August 4, 2000

THE JOBS REPORT AND THE DEMS' DILEMMA

TODAY is an important day for the stock market because the latest monthly job report will be released at 8:30 a.m. But as important as this disclosure is for Wall...

SCREAMING'S IPO FLOUNDERS

There wasn't much celebrating in the snazzy offices of ScreamingMedia yesterday. Just the dreadful whisper: How low canit go? Jay Chiat's online syndication company priced at $12, only to slump...

OLIVE & BETTE'S TO ADD A SOHO SITE

Olive & Bette's is joining the fashion crowd in SoHo. The retailer will set up shop at 158 Spring St., between West Broadway and Wooster, The Post has learned. The...

M'SOFT CASE II: EUROPE - IF EU WINS ANTITRUST SUIT, COMPANY FACES $2.3B FINE

Microsoft is facing a whopping $2.3 billion fine in Europe on charges that it is strong-arming competitors out of the market for server software. In the latest antitrust calamity to...

SNUB ON THE AGENDA AT SOTHEBY'S BOARD MTG.

Instead of fireworks in the proxy battle at Sotheby's, there was only a rude snub. Majority shareholder Ron Baron, who's battling the auction house's controlling Taubman family, showed up unexpectedly...

WARNACO POSTS LOSS OF $62.4M

Linda Wachner's Warnaco Group lost $62.4 million in the latest quarter, due mainly to a one-time restructuring charge for job cuts and higher interest. The company released its results after...

TRUMP TRUMPS FOES; HIS TOWER'S GOING UP

Donald Trump won a major victory yesterday in his battle against the Beekman neighbors of his Trump World Tower. In a 35-page decision, a four-judge Appellate Division panel unanimously agreed...

PAUL FIGHTING PIRATES WITH MAGEX $TAKE

Paul McCartney has joined the fight against Napster. The ex-Beatle's investment in Magex, a secure payment technology for digital downloads, is being seen as an attempt to put an end...

GRUMPY OLD SPACEMEN - GEEZER ASTROS TRIUMPH. OUTTA SIGHT!

CLINT Eastwood makes our day with the summer's most delightful surprise. Though I'm an Eastwood fan from way back, I was skeptical about what sounds suspiciously like a cross between...

IT'S NO JOKE, 'UGLY' IS NOT A PRETTY PICTURE

'COYOTE Ugly" is the kind of excrescence that makes you wonder if the Taliban, the French and all the other foreigners who whine about the awfulness of Hollywood "product" might...

'HOLLOW' HAS NO MEAT

PAUL Verhoeven's graphic update of "The Invisible Man" boasts special effects that are really spectacular - too bad it lacks flesh-and-blood characters. Instead, we have the most photogenic and unlikeliest...

MALE RIVALRY EXPOSED IN 'SWIM'

THERE are three people. Two of them are young corporate execs, dressed almost identically - glad-handing, insincere types who enter from the rear of the theater and shake our hands,...

A GRASS-ROOTS EFFORT

IT isn't easy to make a comedy that has audiences rooting for a supplier of illicit drugs, but this uproarious British farce manages, with laughs to spare. Basically a "Full...

'TAO' DESERVES A BOW

AN ideal antidote to the big-budget bores that studios put out in late summer, "The Tao of Steve" is a charming, funny and refreshingly smart Gen-X romantic comedy in the...

YOU'RE NOT ALONE, GEEKS

GROWING up, I didn't fit in. I was not alone. But I couldn't tell that from watching the majority of TV programs. I wanted to be normal like "The Brady...

GREAT BROOKLYN HOPE: COMMUNITY FILM CENTER

NO lights, no cameras, no action - but a lot of hope. Money woes plague the year-old Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center, a nonprofit group seeking to teach community members how...

THE STARR REPORT

'Men' at work You're the first to read about a special Boyz II Men concert that's been under wraps - until now. Universal Records promo chief Steve Leeds has arranged...

SINISTER 'SUCCESS' - SCALDING MOVIE ABOUT UNSAVORY GOSSIP BIZ TURNED INTO NEW MUSICAL

AS J.J. Hunsecker might put it, "Pull up a chair, children, because I have the lowdown on a hot new musical that's headed to Broadway."It's "Sweet Smell of Success" and...

ANGRY ANCHOR; PHILLY NEWS GUY SLAMS ABC'S ROGER GRIMSBY AS A 'CRUEL' DRUNK

A Philadelphia anchorman who still harbors a grudge after 22 years is calling the late Roger Grimsby "cruel" and "troubled" in a new book. The anchorman, Larry Kane of Philly's...

NBC 'HARASS' SUITS HIT $2B

THREE NBC staffers are launching sexual- and racial-harassment suits against NBC, asking for a whopping $800 million from the Peacock Network. The lawsuits follow others filed earlier this year seeking...

ALMIGHTY LOURDS: THIS HOT NEWCOMER, A VIOLIN PRODIGY WHO PLAYED CARNEGIE HALL AS A CHILD, WAS THUNDERSTRUCK BY HER FIRST ROCK CONCERT .NOW BACH WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

SOME performers are made. The rare ones seem to be born for it. Lourds, a 24-year-old native of Skyscraper Park, is the latter. She has no record deal, no CD,...

FANS' FINAL ANSWER: LET HIM HAVE HIS PRIVACY

If TV host Regis Philbin needs a lifeline, he's getting one from his loyal fans -most think allegations of marital infidelity should be a private matter. "Oh, gosh, I just...

IT'S NOT JUST FOR SHOW - THE DIVERSITY LIVES BEHIND THE SCENES, TOO

PHILADELPHIA DEMOCRATS have derided the "inclusive" GOP convention as a fraud; even some conservatives say that it smacks of tokenism. Yet, behind the scenes, something's happening. Start with New York's...

BLUE-COLLAR GOP STEALS DEMS' THUNDER IN N.Y.

PHILADELPHIA. BILL POWERS had just stepped off the podium to cheers he had heard only at football games. He had just been sworn in as Republican state chairman and there...

DRESSING GOOFY IN PHILLY - WACKY DELEGATES MAKE FOR ONE WILD AND CRAZY PARTY

PHILADELPHIA- To create a proper festive atmosphere for the nomination of George W. Bush, the ladies and gents of the Grand Old Party dressed to the nines. The convention center...

RICK MAKES PIZZA OFFERING, BUT DOV'S A NO-SHOW

Senate candidate Rick Lazio yesterday brought his campaign to the heavily Jewish Borough Park section of Brooklyn - but the community's most powerful political leader stayed away. While Lazio noshed...

EX-HUBBY IS STUNNED BY HER SIZZLING CLAIMS

The wealthy ex-husband of the woman named as Regis Philbin's mistress says he never suspected she was cheating on him - and was shocked when the busty blonde told him...

EX-CHEERLEADER: I WAS REGIS' RAW-RAW GIRL - TELLS TABLOID OF SEXY ROMPS

The famously married Regis Philbin had a wild, cross-country sex romp with a buxom blonde ex-cheerleader, a new report claims. "We had sex every way you can think of -...

BUZZ ON SKEETER VIRUS: IT'S ALL AROUND N.Y. STATE

The West Nile virus has seemingly spread across the state, health officials announced yesterday. Dead birds infected with the virus were recently found in five more upstate counties, far from...

'NO-POACH' APPROACH WORKS FOR ME: LEVY

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy and Archbishop Edward Egan have reached a truce over teachers. Levy agreed with officials from Catholic schools yesterday that it would be a sin for experienced...

CNN REMAPS JERUSALEM IN POLITICAL STORM

CNN did an about-face on Jerusalem yesterday - redrawing its online weather site after stirring up a storm for moving the city out of Israel. For the past few months,...

TEAM BUSH'S ODD LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH MCCAIN

PHILADELPHIA - George W. Bush's campaign can't seem to decide whether it wants ex-rival John McCain coming or going. McCain left the Republican convention on Wednesday night to avoid horning...

PORN QUEEN'S 'INSIDER' PAL GETS OFF EASY

The Wall Street CEO who gave insider tips to his porn-star girlfriend escaped with a reduced prison sentence yesterday after a judge took pity on him because of his sick...

NIGHTLIFE GLORY DAYS BACK IN FULL SWING

Harlem's nightlife once was second to none, as the crossroads of society formed a conga line at places like the Cotton Club for an exhilarating evening of seeing and being...

PAT CAN'T FIGURE HILL'S POOR POLL NUMBERS

OUTGOING Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan - who's won statewide election four times - says Hillary Rodham Clinton shouldn't ask him for advice about how to beat Rick Lazio. "It's a...

DOWNEY JR. WANTS TO PLAY STRAIGHT MAN

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Hollywood bad boy Robert Downey Jr. celebrated freedom by eating a hamburger and checking into a drug rehab center, lawyers said yesterday. The talented but troubled...

SCHOOL-BUILDING AGENCY EYES 'CON'-TRACTOR BAN

The School Construction Authority is vowing to impose tougher sanctions against crooked contractors who soak taxpayers and cheat workers on building projects. SCA Chairman Howard Wilson yesterday described as too...

'KOSHER' LAWS FAIL JUDGE'S STANDARDS

A Brooklyn federal judge has struck down the state's 118-year-old laws on kosher foods, provoking outrage from Jewish groups. Judge Nina Gershon said the laws were unconstitutional because they violated...

WEB WATCH

Post Surfer gURL Mary Huhnis presenting a report on Internethot spots during the convention. * Speakout.com was silenced Wednesday night due to a substantial network failure that might have been...

WOMAN'S LIFE OF SERVICE SNUFFED OUT

THE Seventh Avenue subway entrance on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn is a good place to spot an "easy mark" - like Amy Watkins. Pedestrian traffic is brisk - it's hard...

GOP'S NEW SONG STICKS TO THE THEME

PHILADELPHIA - Republicans who want to sing the praises of their party can now do it to music. The GOP's official campaign song, "We the People," was debuted at the...

CANADA SEIZES U.S. FREIGHTER

Blame Canada. Fourteen heavily armed Canadian troops dropped from a helicopter yesterday and seized control of a private American-owned freighter because the ship had refused to deliver $150 million in...

MYSTERY NAME ADDED TO AL'S LIST OF VEEPS

Al Gore, vacationing yesterday in North Carolina with wife Tipper, strolls a beach as he tells reporters his list of possible running mates "is down to six, with one wild...

PUERTO RICAN 'SAINT' IS DEAD

The "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico," Sister M. Isolina Ferre, who won the Medal of Freedom for her work among the poor on that island and in the United States,...

BUSH CLAN'S 'RICKY MARTIN' P.RAISES UNCLE W.

PHILADELPHIA - The Bush family's Latino sex symbol, George P. Bush, last night made his national debut, wowing a convention audience with a brief and simple speech about education and...

RUDY HINTS AT RADIATION - AND NEW BID FOR MAYOR

Mayor Giuliani revealed last night he may undergo radiation treatment for his prostate cancer, gave a new version of how he was diagnosed - and said he may run for...

SMALL-TIMER TIPPED COPS IN ; STUDENT SLAY

A petty drug offender seeking lenient treatment tipped cops to one of the men suspected of murdering Hunter College student Amy Watkins, The Post has learned. The tipster was picked...

BUOYANT BUSH: 'LET'S BEGIN AGAIN' - REACHES OUT TO AMERICA IN TRIUMPHANT MOMENT

PHILADELPHIA - George W. Bush accepted the GOP nomination for president last night by painting the Clinton era as a time of wasted promise, and vowing to "seize this moment"...

A SPEECH THAT STIRRED THE SOUL - BUSH'S AUDACIOUS ACT

PHILADELPHIA THE stumblebum of the stump and the debates was nowhere in evidence last night as George W. Bush achieved a new forcefulness in an address that began in worrisome...

DRUG-RAP WOMAN DIES IN HOLDING CELL

A 27-year-old woman died yesterday after she was found unconscious in a holding cell at Manhattan criminal court, officials said. Kathy Cummings, who was awaiting arraignment on a drug-possession charge,...

SPEECH TIES BILL AROUND AL'S NECK

ANALYSIS PHILADELPHIA - George W. Bush wants to run against Bill Clinton - and make Al Gore carry the lead weight of the Clinton scandals all the way to November....

KERRY TOPPING GORE 'SECRET' LIST FOR VEEP

In a bid to grab the spotlight on Dubya's Day, Democrats yesterday leaked what they claim is Al Gore's secret veep list - featuring the House leader, a Vietnam hero,...

FORD UP AND ABOUT, AND SET TO GO HOME SOON

PHILADELPHIA - Former President Gerald Ford, hit by a stroke two days ago, is walking, talking and eating regular food - and doctors say he could be out of the...

WE'RE THE BEHIND-SCENES EMPIRE $TATE TO REPUBLICANS

PHILADELPHIA - A small clique of fat-cat New Yorkers showered national Republicans this week with millions of dollars in behind-the-scenes contributions. The "soft" and "hard" money-giving - all legal -...

STROKE-SUFFERER FORD BACK ON HIS FEET

PHILADELPHIA - Former President Gerald Ford, hit by a stroke two days ago, is walking, talking and eating regular food - and doctors say he could be out of the...

DENNIS NOTTHE MENACE: MNF'S PROBLEM ISN'T MILLER, IT'S THE AWFUL NFL PRODUCT

I did not watch Dennis Miller's debut on Monday Night Football this week. This was not a conscious gesture of protest on my part, merely force of habit. You see,...

SALTWATER ACTION HEATS UP

THE changes this week for saltwater anglers were all on the positive side with quite a number of large fluke coming over the rails, weakfish becoming more of a factor...

REED WANTS NEW YORK, AND $18M TOO

MET NOTES PHOENIX - The focus is always on someone else. Tonight, it will be the awesome Randy Johnson. In the offseason, it will be the Mets' biggest free-agent pitcher,...

THE RIGHT PROSPECT-IVE: METS, YANKS GO FOR IT NOW WITHOUT GIVING UP FUTURE

THE New York baseball teams improved their prospects for winning in 2000 without mortgaging all their prospects. It is a delicate balancing act for which two clubs with win-now philosophies...

CAMPANILE WINS SMITHWICK

SARATOGA SPRINGS - In the horse-for-the-course hall of fame here, the jumper Campanile is a deserving member. Last summer, the 6-year-old Lear Fan gelding went 2-for-2 over the fences taking...

TRIPPI TRIES AMSTERDAM

SARATOGA SPRINGS - In horse racing, when a good thing looks too good, it often is. Take Beautiful Pleasure, 1-5 in last Sunday's Go For Wand Stakes. The lone speed...

HENSON HITS .172 AND HEADS FOR MICHIGAN

QUIZ: Name the five active firstbasemen with 2,000 career hits(answer below). ... Drew Henson, the key player in the Yankees' acquisition of Denny Neagle, left the Reds and baseball this...

EX-'BOY PEARSON JOINS XFL CIRCUS

Vince McMahon swears football will come first. Drew Pearson said he wouldn't be involved in the league if he didn't think it would uphold the integrity of the sport. Everyone...

GILL: I WOULD TAKE LESS ELSEWHERE

While Johnny Newman came to terms about re-signing with the Nets, Kendall Gill might be singing 'I Love L.A.' if he doesn't receive a better offer from the team, the...

COCKY PAYTON GETS OFFENSIVE: BRASH, YOUNG COORDINATOR GIVES JINT 'O' SOME ATTITUDE

ALBANY - Typical football coach. He had just been hired by the Giants and decided to celebrate with an outing into Manhattan. Sean Payton and his wife Beth went to...

LEMON DROP KID READY

Last year's Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid worked three furlongs over a sloppy main track in :35 4/5 yesterday in his final prep for Sunday's Grade...

GARNES TO PLAY; BARROW IN DOUBT

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - It was not his idea of a good time. Sam Garnes spent a part of Wednesday evening in a hospital having a tube pulled through his...

LIBERTY HONING IN ON FINALS RETURN

After crushing Charlotte on Monday, the Liberty earned themselves a spot in the playoffs and a chance to return to the WNBA Finals for the second consecutive year. Despite having...

LIGHTNING IS FRIGHTENING

ALBANY - A bolt out of the blue yesterday came a bit too close to Big Blue. The calm of Giants training camp came to a jolting end around noon...

PYATT INKS ISLANDER PACT

Left wing Taylor Pyatt, a first-round draft pick in 1999, signed a three-year contract with the Islanders yesterday. The 19-year old Pyatt, who was the No. 8 overall selection, had...

A-ROD MAY STAY WITH M'S: JETER

With Alex Rodriguez destined for free agency this offseason, Met fans seem convinced A-Rod is coming to New York because of his friendship with Derek Jeter. But Jeter isn't so...

MENDOZA BACK TO DL

YANKEE NOTES Due to a sore right shoulder, Ramiro Mendoza is likely headed to the DL again, The Post has learned. With Orlando Hernandez expected to be activated from the...

RELIEF IS ON THE WAY ; IF DUQUE CAN RETURN, DOC GOES TO BULLPEN

Bat Air delivered Luis Polonia yesterday. Arm Air brings David Cone, Allen Watson, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and pitching guru Billy Connors today. By Sunday, the Yankees hope to be...

DARRYL IS FACING ROCKY ROAD AHEAD:

Of all the battles Darryl Strawberry has waged in 38 years, none is bigger than what the star-crossed slugger faces today. Never has there been more at stake for Strawberry,...

AL WANTS YOUNG VETS TO GROH UP

GREEN BAY - Tonight, the rules change for the Jets. They play a real football team. The Jets' first pre-season game last Saturday night was essentially three hours of feel...

FRENCH PHANTOM OFFICIALLY SAYS AU REVOIR

KNICK NOTES Secretly the Knicks are relieved. The 7-2 French phantom Frederic Weis took the decision out of their hands by bailing out on the NBA again yesterday, signing a...

KNICKS BEGIN FORTSON ROMANCE

Danny Fortson missed his morning flight from Fort Lauderdale to La Guardia last night. Hence, he won't meet with the Knicks' coaching staff and brass until today at Purchase College....

EL DUQUE'S RETURN SPELLS BULLPEN DUTY FOR GOODEN

Bat Air delivered Luis Polonia yesterday. Arm Air brings David Cone, Allen Watson, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and pitching guru Billy Connors today. By Sunday, the Yankees hope to be...

THIS SNAKE NOT POISONOUS ; METS HAVE AMAZIN' SUCCESS VS. UNIT

PHOENIX - The intimidation starts 6-feet, 10 inches high as he whirls his body toward home plate. It's as if he's throwing from a Little League mound instead of the...

TOUGH YANK FANS CAN GET FREE TIX

Fans who endured a three-hour and 33-minute rain delay at the start of last night's Yankee-Royals game were instructed to hold on to their ticket stubs so that they can...

JETER'S SLUMP CRAWLS INTO HIS GLOVE

Yankee fans have gotten so spoiled by Derek Jeter, they're almost shocked when he goes into any sort of slump. But the shortstop has clearly been in an offensive funk...

CONE CAN BECOME REHIRED GUN

TO understand David Cone's mindset these days you have to understand who he has been. At this time of year, he has been the answer. The "hired gun" in his...