August 27, 1999

THE FED ISN'T DONE WITH RATE HIKES

THAT'S two and counting. I will tell you in a minute what Fed chairman Alan Greenspan is being told privately about inflation. But before that, I will explain why even...

PORTERA GETS COZY WITH CONSULTLINK

Online consultancy hub Portera is snapping up Consult-Link.com, the largest directory of high-tech consultants and consulting firms on the web. Terms of the deal, which could be announced as early...

MORT UNFIT TO PRINT: CONDE NAST DROPS APPLIED GRAPHICS

Mort Zuckerman's struggling Applied Graphics Technologies is being dealt a devastating blow. Magazine giant Conde Nast Publications is dumping Applied Graphics for its pre-press work and is putting its multi-million...

TOYS 'R' US CEO NAKASONE QUITS

Toys "R" Us CEO Robert Nakasone resigned yesterday, ending a year-and-a-half tenure in which Toys "R" Us ceded its spot as the No. 1 toy retailer to Wal-Mart, endured seven...

EDITOR CROW FLIES CONDE COOP

Veteran editor Elizabeth Crow, editor of Mademoiselle for the past six years, has decided to fly the Conde Nast nest. yesterday, after meeting with Conde Nast CEO Steve Florio, she...

THOMAS FROWN AFFAIR

Strange Justice 8 p.m. Sunday on Showtime EIGHT years ago, a stinkbomb of humongous proportions went off in the U.S. Senate. Anita Hill, a preternaturally prim and calm professor at...

KID-FRIENDLY 'DOG' WOULD BE BETTER WITH BITE

THERE are so few kids' movies today that when one comes along that children may enjoy, critics are loath to warn parents off, even if the film is flawed. Hence...

NASH'S NEW HIT: CASH FOR AUTOGRAPHED POP CLASSICS

IN an attempt to cash in on their work, a group of musicians is hawking signed, handwritten lyrics of their hits, most of them pop classics from the 1960s and...

'LIPS' DOES SATIRE NO SERVICE

'STIFF Upper Lips,'' a pathetic attempt to give British costume dramas the "Airplane" treatment, cries out for even a tiny bit of the wit the Zucker brothers and Leslie Nielsen...

DON'T BELIEVE THIS WIZARD OF 'OZ'

H BO ran a series of full-page newspaper ads this past Wednesday hyping that night's "season finale" of the gritty prison drama, "Oz." The only problem? The "Oz" finale is...

IT'LL WIN 'YOU' OVER

WE'VE grown so accustomed to romantic comedies attempting to sweep us off our feet that it's easy to undervalue the slight but thoroughly enjoyable pleasures offered by movies with no...

'WOUNDS' PULLS NO PUNCHES

WHATEVER else might be said of the vile Slobodan Milosevic, he has been good for the film industry in the former Yugoslavia. Two of the decade's best films - Emir...

LOOK OUT BELOW: FOX WANTS TO CRASH A 747 JET LIVE IN PRIME-TIME BLOCKBUSTER

FOX is reportedly close to a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration that would allow the network to show a real 747 jumbo jet crashing on live TV. The crash,...

BACK IN THE COUNTRY: KRISTOFFERSON TURNS TALENTS TO MUSIC AGAIN

DON'T be fooled by his gruff exterior and gravelly vocals - Kris Kristofferson is one of America's finest living singer/songwriters, an artist who nimbly combines clever lyrics with heartfelt passion....

TV TICKER

'Sein' change Ch.11 is moving "Seinfeld" from 11 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on its revamped fall schedule beginning Sept. 20. "Friends," which now airs at 11:30 p.m. - and often...

ENTHUSICAL FOR 'SEUSSICAL'

BROADWAY heard - and saw - a Who last week in Toronto.The industry's top producers and theater owners traveled north to check out a workshop of "The Seussical," a new...

CROW TO JOIN CLAPTON FOR FREE PARK GIG

Sheryl Crow and Eric Clapton are getting ready to do their best Simon and Garfunkel. Crow, the kewpie-lipped "All I Want to Do" crooner, will play a free concert in...

BROOKS' LATEST COMEDY NOT ENOUGH TO A 'MUSE'

Movie Review THE MUSE Starring Albert Brooks, Sharon Stone. Directed by Brooks. Running time: 97 minutes. Rating: PG-13. At Sony Lincoln Square, Loews Kips Bay, Guild 50th, others. WHO doesn't...

SUPPORTING ACTOR CATEGORY ALREADY CROWDED

IF the buzz on Tom Cruise's performance in "Magnolia" proves true, Cruise will be an odds-on favorite for a Best Supporting Actor nomination come Oscar time. When actors like Cruise...

CRUISE IN FOR AN OSCAR? HUNK EARNS RAVES FOR ROLE IN 'MAGNOLIA'

Tom Cruise regularly commands $20 million a picture but, ironically, it may be his small role in a modestly budgeted film that wins him that elusive Academy Award. "Magnolia," Paul...

A LUCKY '13TH'

THE 13th WARRIOR Starring Antonio Banderas, Vladimir Kulich and Dennis Storhoi. Directed by John McTiernan. Screenplay by William Wisher and Warren Lewis. Running time: 114 minutes. Rating: R. At Union...

DRENCHED APPLE BRACING FOR MORE - FLOODED ROADS AND RAILS LEAVE MILLIONS AROUND TOWN IN QUAGMIRE

The soggy city braced for more rain today after a morning monsoon yesterday created chaos for hundreds of thousands of commuters, flooded basements and ruined businesses. The storm turned the...

GRIEF & ACTIVISM AT SLAIN BOY'S FUNERAL

Hundreds of mourners yesterday were urged not to let Kelvin McGiness - the 11-year-old Brooklyn boy cut down last week by a bullet meant for an alleged gang member -...

'WEREWOLF' ATTACKS LOVER'S KIDS: COPS

His mom said her son was babbling "something about the full moon." A Long Island man who supposedly hinted he was a werewolf savagely bit his girlfriend's 6-year-old daughter and...

HOW RACIST RANTER CAN REALLY HELP KIDS; HOW KHALID CAN HELP KIDS

CHARLIE RANGEL, the Democrat representative from Harlem, has the heart of a mischievous prankster. I mean, who else would have played the practical joke of suggesting Hillary should run for...

WISEGUY'S WIFE IS OUT OF CASA NOSTRA

A mob wife who claims she was conned out of her home by her mother-in-law got an offer she couldn't refuse yesterday - a marshal officially tossed her out of...

CITY DOES HOMEWORK ON SCHOOL-UNIFORM PRICES

Parents hunting for the best buys on school uniforms for their kids this fall can save a bundle of money by checking a new city survey that found prices ranging...

RENO 'VERY TROUBLED' OVER FBI'S WACO LIES

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Janet Reno yesterday said she was "very, very troubled" to learn the FBI fired flammable tear-gas canisters at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, contrary to...

NIXED 'MILLION MARCHERS' MAKE FEDERAL CASE OF IT

Rebuffed by both City Hall and Harlem elected officials, organizers of next week's Million Youth March will turn to a federal judge today to try to get a go-ahead for...

BESSETTE MOM EYEING SUIT AGAINST JFK ESTATE

The mother of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette hinted in court papers yesterday she might file a wrongful-death suit on their behalf - possibly against the estate of JFK...

HILLARY SENT FEDS TO SEE SLAIN TEEN'S MOM

EDGARTOWN, Mass. - The White House yesterday confirmed Hillary Rodham Clinton asked the Justice Department to meet with the mother of a slain Jewish teen from Brooklyn. "The Justice Department,...

DELUGE OF WOE ON THE FDR 'DIVE'

No man is an island - but plenty of cars on the FDR were yesterday. Flash flooding from the morning's heavy rains left more than 100 cars stranded on the...

GRIDLOCK-BUSTERS POSTPONED 'TIL TODAY

Beware - the gridlock enforcers are back! Hundreds of cops will sock motorists with summonses for blocking intersections today, NYPD sources said. So don't block the box. Drivers got a...

CONN. RIDERS STUCK ON 5-HOUR BX. TOUR

They set off from the posh suburb of Darien, Conn., at 7:30 a.m. for the hourlong ride to Manhattan - but the Metro-North riders never made it. They got as...

BABY'S ARRIVAL MAKES WAVES

At least one person was not about to be delayed by yesterday's flood - a baby who decided she was being born no matter what her mom or Mother Nature...

GM CRASH-SUIT AWARD CUT TO $1B

LOS ANGELES - A judge yesterday slashed the largest-ever jury award in the United States from nearly $5 billion to $1 billion - but angrily blasted defendant General Motors for...

UNDERGROUND FAIL-ROAD - COMMUTERS FUME AS EVERY SUBWAY LINE TAKES A HIT

Hundreds of thousands of seething commuters were stranded for hours yesterday after massive flash floods caused the worst train-service breakdown in decades. Angry subway riders described nightmarish three-hour delays as...

BANK OF N.Y. PROBERS EYE YELTSIN TIES

A husband-and-wife team under investigation in the massive Bank of New York money-laundering probe denied they did anything wrong yesterday - as the taint of the scandal reached the highest...

MODEST HERO FOILS SUBWAY SHOVER - MYSTERY MAN SAVES WOMAN'S LIFE

An anonymous, heroic good Samaritan last night saved a terrified woman from being thrown onto the subway tracks by a stranger - seconds before a train roared into the station,...

BOUND WOMAN SLAIN ON ROOF

Police last night found the body of a 37-year-old woman - whose wrists and ankles had been bound - on the roof of her Brooklyn apartment building, officials said. Vivian...

TOP COPS BUCKED BILL ON LENIENCY FOR FALN

Major federal law-enforcement agencies told the Justice Department they unanimously opposed any leniency for jailed FALN members - weeks before President Clinton offered to commute 16 members' sentences, it was...

FIRED 'TEA' COP BREWS EXPLANATION

A veteran cop fired for marijuana use says he failed his drug test because he unknowingly sipped tea laced with the drug intended to ease his sick uncle's suffering. Ex-Officer...

HOSPITALIZED O'CONNOR IS 'UPBEAT AND POSITIVE'

John Cardinal O'Connor was resting comfortably in the nation's top cancer center yesterday, awaiting test results, his spokesman said. O'Connor, 79, checked himself into Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital two days ago,...

FISHING PICKS UP AS AUTUMN NEARS

ANOTHER week falls by the wayside and saltwater anglers get closer to the best time of year for fishing the marine waters around New York, a time when the ocean...

GOLDEN OLDIES:DON'T SNUB THEM ON YOUR ALL CENTURY BALLOT

RECENT Hall of Fame inductee George Brett doesn't know enough about hitting to have a higher position than assistant hitting coach on his son's little league team, but he did...

MITCHELL'S DAD A REAL WARRIOR

THE father played fullback at Springfield College, then a year-and-a-half with the Patriots until Jim Nance showed up, and then had to surrender his $7,800 signing bonus and toil for...

BAILEY'S RIDIN' HIGH AS SPA'S TOP JOCK

SARATOGA SPRINGS - From the press box to the paddock, from the clubhouse at the old Spa to the OTB parlors in the city, the whispers have become a roar:...

1,500 - NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS: BROWN'S SEEKING TO LEAPFROG INTO ELITE CROP OF RBS

ALBANY - There was a time not very long ago when this would have finished Gary Brown. He would have faced adversity by either shrinking or quitting. "I'd have been...

NOT-SO-GREAT-SCOTT: LANCE MAY MISS SEASON

ALBANY - The news on Lance Scott is in and it's not good. There's a chance he could miss the entire season. Scott was the Giants' starting left guard, but...

LUCAS ON THE BUBBLE: HAS LITTLE MARGIN FOR ERROR VS. JINTS

It's uncertain when he'll enter the game and get under center or whether he'll follow starter Vinny Testaverde or newcomer Rick Mirer. But it's no exaggeration to say that when...

OPEN'S NO DRAIN ON TAXPAYERS

WHILE the Giuliani administration ponders - and ponders - just how many hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars it will spend on new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees, and...

BYRNE: VET FOUL UP KOD NANI ROSE

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Citing "an on-going investigation," New York Racing Association stewards and security personnel would not comment on their probe into the mysterious late scratch of Nani Rose, who...

CAMPANILE TAKES TURF WRITERS

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Campanile took the lead soon after the start and despite stumbling over the last fence, he went on to a three-quarters of a length victory over 45-1...

8 IN MIDSUMMER DERBY: MENIFEE, 'KID,' CAT THIEF ARE READY TO GO

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The annual highlight event at the old Spa, tomorrow's 130th running of the $1 million Travers, will not be a Charismatic event. But the shadow of the...

BEAST KEEPS ITS COOL: FOR TOMS RIVER EAST, JUST ANOTHER DAY AT PARK/ONLY RAIN CAN SLOW TOMS RIVER: EAST LEADS SUSPENDED SEMI

WILLIAMSPORT - A few hours before last night's U.S. championship game, Toms River completed what could have been its last practice. They did it in typical Toms River East American...

UMPS' BOSS FACES ROW OVER OFFER OF SIDE JOBS

Umpires union chief Richie Phillips has come under fire for using his privately held air freight company to curry favor with some umpires by allowing them to earn extra cash...

METS ON A MISSION: SIX-GAME ROAD TRIP TO PLAYOFFS

PHOENIX - By beating the Astros two out of three games, the Mets did what they had to do. In fact, for 2 months now, these captivating Mets have been...

PARCELLS: JET ROSTER NEARLY SET IN STONE

The first roster cutdowns aren't until after tomorrow's game against the Giants, but Bill Parcells yesterday said he's nearly formulated the entire Jets' roster in his mind - though he's...

KNOBLAUCH OWES HUGE DEREK DEBT

Table 16 of San Francisco's Brazen Head restaurant is known to the staff as the Mick Jagger table because that's where the Rolling Stones' frontman sits when he visits the...

TURK WONDERS IF D'BACKS CHEAT

Turk Wendell is not sure about this. It's only a vague suspicion and he has no evidence, but he plans to check it out carefully. "I could be wrong," he...

ROCKET MAY LAUNCH PLAYOFFS

"I would like to think that someone with the stature of Roger Clemens and how many big games he has pitched in his life, that you would like to use...

TRIBE MAKES BIG PITCH FOR O'S ERICKSON

Knowing they don't have the arms to battle the Yankees and quite possibly any other team in the postseason, the Indians have had serious talks with the Orioles about acquiring...

NETS PUT FEELERS OUT ON FRANCIS

Whenever the No. 2 overall pick is available, or even thought to be available, you've got to make inquiries. And that is exactly what the Nets have done with Vancouver...

YELLOW FLAG ON NFL: PREACHES ETHICS, THEN CASHES IN ON VIOLENCE

A COUPLE of years ago, Troy Aikman, multiple concussion sufferer, made a good point about the NFL. The NFL, he said, claims to be concerned about the serious head injuries...