September 5, 2008

NICOLE MILLER

Nicole Miller is one of those designers who sells loads of clothes, allowing her the budget to mount a big show in the tents. The thing is, that salable clothes...

Pedro: OK to pitch Saturday

Pedro Martinez told reporters today that he feels healthy and will start as scheduled Saturday against the Phillies. Martinez had been excused from the final three games of the road...

Game 141: Phillies at Mets

The Mets open a crucial, three-game NL East series with the rival Phillies tonight when Mike Pelfrey (pictured) takes on the resurgent Brett Myers at Shea Stadium. Jerry Manuel’s first-place...

Wagner near return -- but closing?

Billy Wagner threw off the mound today, reported no major problems with his left elbow and could come off the DL as soon as next Tuesday. Wagner likely will make...

Plan in place for Saturday rainout

If, as expected, Saturday afternoon's game at Shea Stadium with the Phillies is rained out by Tropical Storm Hanna, the teams would play a split doubleheader Sunday. The first game...

Get out your houndsooth hat...

This game is totally a mystery to me Because Nintendo World is hosting a pre-release launch party for "Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir" tomorrow (Sept. 6.)With the help of interactive performances...

European Nations Gear Up for World Cup Qualifying

New coaches of England, Italy and Spain face relatively weak opponents on Saturday when most European nations embark on the road to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.In his first...

JENNI KAYNE

LA-based designer Jenni Kayne counts, among her fans, the Olsen twins (a plus or a minus, depending on your worldview). Based on her presentation for Spring '09, it's nearly incomprehensible...

JANKOVIC REACHES U.S. OPEN FINAL

Jelena Jankovic has always been on open book, her feelings always borne visibility on her sleeve. And today, in the seminal moment of her career -- a 6-4, 6-4 U.S....

Movies I Want to See in Toronto

From Kyle Smith in Toronto--Years ago I remember talking to a guy named Jon Hart in the East Village bar Blue & Gold about a Village Voice piece he had...

MANGINI: I'D WELCOME BACK CHAD

Eric Mangini is open to the idea of deported quarterback Chad Pennington returning to the Jets -- as a coach. Two days before the Jets open the regular season on...

This Year's "Juno"?

From Kyle Smith in Toronto--When the Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern gets behind a movie, he really gets behind a movie. Morgenstern was among the earliest and most enthusiastic voices...

Coen Brothers (and I) Arrive in Toronto

From Kyle Smith in Toronto--Lou pans the new Coen Brothers movie "Burn After Reading" below. If poor early buzz was bothering the Coens, they showed no sign of it on...

Kiwi's fine but fighting mad

BY PAUL SCHWARTZMathias Kiwanuka is fine after a scare on the final play of Thursday night's 16-7 season-opening victory over the Redskins. X-rays taken of his left ankle were negative...

Coverage in today's Post

The Mets will be hoping to create as much distance as possible between themselves the Phillies in the NL East tonight when the teams open a pivotal three-game set at...

ON DECK: YANKEES AT MARINERS

According to coolstandings.com, which calculates a baseball team's odds of reaching the playoffs by running millions of simulations of the remainder of the season, the Yankees entered last night's series...

ON DECK: PHILLIES AT METS

There are many members of the current Mets who were not a part of last season's historic collapse. And the players who were have put it in the past. The...

THREE FRIDAY THOUGHTS

We've all made it to Friday, before the rains come tomorrow. The conventions are complete, it's time to get down to business. Here are three Friday thoughts on Johan Santana,...

Toronto: Coens Burn Audience

I love the Coen Brothers as much as any critic, but to me "Burn After Reading'' is their worst mistake since "Intolerable Cruelty'' (which has its fans, as will "Burn...

Another 'Project' for Bravo

Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe and many of her famous--and well-dressed-- friends kicked off New York Fashion Week with the launch party for her new show on Bravo, "The Rachel Zoe...

Starr Report: Cable news

Nancy Grace (Headline News) snared her biggest numbers ever Tuesday - 611,000 viewers at 8 p.m.The last two episodes of AMC's "Mad Men" (Aug. 24, 31) have rallied - averaging...

Living Without Ew

By MARC BERMANPatrick Ewing goes into the Hall tonight in Springfield. For all the darts thrown at him during his 15 years as a career, all the faults he supposedly...

RANGEL ADMITS TO VILLA INCOME

Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel admitted that he earned more than $75,000 of undeclared income from a Dominican Republic villa, after The Post exposed his wrongdoing in an exclusive report Sunday....

UFC Knocking Out Competition

With Randy Couture back in the fold, the UFC re-establishes its dominance in mixed martial arts.Now that Randy Couture has settled his differences with the UFC and is returning to...

Toronto Oscar Watch: 'Bloom' Fails To

Summit Entertainment recently moved "The Brothers Bloom'' from October to December, which often signals Oscar aspirations or at least hopes. Sorry, I don't think so. While there are pleasures to...

U.S. and Cuba Prepare for Battle in World Cup Qualifier

ReutersUnited States visit Cuba on Saturday, the first time for more than 60 years the Americans have played in the capital Havana.With a U.S. embargo stopping its citizens touring the...

Mulling Wagner's role

From JOEL SHERMANBilly Wagner (pictured) is due back early next week and there is strong speculation that he will not work as the closer right away, instead working his arm...

3 UP: Wagner, Lecturing Fans, Angels

1. Billy Wagner is due back early next week and there is strong speculation that he will not work as the closer right away, instead working his arm back into...

Toronto: Ed Harris Saddles Up

I'll be reviewing the western "Appaloosa,'' Ed Harris' first directing job since "Pollack'' when it opens in New York on Sept. 19. It saw it back in the city before...

O/U RICO

OVER: Bengals / Ravens; Steelers / Texans; Jaguars / Titans; Lions / Falcons; Seahawks / Bills; Saints / Bucs; Chargers / Panthers; Cardinals / Niners; Broncos / Raiders. UNDER: Giants...

TRENDSETTERS

JETS (-3) AT DOLPHINS, 1 P.M. Gang Green has won 16 of the last 20 in this rivalry, and five straight. Miami has just one cover in its last five...

NEW JETS SET FOR TAKEOFF

With the season opener a mere three days away, there's a palpable anticipation emanating from the Jets' palatial new multimillion-dollar locker room. There is always a level of expectancy for...

CHAD GOES FISHING FOR REVENGE VS. JETS

Chad Pennington expected to be starting in the Jets' season opener - just not for the Dolphins. The Packers did everything they could to ensure Brett Favre would not stay...

IT'S LIKELY DWIGHT TIME FOR LOWERY

Eric Mangini won't say who'll start at cornerback opposite Darrelle Revis. But count on it being rookie fourth-round draft pick Dwight Lowery, who's had a terrific camp and preseason. In...

CURLIN EYES JOCKEY CLUB

Curlin, on target to be named Horse of the Year for the second year in a row after his victory in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, will make his next...

UFC KNOCKING OUT ITS COMPETITION

Now that Randy Couture has settled his differences with the UFC and is returning to defend its heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas, companies like...

MCCARVILLE AND LIBERTY READY TO GO

What's the remedy for an Olympic hangover? For the Liberty, it's a steady dose of Janel McCarville. The Liberty opened with two straight losses following the Olympic break, but on...

WITHOUT BOMBERS, BUD SEES OCT. VOID

ST. PETERSBURG - During his tenure as commissioner, Bud Selig has experienced a lot of bizarre events and changes. However, a constant since 1995 has been the Yankees playing in...

YANKS FAIL TO SWEEP; WILD-CARD HOPES DIM

ST. PETERSBURG - Sweep or weep. The intelligent money is on pinstriped tears flowing like Niagara Falls shortly. After taking two of three from the Rays and winning three of...

KIWANUKA HOLDS THE LINE

Anyone wondering how Mathias Kiwanuka would fare in his first start since his recent move to defensive end from strong-side linebacker can stop wondering. He did just fine in last...

STRAHAN LEADS CHAMPS' CHEERS

Michael Strahan returned to the Giants last night - sort of. The retired defensive end left his shoulder pads at home, but introduced the team before its 16-7 season-opening victory...

NEWCOMER CARNEY KICKS IT OLD SCHOOL

The new kid on the block looked just fine last night. Of course, this was hardly John Carney's first whirl around the block. The 44-year-old kicker started booting NFL field...

TOO SOON TO JUDGE WHAT SEASON HOLDS

IT was a steamy night, designed more for pitchers and catchers than for kickers and quarterbacks, a baseball night all dolled up in blue for the beginning of a football...

JACOBS CARRIES THE LOAD

As the cleanup crew at Giants Stadium deals with the usual this morning of paper cups, beer bottles and hot-dog wrappers, they might want to check the 35-yard line for...

NO SUPER MANN BUT ELI DOES ENOUGH TO EARN VICTORY

Eli Manning's first drive of the 2008 season was not nearly as dramatic or meaningful as his last of the 2007 season, but it still had the same result. Manning...

JUST THE FACTS: NO STOPPING PLAX

WHEN last we left them, Eli Manning threw the ball and Plaxico Burress caught the 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left and the Patriots were 18-1 and the Giants...

BURRESS RECEIVES A NEW DEAL

Plaxico Burress said he wanted to get a deal done with the Giants before the start of the season. He alternated between expressing optimism and skepticism about the two sides...

GIANTS BEGIN TITLE DEFENSE BY HOLDING OFF 'SKINS

The Giants are at it again. They started with a surge, as if this was the fifth quarter of Super Bowl XLII. The offense was humming and the defense was...

HANNA BIG THREAT FOR LOCAL ANGLERS

HANNA may have a say in what saltwater anglers will be doing this weekend. The surf jockeys may benefit from the storm headed this way. We've already seen large schools...

WADE WORRIED ABOUT CLEVELAND'S SKILL

Wade Phillips has an offense loaded with stars. Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Marion Barber, Jason Witten, take your pick. But as the Cowboys prepared this week to begin their season...

COLLEGES CRANKING OUT CRIMINALS

SO LET'S presume that as the 2008 NFL season begins, it's of some concern to the league, the media, sports fans and society as a whole that NFL rosters increasingly...

SPORTS SHORTS

GOLF: BMW washout The first round of the BMW Championship, the third leg in the PGA Tour playoffs, was washed out by steady rain that deluged Bellerive Country Club yesterday...

HONDO'S GALA TRIBUTE

Obama admitted yesterday that the surge is working. However, it wasn't clear if he was talking about Iraq or Hondo's recent torrid spell, which has him 765 sparmas north of...

HALL WELCOMES EWING TONIGHT

Patrick Ewing couldn't be prouder to get enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame tonight in Springfield, Mass., as a Knickerbocker, but he sounded a little worried about his son...

THINGS BREAKING RIGHT FOR SERIES CHARGE

DO you see it? Do you see the possibilities now? Do you see what has fallen at the Mets' feet? A month ago today, Aug. 5, they were a third-place...

METS HAVE SHOT TO PUT PHILS IN REARVIEW MIRROR

No matter what happens this weekend, the Mets will own at least a share of first place in the NL East come Monday. Recent stumbles by the Phillies have given...

SLAM MAY JUMP-START CHURCH

The Mets are hoping Ryan Church's grand slam Wednesday in Milwaukee is the start of a late-season turnaround for their hard-luck right fielder. Arguably the team's MVP the first two...

RODDICK BLOWS ANOTHER MAJOR OPPORTUNITY

TWO years removed from being People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive and five years past his one and only slam title, Andy Roddick has turned 26 with reason to feel his...

COMEBACK ATTEMPT TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Novak Djokovic is the biggest jokester on the tour, with his funny impressions of the top players. But though he won last night's match, Djokovic lost his sense of humor...

FEDERER ESCAPES UNSEEDED MULLER TO ADVANCE

Numbers lie, and the score of Roger Federer's 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) escape against unheralded and unseeded Gilles Muller didn't begin to tell the story of yesterday's U.S. Open...

SERENA'S SEMI-TOUGH; ROAD TO FINALS

Richard Williams and Oracene Price can come back to Arthur Ashe Stadium now. The match the Williams sisters' parents dread is over. "It's hard on them," Serena's agent, Jill Smoller...

RUDY'S KEYNOTE STRIKES A CHORD

* Wednesday evening's RNC speakers, from Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee to Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin, each hit their share of home runs out of the park ("Giuliani Blasts...

PUTIN'S PICK FOR PREZ: WHY HE FEARS MCCAIN

* Ralph Peters thinks that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin fears a John McCain presidency ("Putin's Pick for US Prez," PostOpinion, Aug. 30). Well, Putin can get in line to...

DEMOCRATS IN TROUBLE

THE convention floor was abuzz all yes terday with the news of the CBS poll showing a dead tie (42-42) in the presidential race. And the poll, conducted through Wednesday,...

THE RIGHT THEMES

AS rhetoric, it wasn't par ticularly stirring - de liberately written to stay within John McCain's plain-spoken comfort zone. As a performance, it was so-so. But as a basis of...

THE 'ORGANIZER' JOKE

I LAUGHED out loud Wednesday night when Rudy Giuliani laughed out loud while noting Barack Obama's deep experience as a "community organizer." I laughed again when Sarah Palin cracked: "I...

PREVENTING TWIN CITIES TERROR

THE GOP convention began with some rather malicious mischief by self-styled "anarchists." On Mon day, they hurled bottles, slashed tires, stomped bus benches to smithereens and smashed shop windows. Police...

THAT POST-PARTISAN APPEAL

'EVERYTHING is f---ing spin." So said John McCain of the Bush administration's talk about the Iraq war, according to Bob Woodward's forthcoming "The War Within." Woodward claims McCain said it...

A 'WHOSE SPEECH?' TEST

MOMENTS after Sarah Palin had finished her barnstorming acceptance speech to the Republican Convention, the media spinning began: Sure, she can use a teleprompter or read a speech written by...

THESE PUPS' PAPA IS A ROLLING CLONE

Forget designer dogs. A group of South Korean researchers has put a whole new twist on the canine-breeding industry. It started three years ago with the first cloned dog, a...

LOTTERY

NEW YORK Midday Nos. Thu.: 350; Lucky Sum: 8 / Midday Win-4 Thu.: 2829; Lucky Sum: 21 / Evening Nos. Thu.: 596; Lucky Sum: 20 / Evening Win-4 Thu.: 9204;...

(R)EVOLUTIONARY!

If you're in the mood to play God - or at least Darwin - there's a hot new video game hitting stores this weekend for you. "Spore" is a evolution...

DUNST'S 'TRYING' TIME

Not even Spider-Man can save Kirsten Dunst from the witness stand. One of two men charged with swiping a trove of treasures from the Hollywood hottie's SoHo suite appears headed...

FIERCE WAR CRY FOR MCCHANGE

ST. PAUL, Minn. - War hero John McCain realized his long-held dream of accepting a presidential nomination last night, saying he's the right man to jump-start a gridlocked Washington -...

ROARING REPUBS IN QUICK TIE

John McCain is locked in a dead heat with Democratic rival Barack Obama, a startling poll released yesterday found, as campaign watchers predicted a surge in popularity for the Republican...

NEW LOOK A GLAM SLAM!

For one night, "hockey mom" Sarah Palin went from schoolmarmish gran to subtly sophisticated glam - thanks to a makeover of darkened hair, rust-toned cheek hues and perfectly applied mahogany...

POST READERS RESPOND TO PALIN'S SPEECH

Post readers sounded off yesterday on Sarah Palin's Wednesday night speech at the Republican National Convention. Love her or hate her, opinionated readers gave their take on the Alaska governor....

PIT BULL SPEAKS TO THE MASSES

A staggering 37 million viewers tuned in to watch Sarah Palin on Wednesday night - pushing her above the Olympics opening ceremony, the Oscars and the "American Idol" season finale....

MOTOWN MAYOR GUILTY

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Under growing pressure from Barack Obama, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty yesterday to felony charges in a sex scandal that has imperiled Democratic chances of...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * This is the man being sought for stabbing a 71-year-old retired nurse during a robbery outside her Upper East Side home. The suspect accosted Barbara Mirbt on East...

CITY'S NEW 9/11 MED-AID PUSH

The city is launching a major ad campaign to urge those suffering medical and psychological symptoms possibly related to 9/11 to seek help. "9/11 is still with many New Yorkers,"...

BUST AT 'RANSACKS' FIFTH AVE.

This can't be what they meant by "employee benefits." Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store in Midtown has been slammed with its second major in-house theft, prosecutors announced. Even as the...

LOCKING HORNS

Urban cowboy, he ain't. A Manhattan man is suing the Rockefeller Center bar where he was allegedly roughed up by a mechanical bull. In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court,...

MAN SHOT BY 'CRAIGSLIST' GUN TAKES AIM AT SITE

A Manhattan boutique owner is suing craigslist.com for $10 million, claiming he was shot with a gun purchased on the popular Web site. Calvin Gibson, 50, who was shot six...

DA CHANGES TACK ON NIXZMARY MOM

Brooklyn prosecutors seeking to put away Nixzmary Brown's mother for murder pulled an abrupt about-face yesterday, backing off trying to prove she was jealous of her husband's sexual abuse of...

KID AGENCY VIDEO LAME

There's nothing like violent video games and booze to calm troubled teenagers. A private Long Island agency catering to troubled kids served up a case of beer and sadistic video...

RIDES INTO THE SUNSET

The world-famous Astroland is dead. Carol Albert, the longtime operator of the fabled Coney Island amusement park, confirmed yesterday that the 46-year-old icon will close its doors for good Sunday...

JANITOR NABBED IN TORAH THEFT

A cash-strapped janitor swiped a $400,000 Torah from a Queens synagogue and hid the sacred scroll in a friend's closet, law-enforcement officials said yesterday. Eric Giraldo, 23, who was a...

TEACHER VANISH MYSTERY

A Harlem teacher has mysteriously disappeared - leaving behind her keys, wallet and ID - just days before the first day of school. Hannah Upp, 23, a beautiful Bryn Mawr...

DAD SLAIN ON WALK TO OFFICE

A psycho stabbed to death a New Jersey father of three as he walked to his job as a Merrill Lynch executive in Jersey City yesterday, authorities said. Michael Fuccile,...

ELEX FOES RIP SILVER FOR HOOKY

ALBANY - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver came under attack from his Democratic primary opponents yesterday for refusing to say where he stands on the soon-to-expire law that gave Mayor Bloomberg...

TERROR-STRIP DEMO? UH, FAT CHANCE

The lawyer for an MIT-educated terror suspect, describing herself as a "63-year-old fat woman," yesterday made a judge an offer he found easy to refuse - a strip-search demonstration. The...

HARD HAT IN DEATH FALL

A married father of three plunged 48 stories to his death yesterday while working construction at a luxury apartment building on West 42nd Street. Anthony Esposito, who lived in Long...

GUARDIAN ANGEL MURDERED

A crazed homeless criminal lurking outside a Queens woman's house beat and stomped to death a protective neighbor who had come to her aid, police said yesterday. Nicholas Nowillo, 66,...

'FRAUD' IS 'JOBA' THE NUT

It was nothing but a con Joba. A New Jersey screwball who is a dead ringer for Joba Chamberlain told The Post he enjoyed summer of fun impersonating the Yankee...

OLD FOE BEGINS FIGHT TO 'LIMIT' BLOOMY

Former Public Advocate Mark Green is forming a coalition of civic and labor leaders to block Mayor Bloomberg from changing term limits, The Post has learned. Green described Bloomberg's attempt...

TAKE-TWO GETS A BIG LIFT FROM 'GRAND THEFT AUTO IV'

Strong sales of "Grand Theft Auto IV" helped Take-Two Interactive swing to a third-quarter profit of $51.8 million. The New York-based video-game publisher said yesterday consumers have snapped up more...

EMERIL COOKS THE BOOKS

HARPER Studio, the new im print of HarperCollins headed by one-time Hyperion president Robert Miller, has snagged celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse as part of its debut list of authors. The...

THE FALL SEASON

Wall Street yesterday crawled its way deeper into the dark cave of a long bear market, as stocks sank here and abroad in a widening global slowdown. The Dow Jones...

WAL-MART ONLY BRIGHT SPOT IN STRUGGLING RETAIL SECTOR

Shoppers held out for back-to-school bargains last month, stoking fears that the crucial holiday season will be a disappointment for the nation's retailers. Some chains reported a flurry of last-minute...

SURVEY SHOWS BIG JUMP IN ONLINE TV VIEWERSHIP

When the fall TV season kicks off this month, a sizable chunk of viewers won't be stationed in front of the tube. Nearly one in five US households watches TV...

FBI NABS EX-BROKER OVER FRAUD

Julian Tzolov, the former Credit Suisse broker who was charged Wednesday with fraudulent sales of auction-rate securities, has returned to the US to face the music. Tzolov had been in...

PECKER'S AMI PLAN ON TRIAL

A group of American Media's creditors have voiced concern over CEO David Pecker's new restructuring package and want the struggling publisher to sweeten the terms before they support the deal,...

SAKS GETS COLD SHOULDER ON ICELAND BUY

An Icelandic investor who has expressed interest in buying luxury retailer Saks is unlikely to pursue a bid this year, sources told The Post. Jon Asgeir Johannesson - chairman of...

SCHUMER'S SAPPY SOLUTION

Leave it to Chuck Schumer to figure out exactly what's wrong with Upstate's stagnant economy: There's not enough maple syrup. At least, so it would seem from his appearance this...

JOE BIDEN'S MOONBAT MOMENT

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden was backtracking big-time yesterday over suggestions that an Obama-Biden administration might someday bring criminal charges against President Bush. "I don't know where that report...

SARAH SPEAKS: A VIEW FROM CAMELOT

"If a man in high office speaks words which convey his principles and policies and ideas, and he's willing to stand behind them and take whatever blame, or therefore credit,...

THE SECURITY DIFFERENCE

John McCain accepted the Republican nomination last night, capping off an abbreviated convention that, if nothing else, refocused America's attention on an issue that seems to be slipping from public...

REBEL REACHES BEYOND PARTY LINE

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Having comfortably shored up the Republican base with Sarah Palin, John McCain last night returned to his maverick roots - accepting the party's nomination with an...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Florida elementary-school student tried to pay for lunch with a counterfeit $20 bill, one of dozens another student had been handing out. In all, the 8-year-old passed out $880...

FROM RUNWAY TO REALITY

1. More baggage, less problems. Head over to Henri Bendel for limited run of Glamour Magazine Fashion Gives Back canvas totes ($58 each) designed by NYC fashionista favorite designers 3.1...

SOUTHERN COMFORT

The tents are up and the ringmasters are ready - New York City's semi-annual fashion circus is in session. So hold the carbs, bring on the champagne and wear your...

HAVING A FIELD DAY

Super stylist and designer Patricia Field is ending her four-year runway hiatus and casting models for her one-off fashion show at the Edison Ballroom on Saturday. The thrill? Everything is...

HI/LO

STep auf: Ten successful seasons in New York, 30-plus stockists, degrees from Parsons and FIT and couture certification couldn't keep designer Jerry Tam, creative director of FORM, from being brutally...

IN-TENTS STUFF

Anna Sui, designer Q. What is your biggest fashion week vice? A. Junk food, insomnia and self-isolation. Q. What are your spring inspirations? A. My collection is inspired by the...

ROCKETTE ON!

LEAVE it to the Fall for Dance Festival to feature both an all-male hula troupe and a Thai classical dance with contemporary hip-hop sensibility. Eclecticism rules again when the fest...

HEAR'S WHAT TO WATCH

WHEN it came to exposing people to new artists, radio used to be the only gig in town. Those days are long gone, and television has taken over that role....

'DAILY' SHOWGIRL

BEFORE Stewart and Colbert there was Lizz Winstead, a political comedian who gets her laughs from the government. The 47-year-old Minnesota native poked fun at the folks in the White...

STARRY STARRY SIGHTS

MoMA: "Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night" Vincent van Gogh's life was no picnic, but he sure made painting look easy. There are no hard and fast rules...

BLACK COMEDY

IF there's one guy who can give comedians like the late George Carlin a run for their money, it's Lewis Black. The acerbic funnyman and part-time New Yorker hosts Comedy...

BLOODY MURDER

WHAT would happen if vampires no longer needed to suck human blood because they could pop into the 7/11 and buy a six pack of synthetic blood whenever they were...

STARR REPORT

Cable news: Nancy Grace (Headline News) snared her biggest numbers ever Tuesday - 611,000 viewers at 8 p.m. The last two episodes of AMC's "Mad Men" (Aug. 24, 31) have...

AFTER JONBENET

IT might have become one of the most notorious documentaries in the annals of cable TV even if JonBenet Ramsey had not been murdered coincidentally five days after the film's...

CABLE: SPINOFF CITY

SPINOFFS - they're not just for the broadcast networks any more. Cable networks, such as Showtime and TNT, have announced plans to spin off their more popular shows, a practice...

PAGING DR. GREENE

ANTHONY Edwards will return to "ER" - for just one episode. Edwards - who starred on the show for eight years until his character, Dr. Mark Greene, died - is...

AUTUMN-ATIC MUST-SEE MUSIC

FALL is back-to-school time for kids, but for music fans it's back-to-show time, with all the biggest and best bands making their way to Skyscraper Park to rock your socks...

BACK ON THE BLOCK

AFTER a summer filled with reunions of blast-from-the-past acts like the Yazoo Band (or "Yaz" as they're more popularly known), the Verve, Extreme and Soul Asylum, it looks like the...

THE POOL

THE sparkling swimming pool that gives "The Pool" its name sits in the back yard of a well-to-do gentleman's home in Goa, India - unused. Eighteen-year-old Venkatesh, on the other...

HARRIS A GUNSLINGER

TORONTO - When Ed Harris was at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting "A History of Violence" three years ago, he gave co-star Viggo Mortensen a book. It was "Appaloosa,"...

SOME ENCHANTED 'EVENING' IN SW TEXAS

JUDGING by the lovely "Au gust Evening," writer/ director/editor Chris Eska's first feature, his name is worth remembering. Eska uses a minimum of dialogue and a maximum of ambiance to...

SAVE ME

A young gay man agrees to study the Bible at a halfway house full of other young gay men who are trying to scare themselves straight. Sounds like a great...

A GIFTED CAST GETS TOO GUSHY

I first saw veteran French director Claude Miller's "A Secret" at a film festival last year. I was underwhelmed. I saw it again a few weeks ago, and was more...

WATCH, LISTEN & LOINS

JAMIE Bell has his best role since "Billy Elliot" in "Mister Foe," a darkly comic tale of a twisted teen on the cusp of adulthood. When we first meet Bell's...

EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE ITALIAN

NICE locations in Bos ton's North End lend some much-needed spice to Jason Todd Ipson's "Everybody Wants To Be Italian," an otherwise bland ethnic romantic comedy in the mold of...

CELEBS BREATHE LIFE INTO REVIVALS

THERE is no "Godspell" - but a raft of other revivals are headed our way. Virtually everything old is new again this fall, thanks to some starry casting. And there's...

PARTON AND A FRESH TUNE

CURTAIN up! The new theater season is here, so let's shine the spotlight on a few of the big names trying to conquer the Great White Way. * HELLO, DOLLY!...

BILLY'S THE BEST

IT'S got heart, passion, killer choreography - and the best Elton John score ever. When all is said and sung, "Billy Elliot: The Musical" promises to be the biggest London...

'TIS THE MOST SNAPPY 'FELA!'

DON'T expect to sit on your butt or your hands at "Fela!" This rousing new bio-musical - full of the pulsating, rhythmic Afrobeat music for which its subject was famous...

'ROAD' WORK IS UNDER 'WAY

Plenty of activity afoot this season on off-Broadway - and there's no doubt about its most eagerly anticipated production: "Road Show," the first new musical by Stephen Sondheim since his...

LIVIN' LA VIDA LENNY & LUCIANO

TWO giants get their due in the weeks ahead as the opera and classical worlds hail Luciano Pavarotti and Leonard Bernstein. The Lenny love-in - a citywide festival marking what...

DANCE

BATTERY PARK: The Joyce Theater and River to River Festival presents its annual Evening Under the Stars at Battery Park through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The modern dancers of Lar...

FILM

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES: A much younger Al Pacino, Kitty Winn and New York City star in Jerry Schatzberg's 1971 druggie romance almost-classic "The Panic in Needle Park." Tonight at 9:30,...

JAZZ

BIRDLAND: Sunday: Andy Farber and His Orchestra, featuring Hilary Kole on vocals. 315 W. 44th St; 212-581-3080. BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB: Through Sept. 14: Singer Sophie Milman and pianist Eldar...

POP, ROCK, FOLK

BEAR HANDS: The Brooklyn post-punk band comes over the bridge to headline a show opened by the band Boy Crisis tonight at 8. Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St., at...

OFF-BROADWAY

"ABSINTHE": *** 1/2 This thrilling blend of European-style circus and burlesque offers decadent pleasures in a wonderful summertime setting. Spiegelworld at Pier 17, South Street Seaport, South Street at Beekman...

CABARET

FEINSTEIN'S: Michael Feinstein performs tonight and tomorrow at 8 and 10 p.m. 540 Park Ave., at 61st Street; 212-339-4095. METROPOLITAN ROOM: Marilyn Maye's "Love on the Rocks" program of lounge...

PREVIEWS

"A TALE OF TWO CITIES": A musical adaptation of the Dickens novel. Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St.; 212-239-6200. Opens Sept. 18. "EQUUS": Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths star...

CLASSICAL

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH: Harpsichordist Fabio Ciofini joins the Artek ensemble to perform works by Bach tomorrow at 3 p.m. at 122 E. 88th St., at Lexington Avenue; 212-967-9157. MERKIN CONCERT...

FAIRS, FESTS, ETC...

UNITED NATIONS FESTIVAL: Today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 47th Street between First and Second avenues. BIG APPLE PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL: Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m....

BROADWAY

"AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY": *** A largely new cast, led by the redoubtable Estelle Parsons, has taken over in Tracy Letts' Pulitzer prizewinner. But this eviscerating melodrama remains as gripping and...

WEEKEND HOT PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT

THREE'S COMPANY Jazz - September 5 Fall into some modern jazz with drummer Paul Motian, electric guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano, three powerful musicians who first began recording...

Jackson, Thunder get best of Buchholz

Clay Buchholz may have thrown a no-hitter for the Red Sox last season, but he didn't have enough to knock off the Trenton Thunder last night.The Yankees top prospect in...

Pawtucket evens series at game apiece

Ian Kennedy pitched well, but not well enough, as the Pawtucket Red Sox knocked off the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees, 3-1, last night.Kennedy allowed two runs on five hits in seven...

Cyclones prevail yet again

Another day, another win for the Brooklyn Cyclones, as the Mets' NY-Penn League affiliate inches ever closer to yet another meeting with its cross-town rivals, the Staten Island Yankees, in...

Pitching set for Phillies series

With the Phillies reportedly set to go with Cole Hamels on just four days rest Sunday, the pitching matchups for this weekend's NL East showdown at Shea Stadium are in...

GIANTS WIN OPENER

Prior to kickoff, several players were shown on the jumbo screens at Giants Stadium repeating one word: Resilient. It was a trait that came to define their improbable Super Bowl...

OBAMA 'ENLISTS'

LANCASTER, Pa. - Barack Obama says the United States is engaged in a "war on terror" - using the same wording as President Bush to describe the global battle against...