April 26, 2004

TINA LANDS A RANDOM BOOK DEAL

Tina Brown, the celebrity editor turned talk-show host, has snagged a deal to write a nonfiction book on money, power and the fall from grace of major figures in American...

COMCAST RETREAT - CABLE GIANT TO END DISNEY BID, SEEK NEW DEALS

Comcast appears likely to withdraw its bid for Disney in the coming weeks, The Post has learned. Executives at the cable giant are currently weighing the timing of such an...

PLACE YOUR BETS - WICKS MAY TAKE REINS AT DAILY RACING FORM

While horse bettors pick favorites in the upcoming Kentucky Derby, their venerable racing sheet - the Daily Racing Form - is also getting ready for the biggest bet in its...

RETAILERS SHUFFLE HE FASHION DECK

Once-popular brands such as Nine West, City DKNY and Calvin Klein Jeans are winding up on the fitting-room floor of some major department stores as part of a change that...

ALISTAIR COOKE'S IN CENTRAL PARK

'MASTERPIECE Theatre" host Alistair Cooke, who died last month at age 95, still isn't going home. The famed British TV and radio host requested that his ashes be scattered in...

SIMON TO CREATE AN OLDER 'IDOL'

'AMERICAN Idol" meanie Simon Cowell is going to host a new talent-search show - this time with no upper age limit for the performers. The show - to be called...

PHILOSOPHY FUN-OH-FUN - 'JUMPERS' WAY OVER THE MOON!

JUMPERS [ 1/2] (three and one-half stars)Brooks Atkinson Theater, 256 W. 47th St.; (212) 719-4099. ---- 'EVERYTHING has to begin somewhere," the hero points out in Tom Stoppard's bewitching "Jumpers,"...

PROUD MARY OFFERS CROWD 'REAL LOVE'

MARY J. BLIGE ---- WHAT'S the 411? Mary J. Blige proved she is all the information you need, during her three-night series at Radio City Music Hall. Looking fantastic, Blige...

HORSE FEATHERS - BEFORE YOU BET THE KY. DERBY, BETTER SEE 'JOCKEY'

"Jockey" [] (three stars) Tonight at 8 on HBO ---NAKED jockeys? This must be HBO. The pay-cable channel's new documentary on the hidden life of the wiry little guys who...

DAWG GONE-IT! - FRASIER'S TWO EDDIES HATE EACH OTHER

ENZO, the Jack Russell terrier better known as Eddie on "Frasier," is an emotional wreck over the end of the NBC sitcom. "I think he's in denial - I haven't...

OMAROSA DU JOUR - BRAT 'RESTAURANT' KID SAYS HE'S SORRY ALREADY

DREW the brat says he's sorry. He's Drew Abbruzzese, 20-year-old "intern" on the "The Restaurant" who is already being compared to the villainous Omarosa of "The Apprentice." Drew was introduced...

STARR REPORT

An open Seacrest Ryan Seacrest is a busy guy, but never too busy to discuss his TV gigs - "American Idol" and "On Air with Ryan Seacrest." Regarding last week's...

STATE GOP SCARED STIFF

NEW YORK Republicans see a "catastrophe looming" in the November elections, with President Bush - unpopular in the state - dragging down their U.S. Senate, congressional and state legislative candidates....

'COLD HITS' PUT PROSECUTORS HOT ON THE TRAIL

A Bronx high-school senior was on the way to her part-time job in October 2002 when José Vaello attacked her with pepper spray, then raped her. Vaello might have gotten...

DA STARTS GETTING 'SLAY' QUACK BACK

Accused killer Dean Faiello is one step closer to facing a New York jury in the murder of a young Manhattan investment banker. Manhattan prosecutors late last week sent what...

WELL-MANORED WIFE - HOW TERESA TRANSFORMED 'PAUPER' POL KERRY

John Kerry was always in search of a place to call home before he wed wealthy widow Teresa Heinz. Like a male Cinderella, Kerry was transformed overnight from the poorest...

'FINE' DINING NETS CITY $11M

The city collected $11 million in fines from restaurant inspections last year - more than double the previous year, city figures show. After raising fees and toughening health-code standards last...

DENZEL 'ON FIRE' AT THE BOX OFFICE

Denzel Washington set the box office ablaze over the weekend, as his new thriller, "Man on Fire," rocketed to No. 1. The action-packed, white-knuckler - about a booze-addicted bodyguard who...

CITY STREETS WIN BIG IN 'SWEEP' STAKES

Streets and sidewalks here are cleaner than they've been since the city began keeping records 30 years ago, according to the latest city survey. Sidewalks in three of the 59...

DUBYA A DOPE: TERESA

WASHINGTON - President Bush is an intellectual lightweight and "God bless" Americans if they are satisfied with him, Teresa Heinz says in a new interview. The wealthy wife of presidential...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A graphic talk about the horrors of facial reconstruction by the survivor of a DWI crash had some unexpected results at a Chicago high school - students began passing out...

HAMPTONS SLASH VICTIM MOURNED

Hundreds of mourners paid their final respects yesterday to a Mastic Beach woman found dead with a slit throat. The remains of Vinessa Hoera, 23, were found Wednesday in brush...

HURT IN LINE OF DOODY - EXPLODING-TOILET SUIT

Court clerk plumb mad. A Brooklyn Family Court clerk is flush with anger and suing the city for $5 million claiming he was injured when a courthouse john suddenly broke...

PARK TREE NUTS PINED FOR FALL

The X-rated treetop show staged by two lovebirds - a Bronx 17-year-old and his transgender "girlfriend" - started out as a despair-fueled suicide bid, the teen told The Post yesterday....

SCREAMS SAVE DROWNING BX. TOT

A 5-year-old Bronx boy visiting Florida was plucked unconscious from a Daytona Beach swimming pool Saturday after his playmates' screams alerted two neighbors, it was reported yesterday. Christopher Herrera was...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * A Hell's Kitchen man was shot by a crook, then took a cab to a hospital, he told police yesterday. The 27-year-old man told cops he was on...

18 HURT BATTLING BX. INFERNO

Eighteen firefighters were injured as they battled a raging blaze on the top floor of a Bronx apartment building yesterday. Some 140 firefighters rushed to the huge, three-alarm inferno at...

MOM BACKS EBAY SALE BY MARTHA BRO

Martha Stewart's mom has come out swinging in defense of her son and his controversial plan to sell cherished mementos from his famous sister's childhood on eBay. Martha Kostyra insisted...

ARTFUL DODGER CHARMED PRINCE'S PET CHARITY: COPS

An elbow-rubbing con artist who wormed his way into a top job at a prestigious city art school - one of Prince Charles' pet charities - has been busted for...

TROOPS TO BEGIN FALLUJAH PATROLS

Toning down warnings of an all-out assault on Fallujah, the U.S. military said yesterday that American troops and Iraqi security forces will begin joint patrols in the besieged city this...

DNA SPELLS I.D. - STATE INDICTS 'DOE' PERVS

The city has a message for rapists on the lam: One tiny misstep and we're going to get you. In a groundbreaking effort, prosecutors in Manhattan and The Bronx have...

L.I. HERO KILLED IN BOAT BLAST

A Coast Guardsman who grew up on Long Island died a hero while trying to prevent the suicide bomb attacks on the Basra oil terminals. Chief Petty Officer Nathan Bruckenthal,...

OUR NEW MAN IN BAGHDAD WILL BE BIRD IN 'GREEN' CAGE

WASHINGTON - John Negroponte is about to begin one of the world's most important jobs - and the best meal he'll get is sloppy Joes. Negroponte, 64, a Yale-educated diplomat...

JACKO SACKO - FIRES HIS PERV-CASE LAWYERS

Jacko whacko'd his two lead lawyers off his sensational kiddie-sex court case at the urging of his radical Nation of Islam advisers, a top source said yesterday. Out are celeb...

BILLY'S LATEST SMASH - CRASHES CAR INTO HOME

Singer Billy Joel was in no mood for a melody yesterday afternoon after he crashed his car into a Long Island home, causing damage to both the house and his...

IT FIGURES: KIDS' MATH TEST IS UP NEXT

For the city's anxious third-graders, it's one test down and one to go. Eight-year-old kids spent the weekend cramming for tomorrow's high-stakes third-grade math exam that will help determine whether...

BODY PARTS SHOCK POSH 'BURB

Volunteers cleaning up the tony Westchester town of Bedford made a horrifying discovery - the rotting body parts of a man stuffed into several garbage bags, cops said. The gruesome...

SQUEEZY DOES IT IN MIKE'S LATEST BUDGET

Mayor Bloomberg's 2005 budget, to be released today, anticipates hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax money - but the mayor warned against a spending spree because of $1...

$QUEEZY DOES IT IN MIKE'S LATEST BUDGET

Mayor Bloomberg's 2005 budget, to be released today, anticipates hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax money - but the mayor warned against a spending spree because of $1...

TRAGIC FINAL DRIVE - SLAIN TAKING MA TO MASS

A 48-year-old woman, killed instantly by a fiend who hurled a "football-size" boulder off a Westchester overpass, was driving her mom to Saturday-evening Catholic Mass when the senseless violence occurred,...

TREE DUO PLANNED LOVERS' LEAP: TEEN

The X-rated treetop show staged by two lovebirds - a Bronx 17-year-old and his transgender "girlfriend" - started out as a despair-fueled suicide bid, the teen told The Post yesterday....

ISRAEL SOFTENS ARAFAT THREAT

JERUSALEM - Israeli officials yesterday backed off from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's latest threat against Yasser Arafat, saying there are no immediate plans to kill the Palestinian leader. In a...

IMMIGRANT COOK SLAIN IN BRONX

A West African immigrant's life and dreams of a bright future in New York were brutally snuffed out yesterday with a bullet to the head, cops and family members said....

18 BRAVEST HURT IN BRONX INFERNO

Eighteen firefighters were injured as they battled a raging blaze on the top floor of a Bronx apartment building yesterday. Some 140 firefighters rushed to the three-alarm inferno at 2585...

TALE OF TAPE SHOWS KERRY DID TOSS MEDALS

Presumed Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry said in an interview more than 30 years ago that he threw away some of his Vietnam combat medals - contradicting statements he has...

L.I. HERO LOSES LIFE IN BASRA BOMBING

A Coast Guardsman who grew up on Long Island gave his life trying to prevent homicide bombers from destroying the Basra oil terminals. Chief Petty Officer Nathan Bruckenthal, 25, whose...

NEW SMASH HIT - BILLY CRASHES CAR INTO L.I. HOME

Singer Billy Joel was in no mood for a melody yesterday afternoon when he crashed his car into a Long Island home, damaging both the house and his classic roadster,...

TROOPS SET TO PATROL IN FALLUJAH

Toning down warnings of an all-out assault on Fallujah, the U.S. military said yesterday that American troops and Iraqi security forces will begin joint patrols in the besieged city this...

MAKEUP MONARCH - BUSINESS WORLD LOSES A LEGEND

Estée Lauder, who built a billion-dollar beauty empire on face cream she once made in her kitchen, has died age 97. The cosmetics diva died late Saturday night of cardiopulmonary...

BADGES' BALLPERK - FINEST, BRAVEST PARK FOR FREE ON SHEA'S GRASSY KNOLL

Off-duty cops, firefighters and city workers are leading the league in stolen spaces at Shea Stadium. Instead of coughing up the $10 to park in the stadium's lot like other...

NEW DOT SIGNS WILL LOOM LARGE

Outer-borough-style street signs are coming to a Manhattan intersection near you. A new batch of "oversized signs" dangling from signal-mast arms have been going up across major streets as part...

MOB CANARY TO WARBLE 'HIT' SONG TODAY

It's payback time for a wiseguy who took two bullets in a failed Colombo mob hit. Joseph Campanella, 45, is set to make his debut as a witness for the...

BID TO OUST EAST SIDE PRINCIPAL

An Upper East Side school has been torn apart by a nasty battle over whether to boot its new principal, The Post has learned. The fate of PS 158 Principal...

DUMBER BETTER: POLS - LOOK TO DOWNGRADE USE OF REGENTS EXAMS

Powerful state lawmakers are considering drafting legislation to scale back the use of Regents exams as the only measure to obtain a high-school diploma, The Post has learned. The heads...

DA WANTS 'SLAY' QUACK BACK

Accused killer Dean Faiello is one step closer to facing a New York jury in the murder of a young Manhattan investment banker. Manhattan prosecutors late last week sent what...

YALIE DIPLOMAT SET TO BECOME OUR MAN IN BAGHDAD

WASHINGTON - John Negroponte is about to begin one of the world's most important jobs - and the best meal he'll get is sloppy Joes. Negroponte, 64, a Yaleeducated diplomat...

'FINE DINING SERVES UP $11M FOR CITY

The city collected $11 million in fines from restaurant inspections last year - more than double the previous year, city figures show. After raising fees and toughening health-code standards last...

FINE DINING SERVING UP BIG BUCKS FOR APPLE

The city collected $11 million in fines from restaurant inspections last year -more than double the previous year, city figures show. After raising fees and toughening health-code standards last year,...

IMMIGRANT SHOT TRYING TO SAVE KIN

A West African immigrant's life and dreams of a bright future in New York were brutally snuffed out yesterday with a bullet to the head, cops and family members said....

SEE HOU NEXT YEAR - ALLAN EYES HEALTHY RETURN IN '04-'05

Who knows what Isiah Thomas can steal in the free-agent market, armed with just the $5.1 million, mid-level exception? His targets - Rasheed Wallace, Jamal Crawford, Marcus Camby, Erick Dampier...

CONTENDER? KNICKS AIN'T EVEN CLOSE

This team isn't as young and on its way as its boss likes to represent it. THIS first Knick playoff appearance in three seasons was supposed to be for practice....

POLLARD'S VISION HAS EYE ON DERBY

LOUISVILLE - In an era of wildly unpredictable Kentucky Derby upsets, could a cheap horse with one eye, named after a jockey with one eye and owned by a man...

HECKLE THIS! - GARDEN TAUNTS FUEL JASON'S FIRES

Never test an electrical outlet with your tongue. Never drive to California blindfolded. And never - ever - tick off Jason Kidd. Boston fans did it two years ago and...

ELI NEEDS TO BE GREAT - IF STAR SHINES, DEAL'S A STEAL

FAST FORWARD to one year from now. Eli Manning has completed his season with the Giants, starting 10 games, tossing 11 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions, laboring, learning and losing....

MOURNING, THEN BACK TO TAUNTING

PREDICTABLY, Friday's word of Pat Tillman's combat death led to multimedia, round-the-clock testimonials claiming that, "This definitely puts everything into perspective." The sports world, however, has only provided lessons to...

KIDD NAMED 1ST-TEAM ALL-NBA

NET NOTES Jason Kidd was named to the first-team All-NBA squad yesterday, the fifth time the Net point guard has been so honored. Kidd, who was a second-teamer last year,...

BAFFERT CAN 'WIM' IT ALL

LOUISVILLE - Looking for a Kentucky Derby dark horse at 10-1 or more? How about a muscular, long-legged gray colt that won the Louisiana Derby by 2 1/4 lengths, trained...

RAIN SOAKS CHURCHILL

LOUISVILLE - Overnight rains, followed by an early-morning downpour, turned the track at Churchill Downs sloppy for yesterday's workouts, but several Kentucky Derby hopefuls braved the conditions with the big...

GIAMBI MAY BE ON BLOCK - BUT YANKEES DENY JASON-HUDSON DEAL

YANKEE NOTES Brian Cashman said there is no truth to a rumor that roared through baseball yesterday and had the Yankees and A's swapping Jason Giambi for right-hander Tim Hudson...

WILLIAMSON GIVES SOX PEN RELIEF

Poised for a sweep, the Red Sox didn't call on Keith Foulke in the ninth inning yesterday. Boston's heralded closer had pitched in nine of the previous 12 games and...

THERE'S BROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT - RED SOX FINISH SWEEP OF SLUMPING YANKEES

Red Sox 2 - Yankees 0 On the heels of the NFL Draft, the Yankees have unveiled their East Coast offense. Actually, it's borrowed from Woody Hayes, legendary Ohio State...

WILLIAMS EYEING PLAY-FUL SUMMER ON THE HARDWOOD

KNICK NOTES Frank Williams told The Post he will play summer league with the Knicks this July. The Knicks will play in the summer league in Los Angeles that begins...

CALL 'EM GANG GREENER

WHEN last season ended, the Jets' defense was a slow, aging group almost completely devoid of dynamic big-play ability. By the time the 2004 NFL Draft wound down to its...

COTCHERY JUICED TO JOIN JETS

How badly did Jerricho Cotchery want to become a Jet? "I've been wearing my Jets shirt all week," said the North Carolina State receiver, picked by the Jets in the...

FRUSTRATED PHILLIPS HOPES SHAVE HELPS

MET NOTES CHICAGO - Everybody in the Mets' lineup is slumping, but nobody is struggling more than Jason Phillips. After going 0-for-3 in yesterday's 4-1 loss to the Cubs, the...

CONFIDENCE GAME

JOE TORRE batted his Nos. 1-2 problems - Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams - Nos. 1-2 in the lineup yesterday. It spoke to his confidence in cornerstones from championship years...

BACK TO WORK AFTER MANNING MANIA

The hubbub crammed into the first day of the NFL Draft diminished yesterday as the Giants, the day after landing quarterback Eli Manning, tended to the mundane but necessary task...

ISIAH'S KNICKS STILL HAVE LONG WAY TO GO

THE Knicks' first postseason appearance in three springs was over quicker than a Richard Jefferson first step down the baseline, earlier than the Nets' release for a Jason Kidd pass...

MANNY'S DRIVING BOSTON

Manny Ramirez isn't just carrying the Red Sox like some sort of piano mover. He's driving the 18-wheel Mayflower van of teammates towards October. Ramirez smashed his 20th career homer...

JEERING JETER - DEREK BOOED AS SLUMP HITS 0-25

When you walk up to the man wearing No. 2 in pinstripes these days, you half expect him to turn around and see Wayne Tolleson, rather than Derek Jeter. The...

KIDD LANDS SPOT ON ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

After the All-NBA Team was announced, Richard Jefferson summed up the selection that carried the most interest in this area: "Nine triple-doubles in 60 games." Actually, that was 67 games....

FEDS: YANKS GIVEN 'ROIDS - LATEST BALCO SCOOP NEWS TO GIAMBI, SHEFF

Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield said yesterday they were unaware of a report that federal agents claimed BALCO founder Victor Conte Jr. allegedly supplied them with steroids. In yesterday's editions,...

AT LEAST THEY WEREN'T NO-HIT

Cubs 4 - Mets 1 CHICAGO - For much of the game, it simply seemed inevitable. The Mets? No-hit? Hey, the way they were going, it was bound to happen...

BOSOX EXPRESS IS ON FAST TRACK

THE Red Sox had a train to catch in front of them and 86 years of tortured karmic miseries behind them, so they were in no mood to proffer many...

TIM TAKES ONE FINAL NASTY SWIPE AT SWEEPING NETS

KNICK NOTES Tim Thomas' back was still not good enough to play last night but his mouth still was in rare form. After last night's Nets' sweep in which Thomas...

METROSTARS MISS CHANCE

MetroStars 1 - Revolution 1 After playing to a 1-1 tie with New England yesterday to stay undefeated - the best three-game start in club history - the MetroStars have...

BUCKNER & MOOKIE GO OWN WAYS

Bill Buckner wants to stay as far away from major league baseball as possible. Mookie Wilson wants to continue his crawl back toward the bigs, this time as a manager....

SENSE OF RELIEF FOR BOSOX

Poised for a sweep, the Red Sox didn't call on Keith Foulke in the ninth inning yesterday. Boston's heralded closer had pitched in nine of the previous 12 games and...

HOU EYES A HEALTHY RETURN IN '04-'05

Who knows what Isiah Thomas can steal in the free-agent market, armed with just the $5.1 million, mid-level exception? His targets - Rasheed Wallace, Jamal Crawford, Marcus Camby, Erick Dampier...

BOSS IS CROSS - HEADS TO BRONX TO PUT HOUSE IN ORDER

YANKEE NOTES The Boss is coming. And George Steinbrenner is ticked over the Yankees losing three straight to the Red Sox, who have won six of seven this season from...

NOTHING BUT NETS JERSEY SWEEP BURIES KNICKS

GAME 4: Nets 100 - Knicks 94 Stephon Marbury hit a right-wing 3-pointer to give the Knicks an 82-79 lead, and Frank Williams followed with a left-wing trey for a...

KENYON CAN'T BE STOPPED

Tim Thomas made Kenyon Martin the focal point of this series. Martin delivered the exclamation point last night, scoring a playoff career-high 36 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and leaving the...

WILLIAMS EYEING PLAYFUL SUMMER ON THE HARDWOOD

KNICK NOTES Frank Williams told The Post he will play summer league with the Knicks this July. The Knicks, who finished their four-game series loss to the Nets last night,...

STILL A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT KNICKS

THE Knicks' first postseason appearance in three springs was over quicker than Richard Jefferson's first step down the baseline and earlier than the Nets' release in anticipation of a Jason...

KIDD NAMED TO ALL-NBA 1ST TEAM

NET NOTES Jason Kidd was named to the first-team All-NBA squad yesterday, the fifth time the Nets point guard has been so honored. Kidd, who was a second-teamer last year,...

THIS ONE FEELS 'ZO GOOD TO KENYON

This one was for Zo. And Kenyon Martin made sure it had the proper ending. Martin wanted to start the game hitting a couple shots, looking to be aggressive. And...

KIDD KEEPS HIS COOL

Never test an electrical outlet with your finger. Never drive blindfolded. And never tick off Jason Kidd. And as the Knicks found out, don't tick off the Nets, in general....

NOTHIN' BUT NETS - JERSEY SWEEP BURIES KNICKS

GAME 4: Nets 100 - Knicks 94 Stephon Marbury hit a right-wing 3-pointer to make it 82-79. Frank Williams followed with a left-wing trey for a 85-79 lead with 6:50...