March 1, 2004
TOMMY HILFIGER INVESTS $25M IN BRONFMAN'S CO.
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amFashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger is in the music business. Hilfiger has invested about $25 million in Edgar Bronfman's Warner Music, The Post has learned. Hilfiger made the investment after entreaties...
INVESTORS EYEBALL MOVIE-CHAIN BUY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA low-profile private equity firm may soon be hitting the big screen. Madison Dearborn Partners is nearing a deal to snap up movie theater chain Cinemark Inc. for about $1.6...
WARNER'S BIG AX - MUSIC GROUP TO CUT 1,000 JOBS IN RESTRUCTURING
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWarner Music Group and its new management, headed by Edgar Bronfman, Jr., will begin laying off about 20 percent of its workforce - or slightly more than 1,000 employees -...
ESSENCE OF POWER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amEVANESCENCE WITH a singer who's wise to rock as theater and a band that forged enough '80s metal to build a skyscraper, Evanescence was darkly effervescent at their headlining gig...
NATALIE GOES OVERBOARD - WOOD'S DEATH NOT THE ONLY MYSTERY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00am"The Mystery of Natalie Wood" Tonight at 8 on ABC/Ch. 7 (one star) AFTER suffering through "The Mystery of Natalie Wood," the biggest mystery remaining is how a thing like...
BIG BUZZ OVER QUIZNOS CREATURES
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amIT'S not just you. Those creepy ads for Quiznos' Subs featuring two shrieking, bug-eyed, creatures that sing about sandwiches are weird and even slightly disturbing. But they could turn out...
STARR REPORT
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amBudd gets Miked Mike Wallace sits down for a revealing interview with NY1's Budd Mishkin on tonight's "One on 1 with Budd Mishkin" (8:30 p.m.) Among other topics, Mishkin asks...
EYE DOC EYES RUN VS. GOP UNDERDOG
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA PROMINENT Long Island physician is "seriously considering" challenging newly minted GOP Senate candidate Howard Mills in the Conservative Party primary, The Post has learned. The challenge, by Dr. Marilyn...
L.I. POLICE MAKE RACING A REAL DRAG
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amSuffolk County cops put the brakes on illegal street-racing operations this weekend, cracking down on two drag strips and issuing over 100 summonses for various violations. The racers were busted...
BURGER BISTRO HAS A BEEF WITH TIME WARNER'S 'RARE' STEAKHOUSE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amNo sooner had a fire been put out at one Time Warner Center restaurant than flames were being fanned at another fancy eatery in the complex - this time, over...
ARISTIDE OUT - U.S. TROOPS IN - MARINES DEPLOYED AS LEADER FLEES ISLE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush ordered U.S. Marines into Haiti yesterday, hours after its embattled leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, fled the country as a rebel army closed in on the capital. Prime...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA thunderous four-hour sex session in the middle of the night got a man hauled into court for disturbing the peace. The lover, identified only as Andreas G., produced "four...
HANDS-OFF BUSH ENCOURAGED UPHEAVAL: DEMS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Democrats yesterday charged President Bush with ignoring the problems in Haiti for years - and then encouraging the rebels' coup. Manhattan Rep. Charles Rangel, who talked with deposed...
THE CAT'S MEOW - STUY TOWN HAILS PET-FOOD EXEC
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amStuyvesant Town residents greeted the top dog of Meow Mix yesterday - praising him for a campaign that forced Metropolitan Life Insurance to remove the bounty from the heads of...
1,000+ FLEE SUBWAY FIRE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amAn apparently berserk man threw metal objects onto the third rail in a subway station last night, setting off a blaze that forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 passengers...
DRUNK DRIVER KILLS GIRL, 15, ON L.I. STREET
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA drunk hit-and-run driver with a suspended license killed a 15-year-old Long Island girl yesterday, cops said. Jessica Marino was walking north on Marshall Drive in her hometown of Selden...
QNS. TEEN DIES IN SUSPICIOUS BLAZE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA sweet-natured Queens teenager who loved to play piano at her church was killed yesterday when her house was set on fire, friends and investigators said. Three other girls and...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * A man whose body was found frozen beneath the ice of the Harlem Meer in Central Park was identified yesterday as Boris Fajardo (above), 27, of Brooklyn, who...
MEL FEARED PLAYING MARTYR ONSTAGE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amMel Gibson reportedly snubbed an invite by the Academy Awards to present an Oscar because he feared the audience would heckle him over "The Passion of the Christ." Joe Roth...
GAY CRY: MARRY US, MIKE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amHundreds of protesters descended on City Hall yesterday to demand that Mayor Bloomberg allow the city clerk to perform same-sex marriages. "In a city of tolerance, diversity and unity, it...
ISRAEL NABS 'TERROR' KIDS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Israeli authorities arrested three Palestinian boys, ages 12, 13 and 15, who were on their way to attack Israeli civilians with homemade guns - and the young age...
UNDERDOG BITES BACK - EDWARDS GOES ON ATTACK AT DEBATE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amFighting to stay alive, Democratic underdog John Edwards finally took off the gloves yesterday at a raucous New York debate where he accused front-runner John Kerry of blabbing "the same...
-AIDS TOTS PROBE - COUNCIL WANTS ANSWERS IN FOSTER-KID HORROR (M)-HIV-BABY PROBE - COUNCIL OUTRAGED BY FOSTER-KID HORROR (S, LCF)
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amStunned City Council members yesterday called for an investigation into the use of HIV-infected foster children in potentially dangerous experiments involving high doses of AIDS drugs. The reaction comes after...
SNORES GALORE AT DULLEST-YET OSCARS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWHAT a bore! Last night's Oscar telecast was among the most tedious ever. You can blame the usual suspects: too many obscure awards in categories no one cares about, long-winded...
SECURITY IS TIGHT AT THE STARS' BIG NIGHT
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amIt was as if security at the Oscars were scripted in a Hollywood movie. The glitz and glamour of last night's Academy Awards ceremony paled in comparison to the real-life...
HITS & MISSES
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amMost Popular Accessory: Mom. Charlize Theron took hers. So did Keisha Castle-Hughes and Clint Eastwood. Worst Dress: It's a draw between Uma Thurman, starring in "Heidi picks up where Bjork's...
KERRY IN APPLE TO MEND 'FENCES' WITH JEWS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amDemocratic front-runner John Kerry held a private huddle with Jewish leaders in New York yesterday to ease concerns about his views on Israel, fueled by his remarks to an Arab...
BIBLE GIRL SLAIN - BODY TOSSED IN BROOKLYN DUMPSTER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA sweet, 14-year-old Catholic schoolgirl toting a Bible was brutally murdered and her body stuffed into a plastic trunk and dumped in a trash bin in Brooklyn, law-enforcement sources said...
MAMA MINNELLI, 95, BEATS LIZA IN FIGHT OVER HOUSE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amLiza Minnelli may have fists of steel, if you believe David Gest, but her 95-year-old stepmother is the tough gal in the family. Lee Minnelli has emerged as the unlikely...
FEMME-TASTIC STYLES - EXTRA FLOUNCE IN STARS' STEPS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amIT WAS ladies' night. Lady like, ultrafeminine fashions ruled the red carpet at the 76th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, with lace, ruffles, trains and floaty chiffon at every turn....
BROOKLYN ACTIVISTS TALK TRASH
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA group of waterfront activists in Williamsburg and Greenpoint will lead Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum on a tour of neighborhoods they say are being buried in waste. The neighborhoods, which...
HIT-RUN HEEL USES GRANNY AS DEFENSE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA hit-and-run driver who critically injured a pedestrian in Midtown insisted to cops he couldn't stop at the scene to help because he had to rush off to care for...
'THE LORD' IS 'KING' IN SENSATIONAL OSCAR SWEEP
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTHERE was one film that ruled them all at the Oscars last night - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which won all 11 categories for...
HORROR BLAZE - GIRL DIES IN FIRE SET BY 'HIGH' ROOMIE: COPS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA sweet-natured Queens teenager who loved to play piano at her church was killed yesterday when her house was set on fire - allegedly by a roommate who was "high,"...
HIT-RUN DRUNK KILLS TEEN: COPS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA drunk hit-run driver with a suspended license killed a 15-year-old Long Island girl yesterday, cops said. Jessica Marino was walking north on Marshall Drive in her hometown of Selden...
FEMME-TASTIC STYLES - STARS SPARKLE IN LADYLIKE LOOKS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTHERE was a special sparkle and glow among the stars at the 76th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Head-to-toe sequined and crystal-encrusted gowns worn by top actresses like Charlize Theron,...
CIG BAN LETS BARS OFF THE HOOKAH
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amThe city isn't enforcing the smoking ban against Middle Eastern hookah bars - even though they don't qualify for an exemption under the new law, The Post has learned. The...
OSCAR NEEDS DIET - OH, THOSE DULL SONGS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Oscar producers should really think hard about scrapping a few things next year. First to go should be obscure awards such as the ones for Best Live Action or...
HEROES IN & ARISTIDE OUT - OUR TROOPS ON GROUND AS HE FLEES TO AFRICA
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - A contingent of fewer than 100 U.S. Marines landed in Haiti last night to help restore order, and hundreds more are scheduled to follow. The move came as...
'RINGS' MAKES A HOBBIT OF WINNING BIG AWARDS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amHairy hobbit feet began stomping over the competition early last night, with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" scooping up a slew of trophies in the...
BIBLE GIRL SLAIN - 'FORMER GI' HELD IN BROOKLYN TRAGEDY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amA 14-year-old Catholic-school girl carrying a Bible was brutally murdered and her body thrown in a Brooklyn Dumpster, cops said yesterday. A 19-year-old man, Anthony Perez, turned himself in last...
'RING' LEADER MARTHA - RICH AND FAMOUS ALL CALLED
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amIt used to be fabulous being Martha Stewart - just take a peek at the domestic diva's phone messages from her glory days. Before the feds started poking into her...
NOMINATIONS GIVE FILMS A MAJOR BOOST AT BOX OFFICE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amYOU Can take Oscar to the bank. Last night's Best Picture winner can expect to see added bang at the box office, while the Academy Award-winning actors and actresses will...
SNIPES ARREST WARRANT
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWesley Snipes, who played an escaped convict in the "Fugitive" sequel, is now a real-life wanted man. A Manhattan Family Court judge has issued an arrest warrant for the tough-talking...
KLEIN'S SCHOOL-GRIPE 'SWAT' TEAM
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amSchools Chancellor Joel Klein has created an office "SWAT" team to help him immediately respond to thousands of desperate parents and others who write him with complaints and concerns. Seven...
NO SURPRISES IN PLODDING CEREMONY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTHE night of the Hob bits was the least sus penseful Oscar evening since "Titanic" swept in 1998 - and almost seemed longer than all three parts of "The Lord...
'PASSION' CASH-IN - $117.5M HAUL MAKES IT BOX-OFFICE KING
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amIt's "Jesus Christ Superstar" - Mel Gibson's blockbuster Bible flick, "The Passion of the Christ," was crowned box-office king yesterday, pulling in a heavenly $117.5 million in its first five...
THESE ACTIVISTS AREN'T BEING STRAIGHT ABOUT DIVORCE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amONE resists taking the bloom off the rose that is wedded bliss. So when you talk about the beauty of marriage, should one even consider that ugly word "divorce?" Never?...
PICKING UP A HOOKAH'S LEGAL: POLS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amThe city isn't enforcing the smoking ban against Middle Eastern hookah bars - even though they don't qualify for an exemption under the new law, The Post has learned. The...
FEWER FANS TUNING IN
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTHE Academy Awards has a big problem - it's losing viewers. Ratings have declined every year since a 1998 high of 55 million viewers (that was the year "Titanic" was...
WARRANT OUT FOR SNIPES' ARREST
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amWesley Snipes, who played an escaped convict in the "Fugitive" sequel, is now a real-life wanted man. A Manhattan Family Court judge has issued an arrest warrant for the tough-talking...
FEMME-TASTIC STYLES: STARS SPARKLE IN LADYLIKE LOOKS - RED CARPET REVIEW
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTHERE was a special sparkle and glow among the stars at the 76th Acad emy Awards in Los Angeles. Head-to-toe sequined and crystal-encrusted gowns worn by top actresses like Charlize...
TIGER'S A NEVER-ENDING STORY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amONE of the perks of the Tiger TV Era is that when Tiger Woods is directly involved - even if he's done for the day - networks show golf fans...
HEADED TO STORRS, IN SEARCH OF A BYE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amSTORRS - Seton Hall probably earned its NCAA berth with Saturday's win over Georgetown, but the push to achieve its greater goals begins tonight at Connecticut. Many assume the Pirates...
FINALLY, ROCK BOTTOM
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amProvidence 103St. John's 78 How many times can a program hit rock bottom before it bottoms out? Was it when senior guard Willie Shaw got tossed off the team for...
1ST KAZUALTY: GOOD LUCK FOR METS IN SHORT SUPPLY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - The fickle finger of fate struck the Mets again yesterday, just before noon. That's when Kazuo Matsui stuck his right middle finger in front of a...
SORIANO TALK ALL BUT DEAD
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amMET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - The Mets haven't had a pitching prospect like Scott Kazmir in nearly 10 years. They don't plan to let him go easily. Recent reports...
AMAZIN'S SUFFER 1ST KAZUALTY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - The way the Mets' luck goes, the only surprise is that it took this long before someone got hurt. Spring training's first calamity came yesterday, and...
REGGIE'S REIGN MEN - MR. OCTOBER PUMPED ABOUT A-ROD AND JETER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTAMPA - One member of the Hall of Fame took two future Cooperstown residents under his wing yesterday at Legends Field. And while the stated priority of Derek Jeter and...
HALLOWS' HOLY COMEBACK
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amCHSAA PLAYOFFS All Hallows 81Holy Cross 80 CHSAA PLAYOFFS St. Francis 74 Farrell 62 CHSAA PLAYOFFS CTK 70McClancy 61 Mike Davis wasn't sure what to do when Holy Cross' Michael...
PAT MUST STICK WITH GEG
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amMONTREAL - These are the times when players must believe in their coach, and he must believe in them. It's a two-way street and the Devils keep making U-turns, going...
NO-VIN SITUATION? STEPH'S LUKEWARM ON LANDING BAKER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amDENVER - If Stephon Marbury wants Vin Baker on the Knicks, he is doing a good job of hiding it. Marbury, arguably the second-most influential Knick after Isiah Thomas, hardly...
KURT AGENT: EXTENSION NEARLY SET
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES DENVER - Sources familiar with contract-extension talks for Kurt Thomas believe a new deal will be completed "this week." Agent Jerry Hicks, who returns from vacation today, said...
PHIL & LAKERS SEEK BALANCE
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amOn the court, it's about distributing the shots to keep each other at All-Star effectiveness. Off the court, it's about tweaking each other in the press and in the locker...
ISLES TAKE A DAY OFF AND IT PROVES COSTLY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amOVERTIME: Penguins 3 - Islanders 2 It was apparent that the Islanders took the Penguins lightly yesterday. Either that, or there was a whiskey buffet in the Isles' locker room...
YANKS NEED JAVIER TO KEEP PACE WITH PEDRO
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTAMPA - What if we are comparing Javier Vazquez to the wrong guy? What if we see a talented righty who has never pitched in a big game coming to...
TRYING HARD 'TIL THE BITTER END
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amThrashers 3 Rangers 2 ATLANTA -The slimmest ray of hope that Fedor Tyutin represents for the Rangers is among the slim reasons why Glen Sather shouldn't trade Brian Leetch. "He...
LIEBER STATUS UNCLEAR
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES TAMPA - A year ago Jon Lieber's strained right groin wouldn't be a potential problem for the Yankees because they had seven starters for five spots. However, this...
FRANK GLAD THE GANG GETS ALONG
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amNET NOTES At 7-2 and something like 350 pounds, Shaquille O'Neal may represent the fantasy size of every kid who grows up wanting to play basketball. But did Nets coach...
YANKEES' RACE FOR SECOND HEATS UP
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTAMPA -By July 31, heck, by March 31, the Yankees could have Jose Vidro, Bret Boone or fill-in-the-star name at second base. So consider the current second-base competition baseball's version...
KOBE NO TEAM PLAYER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amKOBE Bryant says he is thankful for much these days - a forgiving wife, a loyal organization to play for and the Lakers' fans who remain steadfast in their support...
SCOTT'S DISMISSAL STUNNED BRYANT
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amCount Kobe Bryant among those shocked by the Nets' dismissal of Byron Scott 16 games ago. "I was surprised," Bryant said before his Lakers demolished the Nets 100-83 last night...
LAKERS TIE NETS IN KNOTS AGAIN - L.A. ROUT REPLAYOF 2002 FINALS
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amLakers 100 Nets 83 Maybe if Byron Scott had tried a bigger lineup. Or maybe if Keith Van Horn had gotten hot at the start last night . . ....
BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR TEAM TURMOIL
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amThis is how the Lakers' near-dynasty does business: someone in purple and gold publicly tweaks a teammate, questions the brain trust or rants about his role on one of the...
IT'S DEJA BOO IN THE SWAMP ; LAKERS' ROMP OVER NETS IS DISTANT REPLAY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amLakers 100 Nets 83 Maybe if Byron Scott had tried a bigger lineup. Or maybe if Keith Van Horn had gotten hot at the start last night . . ....
BRUISED KIDD SET FOR MRI
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amNET NOTES Think of the worst case scenario for the Nets. It involves a significant injury to Jason Kidd, doesn't it? Well, the Nets are sweating that the worst case...
STEPH'S MUM ON VIN
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES DENVER - If Stephon Marbury wants Vin Baker on the Knicks, he is doing a good job of hiding it. Marbury didn't give much of an endorsement to...
KNICKS WRAP UP 0-4 TRIP WITH ANOTHER STINKER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amDENVER - The Keith Van Horn trade still stinks, as does the hot breath of clubs closing in from behind, threatening to throw the hapless Knicks out of playoff position....
SWEETNEY'S SWEET DAY
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amDENVER - Mike Sweetney's wild rookie ride climaxed last night when he received his first NBA start. But he lasted just three minutes before picking up two quick fouls. Sweetney...
ROAD TO RUIN: KNICKS WRAP UP 0-4 TRIP WITH ANOTHER STINKER
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amNuggets 107Knicks 96 DENVER - The Knick revival under Isiah Thomas has turned into Knick survival. The Keith Van Horn trade still stinks, as does the hot breath of clubs...
A NIGHT TO FORGET
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amSOMEWHERE Byron Scott is smiling, probably a sinister grin of satisfaction as he watched the Nets' 100-83 meltdown against the Lakers last night at Meadowlands Arena. These were the Nets...
TOUGH TRIO HAS ZITO ON FAST TRACK
March 1, 2004 | 5:00amTime does fly. Hard to believe it's been 20 years since a New York City kid named Nick Zito, who grew up in the shadow of Aqueduct racetrack, saddled his...