's bumbling boss clueless. "I don't know right now what has...

BEAUTIES & THE BEASTS WHO CHEAT ON THEM

ASK a woman - any woman - if she'd ever cheat on George Clooney. Go ahead, I dare you. If she says "yes," then there's no doubt: She's a lunatic,...

URINE, HE'S OUT; LANDLORD TOSSING 'PEE-FLINGING' TENANT

Erich Fuchs is a real pisser, according to his landlord - and for that, he's getting evicted from his prewar Upper West Side building. The cantankerous tenant's alleged penchant for...

S.I. $UFFERS TOW BLOW

If you owe a fortune in unpaid parking tickets, get your car to Staten Island now. Towing came to a screeching halt in the borough in March, after the contract...

CAR-CRASH FED HIT WITH DWI

The State Department worker who crashed his unmarked government car into a taxi while escorting three scantily clad women and a cold case of beer to an undisclosed location was...

THREE BRONX COPS HIT BY FRIENDLY FIRE

Three Bronx cops were accidentally shot by fellow officers in a hail of bullets last night as they tried to subdue an attacking pit bull, police said. The cops were...

RUDY AIDES RIP MIKE'S DEPUTY

AIDES to Rudy Giuliani are blaming a deputy of Mayor Bloomberg for Hizzoner's remarks in recent weeks that haven't made the former administration look too good. Bloomberg has described public...

COP UNION STARTS ITS WTC-WOE TRACKER

More than 25 police officers who believe their illnesses stem from toxic smoke, dust and debris at Ground Zero have already signed on to a new medical registry that their...

'LAW & ORDER' SEX SUIT

A former makeup artist for "Law & Order" is suing NBC, claiming she was blacklisted from the net work after she reported sex harassment on the set - and rebuffed...

HIPPIE HOORAY: MOM LAUDS S.I. 'SHOOTER'

The mom of ex-Ganas commune member Rebekah Johnson is defending the fugitive who allegedly blasted leader Jeff Gross with a half-dozen bullets in a May 29 ambush. Johnson, the target...

'WRONG MAN' HEARING

Wrongly convicted rape suspect Alan Newton and the lawyers who freed him will huddle with state lawmakers Thursday on how to stop cops from losing evidence. Newton, who spent 22...

CUNY'S BRAIN STORM; MORE TOP ENROLLEES

The fall class at the City University of New York is shaping up to be the smartest in a generation, new statistics obtained by The Post show. There were 4,341...

HUBBY LETS RIP IN 'COACH' DIVORCE

The suburban dad who accuses his estranged wife of carrying on with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick claims he's virtually homeless - while his soon-to-be ex does "whatever she...

THE 5TH ANNUAL LIBERTY MEDAL AWARDS

Heroes come from all walks of life, and most do their good deeds away from the spotlight. We are seeking candidates for the fifth annual New York Post Liberty Medals,...

DARING S.I. TOT RESCUE - CLIMBED OUT WINDOW

A baby was rescued by cops yesterday as he perched precariously on an air-conditioner jutting out from the third floor of his family's Staten Island home, police said. One-year-old Matthew...

KNICK-DOC 'CANCER BIAS' SUIT

A medical secretary for high-profile Knicks surgeon Dr. W. Norman Scott alleges she was abruptly fired when she returned to work after breast cancer treatment - despite assurances from the...

DARING RESCUE AFTER TOT CLIMBS OUT WINDOW

A baby was rescued by cops yesterday as he perched precariously on an air-conditioner jutting out from the third floor of his family's Staten Island home, police said. One-year-old Matthew...

ELLEN'S REVENGE - UNLOADING RON'S GIFTS

In Ellen Barkin's case, revenge is a dish best served ice cold. The fourth ex-wife of Revlon boss Ron Perelman is planning to auction off the millions of dollars in...

JAIL-FIASCO HEARINGS

Wrongly convicted rape suspect Alan Newton and the lawyers who freed him will huddle with state lawmakers Thursday on how to stop cops from losing evidence. Newton, who spent 22...

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS NOT FISH

FISHING is a sport that keeps on giving. Those who fish should give back by sharing the sport with others. Of the more than 50 million anglers in the U.S.,...

JOHNSON AT TOP OF GAME

LONG POND, Pa. - When you finish in the Top 10 of any given NASCAR race, you get interviewed on TV. It's one of the spoils. This season, seemingly, Jimmie...

CURT STILL A SCHILL FOR JOE

Mets 4 Astros 3 Curt Schilling believes Joe Torre is a Manager of the Year candidate for coordinating the walk-in clinic that the Yankee clubhouse has become. Yet the Boston...

REAL DEALS AND FANTASY REPERCUSSIONS

THE only thing any fantasy player will talk about for the next three weeks is the trade deadline. Here are a few of the moves (and some rumors) and what...

PHIL'S OPEN WOUNDS

NOTEBOOK HOYLAKE, England - Phil Mickelson's U.S. Open hangover is apparently not completely cleared based on the way he's performed at the British Open this week. Despite coming over here...

A-ROD GETS BREAK FROM PLAYING 3RD; YANKS DH AFTER INFIELD PRACTICE

TORONTO - Alex Rodriguez knew before he went to sleep Friday night he was going to be used as the Yankees' DH yesterday, after collecting his 450th career homer and...

'WONDER'-FUL DAY AT BELMONT

Wonder Lady Anne L cost a bargain-basement $8,000 as a yearling, but the daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet is worth a lot more than that after posting her...

PEDRO'S PITCHES AS BIG AS EL DUQUE'S

PEDRO Martinez was scheduled to pitch a simulated game following the Mets' 4-3 victory over the Astros yesterday afternoon at Shea, which was only appropriate given the simulated division race...

HEADED FOR SARATOGA

Old Spa, here we come! Track was muddy, sealed for getaway day at Big B; no turf racing, resulting in 24 late scratches from four races carded for grass. Today...

X MARKS SPOT FOR AMAZIN'S; NADY GOES DEEP TO BURY 'STROS

Mets 4Astros 3 This is a season where nearly everything is turning the Mets' way, and yesterday turned on the bat of Xavier Nady. On an afternoon when Orlando Hernandez...

ROUGH START, SMOOTH FINISH

Before his start yesterday, Orlando Hernandez lounged on a sofa, watching Tiger Woods in the British Open. After the first inning, that scene seemed fitting, because all of El Duque's...

FRIDAY RETURN SET FOR PEDRO

MET NOTES Pedro Martinez, on the disabled list with a hip ailment and the aftereffects of food poisoning, tentatively is scheduled to pitch Friday night in Atlanta. Martinez was slated...

X MARKS SPOT FOR AMAZIN'S ; NADY GOES DEEP TO BURY 'STROS

Mets 4Astros 3 The Mets covet Bobby Abreu, but Xavier Nady is patrolling right field right now. And in a season where nearly everything is turning the Mets' way, yesterday...

PEDRO AIMS FOR FRIDAY

MET NOTES Pedro Martinez, tentatively scheduled to return from the disabled list Friday night in Atlanta, joked that he threw a no-hitter yesterday. Martinez, out with a hip ailment and...

IT'S BALDOMIR IN 9 - STOPS GATTI TO KEEP TITLE

ATLANTIC CITY - Carlos Baldomir proved too strong, too determined and too good for even Arturo Gatti. Baldomir, a virtual unknown this time last year, validated his upset victory over...

JAY-WALKING THE TICKET FOR YANKS ; RALLY IN 7TH; ALEX HAS 4KS

Yankees 5Blue Jays 4 TORONTO - When was the last time Mariano Rivera hurled a perfect inning, posted a save and was the third most impressive Yankee reliever? Until yesterday,...

L.I. TEAM WINS AAU HOOP TITLE

Dana Dingle's Long Island Lightning won the AAU 12-and-under national basketball championship yesterday in Newport News, Va., defeating the South East Elite squad from Alabama 67-54 in the finals. The...

TORRE HOLDS 'CONFIDENTIAL' MEETING

YANKEE NOTES TORONTO - Joe Torre borrowed 15 minutes of his players' time before yesterday's game to make sure their daily preparation wasn't slipping. Having lost three straight going into...

A-ROD'S DREADFUL AS A DH

TORONTO - Having worked on his defense with coach Larry Bowa for 40 intense minutes in the morning, Alex Rodriguez was used as the DH yesterday in a move that...

IT'S OFFICIAL: LIBERTY HIT BOTTOM

Storm 91Liberty 54 This really is the worst team in Liberty history. Not only did the Liberty lose their 19th game of the season last night - their most in...

ZIDANE HEADED TO BULLS?

Red Bulls 1Wizards 0 This fuels already-rampant speculation that the red-carded, head-butt bull may soon become a Red Bull. By selling their runaway top goal-scorer for spending dough, the Red...

SHADDUP ALREADY! OVERANALYSTS SHOULD GIVE OUR EARS A REST

WHAT do we want? Silence! When do we want it? Now! Comrades, it has reached epidemic levels. And, although it's with a genuine sense of dread that we'll tune to...

WANG'S ISLES MODERN MICKEY MOUSE CLUB

GUESS which Mouseketeer represented the I, Me, My Islanders of Charles Wang at the club's salary arbitration hearing against Mike York on Thursday in Toronto. Go on. Just guess. Why,...

GIAMBI SITS OUT VS. LILLY

TORONTO - Jason Giambi understands the Yankees lineup needs his power potential in the middle of it. However, Giambi understood Joe Torre giving him a day off yesterday against Blue...

WHY THE FREE PASS FOR NFL DRUGGIES?

WHAT if a doctor who supplied several members of the NL champion Astros with illegal performance enhancers was charged last week with one year and one day in jail after...

SERGIO NEEDS SUNDAY SURGE

HOYLAKE, England - It's time for Sergio Garcia to put up. He doesn't have to shut up. Just put up. Win a major. Put an end to his alarming litany...

DIMARCO AIDED BY THE 'DIVINE'

HOYLAKE, England - Chris DiMarco walked to the first tee for his 2:20 p.m. tee time yesterday in the third round of the British Open. He found himself nearly floored...

BEST BAD TRADE THEY EVER MADE - KAZMIR RIPOFF SPURRED AMAZIN' TRANSFORMATION

HERE is a warning to Mets fans: You aren't going to like this column. Your anger will not be enabled here. Your frustrations will find no friend in the coming...

TIGER SHOOTS TO CLOSE OPEN - WOODS' HAS SLIM LEAD ENTERING GRAND FINALE

HOYLAKE, England - Today, either the greatest closer in the history of his sport closes, or he'll expose a rare chink in his armor. While trying to become the first...

CAPITAL G-MEN - GIANTS HEAD TO ALBANY HOPING FOR ENCORE

Whenever they're good, the next year they're bad. Not since 1993-94 have the Giants put together back-to-back winning seasons, a maddening one-step forward, one-step backward routine that leads to one...

READY, JET, GO! GANG 'GINI HAS LOTS OF CATCHING UP TO DO

An offseason of upheaval led to the departure of Herman Edwards to Kansas City and the demotion of GM Terry Bradway, first to scout, more recently to director of player...

LISI: ARENA BALL FITS RED BULLS

This Red Bulls fixture wants stability so much it hurts. Really hurts. Midfielder Mark Lisi isn't taking the obvious route to health, failing to get an early start on the...

GIVE SPA A RUN FOR ITS MONEY - THE POST'S ANNUAL SARATOGA BETTOR'S GUIDE

The dog days of summer are finally over. Now that Belmont Park closed its doors yesterday on the most tedious spring-summer meet ever, it's party time at the Old Spa...

PEDRO PITCHES TO RETURN FRIDAY

MET NOTES Pedro Martinez, tentatively scheduled to return from the disabled list Friday night in Atlanta, joked that he threw a no-hitter yesterday. Martinez, out with a hip ailment and...

HE'S LIVIN' LARGE - RUSSIAN GIANT'S COMIN' TO AMERICA

Don King isn't sure he has the best heavyweight in the world, but he certainly has the biggest. At 7-foot, 320 pounds, Nikolai Valuev is still more curiosity than he...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Anyone for Taliban tea? A cafe called Osama opposite the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, was asked to change its name after American diplomats complained. The word Osama means "secluded"...