July 20, 2005
DOWNTOWN IS STILL HOT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLENNY Litwin and Gary Jacob's Glenwood Management quietly sold both 55 John St. and 123 William St. for a total of $120 million. City records show the package is now...
FUND SUES MORGAN BOARD OVER PAY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amMorgan Stanley's board is under attack by a pension fund looking to recover millions the company has paid to departing executives and a $1.58 billion court award the firm lost...
WEILL THING - SANDY'S BOLD MANEUVERS PUT INVESTORS ON EDGE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amAfter years of cheering on Citigroup architect Sandy Weill, investors in the mega-bank now may be ready to show their legendary chairman the door. As its profits sag and regulators...
AUDIT CHANGE SLAPS MAGS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amDozens of magazine and newspaper publishers can no longer count as paid circulation copies handled by two widely used distributors now under scrutiny for questionable practices. The Audit Bureau of...
KRAVITZ DEBUTS DESIGN FIRM
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amRock star and sometime Casanova Lenny Kravitz will soon try on a new role: fashion designer. Sources said the musician, known for his eclectic personal style, is close to signing...
M'SFT VS. GOOGLE, EX-EXEC
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amMicrosoft and Google are officially at war over who'll grab control of the Internet in China. Google fired the first volley yesterday by poaching the brainy head of Microsoft's lab...
ALL'S NOT OK WITH OK! - U.S. LAUNCH LACKS ADS; PAYING TOP $ FOR SHELF SPACE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amRICHARD Desmond, the one-time British porn magazine king who is now striving to go legit, landed in the United States this week to put the finishing touches on the pending...
SCHOOL SPENDING TO COOL
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amAmerican families with school-aged children plan to sharply reduce spending on items for the new school year, according to research released yesterday. Spending on back-to-school items - including apparel and...
WATCH, OR HE'LL SHOOT - SURREAL MAGICIAN GETS HIS 'FREAK' ON
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amFINALLY - a reality show that admits it's total illusion! I'm talking about A&E's new reality/magic show starring Criss Angel - one of those guys you desperately want to hate....
LESBIAN PARENTING WITH GOOD 'GRACE'
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amMAKING GRACE*** (three stars)Running time: 86 minutes. Not rated (mature subject matter). At the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, Third Street and Avenue A, East Village. THIS, it seems, is the...
ROCKY'S REMATCH - ESPN FIGHTS FOR 'CONTENDER'
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amDESPITE taking a body-blow from NBC, "The Contender" may be back for a second round on ESPN. The sports cable network has confirmed that it's close to acquiring the rights...
HEMMER HOPS TO FOX
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amFORMER CNNer Bill Hemmer is joining Fox News Channel. Hemmer, who most recently co-anchored CNN's "American Morning," will be based in New York, where he'll be a weekday anchor and...
THESE CITY FOLK LOVETT BY A COUNTRY LYLE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLYLE LOVETTLyle Lovett and his Large Band play the North Fork Theater (formerly the Westbury Music Fair) tonight. WITH wry humor, high hair and his indomitable Large Band, Lyle Lovett...
'JOAN OF ARCADIA' HAUNTING 'GHOST'
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amCBS still loves God - even after dumping "Joan of Arcadia." The Tiffany network appears to have re-pledged its allegiance to the Almighty, or at least to the afterlife and...
SOMERS' TIME UP; 'BLONDE' THUNDERS OVER AWFUL REVIEWS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00am'THESE men are curmudgeons, and maybe I went too close to the bone for them. I was lying there naked, and they decided to kick me and step on me,...
COME TO PAPA! THE PERILS OF HIRING THE HOT NANNY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amSIX months ago, Karen interviewed for a nanny position on the Upper East Side. With several long-term jobs under her belt and glowing references, she was confident that she would...
VENT BLOWS HOT & COLD
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amBistro du Vent (two stars) 411 W.42nd St. (Giraffe Hotel) (212) 239-3060 SOMETIMES a new restaurant needs a few months to find itself. With the opening hoopla out of the...
$UPER, $AVORY $AVINGS - COOL BARGAINS TO BEAT THE HEAT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amBARGAINS come in two sizes: the obvious (dirt-cheap) and the subtle (luxury for less). Both kinds are popping up at eateries around town now, bringing everything from $3 burgers at...
ON THE SIDE: OH SHUCKS! JACK'S MAY BE SOLD
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amOn The Side THE tiny but culinarily significant Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar is for sale. The winner of the coveted James Beard award for having 2004's best new chef is...
STARR REPORT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amNew 'Raven' maven "That's So Raven" has a new co-star: Ann-Marie Johnson. She'll play worldrenowned fashion designer Donna Cabonna, who offers Raven (Raven) a fashion design internship. Johnson, who's had...
WELL 'RED' L.I. BANK BANDITS FLEE COPS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA pair of Long Island bank robbers, one toting a machine gun, got an unpleasant surprise when their dye-pack-laden cash hoard blew up. The crooks tossed some of their ink-stained...
KILLER GUILTY IN CHINESE TAKEOUT SLAY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA Queens teen accused of taking part in the vicious murder of a Chinese food deliveryman pleaded guilty yesterday in exchange for a sentence of 20 years to life in...
NYPD BIG SALUTES HERO CHURCH COPS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amTwo cops wounded in a hate-fueled attack on a Queens church early Sunday were hailed as heroes yesterday after being visited by the NYPD's patrol chief. Dominick Romano, 26, and...
CAMERON FOTOG SET TO TESTIFY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Prosecutors yesterday rested their case against the photographer accused of forging actress Cameron Diaz's signature in a bid to sell photos of the topless starlet. Defense lawyer...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amIt may be a "little" crime - but it's got folks in Greeley, Colo., in a big funk. That's where a thief has swiped more than 80 garden gnomes from...
CABLEVISION, JETS IN CASH BLITZ
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amALBANY - On top of the massive amounts of money spent on lobbying over the failed West Side stadium, Cablevision and the Jets pumped out $70,000 in last-minute campaign contributions,...
TV TECH-SAVVY GALS RUNNING THE SHOWS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amWomen are the ones pushing the buttons on digital video recorders - not men. Forty-eight percent of married women say the decision to buy a DVR was theirs and 55...
FIELDS' BID MAY BE PHOTO FINISHED: POLL
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amC. Virginia Fields is on the verge of being toppled from her No. 2 perch in the four-way Democratic mayoral primary, according to a new poll that also shows Mayor...
ISRAELI MARCH MADNESS - JEW VS. JEW WITH 20,000 IN GAZA CLASH
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - Israeli troops and police trapped about 20,000 Jewish settlers and sympathizers for a second day yesterday and barred them from marching into the Gaza Strip. Fights broke out...
CITY UPS PER-PUPIL SPENDING
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA state court says Albany is shortchanging city children on school aid, but education spending per city pupil jumped over 15 percent in the last five years, a new analysis...
DOPEY PREPPY - DEADBEAT CHAMBERS 'FORGETS' $$ SOURCES
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amRobert Chambers' mind may be going the way of his looks - he says he can't remember where he's worked since getting out of prison two years ago, and he's...
SIX FINALISTS FOR FLT. 587 MEMORIAL
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amThe city has selected six finalists from among 68 applicants to create a memorial honoring the 265 victims of Flight 587, which crashed in the Rockaways nearly four years ago....
PAKISTAN BUSTS 'MAJOR' QAEDA THUG
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amPakistani police arrested several Islamic terrorists - including a "major figure" in al Qaeda - for possible connections to the London subway bombings yesterday, as evidence grew that the plot...
MA'S NEW HORROR OVER TRUNK BOYS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amThe mother of a New Jersey boy who suffocated with two friends in a car trunk is "numb" after learning the children were alive - possibly as long as 33...
'MY BABY! MY BABY!' - TOT, MOM, GRANNY DIE AS AC SPARKS QNS. HORROR FIRE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amAn air conditioner, going full blast in the oppressive heat, set off a ferocious blaze that swept through a Queens Village home early yesterday, killing a 2-year-old girl, her mother...
'WAL TO WAL' AD BLITZES - RETAILER WOOS OUTER BOROS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amWal-Mart is back. Following a losing battle in Queens, the retail giant is looking for new sites and launching an aggressive print, radio and television ad blitz tailored to win...
HEY, JUDE, SCRAM! - UNFAITHFUL LAW GETS BOOT FROM LIVID FIANCÉE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amWandering Jude Law can kiss his fiancée goodbye. A "nuclear" Sienna Miller ripped off her engagement ring and warned pals that her planned wedding to the 32-year-old "Alfie" star is...
SUBWAY-MAP FLAP FLARES AS NEW ADS TURN RIDERS INTO 'HOLY' ROLLERS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amBlessed are the straphangers. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has leased its most famous trademark - the subway map - to an evangelical Christian church to advertise weekend "God on Film"...
SUBWAY THUG SLUGS WOMAN: COPS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA man was busted yesterday for punching a woman on a Brooklyn subway train, authorities said. Elroger Jackson, 28, had been bothering a 38-year-old woman on a C train heading...
BLISS BEFORE DYING - CRASH MAN JUST ENGAGED
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amWhen his car wrapped around a tree in a high-speed crash, Kiall Llewellyn's big plans for life died with him. Hours before Llewellyn and two friends died in the horrific...
WATT A DAY: POWER DEMAND AT ALL-TIME HIGH
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amCon Edison set an all-time record for electricity demand yesterday, as air conditioners were blasted like never before. The utility company was putting out 12,361 megawatts by 4 p.m., topping...
LIL' KIM'S EX BUSTED IN 5 SLAYS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amRapper Lil' Kim's former fiancé, once suspected of shooting at hip-hop star 50 Cent, was indicted yesterday for running a bloodthirsty Brooklyn street gang responsible for five murders, law-enforcement sources...
4TH COURSE OF SOCKO ROCCO
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amRocco DiSpirito's goose isn't cooked just yet. Sources say the tempestuous chef and former reality TV star - who lost three restaurants in two years after imploding on air -...
SIMMER TIME IN THE CITY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amThere's a very good reason why you sweated, panted and stank yesterday: It was the most uncomfortable day of the year. The mercury rocketed to a high of 91 in...
SEA OF TRANQUILITY A STRESS BUSTER
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLooking at the sea is the quickest way to reduce high stress levels for many people, a new survey has found. A poll of 2,000 adults found 84 percent instantly...
TOP-SPIN ACES NUDE TENNIS SUIT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA Manhattan judge served up a defeat to a ravishing Russian tennis star yesterday, slamming her courtroom bid to stop a photographer from distributing steamy topless pictures she posed for...
THE RIGHT STUFF - PREZ PICKS ROBERTS FOR TOP COURT; BUSH TAPS STAUNCH CONSERVATIVE FOR COURT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amPresident Bush last night chose Judge John G. Roberts Jr. - a rock-ribbed conservative from upstate New York - to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, setting the...
KILLER OFF HOOK FOR QUEENS SLAY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA Queens man who killed one man and wounded two others will not face a murder charge, officials said yesterday. Juan Carlos Duque, 31, will be slapped only with a...
CAR KILLS PEDESTRIAN RACING TO BEAT LIGHT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA woman was struck by a car and killed as she hurried across an East Harlem street to beat a red light, police said yesterday. The woman, 42, whose name...
TEACHER RAI$E TO BE 'SUBSTANTIAL': MIKE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amCity teachers will get a "substantial" raise just in time for the start of new school year, Mayor Bloomberg predicted yesterday. "I would like that by the time the new...
CITY SPENDING MORE PER STUDENT: $14,642 A YEAR
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amEducation spending per New York City pupil jumped more than 15 percent in the last five years, a new report shows. According to the city's nonpartisan Independent Budget Office, per-student...
JUSTICE TAKES A 'RIGHT' TURN - W. PICKS STAUNCH CONSERVATIVE FOR SUPREME COURT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amPresident Bush last night chose Judge John Roberts Jr. - a rock-solid conservative with upstate New York roots - to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, setting the...
SCHUMER ANXIOUS TO FIRE UP GRILL
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Schumer last night shelved the red meat Democratic rhetoric, hailing Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' "outstanding legal credentials," but vowing to grill him on the issues...
HARVARD ELITE'S VIET PROTESTS MADE HICK SICK TO STOMACH
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amJohn Roberts, dubbed by pals "the smartest lawyer in America," breezed through Harvard in three years, but it was still plenty of time for the Ivy League to make a...
PREZ'S CLEVER MOVE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amPRESIDENT BUSH went for a conservative who can really change the Supreme Court - instead of making a symbolic gesture by tapping a woman or the first-ever Latino. In picking...
DEATH DRAGSTER SLAMS INTO SUV
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA man was killed and five innocent bystanders injured in Queens last night after a drag-racing car slammed into their SUV, cops said. Two Ford Mustangs were racing along Shore...
BROTHER SAVES DROWNING B'KLYN TOT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA 19-month-old boy fell into a swimming pool in the back yard of his Brooklyn home and nearly drowned - but was saved by his brother and a fast-acting paramedic....
WATT A DAY! POWER DEMAND SETS RECORD
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amCon Ed produced a record amount of electricity yesterday, as New Yorkers did everything in their power to escape soaring heat and humidity. The utility put out 12,361 megawatts by...
MAN DROWNS OFF S.I. BEACH
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA Staten Island man drowned yesterday while swimming with friends in an area near South Beach, police said. Police were called at around 6 p.m. after several friends realized Hugo...
TUNNEL CELLPHONE BAN LIFTED
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amDrivers could use their cellphones in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels yesterday for the first time since the London bombings, officials said. Cellphone service had been switched off after the...
JUDGE DERAILED D.C. SMALL FRY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amJudge John Roberts once ruled against a 12-year-old girl who was arrested and handcuffed for eating a french fry in a Washington, D.C., subway station. In writing a unanimous decision...
A BORING CHOICE, AN INTERESTING PICK
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amBY making a spectacularly boring choice for the Supreme Court, President Bush has done something unexpectedly interesting. John Roberts is (obviously) not a woman, not an African-American, not an African-American...
MORE SPENT PER STUDENT
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amA state court says Albany is shortchanging city children on school aid - but education spending per city pupil jumped more than 15 percent in the last five years. According...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amBROOKLYN * A burglar was arrested for breaking into a Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment, tying up a woman at gunpoint and stealing about $26,000 in jewelry, authorities said yesterday. David Dobbins, 24,...
CABLEVISION AND JETS BLITZED POLS WITH CASH
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amALBANY - On top of the massive amounts of money spent on lobbying over the failed West Side stadium, Cablevision and the Jets pumped out $70,000 in last-minute campaign contributions,...
OH, THE WAYNE! - YANKS FALL FROM 1ST AS SCRUB RELIEVER FALTERS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amRangers 2 - Yankees 1 ARLINGTON - How large of a presence is Mariano Rivera? He impacts games when he doesn't make it into the boxscore. Having used Rivera in...
SMALL TO GET A BIG TEST IN TEXAS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - Aaron Small is nice, polite and respectful. He will also be the 11th starter (most in the AL) used by the Yankees this year tonight when he faces...
OIL CAN'S ALL-STAR RISES 19 YEARS LATE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amBROCKTON, Mass. - Nineteen years after angrily leaving the Red Sox for three days because of an All-Star snub, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd finally became an All-Star last night. Boyd,...
JOE MAY CALL FOUL ON WETTELAND
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - The Yankees are likely to contact MLB this morning concerning the Rangers having seven coaches in uniform for last night's game. MLB rules stipulate only six...
THE ACTION STARTS AT SAM'S
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amTHE coolest thing about the Hamptons is that you can always expect the unexpected, and it has nothing to do with the stuff you normally read about. There are places...
REVAMPED BIG EAST LACKING IN LUSTER
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amPROVIDENCE - Pardon Rutgers coach Greg Schiano's multi-tasking wife, Christy, if she needed a minute to recall the seven other teams in the renovated Big East Football Conference. You try...
METROS BRACE FOR GUEVARA ABSENCE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amAs the MetroStars prepared to depart for tonight's game in Columbus (7:30, FSN), coach Bob Bradley hugged midfielder Amado Guevara. "It'll be alright," Bradley tried to tell MLS' reigning MVP,...
PIAZZA DEEP-SIXED - CATCHER MOVED IN METS' LINEUP
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amMike Piazza hadn't batted sixth since 1993, before he began establishing himself as the greatest hitting catcher of all-time. With Piazza now establishing himself as past his prime, Willie Randolph...
ISHII GETS CHANCE TO START OVER
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amThe only regret many Mets fans had when Kaz Ishii had his turn skipped last night against the Padres was that he wasn't going to be permanently removed from the...
METROS WITHOUT STAR
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amAs the MetroStars prepared to depart for tonight's game in Columbus (7:30, FSN), coach Bob Bradley hugged midfielder Amado Guevara. "It'll be alright," Bradley tried to tell MLS' reigning MVP,...
CBA TO PROMPT BUYOUTS, BEDLAM
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amTORONTO - There will be hockey chaos Saturday, one way or the other. Assuming the Players' Association ratifies the proposed collective bargaining agreement here tomorrow and the NHL Board of...
IT'S THE ORDER OF THE DAY
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amFIVE days ago, Mike Piazza was taking a curtain call for a three-run homer that beat the Braves. Yesterday, Piazza was a six-hole hitter for the first time since 1993,...
HAMSTRUNG - RUBEN GOES FROM HERO TO 15-DAY DL
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - The Yankees' revolving door escorted Ruben Sierra off the roster and carried Andy Phillips on board yesterday. And while Sierra isn't a vital cog like Gary Sheffield, Alex...
BLAZERS PLAY HARDBALL WITH NETS, SHAREEF
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amShareef Abdur-Rahim obviously was ticked. He stuck to the high road, but he was clearly ticked at Blazers GM John Nash for claiming Portland had helped to restore his NBA...
BROWN SET FREE - KNICKS LOOM LARGE AFTER PISTONS LET LARRY GO
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLarry Brown is officially a free man, free to join the Knicks if he so chooses this season. And signs are pointing that way. Joe Glass, Larry Brown's agent, said...
CLIFF'S COMING BACK
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amWith assurances from Abdur-Rahim that he's on the way, the Nets took another step toward solidifying their front-court picture yesterday by reaching agreement on a one-year deal with 6-10 veteran...
SMALL GETS CALL - BOMBERS HOPING RIGHTY CAN COME UP BIG
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - Aaron Small is nice, polite and respectful. Tonight, the journeyman right-hander will also become the 12th starter (most in the AL) used by the Yankees this year when...
CASHMAN FISHING FOR HELP IN CF
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - Even though the prices remain exorbitant, the Yankees have their eyes trained on what center fielders will be available before the July 31 trading deadline. Colorado's...
ISHII GETS CHANCE TO START OVER AGAIN
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amThe only regret many Mets fans had when Kaz Ishii had his turn skipped last night against the Padres was that he wasn't going to be permanently removed from the...
BROWN SET FREE - KNICKS DREAM ON AFTER PISTONS LET LARRY GO
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLarry Brown officially is a free man, free to join the Knicks if he so chooses this season. And signs are pointing that way. Agent Joe Glass acknowledged last night...
BENSON CAN'T GET SUPPORT FROM BATS
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amIf the Mets were on trial, you could call Kris Benson to the witness stand to testify how dead their bats have been. For the third straight start, Benson gave...
GOOD WOOD ON IT - CHRIS' HOME RUN WINS GAME IN 11TH
July 20, 2005 | 4:00am11 INNINGS: Mets 3 - Padres 1 For the first time since 1993, Mike Piazza batted sixth last night. Willie Randolph insisted it wasn't a big story. If nothing else,...
GLAVINE THINKS ABOUT A TRADE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amMET NOTES Tom Glavine said he doesn't believe the Mets should be selling at the trade deadline. But Glavine could be one of the pieces moved, even with a full...
OH, THE WAYNE! - YANKEE RELIEVER ALLOWS BLALOCK'S GAME-WINNING HR
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - Had Mariano Rivera not worked three straight games and four of five, Tom Gordon would have hurled the eighth inning last night at Ameriquest Field against the Rangers....
LABOR DEAL TO PROMPT BUYOUTS, BEDLAM
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amTORONTO - There will be hockey chaos Saturday, one way or the other. Assuming the Players Association ratifies the proposed CBA here tomorrow and the NHL Board of Governors follows...
BACK ON GRAVEY TRAIN - BELOVED FORMER RANGER RETURNS IN NEW ROLE
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amThere was something peculiar about one of the counselors assisting at yesterday's Rangers Youth Hockey Camp in Greenburgh. He appeared familiar, and looked very natural wearing Ranger blue. As a...
D-DAY COMING FOR DEVILS GM UNDER NEW CBA
July 20, 2005 | 4:00amLou Lamoriello kept the Devils intact by tendering all restricted free agents qualifying offers last summer. If the GM hopes to sign Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski or Scott Stevens, don't...