April 18, 2002
1-800-CONTACTS WANTS TO MAKE MIGHTY J&J BLINK
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amJOHNSON & Johnson and 1-800-Contacts don't see eye-to-eye. And since J&J is a company way up here in size (picture my hand over my head) and 1-800-Contacts is all the...
RIGHT START PLAYS UP FAO IN NEW NAME
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amStarting off on the right foot, FAO Schwarz's new parent company is changing its name to FAO, Inc. Right Start, Inc., will officially change its name to FAO, Inc. and...
LOUSY EARNS LEAVE 80-PT. DENT IN DOW
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amBoeing and International Business Machines delivered a one-two punch that knocked out the Dow Jones industrial average yesterday, but broader market averages were down only slightly. After Boeing reported a...
RICKY MARTIN'S NEW LOCA(TION) IS AOL TW TOWER
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amRICKY Martin will be livin' la vida grande in Manhattan after signing a contract to take a big new condo at the AOL Time Warner Center. The Latin heartthrob will,...
BRITNEY EATERY GETS AN OFFICE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amBrittney Spears has just leased a new office for her new restaurant, Nyla, but may not even know it yet. Restaurateur Bobby Ochs and hotelier Morris Moinian, who are partnering...
PETERSEN SHOOTS DOWN SPORTS AFIELD MAGAZINE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amOne of the oldest magazines in the country, 115 year old Sports Afield, has become the latest victim of the publishing meltdown. Publishing magnate Robert E. "Pete" Petersen - who...
SEC TO INVESTIGATE RIGAS FAMILY DEALS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThings just got hotter for troubled cable company Adelphia Communications Corp. The Securities and Exchange Commission has ramped up to a formal inquiry its investigation of the $2.3 billion in...
STARR REPORT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amFriar John takes five - finally John Roland's dream has finally come true. No, not having an early night (that may happen soon enough), but becoming a bona fide Friar,...
I WAS JUST LIKE A CRAZY WOMAN - ROSIE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amROSIE O'Donnell reveals details of her unusual relationship with a viewer who had a multiple personality disorder in the second of her two-part interview with Diane Sawyer airing tonight. O'Donnell...
GEORGE IS WAITING, SAM
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amALL that stands between George Stephanopoulos taking over solo hosting duties on ABC's Sunday morning public policy show "This Week" is Sam Donaldson, sources say. Donaldson has hosted "This Week"...
JANE CLAYSON EXCLUSIVE ON HER 'EARLY SHOW' JOB: I'M SAFE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amEVEN as network officials revamp the "Early Show" from top to bottom, co-host Jane Clayson is being told her job is safe, she told The Post yesterday. "It's been unsettling...
A DIRTY DOG'S STOLEN OZZY'S POOCH
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amSOMEBODY has apparently filched Pipi, the black Pomeranian pup featured on MTV's smash hit, "The Osbournes." "It's been about a month now. We think someone's taken her," Osbourne matriarch Sharon...
KILT-CLAD CANADIAN KID FINDS GRAMPS GAY
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amKILTAt Theatre 3, 311 W. 43 St. Call (212) 206-1515. --------- A sure warning sign of self-serving sentimentality is the attempt to aggrandize the dreary present by celebrating the heroic...
CRÈME DE LA CRIME
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amBACK when the off-Broadway thriller "Perfect Crime" was just a glimmer in a producer's eye, the plum part of the possibly homicidal psychiatrist was up for grabs. Catherine Russell grabbed...
'PRODUCERS' DEJA VU
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amAS one of the stars of "The Producers," Cady Huffman says she was as surprised as anyone at the Sunday axing of Henry Goodman - and the ascension of Brad...
CHART QUEEN
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amLONG Island's Ashanti continues to rule the the charts this week, with her self-titled album selling 248,000 copies its second week out, according to retail tracker SoundScan. Neil Young's "Are...
SURE YOU WANNA EAT ME? - AWFUL REASONS WHY BURGERS TASTE SO GOOD
April 18, 2002 | 4:00am"Frontline: Modern Meat" [ 1/2] 9 p.m. tonight on Ch. 13 -------- POP quiz: Answer yes to two or more of the following questions, and declare yourself an unremitting carnivore...
PAUL IS DEAD ON IN FINE CONCERT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amLAST night at the Meadowlands, Paul McCartney lived up to his reputation as one of the great all-time performers with a concert that was all heart and soul. Although this...
AGE OF THE DINOSAURS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amHE'S pushing 60, but Paul McCartney still has the same unlined face and trim body from his days in Liverpool. The former Beatle, in the midst of a 20-date North...
CRANE COLLAPSE A LUCKY 'BREAK'
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amMiraculously, not a single person was injured when a construction crane dropped tons of steel beams onto Madison Avenue at 42nd Street just before noon yesterday. A man washing windows...
'STAR WARS' SET FOR ITS QUEUE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amHundreds of rabid sci-fi fans itching to see the new "Star Wars" flick will begin camping outside the Ziegfeld Theater next week, almost 20 days before the movie opens. The...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amVolunteers are being asked to spend the night in a new Nebraska jail to help test it out. The "prisoners" will wear orange boiler suits and be given dinner and...
'NET WINE WAR
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amNew York state will be awash in wine-addled teens, suicides and drunken-driving deaths if it allows out-of-state vineyards to sell bottles over the Internet, lawyers for in-state wholesalers argued in...
FLYOVER SHOWS INDIAN POINT'S A SITTING DUCK
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA TV newsman spent 20 minutes flying over the Indian Point nuclear plant in Westchester to throw cold water on industry claims that power plants are not vulnerable to terrorist...
'NEEDLE' SUIT STICKS IT TO DUNKIN' DONUTS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA Long Island woman who ordered a Dunkin' Donut filled with Boston cream says she got one with a needle inside instead. Now, Janine Zuckermandel has filed a $20 million...
ANDREW CUOMO ATTACK ON GOV. PATAKI
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amALBANY - Andrew Cuomo's surprise attack on Gov. Pataki's handling of the Sept. 11 terror attacks is a risky gamble meant to appeal to hard-core Democratic primary voters. That was...
PUNDITS GO TO WAR
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amMILITARY theorists regard Hannibal's victory at Cannae as the most perfect battle ever fought. Yet, I have no doubt that, when the news reached Carthage, the pundits of the day...
FINEST VETERAN HANGS UP HAT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe longest-serving officer in the NYPD retired yesterday. Assistant Chief Michael Fox, commanding officer of Manhattan South, was just two weeks shy of spending 41 years as a member of...
HOPING TO HAUL IN A TRASH TAX
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amIt could get costly to make a lot of waste. Mayor Bloomberg is thinking about charging city residents to pick up their trash - one of several new fees he...
STATE DEMS WARN MIKE ON SCHOOL CUTS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amALBANY - Assembly Democrats said during a closed-door meeting that Mayor Bloomberg won't get control of the city's schools without first guaranteeing he will not cut education funding in the...
CITY'S H2OFFENDERS FIND THEMSELVES IN HOT WATER
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amMore than 300 New Yorkers have learned the hard way that the city wasn't kidding when it imposed a drought emergency a couple of weeks ago. Officials have issued more...
A TOUGH LESSON FOR THREE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTHIS is a Brooklyn tale about shaken faith and three Catholic schools. Two are about to be closed: one because the building is in bad shape; the second is a...
HOUSE BIG HASTERT: I SNUB N.Y.
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Mayor Bloomberg, Rep. Charles Rangel and other New York officials strongly pushed House Speaker Dennis Hastert yesterday to agree to hold a session of Congress in New York...
SHORTCHANGING HEROES THE UNKINDEST CUT OF ALL
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amAFTER two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star from Vietnam, Matty James doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. But the idiot had to do it again and become a...
GROUND ZERO WALL WITH VIEW
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe wall that will be built around the perimeter of Ground Zero may include see-through panels to allow people to view what's going on - and sections where memorial tributes...
BEAUTY-WAX BUNGLERS IN 35G BROW-BEATING
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amSomething much worse than smoke got in Jeanine Camerlengo's eyes. A beauty salon has to pay the Staten Island woman $35,000 for past pain and suffering after a judge found...
ARAFAT'S ACT DOESN'T WORK WITH POWELL
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amIN THE end, Yasser Arafat got nothing. Secretary of State Colin Powell ended his Mideast mission by stressing America's "unshakable commitment to Israel's security and well-being" - and pointedly saying...
AIR WAR OVER STUYVESANT HS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe Stuyvesant HS Parents Association said yesterday it's prepared to sue the Board of Ed for allegedly failing to properly clean the school's ventilation system. Stuyvesent is five blocks from...
HISPANIC COPS HAIL KELLY'S EFFORTS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA fraternal organization of Hispanic cops lauded Police Commissioner Ray Kelly's recruiting efforts yesterday, a stark contrast to the tongue-lashing a group of black cops gave Kelly earlier in the...
DOOMSDAY LAYOFFS LOOMING
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amMayor Bloomberg yesterday offered a dark vision of 2,000 layoffs and drastic service cuts if he can't win concessions to close a budget gap that's grown to nearly $5 billion....
'DWI' COP TO TESTIFY: IT WAS 'UNAVOIDABLE'
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amAn ex-cop accused of killing a pregnant woman, her sister, son and newborn child in a horrific Brooklyn crash after a drinking binge last summer will take the stand in...
RED-MEAT LINK BOOSTS PROSTATE-CANCER TREATMENT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA gene that helps digest red meat is highly active in cells taken from prostate-cancer tumors, researchers said yesterday. The discovery could lead to new dietary and chemical treatments to...
BUSH: WE'LL KICK YOUR 'AXIS' - PUTS SADDAM AND 'OUTLAW' NATIONS ON NOTICE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday vowed anew to confront outlaw regimes like Iraq before they can link up with terrorists. Bush reported "good progress" in the war against terror and...
BAN BULL'S 'TERROR' ATT'Y: FEDS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amFederal prosecutors say defense lawyer Lynne Stewart has no business representing Salvatore "Sammy Bull" Gravano, given her recent terror indictment - a move that caught the embattled attorney off guard....
COPS AFTER CHURCH-MOM SLAY SUSPECT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amDetectives are hunting a 21-year-old Brooklyn man in connection with the Bedford-Stuyvesant murder of a 66-year-old woman earlier this month - an innocent bystander shot in the head as she...
HOSP IGNORED BODY OF EVIDENCE - MAN LAY DEAD 33 DAYS AND KIN DIDN'T KNOW - ALTHOUGH HE HAD LOADS OF ID
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amAnguished relatives blasted NYU Downtown hospital yesterday claiming it kept their father's body on ice for 33 days after he died, without making any effort to contact them - even...
EVERYBODY, BE COOL - 'STEAMED' NYERS WILL SOON ENJOY MILDER TEMPS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amHot and bothered New Yorkers, taken by surprise when April turned into August, have only one more day to suffer before spring returns. Central Park hit 96 degrees at 2:53...
PAKISTANI GUILTY IN SECRET-HUBBY SLAY
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA Pakistani native was found guilty yesterday of killing a Queens man for breaking with tradition - by wedding a woman who had already been promised to another. Manzoor Qadar,...
PAWN-SHOP SHOCKER: SLAIN MOM BEGGED COPS FOR HELP
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amLess than 24 hours before the deadly bloodbath that left Juana Castillo and her boss dead in an East Harlem pawn shop, the woman pleaded with cops to do something...
VEEP: THANKS, ISRAEL: PRAISES NATION ON B'DAY FOR FIGHTING TERROR
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amVice President Dick Cheney thanked Israel for its help in the war on terror, and called for "absolute renunciation of terror" as he went to Israel's Washington embassy last night...
GAMBINO KID COPS PLEA IN STABBING
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTwo relatives of alleged crime-family members, the Gambinos and the Genoveses, had their day in court yesterday, with Anthony Gambino pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree assault for stabbing...
DIXIE DOLL'$ IN DOUGH - SHARES $325M JACKPOT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThey were dancing in Dixie yesterday but no one was doing the Big Apple boogie - not yet, anyway - after lottery officials announced three winners in the humongous Big...
RANDI WARNS OF STRIKE IF TALKS FAIL
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTeachers-union boss Randi Weingarten yesterday warned that her delegates will vote on May 8 to authorize a strike if no deal is reached with Mayor Bloomberg on a new contract....
IT'S THE CARROT OR THE STICK
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amANALYSIS Mayor Bloomberg pulled out his best salesman skills yesterday to work the difficult territory between wooing labor unions and Albany - and trying to scare the life out of...
LIFE UNDER MIKE STARTING TO LOOK DINKINSESQUE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amIT WAS supposed to be funny. Mayor Bloomberg took the stage at the Inner Circle Dinner April 6 and poked fun at his image as a liberal lightweight. "When I...
ALLY OOPS! 'MCBEAL' CANCELED
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe verdict is cancellation for "Ally McBeal" - the ratings-starved Fox show that stars calorie-starved Calista Flockhart. "Ally's" producers declared the case closed last night because the quirky working-girls comedy,...
VICTIM'S PAL FOILS RAPIST
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amAn 84-year-old Brooklyn woman was saved from a rapist yesterday when a family friend happened to come by for a visit just in time to stop the attack, police said....
HOTEL EXECS CHECKED OUT ASSETS: COPS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA group of hotel-chain execs short-sheeted banks out of $42 million - leaving barely a mint on the pillow before checking out early with millions of dollars in stocks and...
FEUD TURNS DEADLY
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amA Brooklyn man was shot and killed by his neighbor in the bloody climax of a long-running dispute, police said yesterday. José Sanchez, 43, was shot in the back by...
LAWYERS 'WINE' OVER 'NET SALES
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amNew York state will be awash in wine-addled teens, suicides and drunken-driving deaths if it allows out-of-state vineyards to sell bottles over the Internet, lawyers argued in court yesterday. "There...
LEGION ENDORSES 9/11 MEDALS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The American Legion yesterday joined the chorus of voices urging Sen. Patrick Leahy to allow a speedy vote today on a bill granting medals of honor to the...
GAMBINO SON GUILTY IN STABBING
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTwo sons of alleged crime families, the Gambinos and the Genoveses, had their day in court yesterday, with Anthony Gambino pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree assault. The plea...
HIGH-FLYING SUSPECT CLEARED
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - A Tanzanian man arrested in North Carolina isn't considered a serious terror suspect, even though he got flight training in the United States and his name was found...
AL QAEDA DRIVE-BY INJURES GI
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amAn American commando in Afghanistan was shot in the face yesterday when a gunman in a car opened fire on a group of soldiers shopping at a market in Kandahar....
PAWN-SHOP SHOCKER: COPS TOLD EX STALKED SLAIN MOM
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amLess than 24 hours before the deadly bloodbath that left Juana Castillo and her boss dead in an East Harlem pawn shop, the woman pleaded with cops to do something...
POLICE KILL 2 PIT BULLS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTwo cops shot and killed a pair of pit bulls yesterday when the animals attacked them while they tried to execute a search warrant in East Flatbush, police said. The...
JASON FINALLY CARRIES CLOUT
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe bat met the ball with murderous intentions, and you just knew by the sound. It is high, it is far (enough), it is ... Giam-BOOM! Yankee Stadium stood and...
KNICKS GO OUT WITH WHIMPER
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amFor one final time, the Knicks showed how terrible they are. In one last choke, they were pounded by the Nets reserves, who rallied in the fourth quarter for a...
SANTIAGO PICKS SUNY-STONY BROOK
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amSometimes, persistence pays off. Bobby Santiago, who helped lead All Hallows to the CHSAA title game, said yesterday that he will be heading to SUNY-Stony Brook. "They stayed with me...
D'AMICO'S CLUTCH HIT GOES FROM RIGHT TO WRONG
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThanks to some of the worst defensive play in baseball, Atlanta came into yesterday's Shea matinee in the NL East cellar and the throes of a four-game losing streak. But...
BAILEY GETS MOUNT ON CASTLE GANDOLFO
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amJockey Jerry Bailey will ride Irish invader Castle Gandolfo in the May 4 Kentucky Derby, his agent, Ron Anderson, confirmed yesterday. Earlier this year Bailey, who's won the Derby twice,...
VINNY DEAL NEARLY SET
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amVinny Testaverde's future with the Jets is nearly set, with a renegotiated contract poised to be consummated, though there are still some details yet to be agreed upon, according to...
SHOCKEY WOULD FILL GIANT VOID
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amIt sure makes sense when you listen to Jeremy Shockey explain what it is he will do for a team - quite possibly the Giants - once he's selected on...
PIAZZA: WE BLEW A BIG OPPORTUNITY
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amMIKE Piazza strolled into the Mets clubhouse yesterday at 12:05, garment bag slung over his shoulder and crisp white shirt open at the collar under an expensive black suit. He...
NEW FACES LOOK GOOD TO JETS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe Jets yesterday introduced their five marquee offseason free-agent acquisitions, though two of them won't participate in the team's April 26-29 minicamp while they rehabilitate injuries. Former Bills' LB Sam...
BE-LEAF IT: ISLES WILL PREVAIL IN SIX
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTORONTO - No one in the Islanders' room is just happy to be here. In fact, they're completely ecstatic, from coach Peter Laviolette down to the guys lugging the equipment...
A D'AM SHAME! - METS SQUANDER 2ND CHANCE AT SWEEP
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amBraves 2 - Mets 1 Watching the Mets try to sweep the wounded Braves yesterday was uncomfortable even without the added setting of a 96-degree April day. It was as...
VANDER WAL KEEPS FOCUS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amJohn Vander Wal didn't know exactly what to expect when he signed with the Yankees. He excelled in previous years as a role player and pinch hitter, which is basically...
GAME 1 IS SOMETHING FOR ISLES TO CHERISH
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amTORONTO - Pat LaFontaine, whose contract problems with the slippery Islander operatives started the franchise down the slope, doesn't curse. But obviously, somebody had to swear it would be a...
METS CALL UP RIGHTY WALKER FROM NORFOLK
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amMET NOTES Tyler Yates' major-league call-up lasted two games. The 24-year-old righty was optioned back to Triple A Norfolk yesterday after the 2-1 loss to Atlanta at Shea. He never...
JOE: BERNIE LIKELY TO DODGE DL
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES The likelihood that Bernie Williams (shoulders) will wind up on the disabled list seemed to dwindle yesterday. "We're really expecting Bernie back Friday," Yankee manager Joe Torre said...
FIRST THINGS FIRST: NETS GET PACERS
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThe Nets, with the East's top seed for the playoffs, went into their season finale last night at the Garden with a simple "to-do" checklist. Come out injury free. Come...
DEVILS' HOLIK LOSES HIS EDGE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amRALEIGH - If NHL Public Enemy No. 1 appeared more careful and less reckless than usual last night, there was a reason. "On the first shift of the game when...
SYKORA, NIEUWENDYK AILIN'
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amDEVIL NOTES RALEIGH - Don't expect Petr Sykora or Joe Nieuwendyk to return to the Devils' lineup for Game 2 against the Hurricanes tomorrow night, although Sykora says he's going...
DEVILS ALREADY SENSE URGENCY - INJURIES A FACTOR IN LOSS TO 'CANES
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amGAME 1: Hurricanes 2 - Devils 1 RALEIGH - They were proud, proud of their effort, but that should scare the Devils most. If that is the best they can...
DUQUE IMPRESSES KARSAY
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amSteve Karsay watched from the bullpen as Orlando Hernandez struggled with his command, control and effectiveness. His impression? "He was excellent," said Karsay, who came in to relieve Hernandez after...
KNICKS TURN THOUGHTS TO LOTTERY DAY
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amWith their season ending last night at the Garden, the Knicks have contacted Dave DeBusschere about being involved in the May 19th lottery in Secaucus. DeBusshere, the GM who sat...
KENYON'S LOOKING TO PLAY IT SAFE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amKenyon Martin was back for the Nets last night and his goals in the season finale against the Knicks were clear and concise. "Not to get hurt, not to get...
GIAM-BOOS WON'T GET JASON DOWN
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amThey caught the guy who stole Derek Jeter's glove. They haven't caught the guy who has stolen Jason Giambi's Ruthian bat. Everyone knows that they will, of course. There were...
NIEUW PROBLEM FOR DEVILS: AILING CENTER MISSES PLAYOFF OPENER
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amRALEIGH - Scoring being their weakness, and their corps of forwards already depleted, the Devils were left reeling last night when No. 1 center Joe Nieuwendyk, the 1999 Conn Smythe...
COACH HAS 'CANE-DO ATTITUDE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amDEVIL NOTES RALEIGH - The Hurricanes' coach thinks his team has an even better chance at beating the Devils than it did when it scared them in six last year....
ELIAS FORCED TO GO IT A-LONE
April 18, 2002 | 4:00amRALEIGH - They were not only going to be together forever, they were going to make history. Instead, that's what they are. History. Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott: no...