March 6, 2004

MARTHA'S TOAST - VERDICT IS IN: IT'S CURTAINS FOR STEWART INC.

It was a scrumptiously catered, flawlessly decorated soiree, but for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the party's over. Now that Stewart will be trading azure bedspreads for prison blues, the company...

FASHION INDUSTRY FEARS PPR HAS RUINED HOUSE OF GUCCI

The fashion world is growing increasingly nervous with the direction Pinault-Printemps-Redoute appears to be taking the Gucci Group, calling the strategy that has emerged in recent days muddled and confused,...

CONVICTION A VERY BAD THING FOR KMART

The conviction yesterday of Martha Stewart is bad news for already troubled Kmart, marketing experts said. Kmart, which emerged from Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection in May, has relied on products...

MARKET REPORT

BIDDING wars aren't new - we've been telling you about them for weeks - but we're seeing an increasing number of bids over the asking price in hot neighborhoods. People...

CHIC FOR CHEAPER: ONE-BEDROOM, FIVE HOT AREAS - FOR UNDER $1,500

LET'S face it. Being short on the cash in the city means you're forced to live in dingy digs, pillbox-sized apartments or "worst of all " in exile in some...

GIMME SHELTER - MOVERS AND SHAKERS

THE Upper East Side won't be nearly as lovely now that Cindy Crawford, the neighborhood's reigning yummy mummy, and her nightclub-owner husband Rande Gerber (a former model have sold their...

HOME SHOPPING CLUB - LINENS FOR LESS

Door Store 1457 Northern Blvd., at Shelter Rock Road, Manhassett, L.I. (516) 627-2420 Sale: through March 7 Open: Sat., 10 a.m.-7 p.m./Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The grand opening of this...

YES, IT WILL FIT - HOW TO GET THAT COUCH IN THE DOOR

BIG couch. Not-so-big door. What to do? Call a couch-disassembly service, of course. In New York, where there's a service pro for everything, there are a host of people who...

'RINGS' TO WB

THE WB has landed a coveted prize: TV rights to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The trilogy will make its world premiere on WB stations, including Ch. 11, beginning...

AIKEN NOT FAKIN': HE'S THE REAL DEAL

CLAY AIKEN & KELLY CLARKSON At the Nassau Coliseum. A POST reader - a devoted "American Idol" fan - has been calling me a jerk for months. All because I...

CAN YOU DIG IT? PLAY LIKE STARSKY & HUTCH AT THESE RETRO '70S HOT SPOTS

You've seen the new "Starsky and Hutch" movie. Now you're in the mood to boogie like it's 1976, right? So why not head out to one of these groovy spots...

WE'RE SHOPPING AT... LUSH

LUSH 105-1293 Broadway, between 33rd and 34th streets (212) 564-9120 There's a new deli in town, but it doesn't serve sandwiches. Lush, which has an almost cult-like following in England,...

I SCREEN, YOU SCREEN - MOVIE MADNESS AS TWO KIDS' FILM FESTIVALS HIT THE CITY

Forget the Oscars - if you haven't already. This weekend and next, it's all about the Bammies and the Ottys, the only film prizes we know that are decided by...

HE'S GOT THE HORSE RIGHT THERE

Galloping in the hoof-steps of that big-screen equine champ, Seabiscuit, here comes Hidalgo, the title horse in a new Disney adventure. While Viggo Mortensen, the human star of "Hidalgo," is...

HER $95M WIPEOUT

Martha Stewart's verdict cost her $95 million in just a few minutes. The share price of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia - which creates her magazine, TV shows and products -...

PALS BOOST 'HERO' COP CAPT.

Angry supporters of a police captain accused of fixing crime stats to make himself look better loudly protested his innocence outside his station house yesterday. The demonstration by fans of...

LIZA'S DOUGH BOY; HUBBY: SHE SHOULD PAY ME BIG BUCKS

David Gest was mugged - not only did estranged wife Liza Minnelli beat him up, she took his money, too, he says in court papers. In papers filed yesterday in...

BUSH BUCKING BARBS TO VISIT N.Y.

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush, facing criticism for using images of the destroyed World Trade Center in campaign ads, will visit a Sept. 11 memorial in New York next week....

PEDDLERS GET GROUND ZERO BOOT

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday signed into law legislation reinstating restrictions on peddlers in Midtown Manhattan while also barring vendors from around Ground Zero. The law takes effect immediately. "This...

MIKE TAKES A STAND: LET THEM TIE THE KNOT

After refusing for days to take a public position on gay marriage, Mayor Bloomberg announced at a private dinner that he favors allowing gays and lesbians to marry. Sources said...

FED 'JUSTIFIED' IN SHOOTING THUG

An off-duty federal agent was justified in shooting and wounding a man who tried to rob him in the lobby of a Lower East Side building, a law-enforcement source said...

B'KLYN SERVICES FOR DISMEMBERED GIRL

As friends and family gathered around Guilene Valcin's pink coffin in a Brooklyn church yesterday, they remembered the tragic slay victim as a happy, religious girl who knew how to...

TEEN-TRYST PROBATION OFFICER OUT

City Probation Commissioner Martin Horn said yesterday he will move to fire a probation officer who had sex with a teenage client but was cleared by a judge. The axing...

ISRAELI PM SLUMPS IN LATEST POLL

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon got clobbered by a new poll yesterday that showed for the first time that a majority of Israelis want him to quit. The...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

Brooklyn * Police have arrested a man on charges of shooting a bystander in the DUMBO section in October 2002. Jeffrey Davis allegedly shot the bystander Oct. 1 at 10:15...

GOP IN WEB JAB AT KERRY

Republicans yesterday launched a "Kerry vs. Kerry" Internet boxing game, using online humor to try to zap Democratic nominee John Kerry by painting him as an unrepentant flip-flopper. The move...

B'KLYN PRIEST HELD IN L.I. KID-SEX CASE

A Brooklyn priest and former Air Force chaplain pleaded not guilty yesterday to sodomizing a Long Island boy and is being held in the Suffolk County Jail on $500,000 bond,...

COLD FEET: GAY-WED MAYOR HALTS NUPS

ALBANY - Maverick New Paltz Mayor Jason West yesterday abruptly called off his plan to perform up to two dozen more gay marriage ceremonies today. West's cave-in came the day...

HOSTAGE-TAKER COOLS HEELS IN FRIDGE: COPS

A Queens man who kept two people hostage for two hours was arrested early yesterday after cops found him cowering in a refrigerator, law-enforcement sources said. Eric Mandell was nabbed...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A judge didn't quite throw the book at Kristin Grace, but the Bettendorf, Iowa, woman was sentenced to three years' probation for stealing nearly 450 books from Quad City public...

SMALL 'KOZ' FOR CELEBRATION

A Manhattan judge threw out a top count against the Tyco two yesterday - a dramatic move, but one he said will have little effect on the case. The judge,...

KLEIN AIDE'S 'HIRE' POWER

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's top instructional adviser may have violated the city's conflict-of-interest law - bypassing the city's ethics rules while getting her husband jobs in the school system, according...

'LIVING' NO MORE: CH. 2 PULLS PLUG

Martha Stewart's guilty verdict has flushed her TV career right down the toilet. Beginning Monday, WCBS/Channel 2 here will no longer air Stewart's cooking/lifestyle show, "Martha Stewart Living," a Viacom...

JAIL STRETCH MAY BE JUST ONE YEAR AND CHANGE

How much time Martha Stewart spends in prison will be determined by a complicated formula that could land her 10 to 18 months. Technically, she faces a maximum prison term...

HS GRIPE: PLAN 'PROMOTES' VIOLENCE

Social promotion is contributing to violence and disorder in the high schools, teachers and students charged yesterday. Failing students who get promoted can't do high school work, and they get...

HE 'DOUG' HER GRAVE - PUNY BROKER TOOK DOWN BOSSY DIVA

It was business as usual for Douglas Faneuil as his former bosses became convicted felons. Friends and family said the former Merrill Lynch broker's assistant, who toiled away yesterday at...

ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE PLAYED THE ULTIMATE FOOL

GET USED TO IT:Martha exits court with a law officer. Such encounters may soon be common.AP MARTHA, you really should have listened to me. Today, as Martha Stewart gets busy...

BACANOVIC TELLS PALS MARTHA BLEW IT FOR THEM BOTH

Peter Bacanovic feared he was going to be convicted and blamed Martha Stewart's arrogance for the pair's downfall, his friends told The Post. The former Merrill Lynch stockbroker was furious...

MARTHA'S HEAD ON A PLATTER ; * JURY CONVICTS HER ON 4 COUNTS * MAY SPEND 10-18 MOS. IN PEN * BUSINESS EMPIRE CRUMBLING

Martha Stewart's goose isn't just cooked - it's burned to a crisp. In a swift, decisive verdict that shocked America, a Manhattan jury yesterday branded the one-time golden girl a...

TAKING A STAND IS TYING MIKE IN KNOTS

Mayor Bloomberg switched sides on the issue of gay marriage yesterday, first endorsing the controversial issue, then changing his mind and coming out just in favor of civil unions. After...

'VICTORY FOR LITTLE GUYS' ; JURORS: EGOTISTICAL MARTHA GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED

A Bronx computer technician who helped deliver the crushing verdict that will send Martha Stewart to prison hailed the decision as a "victory for the little guys." Moments after the...

BACANOVIC'S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT

Peter Bacanovic's mother called her son a "scapegoat" and lashed out at the government and witness Douglas Faneuil last night. "I knew from the beginning that it would end like...

DIVA'S RISE & FALL: FROM $ALAD DAYS TO DROWNING IN THE SOUP

ON Dec. 27, 2001 - the day Martha Stewart fell from grace - she was flying to Mexico's Baja peninsula to begin an 11-day luxury vacation. The imperious diva of...

BEATEN L.I. 'CANDY KID' IMPROVING

The 13-year-old Long Island girl who was groped, beaten and left for dead in a garbage-strewn ditch as she walked home from buying candy, is out of danger and in...

MEYOCKS GETS JOB AT NTRA

Former NYRA president and COO Terry Meyocks was hired yesterday by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and appointed Special Assistant to the Commissioner. Meyocks will advise and assist NTRA commissioner...

ISLES HAVE LOTS OF HOLES TO FILL

While everyone around them is loading up for what should be a pretty entertaining playoff tournament, the Islanders haven't been doing much of anything besides making their eight-point cushion for...

'LORD,' LOVING HEAD FIELD IN 75G STYMIE

The difference between winter racing in New York and in southern California is never more obvious than it will be today. While Aqueduct hosts the $75,000 Stymie Handicap over the...

CORRALES SAYS REMATCH WILL BE DIFFERENT STORY

Diego Corrales promises history won't repeat itself tonight in his rematch with Joel Casamayor for the WBO 130-pound championship. The two met in Las Vegas last October, with Casamayor declared...

STEPH MUM ON TELFAIR'S COVER

TORONTO - While Stephon Marbury was mostly mum regarding his cousin, Sebastian Telfair, being on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing a Lincoln High jersey, another New York City point...

SJU: A SEASON TO FORGET

St. John's finally got around to taking a new team picture yesterday. The players - the eight remaining on a squad decimated by expulsions, suspensions and withdrawals - were clad...

JILTED JETS TRADE FOR TITAN WR MCCAREINS

Only Martha Stewart has had a worse last 24 hours than the Jets. In less time than it takes most people to take an afternoon nap, Antoine Winfield bolted from...

LB EMMONS JOINS JINTS

The first signing for the Giants during this free agency period proved to be a major one, as they came to terms yesterday with Carlos Emmons, who immediately moves in...

SECOND COMING QUICK TO REYES

PORT ST. LUCIE - Joe McEwing takes grounders with Jose Reyes every day, working with him and witnessing his progress. So when you ask the Mets' utility player about Reyes'...

BREAKING AWAY - MINUS KIDD, NETS LOOK TO RUN OFF 'D'

"We've got to get stops . . . steals. We've got to create transition." KENYON MARTIN OAKLAND - Jason Kidd was in street clothes again last night resting his bruised...

FLORES REPEATS AS MAAC'S FINEST

MAAC TOURNEY ALBANY - If it truly is tougher to be the hunted than the hunter, more challenging to stay on top than to get there, it hasn't shown as...

LOTTERY BATTLE BEGINS ; RANGERS AND CAPS FIGHT TO FINISH

If all the games are important for the Rangers now in their stab at sliding into the league's overall bottom five to qualify for the Entry Draft lottery, none was...

IT'S DEBUT-IFUL DAY FOR A-ROD ; 'LIKE I WAS IN DISNEY WORLD'

TAMPA - Fittingly, the emotions overwhelmed Alex Rodriguez as he was rounding third base yesterday. Sure, A-Rod experienced a swirl of feelings - anxiousness, excitement, uncertainty - while playing his...

GIAMBI HAS GRAND TIME VS. PHILLIES

Yankees 7Phillies 5 TAMPA - Jason Giambi insists he still can hit the ball as hard and as far without the four pounds he shed this offseason. If anyone needed...

LEGEND BEGINS WITH WITH 1ST STEPS AT 3RD

TAMPA - This was like catching Bruce Springsteen at the Bottom Line in the mid '70s. Here was A-Rod at this intimate park - think of it as Yankee Stadium...

GARCIA, SPENCER IN BRAWL ; DUO GANGS UP ON PIZZA MAN

PORT ST. LUCIE - Mets outfielders Karim Garcia - already facing possible prosecution for a fight in Boston during last year's ALCS - and Shane Spencer were involved in an...

DEVS DEAL DISAPPOINTING RUPP TO PHOENIX FOR HRDINA

TAMPA - Most teams would love to bronze a Stanley Cup-winning goal-scorer. But the Devils traded another away yesterday, hoping Jan Hrdina can win faceoffs as they try to win...

BROWN HAS 'BLAH' DAY ; MAKES FIRST START AS YANKEE

YANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Kevin Brown claims he was throwing "cotton balls" yesterday. Brown, a notorious perfectionist, allowed four singles during his two-inning start in the Yankees' exhibition home opener...

SECOND COMING QUICKLY TO REYES

PORT ST. LUCIE - Cliff Floyd put it best about Jose Reyes' first ground ball at second base. "He got baptized out there," Floyd said. Indeed, Reyes' move to second...

NAZR SHOWS THE WAY

Knicks 109Raptors 103 TORONTO -Even in Dikembe Mutombo's prime, he was not capable of domination like this. When the Knicks returned home from the West Coast disaster, Lenny Wilkens named...

LUCKILY, HELP IS ON THE WAY

OVERTIME Lightning 3 Devils 2 TAMPA - Help arrives tonight, exactly 9.6 seconds too late. Jan Hrdina may make his Devils debut in Raleigh this evening, but he'll be joining...

CARDS CUT DOWN BY GREAT YATES

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - Tyler Yates entered last night in relief of Al Leiter. Third man up? Albert Pujols. "I was just like, I'm giving him my very...

MESS LEADS BY EXAMPLE ; NOTCHES GOAL, ASSIST IN WIN OVER CAPITALS

Rangers 3 Capitals 2 He has been the team's best player since Tom Renney became head coach six games ago, just as he, Matt Barnaby and Chris Simon have formed...

GARCIA, SPENCER IN BRAWL; MET DUO GANGS UP ON PIZZA MAN

PORT ST. LUCIE - Karim Garcia - already facing possible prosecution for a fight in Boston during last year's ALCS - and Shane Spencer were involved in an altercation with...

LOUGHLIN GETS GREENE LIGHT TO SEMIFNALS

CHSAA PLAYOFFSLoughlin 72All Hallows 63 It didn't take Herbie Allen long to realize things would be different at Bishop Loughlin this season under rookie coach Khalid Greene. "I saw him...

GAELS ESCAPE INTO QUARTERFINALS

MAAC TOURNEY ALBANY - Iona has underachieved this winter, squandered a promising season thanks to more bad chemistry than BALCO. But after last night's great escape - Canisius missed three...

KIDD-LESS NETS ZAP WARRIORS

Nets 78Warriors 74 OAKLAND - It took the Nets more than 46 minutes to get the lead last night. But when they got it, they kept it for good. And...

STORM LOOK TO PAST AS SEASON TO FORGET ENDS

St. John's finally got around to taking a new team picture yesterday. The players - the eight remaining on a squad decimated by expulsions, suspensions and withdrawals - were clad...