February 26, 2009

Reyes talks up big day

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Here is video I shot of Jose Reyes discussing his two-homer, six RBI outing against the Marlins today and his thoughts on possibly moving to No....

'Idol' Fix: Bye to Kai?

For those of you who were rooting for mama's boy Kai Kalama, it may be time to say goodbye. The 27-year-old curly haired singer disappointed the judges last night with...

Emptying the notebook

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Some tidbits after Jose Reyes rang up two homers and six RBIs, including a grand slam, in the Mets' 9-0 blasting of the Marlins here today:...

NO UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT REACHED AT PIVEN HEARING

Jeremy Piven may be off the hook. No agreement has been reached in Piven's grievance hearing, regarding the "Entourage" star's mysterious mercury poisoning. Piven appeared at the session requested by...

RUTGERS' NEW AD FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER

Rutgers named one of its former football players on Thursday to head an athletic department that has been the subject of recent investigations into its financial oversight, particularly in the...

WOODS LOSES 2ND-ROUND MATCH

MARANA, Ariz. - One day after a ceremonious return to golf, Tiger Woods was on his way home. Tim Clark of South Africa played 16 holes without a bogey and...

GTA: Chinatown trailer, check it

Rockstar's released the debut trailer for upcoming title "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars." This one's called: "Like A Renegade."In case you're curious, the soundtrack is a collaboration between hip hop...

Brandon Moore released

The Jets made it official today when they released guard Brandon Moore to save another $7 million off their salary cap.It's been speculated that the Jets could bring back Moore...

Review: Killzone 2: Frags You Can Be Proud Of

- A sizeable chunk of the voice-acting is good (Col. Radec especially), but your teammates sound like idiots. And they talk - a lot. Actually, 'talking' might not be the...

Knick notes

By BRIAN LEWISWith ex-Knick pariah Stephon Marbury about to join the Celtics tomorrow _ more on the Marbury Malaise already hitting Boston later _ his replacement at point guard is...

PATERSON, LAWMAKERS SPAR OVER STIMULUS CASH

ALBANY, N.Y. - Gov. David Paterson says he's disturbed by legislators seeking to spread New York's share of the federal stimulus package statewide in a way they consider fair -...

SOUTH OZONE PARK MAN SHOOTS WIFE, KILLS SELF NEAR BEACH CHANNEL HS

A South Ozone Park man killed himself Wednesday while sitting in his car near Beach Channel High School after getting into an argument with his wife and shooting her in...

BASEBALL WON'T PUNISH A-ROD

TAMPA -- When Alex Rodriguez is interviewed by Major League Baseball investigators -- likely tomorrow -- it's doubtful his answers will result in punishment. Even after foolishly allowing cousin Yuri...

DIFFERENT STROKES

So I'm driving down US 1, not too far from Port St. Lucie, and I see this sign outside a tattoo parlor: "Chuck Norris is so tough he sneezes with...

VIDEO SHOWS MURDER SUSPECT SMILING AFTER ALLEGED ATTACK

Cops are hoping to get the last laugh in the case of a brutal hate crime. Here is a chilling video released today of a Bronx man giggling to his...

'Idol' Pulls the Wild Card

Wondering what will happen during "American Idol's" Wild Card round? So were we. In atypical "Idol" fashion, the big wigs over at Fox have kept relatively mum on any details...

'Profesor Reyes' coming back

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Comedy lovers, rejoice: Jose Reyes said this afternoon that his popular "Profesor Reyes" Spanish translation video routine during home games is returning after a one-year absence....

Marbury to meet Boston press

By MARC BERMANStephon Marbury will be in Boston tomorrow to meet the press and he'll likely dress for their game vs. the Pacers. The Celtics have waited a long time...

13,000-YEAR-OLD TOOLS FOUND IN COLORADO

DENVER - Landscapers were digging a hole for a fish pond in the front yard of a Boulder home last May when they heard a "chink" that didn't sound right....

COPS: DAD TURNED ON DRYER WITH 1-YEAR-OLD INSIDE

MESA, Ariz. - Police in Mesa say a father is jailed on child abuse charges after he intentionally turned on a clothes dryer while his 1-year-old son played inside. Police...

JEWEL MAY LOSE CHANCE TO SHINE ON 'DWTS'

Singer Jewel's attempts to use "Dancing With the Stars" as a platform to boost her record sales may fizzle even before the show premieres March 8. She's currently out of...

Weinsteins Taking A 5-Month Breather

The Weinstein Co., which at one point planned to release as many as nine films in a nine-week stretch between Oct. 31 and the end of last year -- only...

Bleachers prices lowered

APThe Yankees are lowering the price of about 600 obstructed-view bleacher seats at the new Yankee Stadium from $12 to $5.The Yankees said Thursday they had incorrectly priced the seats,...

Santana discusses elbow issue

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Johan Santana said he thinks the elbow tenderness that will force him to delay his first spring-training start is unrelated to the knee surgery he had...

Woods loses second-round match

Here's the difference between Tiger Woods' opening-round match, Tim Clark is not Brendan Jones. Clark will not be intimidated the way Jones, who struggled for the most of yesterday, was....

Will a Lucas, Peyton Departure Be the End For 'One Tree Hill'?

Six years ago, Varsity basketball wannabe Lucas Scott gave popular cheerleader Peyton Sawyer a lift when her car, The Comet, broke down. Ever since, "One Tree Hill" fans have been...

Updated bubble watch

BY TIM BONTEMPSThe countdown is on.With 20 days remaining until Selection Sunday, the time is now for teams to make their final impressions on the NCAA Tournament's selection committee if...

A-Rod fans mixed at home, too

Alex Rodriguez took his first at-bat in front of his "home" fans since his steroid scandal came to light, leading off the second inning at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.Rodriguez received...

Pulse Sales: Bloomingdale's

Bloomingdale's504 Broadway, between Broome and Spring streets; 212-729-5900Sale: Feb. 28. Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.Take 15 percent off any regular-priced Marc by Marc Jacobs purchase when you donate an evening dress...

VICK TO LEAVE PRISON

Former NFL star Michael Vick will be allowed to finish his prison sentence under home confinement because there is no room at a halfway house for him, officials said this...

Pedro's last stand

As written about yesterday, the Mets have plenty of competition for the final spot of their rotation.And barring a major change of thinking, that competition will not include Pedro Martinez....

Red Bulls beat River Plate reserves 2-1

(Photo from official River Plate website) The Red Bulls won by a 2-1 scoreline for their second straight preseason scrimmage, this time beating River Plate's reserves this morning in Pilar,...

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ELIE WIESEL SLAMS MADOFF

Nobel Peace Prize-winner Elie Wiesel ripped into Bernie Madoff this morning -- saying the financier who allegedly ripped off investors to the tune of $50 billion is a "psychopath." "He...

Mangini stirring things up in Cleveland

And so far, that is not a good thing.New Browns coach Eric Mangini and DT Shaun Rogers' relationship is off to a rocky start. Rogers is asking the Browns not...

JOBLESS CLAIMS HIT 26-YEAR HIGH

WASHINGTON - New jobless claims rose more than expected last week and the number of Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits has topped 5.1 million, fresh evidence the recession is...

JPMORGAN TO CUT 12,000 JOBS RELATED TO WAMU DEAL

JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Thursday it will eliminate about 12,000 jobs as it folds in the operations of Washington Mutual Inc. According to slides on the company's Web site...

Giants, Jets free agency preview

The NFL free agency period begins at midnight. Both the Giants and Jets have needs they can fill simply by spending some money.Here's a look at each team's needs:GIANTS FREE...

Jets free agency preview

By MIKE BATTAGLINOThe Jets have spent plenty of green in the past on free agents, last year shelling out nearly $140 million to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs.But...

JERRY 'THE MARRIAGE REF' SEINFELD

Jerry Seinfeld is reteaming with NBC for a reality show called "The Marriage Ref," which will feature celebs, athletes and comedians giving advice to bickering married couples. NBC has ordered...

Giants free agency preview

By JUSTIN TERRANOVAIn his brief and extremely successful stint as Giants general manager, Jerry Reese is not known for spending big bucks in free agency. Instead, Reese looks to fill...

Jacobs: I got enough $$$

By PAUL SCHWARTZBrandon Jacobs never said he had to break the bank on his new contract. He always insisted he wanted what was coming to him. After signing a four-year,...

GM POSTS $9.6B LOSS FOR FOURTH QUARTER

DETROIT - General Motors Corp. posted a $9.6 billion fourth-quarter loss and said it burned through $6.2 billion of cash in the last three months of 2008 as it fought...

UBS REPLACES CEO

BERN, Switzerland - Troubled Swiss banking giant UBS AG suddenly replaced its CEO on Thursday, appointing Oswald J. Gruebel - former head of crosstown rival Credit Suisse Group - to...

Santana scratched due to elbow

PORT ST. LUCIE -- The Mets are portraying it as just a precaution, but it has to be considered worrisome nonetheless: Johan Santana is being scratched from his scheduled start...

PLAN B

COURTNEY Beard knows exactly what her "Plan B" is if she loses her real-estate job: Get a boob job. "I would then take a job in a nursing home for...

Four Mets on BA Top 100 list

PORT ST. LUCIE -- The Mets have four players in Baseball America magazine's highly respected Top 100 Prospects of 2009 list that was released this week: Outfielder Fernando Martinez (No....

FIRST LOOK: Renaissance Curaçao

Curaçao is the Mickey Rourke of the Caribbean -- er, not in the sense that its beaches have lost their movie-star good looks due to some oil spill, leathery kelp...

The Daily Whacks, Thursday Edition

I have to say, I'm usually in lockstep agreement with just about all of my man Kyle Smith's reviews, but I don't know if I've ever been more disappointed after...

OPERATION BACKUP PLAN

What will New Yorkers do if they lose their jobs? Oh, they've got that covered. "COBRA prescription health plan, senile primary care physician and Craigslist." - Soren McCarthy, 38, Park...

Mets updates now on Twitter

We are providing up-to-the-minute Mets information on Twitter. For the latest news headlines on the Amazin's, go to twitter.com and sign up to follow NYPost_Mets.

'Watchmen' Looks Like 'The First Real Flop of 2009' After Huge Opening, Hollywood Reporter Sez

"Looks like we have the first real flop of 2009,'' writes Hollywood Reporter critic Kirk Honeycutt, predicting Zach Snyder's "Watchmen'' will fall off a box-office cliff after a big opening-weekend...

OBAMA DETAILS NEARLY $4 TRILLION BUDGET

President Obama outlined a budget today where he wants to take from the rich and give to the medically uninsured. The president proposed the first tax increase on high-income earners...

Grapefruit: Marlins at Mets

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Jerry Manuel's sense of humor is firmly intact, judging from the lineup he posted for today's Grapefruit League game here against the Marlins. Not only is...

THE GREAT MIAMI DO-OVER

If you missed out on your opportunity to buy a little piece of second-home heaven in Miami four years ago - back when prices made sense - the real estate...

WHALE ENTANGLED IN LOBSTER TRAP

SANDY HOOK, N.J. - The Coast Guard is enforcing a 500-yard safety zone around a humpback whale entangled in a lobster pot and netting eight miles east of Sandy Hook....

3 UP: PIAZZA, YANK SIGNINGS, SPRING GAMES

1. I wrote this column in today's Post about Mike Piazza and the steroid era in baseball. I think Piazza is representative of the era. He had great accomplishment, but...

GIANTS SIGN LINCECUM

By JOEL SHERMANThe Giants signed NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum to a one-year, $650,000 contract, the Post has learned.Because Lincecum is still not arbitration eligible, he is still operating...

FLAILING PATERSON'S POLITICAL PURGE CONTINUES

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson yesterday ousted his top administrator and picked a new communications director with ties to Hillary Rodham Clinton as part of a sweeping effort to counter his...

Mike rips Paterson, hails Rudy

Mayor Bloomberg was "very critical" of Gov. Paterson during a private powwow with Republican leaders yesterday and said former Mayor Rudy Giuliani would make a "great governor," The Post has...

SILVER PLAN: $2 BRIDGE TOLL

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday proposed an MTA bailout that includes a plan to toll the East and Harlem river bridges at $2. Gov. Paterson, meanwhile, supports a bill implementing...

BERNIE & THE DOMINOS

Three investment schemes that allegedly duped clients out of more than $1 billion were taken down yesterday - and at least one tumbled thanks to Bernie Madoff. Madoff's $50 billion...

D'ANTONI ENTRUSTS GALLINARI WITH CLUTCH MINUTES

For the first time in recent memory, David Lee was on the bench in crunch time. And for the first time ever as a Knick, rookie Danilo Gallinari was not...

WILLIAMS TRYING TO DO IT RIGHT

Sports can provide a humbling experience. Consider Sean Williams humbled. "It's been a humbling, learning experience," Williams said of his season that started with him out of the rotation. Then...

CHURCH ANSWERS BELL WITH THREE RBIS

FORT LAUDERDALE - Ryan Church answered Jerry Manuel with an exclamation point yesterday. After having his starting job and post-concussion hitting skills called into question by the manager last weekend,...

KNICKS' RALLY FALLS SHORT

Superman got his revenge last night on Krypto-Nate with a slam-dunk that really counted. In one of the final blows in Orlando's 114-109 victory over the Knicks last night, Dwight...

KRYPTONATE'S HEROICS CAN'T STOP ORLANDO'S SUPERMAN

THE All-Star sideshow is over. This time KryptoNate couldn't jump over Superman in a single bound. Not that it was for any lack of effort, naturally. Nate Robinson entered last...

COLES A SPLITTING END

With the free-agency signing period just hours away, the Jets made a rather stunning move yesterday when they parted ways with receiver Laveranues Coles. The Jets reached a compromise with...

PHIL NEEDS 19 HOLES TO ADVANCE

MARANA, Ariz. - Phil Mickelson was 4-up with five holes to play yesterday, but wound up needing a birdie putt on the 19th hole to defeat Angel Cabrera in the...

FIRED RENNEY LEAVES WITH REGRETS

TORONTO - Ask Tom Renney if he has any regrets, as The Post did yesterday afternoon, and the former Rangers head coach says he certainly does. "I would have pushed...

BRODEUR TO START TONIGHT

Martin Brodeur made Brent Sutter change his mind. So, after missing 50 games, the Devils' franchise goalie returns to the net tonight in Newark against the Avs (7, MSG+ 2,...

SPORTS SHORTS

MLB: Dodgers make new offer to Manny The Dodgers made a fourth bid for Manny Ramirez, this time offering the enigmatic slugger a one-year, $25 million contract with a $20...

1'S ENOUGH TO TOP ISLES

PITTSBURGH - Petr Sykora scored with 2:28 remaining and the Penguins, badly missing the injured Sidney Crosby, played dismally most of the game but still beat the last-place Islanders 1-0...

STEPHON DEFENDS HIS STAY

Stephon Marbury, in his first interview since being put on waivers Tuesday, defended his five-year stint with the Knicks that featured just one playoff berth and multiple controversies. "One person...

DEVIN, NETS CRACK THEIR BULL WHIP

The drama was lacking. Ditto the distance. And as far as buzzer-beater excitement, there was enough time on the clock to rotate your tires. Twice. But the time to make...

TIRED RESULT AS RANGERS FALL TO TORONTO IN TORTORELLA DEBUT

TORONTO - If this was a fresh start, it had a tired ending, and not simply because the Rangers lost their first game under John Tortorella just the way they...

CALHOUN WINS 800TH

In Milwaukee, Jim Calhoun's 800th career win came thanks to senior guard A.J. Price, who scored a career-high 36 points as No. 2 Connecticut (26-2, 14-2 Big East) beat No....

JOBA MAY BE ON HILL FOR STADIUM OPENER

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Joe Girardi hasn't announced his rotation for the season yet, but because Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain are following ace CC Sabathia to...

GETTING ON FIELD A SHOT IN ARM FOR RODRIGUEZ

DUNEDIN, Fla. - It must be some kind of gift to be so good at something, to be this good at this thing, to be able to close out the...

REGGIE HAD IT WORSE FROM FANS

DUNEDIN, Fla. - No matter how bad the abuse heaped on Alex Rodriguez gets this season, it won't compare to what Reggie Jackson heard in the spring of 1977. Jackson,...

BLAST QUIETS BOOBIRDS BEFORE ALEX RIDES AWAY WITH YURI

DUNEDIN, Fla. - On the most positive day he has experienced in almost three weeks, Alex Rodriguez managed to add fuel to the steroid scandal he desperately wants to vanish....

PIAZZA RUMORS THE TROUBLE WITH STEROIDS ERA

JUPITER, Fla. - This is part of the Steroid Era, too, now. A back field at Roger Dean Stadium. A conversation with Mike Piazza. I can act like Piazza was...

AT TOP OF ORDER, CASTILLO STARTS SPRING OFF RIGHT

FORT LAUDERDALE - Luis Castillo started his personal reclamation project with a bang. The beleaguered second baseman looked like the productive and dynamic leadoff hitter he used to be not...

ANOTHER WOODS MEMORY ALREADY IN THE BAG

WAS Tiger Woods really away from competitive golf for eight-plus months recovering from knee surgery? You certainly couldn't tell by watching him dispatch Australian Brendan Jones in the first round...

LIKE TIGER NEVER LEFT

MARANA, Ariz. - When Brendan Jones approached the first tee at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club yesterday, someone in the packed grand stands yelled: "Lucky draw." Everyone chuckled, understanding the humor...

JUST SOLD!

Manhattan CHELSEA $2,200,000 36 W. 15th St. Two-bedroom, two-bath co-op, 1,900 square feet, with dining area, walk-in closet, den, laundry and elevator that opens directly into unit. Maintenance $2,216, 70...

ANTARCTIC MELTDOWN

GENEVA - Antarctic glaciers are melting faster across a much wider area than previously thought, scientists said yesterday - a development that could lead to an unprecedented rise in sea...

HOLDER'S CONFLICT OF INTEREST

ATTORNEY General Eric Holder toured Guantanamo Bay this week, a "fact finding" visit prompted by President Obama's "close Gitmo" order. One wonders if his eyes were open to the facts...

SLAIN CHIMP CREMATED

A 200-pound chimpanzee shot and killed by police after he mauled a woman last week has been cremated. Eileen Donofrio, office manager of All Pets Crematory in Stamford, Conn., said...

DOLAN OUT THE PRAISE TO THE NEW ARCHBISHOP

It is wonderful that New York City will have a new archbishop ("Godsend!" Feb. 24). Archbishop Timothy Dolan seems like a very down-to-Earth priest. As a Catholic, it pains me...

CHECKING OUT THOSE PENSIONS

A $188,000 pension for a librarian? Sign me up ("Library Retirees' Serious Ca-ssh," Feb. 23). I've got a library card. I'll bob my hair, rummage around for grandma's pumps and...

NEWMAN'S BLESSING

WASHINGTON - Paul Newman has been honored by lawmakers as a screen legend and humanitarian. The movie star died Sept. 26 at age 83 after a long battle with cancer....

A BONG 'HIT' FOR PHELPS

CALGARY, Alberta - Michael Phelps has been dropped as the keynote speaker at two events in Canada next week, with the promoter citing the gold-medal Olympic swimmer's "widely publicized alleged...

INDIA CHARGES MUMBAI KILLER

MUMBAI, India - India charged the lone surviving gunman from the deadly Mumbai attacks yesterday in a 11,000-page document marking the beginning of a legal process that could lead to...

HILL HAMMERS ISRAEL OVER GAZA AID CRISIS

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent angry messages to Israel in the past week, complaining that humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is being blocked by officials in Jerusalem,...

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Red Ambac Ambac Financial Group, which guaran teed billions in risky re packaged subprime mortgage bonds, had a fourth-quarter loss of $2.34 billion, or $8.14 a share, as the bond...

CONGRESS' SNEAKY SLAP AT DC'S KIDS

SINCE 2004, a federally funded private-school voucher program has of fered a lifeline to a few thousand inner-city kids in Washington, DC. Its initial five-year authorization is up for congressional...

NEW HOMES TO 'SLUMDOGS'

MUMBAI, India - The two main child actors from Academy Award Best Picture "Slumdog Millionaire" will get new homes after it was discovered they still live in squalor, Indian authorities...

THE REAL GITMO:

HAVING just re turned from leading a con gressional delegation to the terrorist-detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, I am more convinced than ever that President Obama's executive order to close...

FUROR OVER IRAN NUKE TEST

Iran thumbed its nose at the Obama administration yesterday by testing its first nuclear-power plant and announcing plans to sharply increase the enrichment of uranium that could lead to atomic...

SI CONDO BATTLE IS ONE FOR THE 'AGES'

NOW here's a revolution we can all get behind. Some Staten Islanders are taking a page from the young, pierced and wired radicals who last week took over the cafeteria...

TARGETING DEBT CHEATS

The city moved yesterday to toughen regulations against collection agencies, 17 months after a study found debt-ridden New Yorkers are losing judgments worth $800 million each year because they're not...

MARTHA'S RESULTS TURN SOUR

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia reported a quarterly loss, hurt by slumping advertising revenue and writedowns related to its publishing business. The company, built around lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, said yesterday...

ROURKE'S DOG TAG DAMSEL

Queens girl Betina Wassermann may have been the biggest winner on Oscar night - and she's never been in a movie. When Mickey Rourke walked the red carpet in his...

DON'T WORRY! HERE'S WHAT WASHINGTON IS BANKING ON

FOUR US banks are in trouble. Four! And maybe just three. How do I know? Because I asked a source of mine who closely follows the industry to run a...

NYPD DAILY CRIME BLOTTER

Brooklyn An 11-year-old girl was struck in the chest by a stray bullet last night in her East New York home, police said. The girl, identified by relatives as Samantha...

GOLF'S TARP TRAP

Wall Street's sponsorships of professional golf tours are ending up in the trap. Morgan Stanley yesterday said it was canceling events tied to its June sponsorship of a Professional Golfers'...

MRS. O 'DISHES' ON FIRST FAMILY

When the Obamas moved to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. last month, Michelle Obama made one thing clear to White House staffers. Her daughters - not the well-intentioned small army of domestic...

THEY FEEL OUR PAIN (YEAH, RIGHT!): CONGRESS FORGOES PAY HIKE

WASHINGTON - Wary of angering constituents during the recession, members of Congress will turn down the automatic pay raise due next year. The salary freeze for 2010 was in the...

GIVE GROUNDHOG A HAND

Chuck, the Staten Island groundhog who sank his choppers into Mayor Bloomberg's finger, was just protecting his turf, New Yorkers say. That's according to a Quinnipiac University poll that found...

COP: 'KILLER' SPIED ON US

On the day her dentist husband was killed, Mazultov Borukhova and her family stalked cops after her daughter was taken away by authorities, a police sergeant testified yesterday. After Borukhova...

UAW PREZ URGES VOTE TO CONCEDE

DETROIT - United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger urged union members to vote for contract concessions to Ford Motor Co., saying the automaker can't survive in the long term without...

HIDDEN CUTS IN DEFENSE?

BY all reports, when Presi dent Obama's budget is re leased today, it will envi sion spending more money on defense. The figure thrown around most is an 8 percent...

HOME SALES SINK ALONG WITH PRICES

Yet another hammer pounded down on moribund home sales yesterday - setting the stage for one of the best springtime fire sales seen in years. A report by the National...

SAKS' STOCK SPIKES DESPITE $98.8M LOSS

Saks shares surged 13 percent yesterday despite a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, as the luxury chain pooh-poohed bankruptcy rumors and said it wouldn't rule out offers to be acquired. Saks raised...

NYC IS APPLE SAUCED

New York City residents are big fat drunks, a new poll says. But while a majority of New Yorkers readily admit they drink, the Siena Research Institute survey found, a...

LI GYM RAT IN RAPE BUST

A Long Island gym teacher was busted yesterday for raping a female bartender, police said. Michael Wachholder, 30, of Rocky Point, was arrested for the Feb. 3 attack at the...

WIFE WINS KIDNEY DIVORCE CLAIM

It was kidney failure. A Nassau County court official yesterday tossed a Long Island surgeon's demand that his estranged wife return the organ he donated to her or fork over...

WELCOME DISCOVERY

If its fourth-quarter profit is any indication, Discovery Communications just might be the best-equipped media company to weather a lengthy recession. As other media companies reported sharp profit drops or...

WORLD'S PRICIEST OFFICES

London no longer ranks as the world's most expensive office address, thanks to the financial crisis and falling value of the UK's currency, while Midtown Manhattan maintained its standing as...

PANDIT TO SURVIVE UNCLE SAM'S CITIGROUP PLAN

Uncle Sam's plan to increase its stake in hobbled Citigroup could be rolled out as soon as today - but what's not likely to roll as part of the deal...

COP KILLER GETS LIFE

The hulking ex-con who coldly gunned down a rookie cop rather than go back to jail will now spend the rest of his miserable days in prison, after a Brooklyn...

SUICIDE SLAY DAD: I LOVE YOU

A Queens dad beset by financial problems called his daughter yesterday morning, left the message "I love you," then murdered his wife, set their apartment on fire and killed himself,...

FEARFUL BRITNEY

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' hairdresser testified yesterday that the pop superstar told her she was scared of her former manager and friend, Osama "Sam" Lutfi. The testimony came as...

FLOCKING TO GOD IN DIRE TIMES

The economic crisis is boosting business for at least one institution - the Catholic Church "I haven't been to church in a long time, but I'm here today," financial analyst...

'CRAWLS'-BRONX EXPWY. IS SLOWEST ROUTE IN US

The Cross Bronx Expressway is the worst highway in the nation. Its 8.3 miserable miles of asphalt earned the dubious distinction of having four of the country's 11 worst bottlenecks,...

HIDEOUS YSL CHAIR SELLS FOR $28.3M

The Yves Saint Laurent sale of the century ended yesterday after netting an outrageous $484 million in winning bids - including $28.3 million for an ugly, 90-year-old armchair crafted by...

MOMA ART WRECK-O

An ad exec hired to pull off MoMA's massive subway campaign thought he could improve its famed artwork by having the crew of the city's notorious "Poster Boy" slice and...

FIREMAN IN FED POT BUST

A New York City firefighter was hauled into federal court yesterday for allegedly growing 100 pot plants worth more than $500,000 in a Queens basement. Patrick Murray, 34, is charged...

BOVE IS BANKING ON SUIT

Opinionated analyst Dick Bove's ongoing dustup with former employer Ladenburg Thalmann is heating up after the Miami-based boutique bank demanded Bove pony up $1 million to help it settle a...

AIR DELAYS COST FLIERS BILLIONS

Time is money, especially for people using the city's airports. A new study shows that passengers who fall victim to airline delays at Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports lost...

TASER VICTIM'S KIN SUE COPS

The family of an emotionally disturbed man who plummeted headfirst to his death when police stunned him with a Taser is suing the NYPD and the officers involved in the...

ALLENS WRENCHED IN COURT

As more family fortunes shrink in the recession, the more skeletons come out of the closet. One such case emerged yesterday around a founding family heir of Allen & Co.,...

O HAS LOCKE ON COMMERCE

WASHINGTON - President Obama introduced former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his nominee for commerce secretary yesterday, trying a third time to fill a key Cabinet post for a country...

OBAMA WANTS TOUGH REGS ON WALL STREET

After devoting money and time in search of a rescue for the ailing banking sector, President Barack Obama demanded tough new regulations to keep financial institutions in check and avoid...

THE DETROIT MONEY PIT

President Obama vows not to "walk away" from struggling US carmakers. But with each passing day, it becomes ever more of a stretch to think anyone can save the Detroit...

OBAMA'S FUZZY TAX MATH

WHEN he officially unveils his bud get today, President Obama is ex pected to call for an end to the Bush tax cuts - but only for "the rich." That's,...

SCHOOL SUED OVER IMETTE

Imette St. Guillen's mom is suing a bounty-hunter school that allegedly gave realistic-looking badges to the man accused of killing the young woman. Maureen St. Guillen's suit was filed yesterday...

T FOR TIMES FOR LESS

In a sign that even its most promising titles are falling on hard times, The New York Times is scaling back the number of issues it publishes of T, its...

APPLE TAKES LUMPS

Apple broke its silence for the first time to defend its handling of Steve Jobs' health issues after shareholders criticized the company's lack of disclosure. At Apple's annual meeting yesterday,...

125 SURVIVED THIS!

HAARLEMMERLIEDE, Netherlands - A Turkish Airlines jetliner plummeted out of the mist and plowed into a muddy field yesterday near Amsterdam's main airport, but nearly everyone on board - 125...

BOFA MAY SELL UNIT

Bank of America is looking to sell a private bank it inherited from Merrill Lynch as it tries to preserve capital and shed assets, the Wall Street Journal reported. The...

CABBY AIDS THUG BUST IN 'GAY' HATE SLAY

Thanks in part to a Brooklyn cabby who jotted down a plate number on a napkin, cops tracked down two "gutless" thugs suspected of the hate slaying of an Ecuadorian...

POOCHY COUP VS. LEONA

Leona Helmsley's multibillion-dollar fortune doesn't have to go to the dogs, a Manhattan judge has declared. In a ruling made public yesterday, Manhattan Surrogate's Court Judge Troy Webber said the...

CONGRESS' PORKY POLS PIG OUT ON FINE $WINE

WASHINGTON - Congress went on a pork-a-palooza yesterday, approving a massive spending bill with big bucks for Hawaiian canoe trips, research into pig smells, and tattoo removal - all while...

BROADWAY CARS CAN TAKE A WALK

The Great White Way will turn into a great walkway. In a stunning Midtown makeover, Mayor Bloomberg announced today that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets and...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

For three teens it seemed like the score of a lifetime - just enough to land them in jail. The trio was busted after discovering an antique $1,000 bill in...

MOUNT KISCO, NY

Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 2 1/2 Square feet: 3,861 This 19th-century Victorian was featured on the inaugural Chappaqua House Tour. It's been updated with 21st-century amenities (like a heated pool), but...

UPPER EAST SIDE

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 765 Maintenance: $1,452 When the weather starts to warm up, you'll be ready with your "huge private terrace" high above East 80th Street. And...

SETON HALL SNAPS LOSING SKID

Well, something had to give. Heading into last night, Seton Hall was riding a three-game losing streak, and South Florida had lost four games in a row. After a disappointing...

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Square feet: 1,200 Maintenance: $1,879 You know things are looking up for buyers when you can land a prime piece of the Village's Gold Coast for...

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 2 Square feet: 2,448 Common charges: $692 "Park Place" has a new - or rather, literal - meaning at this condo duplex with its own parking spot!...

PATIENT JACOBS MAKES BIG SCORE

When the Giants on Feb. 12 designated Brandon Jacobs as their franchise player, the plan was to buy time in order to work out a multi-year contract. That plan worked...

PLEASANTVILLE, NY

Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Square feet: 1,450 The 50-inch, flat-screen plasma TV (included) isn't the only thing that's new in this "mint-condition" split-level home, originally built in 1954. The roof,...

MURRAY HILL

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 550 Maintenance: $809 Announced as the "perfect" one-bedroom in a 'hood known for starter homes, this East 26th Street co-op is "well-proportioned," with large...

ST. JOHN'S ON LINCOLN STAR'S SHORT LIST

Lance Stephenson will make the right decision about where to play his college basketball as long as he follows the counsel of his father Lance Sr. The Post spoke to...

NORWALK, CONN.

How does this "sound"? Set on 1 1/2 acres in the exclusive Wilson Point home association - which features its own private security, private beach and tennis courts - this...

VONN MAKES AMERICAN SKIING HISTORY

Lindsey Vonn's win in the Super G on Sunday makes her the winningest American female ski racer in history. The 24-year-old double World Champion secured her 19th World Cup victory...

RIDGEFIELD, CONN.

For "discriminating" owners only, this brand-new (built in 2008), 9,500-square-foot shingle-style home features a wealth of details that make it a "masterpiece," including "unrivaled" custom millwork, a mahogany staircase, coffered...

'LAW' OF LONDON

BELIEVE it or not, this is the new cast of "Law & Order." They look like British lawyers because they are. This is a scene from the new "Law &...

FLATIRON

Here's your chance to own a luxurious prewar Fifth Avenue duplex penthouse overlooking the park - Madison Square Park, that is. Through six large, arched windows, you'll also enjoy an...

UPPER EAST SIDE

In a mostly prewar co-op neighborhood, this 30-story glass condo on East 74th Street stands out a bit - in a good way. In the "spacious and elegant" 2,487-square-foot layout,...

BATTLE READY

'For the month of January," says Erika Wadler, "I cried every single day." What could have waylaid Wadler's heart? Some horrible lothario running roughshod over her feelings? The death of...

SUMMER 'EQUINOX'

The New York City real estate market might be as dead as a summer-in-the-city Friday, but for this week at least, there's some heat in the Hamptons. Gym mogul Danny...

NOBLESSE O'BLIGE

CHOPIN's plaintive melodies form the perfect soundtrack for "Aris tocrats," Brian Friel's elegiac 1979 drama about the failing fortunes of a once proud, upper-class Irish clan. The play is set...

IRAQ WAR MOVIE SIZZLES

THE Kevin Bacon movie, "Tak ing Chance," struck a re sounding chord with HBO viewers. "Chance," in which Bacon stars as a military escort officer accompanying the casket of a...

BAD NEWS FOR 'LIPSTICK JUNGLE'

LINDSAY Price has a deal for a new show - if "Lipstick Jungle" is finally canceled. Price, who co-stars on "Jungle" with Brooke Shields and Kim Raver, has signed on...

'NEXT' CHAPTER

THERE is something so repulsively compelling in a Dracula- like way about "The Girls Next Door," the reality show in which three young, beautiful women give their youth in exchange...

LC: THIS WILL BE FINAL 'HILLS'

LOOKS like MTV's star-crossed BFFs will have only one more season to mend their broken friendship. Lauren "LC" Conrad tells Seventeen magazine that the pseudo-reality show's upcoming fifth season will...

CABLE FINALLY CROSSING OVER TO WEB

SEVERAL cable TV companies are in talks to give their subscribers online access to shows that have been available only on TV until now. A pilot program could be ready...

SHE'S HOME... AT LAST

IF we'd read the diva handbook, we'd have known better than to arrive at Ann Hampton Callaway's Westchester house 20 minutes early for a noon interview. She squinted when opening...

HAUTE LIST

THE good news is she's still got it. Dressed-to-impress First Lady Michelle Obama picked a gorgeous plum-and-black Narcisco Rodriguez number (above) to wear to her husband's big speech Tuesday night.GIVEAWAY:...

EMPIRE STATE GANG HAS THE LIGHT STUFF

NEW York's longest-running show isn't "The Phantom of the Opera." It's the ever-changing halo of lights at the top of the Empire State Building. When the Yankees or Mets win...

DETECTIVE TESTIFIES BORUKHOVA SPIED ON POLICE AFTER DAUGHTER'S SEIZURE BY ACS

The woman accused of ordering the murder of her estranged husband in a Forest Hills playground spied on the police precinct investigating the murder, a police sergeant testified Wednesday. Sgt....

FROM BROADWAY TO WALKWAY

The Great White Way will turn into a great walkway. In a stunning Midtown makeover, Mayor Bloomberg is expected to announce Thursday that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd to...

Mets, Yankees well represented in BA positional rankings

In concert with their top 100 prospect rankings, Baseball America also ranked the top 200 players in the minor leagues by position. Here is where the players from the Mets...

Steph's Times Square revelry

, he's not following Starbury to Beantown!"I'll call you later...''

NYPD: ARREST IN KILLING OF ECUADOREAN IMMIGRANT

Police in New York City say there has been an arrest in the fatal beating of an Ecuadorean immigrant attacked in an apparent hate crime. Police planned to make an...