February 1, 2009

HUDSON PERFORMS FOR 1ST TIME SINCE SLAYINGS

After one deep breath, Jennifer Hudson returned to the spotlight Sunday with a flawless performance of the national anthem before the Super Bowl. Wearing a flowing white top with black...

Pedro claims he has offers

Pedro Martinez told MLB.com that he has offers from teams to pitch next season, but not the one he wants. Martinez has said he would prefer to return with the...

Richardson considering 49ers

Jets FB Tony Richardson could be headed to San Francisco when he becomes a free agent at the end of the month.The 49ers have just made former Jets running back...

Brian McBride back to Fulham on loan?

The Fire pried Chicago native Brian McBride away from Fulham last summer; now could the veteran target man be headed back to Craven Cottage on a loan?Sky Sports says Fulham...

COPS: 'PERFECT SON' KILLED BY DRUNK CAR THIEF

A drunken driver killed a "perfect son" and critically injured another pedestrian in Queens early this morning after stealing an idling car, police sources and family members said. Robert Ogle,...

PHELPS ADMITS SMOKING POT

Michael Phelps has been smoked out! The super-Olympian Phelps today effectively admitted smoking marijuana as he apologized for "bad judgment" after stunning photos showed the 14-gold-medal-winning swimmer doing a big...

Torre's 'Larry King Live' transcript

The following is a transcript of Larry King's full interview with Joe Torre, which aired Friday, Jan. 30, on CNN's "Larry King Live."Courtesy of CNN "Larry King Live." LARRY KING,...

Super Bowl Movie Trailers

The first and only time I ever watched the Super Bowl was in 1989, on the day my daughter Xan was born. I was sort of a captive audience. Xan's...

GSP Makes Penn Quit

Georges St-Pierre successfully defends UFC welterweight title against BJ Penn. BJ Penn had called Georges St-Pierre a quitter during the promotion of their much-anticipated showdown in the Octagon. But it...

TiVo Alert: 31 Days of Oscar, Day 1

"Artists & Models'' is on at 2, followed at 4 by Mitchell Leisen's delightful "Take a Letter Darling'' (1942) arguably the best of Rosalind Russell's "Boss Lady'' comedies. Fred MacMurray...

Oscar Watch: 'Slumdog' Adds Directors Guild to Long List of Laurels

"Slumdog Millionaire'' helmer Danny Boyle won the Directors Guild of America award early today, following triumphs at the Producers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, the Golden Globes and a number...

IRAQ ELECTION SMOOTHEST YET

BAGHDAD - Iraqis held their most peaceful election since the fall of Saddam Hussein yesterday, voting for provincial councils without a single major attack. President Obama hailed the vote as...

POST LEGEND JIM BRADY MOURNED

Scores of mourners bid a tearful goodbye to former New York Post newsman James Brady yesterday, recalling him as a war hero, a hard-nosed journalist and a true gentleman at...

HERO HIT-AND-RUN TEEN'S TALE OF TERROR

The brave Brooklyn teen who broke his arm trying to shield his kid brother from a careening Mercedes told The Post yesterday his pain was "nothing compared to my brother...

ATKINS DIET 'CHEAT'

They were supposed to tango off into the sunset to gether. Instead, the fairy-tale sec ond marriage of Veronica Atkins - widow of low- carb diet guru Robert At kins...

THE WEEK'S WINNERS AND LOSERS

WINNERS JEFF BEZOS Amazon.com chief defies the recession with a 4Q profit of $225 million. MARY SCHAPIRO In line to receive $5M to $25M in benefits upon leaving Finra for...

WARNER OUT TO PULL TRIGGER ON AMAZIN' ARIZONA UPSET

TAMPA, Fla. - One more time, he gets this Super chance tonight to be Cinderella Man. He is the underdog quarterback of the underdog Arizona Cardinals, and the mighty Steel...

BLUE-BLOOD STEELERS TARGET MOST SUPER BOWL VICTORIES

TAMPA, Fla. - One team is seeking to stamp its legacy as the greatest winner in NFL history, backed by a legion of Black and Gold loyalists who transcend their...

THEY OWN THE WORLD

By SUSANNAH CAHALAN They're rich enough to own "The World." Tycoons and celebrities are plunking down millions to buy their own countries and continents - part of the 300 manmade...

POST PAIR SAYS IT'LL BE PITTSBURGH BIG - OR BIGGER

TAMPA, Fla. - All the talk ends at 6:25 tonight. Once the ball is kicked off at Raymond James Stadium, all the hype, hoopla and hubbub fade away and football...

GIANTS BACKERS FEELING BLUE, JETS FANS GREEN WITH ENVY

TAMPA, Fla. - There was a bad case of Super Bowl envy etched on the faces of the passengers of Continental Flight 1618 on Friday afternoon. You didn't need a...

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q & A WITH... DAVID TYREE

The Post's Steve Serby chatted on Friday in Tampa with the Giants wide receiver whose miracle catch made him one of the heroes of Super Bowl XLII. Q: 62 Union...

SCOUT'S-EYE VIEW OF TWO POTENTIAL GAME-BUSTERS

Gary Horton was a college coach and NFL scout for 10 years who now works with ESPN on all of the network's NFL studio shows. He diagrams and explains exclusively...

A-ROD DIVORCES

A-Rod and C-Rod have officially untied the knot. A final judgment in the divorce of Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez was filed on Jan. 12, ending a five-year marriage plagued by...

PHELPS' SEA 'WEED'

The competition isn't the only thing he's been smoking! UPDATE: Phelps Admits Smoking Pot, Calls Photos " Regrettable" Olympic hero and 14-time gold medalist Michael Phelps was caught puffing on...

TECHIES GAME FOR IPHONE 3

Silicon Valley is abuzz with reports that the next-generation iPhone will hit shelves this summer - with the ability to be a full-fledged games platform. While there is no timetable...

WARNER'S WIFE, FIRST TD AND OTHER MONEY-MAKING PROPOSITIONS

BRENDA Warner is hardly the attention grabber she once was. Once her husband, Kurt, left the Greatest Show on Turf in St. Louis, she became a memory - for the...

IF LATRELL CAN FARE WELL IN NEW YORK, WHY NOT MANNY?

TAMPA, Fla. - There is one name I can't get out of my mind as the days count down toward the opening of spring training camps, and as the dueling...

THE RUMBLE

Manuel's history class Skipper learns from Kareem and Mrs. Robinson Jerry Manuel (below) already was quite familiar with basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (right). Now the Mets manager has discovered the...

BIG BEN HAS NO MORE ILL WILL TOWARD WHISENHUNT

TAMPA, Fla. - There will be plenty of personal feelings spilling out onto the field tonight when Ben Roethlsberger goes against his former offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, who in just...

BOWL BIG DEAL FOR BACKUP LEFTWICH

TAMPA, Fla. - Matt Leinart is not the only first-round draft pick quarterback who will be sitting on the bench tonight. Pittsburgh's backup quarterback has his own story of going...

REVENUE-SHARING RULE UNFAIR

BOSTON - When Gary Bettman sug gests the NHL is all about providing temporary help to needy franchises - not that there are any really needy franchises in the commissioner's...

DETROIT'S TROUBLES DUE TO LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN COACH

I SEE nothing wrong with an NBA columnist openly rooting for the Cardinals to win the Super Bowl . . . if for no other reason than in hopes of...

WILLIAMS REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS IN GRAND SLAMS

MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams always selects a special outfit to bring to Australia for a victory celebration. Every second year, she gets to wear it. Williams' 6-0, 6-3 rout...

BRONX ZOO: PART II

* First, there was Jim Bouton's "Ball Four." Then, Sparky Lyle wrote "The Bronx Zoo." Now, Joe Torre has written a book. Why do current and former Yankees act with...

FUNERAL HELD FOR CURRY'S EX

GLENWOOD, Ill. - A funeral was held yesterday for the ex-girlfriend of Knicks center Eddy Curry and her daughter. The service for 24-year-old-Nova Henry and 9-month-old daughter, Ava, took place...

DEFENDERS LEAD HALL SELECTIONS

TAMPA, Fla. - Two ferocious pass rushers and a dogged pass defender headline this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class, which was selected yesterday. Career sacks leader Bruce Smith,...

BARBA-BRO 10TH IN DEBUT RACE

Brother, where art thou? In one of the most eagerly anticipated racetrack debuts ever, Nicanor, a 3-year-old full brother to the star-crossed Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, was an also-ran, finishing...

BLUESHIRTS HELD SCORELESS IN BOSTON

BOSTON - If this is what passes for a good game for the Rangers - sorry, a good road game - then let's abandon the pretense that they're equipped to...

STUNNING RALLY LIFTS NETS

PHILADELPHIA - Take a seat, grab a cold one. You're not going to believe this. This was the stuff of Hollywood. The Nets were without two starters - including Vince...

SPORTS SHORTS

GOLF: Perry takes lead at FBR In Scottsdale, Ariz., after erasing a four-stroke deficit in five holes, Kenny Perry wanted to be alone atop the FBR Open leaderboard. All it...

WADE WOULD WELCOME STEPH TO HEAT

INDIANAPOLIS - Dwyane Wade doesn't have Stephon Marbury listed in his "Fave Five" on his cell phone, but Wade told The Post he thinks the Knicks' banished point guard can...

3RD STRAIGHT WIN? ISLES BE DARNED!

If the Islanders aren't careful, they might play themselves out of a chance for the first pick in the draft and miss out on the John Tavares sweepstakes. They won...

KNICKS HAMMER INDY IN HELL WEEK WARMUP

INDIANAPOLIS - Bring on the Lakers! Bring on the Cavaliers!! Bring on the Celtics!!! Bring on the Knicks' own Super Bowl Week, this three-game homestand-from-hell. KNICKS BLOG The Knicks soared...

CARTER AND SLUR REFEREE MEET AGAIN

PHILADELPHIA - Vince Carter and Derrick Stafford met again last night. Stafford officiated a Nets game for the first time since the New Year's Eve game in Detroit in which...

WHIZ'S KIDS WILL TAKE TITLE HOME TO DESERT

CARDINALS (+6 1/2) over Steelers; Over 46 1/2 The past few weeks have proven fulfilling for a couple of rank underdogs showing lengthy stints on Chicago's South Side on their...

KURT & CO. OVER THE CURTAIN

Including the 1997-2007 seasons in The Post, Cat's 13-year record in print stands at 354-295 (54.5 percent) against the spread.THE PICKCARDINALS (+6 1/2) over Steelers (Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa): Pittsburgh...

TV TAPE OPERATORS SHOULDN'T BE FORCED TO 'PLAY' REFEREE

THE whole thing gave David Bremer the creeps. Still does. And thus he tells this cautionary tale: The 50-year-old freelance TV tape operator was in Glendale, Ariz., to work last...

THIRTYSOMETHING TOMLIN PUSHES RIGHT BUTTONS

TAMPA, Fla. - Mike Tomlin had just graduated from William & Mary and his mother expected the next step for her son to be law school. Instead, he told her...

LEINART LEARNING FROM VETERAN WARNER

TAMPA, Fla. - Matt Leinart was supposed to be the one to lead the Cardinals out of the desert and into the promised land of the Super Bowl. That's why...

PRIDE FALLS AFTER SALUTE TO SPEEDY

On a day when Hofstra honored Speedy Claxton - one of the best players in school history - it was only fitting that the game was won with defense, a...

STORM TASK D.J. WITH STOPPING USF FORCE

D.J. Kennedy has been asked to be a scorer, rebounder and ball-handler for St. John's this season. Today, however, Red Storm coach Norm Roberts will ask Kennedy to take on...

TECH THAT! LAST-SECOND SHOT STUNS WAKE

Gani Lawal scored a game-high 25 points and Iman Shumpert hit a pull-up jumper with one second remaining to lift Georgia Tech (10-10, 1-6 ACC) to a 76-74 upset of...

TRIPLE-DOUBLE MAKES UCONN TEAM 'THABEET'

Hasheem Thabeet tied a school record by blocking 10 shots and added 15 points and 11 rebounds to record his first career triple-double as No. 2 Connecticut staked its claim...

FLIRTS SO GOOD

It is quite possibly the most lucrative single line of dialogue ever: "He's just not that into you" originated in an episode of "Sex and the City" as one dude's...

THE FANDOM MENACE

THE Force is strong with these ones. Like Darth Vader choking a lowly commander with a wave of his hand, "Star Wars" enthusiasts have put Harvey Weinstein in a figurative...

ZAPPA TO IT

Gail Zappa frequently speaks in the present tense about her late husband, composer Frank Zappa. "His definition of music," she says, "is, 'Sound organized for the purpose of decorating time.'...

LEGEND HAS IT

John Legend was one of President Obama's early celebrity supporters, having participated in will.i.am's "Yes We Can" video and writing a song for the then-candidate called "If You're Out There"...

PROOF POSITIVE

Italians have long favored and savored grappa as an after-dinner closer and coffee supplement. Winemaker Fantinel now brings to the US its own bold grappa as a counterpart to, say,...

NEW TAX SLAP FOR CIPRIANIS

The taxman is chasing the Ciprianis - again! The state Department of Taxation and Finance slapped the restaurant empire with a new warrant Monday for failure to pay $951,706. "They...

SAMARITAN GOONS BEAT WRONG THIEF

A cabby who tried to grab a purse from four women who had refused to pay the fare was bloodied early yesterday by some good Samaritans who mistakenly thought they...

BRUCE AND THE E STREET PLAN

The Post has gotten the answer to one of the most asked questions in the run-up to today's Super Bowl - what will be on Bruce Springsteen's half time set...

GOP AIMS AT KIRSTEN SEAT

Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is ready to battle New York Democrats for Kirsten Gillibrand's vacated congressional seat. The 20th District in the Hudson Valley, which came...

CITI'S SKY-HIGH ARROGANCE

Just weeks after Citigroup averted total collapse with a $45 billion shot in the arm of taxpayer cash, the bank jetted its former CEO and his family on one of...

BATTERY LOSES JUICE

He had earned roughly $480 million by the time he was 31. He cofounded PayPal, which he sold to eBay, and started an online software company that netted him another...

OBSESSED OCTO-MOM ALWAYS HAD A 'BORN' IDENTITY

The California woman who gave birth to octuplets last week is "obsessed with children" and has wanted to make babies since high school. The mother of Nadya Suleman, 33 -...

TOP OBAMA OFFICIALS SPAR ON BANK PLANS

In politics as well as finance timing is everything. And the timing of FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair's "bad bank" rescue plan was troubling on both fronts - leaking out just...

WHEN TO START DISTRIBUTIONS

Dear John: I have been given different answers to this question by a number of experts:When do I have to start taking my mandatory withdrawals from my Individual Retire ment...

CONEY I. HOSPITAL BOSS OUT

THE executive director of Coney Island Hos pital quit suddenly last week, and no one will explain why. Peter Wolf, a 25-year veteran of the municipal hospital system, told stunned...

PRESIDENT'S BROTHER IN KENYA DRUG BUST

NAIROBI, Kenya - President Obama's half-brother was arrested on a charge of pot possession yesterday near his home in a Nairobi shantytown, police said. George Obama is in his 20s...

I'LL SAVE YOUR HOMES: BAM

President Obama said yesterday his next priority will be cheaper mortgages. "We'll help lower mortgage costs and extend loans to small businesses so they can create jobs," Obama said in...

LAWYERS CAN TEACH WALL ST. FINANCE

NEW York's law firms are bleeding. Business is drying up, billable hours are way down and associates are being laid off at a rapid clip. Sounds like a recipe for...

TORRE PLAYS DUMB

Joe Torre says that he's maligned no one and that he expects there to be no bad blood between him and any of his ex-players over his new book, which...

A BAD (BANK) IDEA

The prospects of the Obama administration creating a $4 trillion "bad bank" stocked with the toxic assets of the country's ailing banks are, well, bad. The White House plan has...

HEY, THINGS ARE TOUGH ALL OVA

Talk about golden eggs. Droves of cash-strapped women are emptying their ovaries to fill their bank accounts. Kimberly Bannat, a college student from New Jersey, was desperate for funds when...

NETS CEO BRINGS THE 'MADNESS' TO THE BOARDROOM

BRETT Yormark , the inventive CEO of the New Jersey Nets, will try anything to stir up interest in his struggling, sub-.500 team. His latest idea: You get to play....

CITY CULTURE VULTURES

City- and state-funded cultural institutions are cutting programs and slashing staff - even "firing" the Bronx Zoo's porcupine - and yet their CEO pay packages would make Wall Streeters blush....

GOOGLE GLITCH CAUSES SURFERS TO REAP PAGES OF FEAR

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Web surfers using Google searches during a nearly one-hour period yesterday morning were greeted with disturbing but erroneous messages that every site turned up in the...

VEX AND THE CITY

Hey, oblivious, slow-walking sidewalk blocker - you've been named Public Enemy No. 1. About 29 percent of 2,300 respondents to a survey by snarky Brooklyn-based Web site People Who Deserve...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * Police are hunting for this hulking serial bank robber (pictured), suspected in seven heists in Manhattan and Queens. The unarmed thief, believed to be in his 40s and...

RECORD TV BLITZ AIMS AT HUDDLED MASSES

Madison Avenue is digging deep into its playbook for the big game this year, pulling out plenty of new tricks and old favorites as NBC rakes in record revenue from...

BIG GALAS THROWN FOR A LOSS

It's the not-so-Super Bowl. Canceled parties, plummeting ticket prices and a dearth of corporate dollars have marginalized the big game, a result of a crumbling economy, a mediocre matchup and...

TO SWERVE & PROTECT

It's back to driving school for the NYOD, which has just laid out $225,000 for its first two squad-car simulators in an effort to reduct the rising rate of cop-car...

'MEAN JOE' KID IS SUPER STOKED

At age 9, Tommy Okon made Super Bowl history when he appeared on television handing football legend "Mean Joe" Greene a bottle of Coke. Little brown-haired Okon follows a battered...

DR. DOOM'S REAL 'ASSETS'

New York University professor and famed economist Nouriel Roubini is at it again - simultaneously making news for his doomsday financial predictions and his colorful social life. The 49-year-old professor...

SURVEY: WE DON'T TRUST BIZ

In the wake of tanking stock markets, crippled banks paying out billions in bonuses and investment advisers being accused of running Ponzi schemes, Americans' trust in business has plunged to...

PECKER FINALLY PULLS IT OUT

After weeks of feverish negotiations, American Media's bondholders yesterday reached a bailout agreement with the publisher of the National Enquirer, Star and Shape, The Post has learned. The deal cuts...

MIKE BUDGET TAKES 'SHOT' AT TRAFFIC

Drivers beware: Big Brother could be watching you at every Big Apple intersection soon. The mayor's preliminary budget released Friday proposes to amend state law to allow for traffic-light cameras...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A drunk driver who was clocked doing 2 mph in a stolen construction lifting machine told cops he had been dared to take the equipment by a stranger he met...

MAKING THE SCENE...

113 N. Seventh St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-218-6006; Hours: Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-4 a.m., and Sat. & Sun., 1 p.m.-4 a.m. Don't Be Ashamed? Drink Better Alcohol? There's lots of speculation about...

CHINESE NEW GEAR

Macao Trading Company 311 Church St.; 212-431-8750 This speakeasy-esque spot is modeled after the red lantern district of the industrial port of Macao in the '40s, and it's already drawing...

NUT SO GOOD

The date was off to a great start when Paul, a 37-year-old , and Heidi, a 37-year-old TV news video editor, met at Indian spot Darbar Grill. But just as...

MEET MARKET

GET your baseball bats and your . . . belly shirts? That's right. Karen, a 35-year-old writer, loves the Yankees and belly dancing. Baseball fans with a thing for Shakira...

OSKOTSKY, 29, AND IOFFE, 32

Dec. 7 - When their first date coincided with the biggest storm of 2005, Emilia Oskotsky and Stanley Ioffe braved the bad weather to meet. Luckily, their future forecast looked...

CORONADO, 51, AND JACOBY, 49

Dec. 14 - Laurie Jacoby and Alfredo Coronado decided to spend the most romantic day of their lives at one of New York City's most romantic spots: One If By...

PEREZ, 40, AND LIRANZO, 31

Dec. 31 - Jackson Heights couple Rafaela Perez and Jose Liranzo received a special wedding gift when the bride's mother surprised the newlyweds on their big day. "Due to health...

ESCOBAR, 32, AND FRIEL, 31

Dec. 5 - A camping trip and some confusion was all it took to bring Caroline Escobar and Ciarán Friel together. While traveling through Peru in August 2003, the duo...

WEB SLINGER

Mad Libs Men CollegeHumor.com This parody trailer for "Mad Libs" - a concept merging the beloved fill-in-the-blank car game and AMC's hit series "Mad Men" - comes complete with a...

TECHNOLOGY

Zuca Pro carry-on bag $289; Zuca.com If you've traveled enough to know which hotel chain has the best-smelling shampoo, then this rolling carry-on is designed for you. The aluminum frame...

Q&A WITH DAVID CROSS

CONSIDERING all the projects he's working on, David Cross generally doesn't take to the stand-up stage unless it's for a good cause. Well, that time has finally come. On Tuesday,...

CAT AND RELEASE

MEI MEI likes a full-body cuddle in the morning, and she's very cranky if she doesn't get it. A full-body cuddle means I lie down on my side on the...

GIMME SHELTERS

PEOPLE aren't the only ones affected by the recession. Pets, too, are feeling the squeeze, especially shelter animals that depend on the kindness of strangers. Sadly, the recession is forcing...

AGENDA

Alan Cumming introduces pill-popping chicks; theater goes long-distance; anti-Super Bowl events offer alternate ways to score; Comic Con comes to town; and sing along with the Oompa-Loompas.Geekdom flips out ART...

MY NEW YORK

As the daughter of fashion legend Ralph Lauren, 34-year-old Dylan Lauren learned retail from the master. Add to this knowledge her passion for candy and you get Dylan's Candy Bar,...

CHECK HER OUT

BOBBY Fischer created "Fischerandom," his version of chess, with the idea of invigorating the game. Now Vasily Ivanchuk is trying to popularize his own idea, "Kiss the Queen." The Ukrainian...

BRIDGE

I RECENTLY dropped in on a friend at his office. It was a beehive, with people dashing around all over the place, but my friend was a study in serenity....

FANTASY ISLAND

Watching the first few episodes of this season's "Lost," the feeling crept over me again - that eerie, woozy, uncanny sense of becoming unstuck in time, untethered to logic, swarmed...

GIRLS ON FILM: DITZY AND DUMB

On Thursday, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legislating equal pay for women. Also on Thursday, Disney hosted an advance screening of "Confessions of a Shopaholic," starring...

FLOP CULTURE

A few years before the Great Depression, an economics graduate student named George W. Taylor noted that skirts and the economy tended to be hiked up and let down at...

THE $800B MISTAKE

As a conservative economist, I might be expected to oppose a stimulus plan. In fact, I've declared my support for a stimulus. But the fiscal package now before Congress needs...

GIVE US ALL $3,000

House Democrats passed a nearly trillion-dollar so-called stimulus bill this week at the urging of President Obama, but the spending may do little or nothing to get this economy moving...

WHO'S AFRAID OF SOCIAL SECURITY?

"Recidivism" is Rep. Jim Cooper's laconic explanation of why he, although only 54, has spent portions of five decades on Congress' payroll. Responding with aphorisms (e.g., "Bad government starts at...

THE NEXT 100 YEARS

Buck up, Americans. Things may look bleak now, but George Friedman, founder of Strategic Forecasting, Inc., a private intelligence agency sometimes called the "Shadow CIA," sees great things ahead. In...

Q&A: JOAN RIVERS

Just three weeks before tart-tongued Joan Rivers (with daughter Melissa) takes her rightful spot outside Hollywood's Kodak Theatre to critique celebrity Oscar fashions, she's added a new wrinkle (the only...

REQUIRED READING

Confessions of a She-Fan The Course of True Love with the New York Yankees by Jane Heller (Rodale) Forget A-Rod. The one really suffering a "Single White Female" obsession with...

REJECTED

Rejection isn't fatal or fair, but apparently should be shared. At least that's the view of John Friedman, creator of "Rejection Show," a live New York program offering writers the...

IN MY LIBRARY: ERICA JONG

In "Love Comes First," Erica Jong's first poetry collection in nearly a decade, there's a lovely piece, "The Poetry Cat," about luring the elusive poem onto the page. Novels are...

SECURING THE CITY

Every day since 9/11, there have been plots against New York City, says David Cohen, the police department's intelligence chief. "What that plot consists of, who's doing it, and where...

THE WATCHMEN WHO DIDN'T

The usual gaggle of self-styled good-government groups is calling on Gov. Paterson to appoint David Grandeau, former head of the state Lobbying Commission, as chairman of the Public Integrity Commission....

CITY HALL'S BRONX DISS

Don't blame the Yankees for City Hall's inability to build a park on time. The new Yankee Stadium will open in three short months - but it may be another...

BIGGEST LOSER

Oprah Winfrey has, yet again, demonstrated her complete disconnect with the average person ("The Oprah Syndrome," PostScript, Jan. 25). Apparently, in her world, everyone should stop everything and share her...

BAD OLD DAYS

I expect that crime will continue to rise since Commissioner Ray Kelly spends more time promoting himself as the counterterrorism czar than fighting crime ("Scared To Come to NY," Jan....

MAD TV

In attempting to quarterback the analog-TV conversion to digital, the Senate voted to delay the target date by four months ("Senate OKs Digital Delay," Jan. 27). If our elected officials...

SHE'S A BUST

Melody Morales thinks she has what it takes (beauty, in her mind, and no brains) to work at her dream job - as a bikini waitress at Hawaiian Tropic Zone...

FOWL PLAY

After eight years of his being in office, I wasn't aware of David Weprin's expertise in wildlife management ("Action Needed Against Geese," PostOpinion, Jan. 28). It's no wonder that he...

MORE TAXES WOULD HURT SPORTSMEN

IT is not just the prospect of a New York State saltwater li cense that has sportsmen upset, it's all the new taxes being aimed at the outdoor industry in...

SHOW TIME

"American Idol's" Hollywood Week is about to become Hollywood Squared. For the next two weeks - instead of the usual one - Fox's aging but still powerful hit will devote...

ROMAN SKELETON CREW

For anyone familiar with Rome, the tour of the city's catacombs was the last word on skeletons. Well, not anymore. When an ancient water main broke in the Eternal City,...

'POLIO' SCARE RECALLED

A crusading lawyer named Basil O'Connor is the hero of "The Polio Crusade," a new PBS documentary that recounts efforts by O'Connor and other to eradicate the crippling disease. Of...

CARLIN'S 'SEVEN DIRTY WORDS' BLEEPED - AGAIN

When George Carlin was posthumously awarded the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November, the stunning irony is that when they played Carlin's infamous routine about seven...

SUPER 'OFFICE'

Jack Black and Jessica Alba's next big project premieres Sunday, Feb. 1, not on the big screen but right after the Super Bowl: the two are guest-starring in the special...

'ROCK'-Y ROAD TO ROMANCE

Jon Hamm doesn't have to report to work on the "Mad Men" set until April, for episodes that won't air until July. In the meantime, Don Draper fans can catch...

DON'T MISS LIST

DRAMA MEDIUM, Monday, 10 p.m., NBC, Season Premiere Psychic detective - Allison (Patricia Arquette) tries to help Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) solve the recent murder of his friend's sister, but her...

REEL GOOD

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007), Monday, 8:15 p.m., MAX A thoroughly enjoyable about womanizing U.S. congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), who, at the urging of a gorgeous, conservative Texas socialite (Julia...

PRIMETIME

Here's an easy one: Name the cable network that has tried to lure younger adult audiences by presenting better quality prime time programming? Correct, there is none. On the other...

Bring on the Lakers!

By MARC BERMANINDIANAPOLIS - It's all good.There could not be a better time for this Super Week for the Knicks - Lakers, Cavaliers and Celtics at the Garden. The Garden...

MAUREEN DOWD: QUEEN OF SNOTS

In the spring of 2008, I was sitting in a coffee shop on Broadway, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and a tall, straight, fine-looking woman, about eighty-five years old, mysteriously...

MICHAEL PHELPS CAUGHT WITH BONG

The competition isn't the only thing he's been smoking! Olympic hero and 14-time gold medalist Michael Phelps has been caught cradling a glass bong - a scene so potentially damaging...