May 17, 2006

OUTSIDER TO LEAD TIME

The new boss of Time magazine will be named today and the job will go to an outsider, marking the first time in its 83-year history that the spot has...

THURSDAY IS CRUNCH DAY FOR TV THIS FALL

The hottest hour on television this fall is also shaping up to be the biggest ratings battle. ABC's hospital hit "Grey's Anatomy," CBS's ratings giant "CSI" and NBC's much anticipated...

UBS WINS ABN-AMRO FUTURES BID

Financial giant UBS AG has beaten British trading shop Man Group in a bidding war for Dutch bank ABN-Amro's futures and commodities trading business, sources close to the deal told...

VIRGIN EXITING MUSIC

Richard Branson, the eccentric British billionaire whose businesses run the gamut from health clubs to airlines, is getting out of the business in which he first made his mark: music....

SKY'S THE LIMIT - CENDANT'S TRAVEL BIZ EYED

Flush buyout giants yesterday turned their attention to Cendant Corp.'s travel business, which includes popular Web sites Orbitz and CheapTick- ets.com, jumping into an auction that could end with a...

$158M TOWER ON 27TH - BRACK TO CONVERT TO CONDOS

PARK East Tower, a 26-story block-front apartment building at 240 E. 27th St., was just sold for $158 million to Brack Capital. Built in 1977 on Second Avenue by Wards...

WE'RE NOT THE 'MAFIA' - ENRON'S LAST DEFENSE

Lawyers for Enron's indicted ex-chiefs Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling made their final sympathy plea to keep the pair out of prison - claiming prosecutors treated them like common Mafia...

AMI'S STAR-CROSSED CIRCULATION NUMBERS

STAR magazine, the celebrity magazine published by American Media, is now selling fewer copies on the newsstand than Bauer Publications' upstart Life & Style, industry sources tell Media Ink. And...

RECORD BIGS SUE XM - LABELS SAY RECORDING DEVICE IS INDUSTRY RIP-OFF

The major record companies filed suit yesterday against XM Satellite Radio, charging the nation's largest satellite radio company with ripping off the record industry by selling a device that allows...

CELEBRITY DESIGNS WEAR OUT THEIR WELCOME

Backed by one of the world's sexiest rock stars and with the added inducement of benefiting a worthy cause, the Edun line of clothing should have been a big hit....

BRANSON DUMPS MUSIC

Richard Branson, the eccentric British billionaire whose businesses run the gamut from health clubs to airlines, is getting out of the business in which he first made his mark: music....

'LOST' RUNS LIKE CLOCKWORK

SO there! Stung by criticism from fans who complained of too many gaps between original episodes, ABC yesterday swore it won't air any reruns of "Lost" next season. "Lost" will...

OH, LIGHTEN UP - IF YOU NEED A GOOD LAUGH, CHECK OUT THE 'APOCALYPSE'

WHAT can you say about the near end of the world - when all that stands between the entire United States cracking in half and falling into itself is a...

KATIE WHO? CBS PASSES ABC

FOR the first time since before 9/11, CBS' nightly newscast has gotten out of the ratings cellar. Last week, the Bob Schieffer-anchored news barely beat out ABC News, which has...

TONYS RAIN ON JULIA; SNUBBED, SO WHAT'LL SHE DO?

LET'S assess the fall out, read the tea leaves and pass along some gossip in the wake of yesterday's Tony Award nominations: * Julia Roberts may be America's sweetheart, but...

PUERTO ROCKIN' - COHEED AND CAMBRIA CRAFT CLASSIC ROCK THAT'S BLENDED WITH A LITTLE LATIN FLAVOR

WHEN listening to prog-rock band Coheed and Cambria's epic sci-fi/fantasyfilled albums, it's impossible to avoid hearing the musical influences of '70s rock bands like Rush and King Crimson. Dig a...

BRIT'S A ROLLER COASTER

'MAMA'S Family" called, Britney. And, uh, they want their hair rollers back. Seriously. Let's forget for a moment the myriad child-safety codes being broken during Britney Spears' latest throw-Junior-in-thecarseatand-drive baby-raising...

TURN OF THE CHEW

NEW York apartments are primed for a kitchen revolution - or at least 180 degrees. The Circular Kitchen is the latest in culinary concepts - a complete, self-contained kitchen that...

YOU'LL LOUVRE IT! INTRICATE THRILLER ENOUGH TO MAKE MONA LISA SMILE

THE DA VINCI CODE (four stars) Opie's day. Running time: 149 minutes. Rated PG13 (disturbing images, violence, some nudity, some blasphemy, brief drug references and sexual content). Opens Friday at...

UNJUST DESSERTS

WEIRD-dessert alert! Floral parfaits, herbal ice creams and eerie foams are on the march again, turning the last courses of too many restaurant meals into a "Fear Factor" climax. After...

DEL POSTO FACES FRIDAY SHOWDOWN

Now that the motions and crossmotions have been resolved by a State Supreme Court judge, Mario Batali and his partners are going to trial Friday with their landlord over the...

GANGSTA THIS! - OPRAH SLAMS BACK AT HIP-HOPPERS: I GOT FIDDY ON MY IPOD

OPRAH Winfrey, who's been accused of being anti-hip-hop, says that's not true. "I listen to some hip-hop ... I got a little 'Fiddy' [50 Cent] on my iPod and I...

STARR REPORT

Must-si TV NBC is expanding its "Deal or No Deal" franchise into a Spanish-language version that will air on sister network Telemundo. The show, likely to be called "Vas o...

N.Y. GUARD MAY DO BORDER DUTY

Gov. Pataki reluctantly agreed yesterday to allow New York National Guard members to go to the Mexican border as part of President Bush's plan to stop illegal immigration. "I am...

BIG SURPRISE IN STORE - BEAU WILL PROPOSE TO SWEETIE AT SAKS

A Brooklyn man is going window shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue today - and hopes to bring home a bride. Mortgage broker Ezra Shabot, 27, is planning to propose at...

SCHOOL BUS KILLS SENIOR

An elderly woman died yesterday after she was hit by a school bus in front of a Queens school, police said. Elizabeth Simon, 79, was struck as she crossed Yellowstone...

POLITICAL $CANDAL HITS L.I.

Several members of the Conservative Party on Long Island will surrender to authorities today on criminal charges of political corruption - including selling public jobs, officials said. Charles Sullivan, Brian...

2ND SLAY EYED FOR LINKS TO KISSEL - SKI NEIGHBOR WAS TORTURED

Cops probing Andrew Kissel's mysterious murder in Connecticut are looking at possible connections to a sadistic slaying of a Vermont man who lived mere blocks away from the swindler's vacation...

MCCAIN'S FAIR-WEATHER FANS - HIS MEDIA PALS' PATHETIC TURNAROUND

THE news media giveth, the news media taketh away. John McCain - for years the Washington press corps' favorite Republican - is now being widely portrayed as a politically pandering...

'KID TAUNT' ROADBLOCK

A school-bus matron captured on audiotape taunting an autistic boy as he slammed his head on a seat is asking a judge to bar the recording from being used against...

POLS SLUG IT OUT OVER SEX-FIEND STATUTE

ALBANY - Angry charges flew yesterday as state leaders argued over legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations for serious sex crimes. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver shot back after...

'HANDICAPPED' TAXI WAR

The Bloomberg administration has come out against a measure that would immediately put 100 hundred wheelchair-accessible cabs onto city streets. The City Council is considering mandating that 50 percent of...

NYERS SAY: GO, GIULIANI

ALBANY - A majority of New York voters want Rudy Giuliani to run for president, and almost half say Hillary Rodham Clinton should go for it, too - but only...

$LEAZY 'SURVIVOR' OFF TO JAIL FOR 4 YRS. - 'HATCH'ED PLOT TO DUCK TAX ON PRIZE

There will be no immunity in the slammer for scheming "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch. A federal judge branded Hatch, 45, a tax cheat and sentenced him to four years and...

FRONTMAN FROM BLINK NOW THINKS

ANGELS & AIRWAVES THERE'S always a band at the start of the summer that's touted as rock's next big big thing. Last year it was the Libertines - who imploded...

POLL CHECKS MARIO'S REPUTATION

A pollster believed to be working for a state attorney general candidate is asking voters how they feel about former Gov. Mario Cuomo. A Post reporter in Scarsdale got a...

COP ARRESTED AS GROPE DOPE

A veteran NYPD cop was arrested and suspended from the force without pay after he fondled the breast and buttocks of a female adult relative in two separate incidents last...

'CONSPIRACY' GROUNDED

WASHINGTON - Horrific videos of the 9/11 airline attack on the Pentagon were officially released by the Justice Department yesterday in a move to quiet conspiracy theories that the military...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * A man was mugged and knifed outside a Rockefeller Center fast food restaurant yesterday. An employee of a Wendy's restaurant, in the underground concourse level at 1211 Sixth...

007 CAR IS FOR YOUR BUYS ONLY

Q is gone - he won't be reprised in the James Bond flick due out in November - but his cars are still around, and you can own one for...

9/11 GLOATER FACES THE AX

A renegade University of Colorado professor who likened World Trade Center victims to Nazi henchman Adolf Eichmann could be fired after a university investigative panel found he plagiarized and fabricated...

STEM-CELL LAB HERE A 'SECRET'

A New York-based foundation is opening the city's first human embryonic stem-cell lab - but it's keeping the location a secret out of concern that protesters will disrupt research. The...

PARK ROW IN B'KLYN COURT

Saying there's no room for condos in a public park, activists in Brooklyn Heights are suing to halt construction of the planned Brooklyn Bridge Park - unless more than 1,200...

GRIEVING MOM BACKS MAYOR'S CRUSADE

The mother of 3-year-old gun victim Tajmere Clark yesterday said she prayed the mayor's crusade against "rogue" arms dealers would prevent another child from dying, and spare families from the...

IMMIGRANT SIGN THIEF MUST BID ADIOS TO U.S.

A Mexican teen who swiped an anti-immigration sign from a Southampton protester got more than he bargained for when he was busted - he'll now be deported, cops said yesterday....

TRAIN GRIME WAVE - MORE DIRT: WATCHDOG

Grime is up on the subways. More than half of all subway cars are filthy, according to a survey released yesterday by the Straphangers Campaign - and for the second...

MIKE BLASTS POLS IN NRA'S HOLSTER

WASHINGTON - Mayor Bloomberg took his gun fight to Congress yesterday, charging that the National Rifle Association has "rolled an enormous percentage" of the House and Senate. "If Congress is...

A 'NET GAIN FOR SENIORS

Grandma and Grandpa are going wireless, thanks to some help from city officials. City Council member Gale Brewer is in talks with the Department for the Aging to turn all...

ANIMAL HOUSE FRAT ARRESTS - STUDENTS MADE PLEDGE WORK OUT IN URINE: COPS

Three frat brothers - two from Manhattan and Queens - forced a pledge at their upstate college to do sit-ups and push-ups in broken glass and urine-soaked garbage, cops have...

B'KLYN BENEFIT FOR SLAIN COPS' KIN

A benefit will be held tonight for the families of Detective Dillon Stewart and Police Officer Francis Hennessy of the 70th Precinct, who died in the line of duty. The...

RUDY'S DEPUTY: I HAVE 9/11 ILLNESS

A deputy mayor in the Giuliani administration who directed officials to test the air after the 9/11 attacks has filed a medical claim for respiratory illnesses suspected to have been...

A NEW JAZZ AGE AT OLD BOP SHOP

You can stop singing the blues - world-famous Harlem jazz spot Minton's Playhouse is back. After 30 years, "the birthplace of bebop" reopens Friday, on the birthday of another Harlem...

IMETTE TAVERN'S 'LIE' RAP - 'LIQUOR' CHARGES INCLUDE SLAY-PROBE DECEIT

The state Liquor Authority yesterday charged the SoHo bar where murder victim Imette St. Guillen was last seen alive with a slew of violations, including misleading cops and knowingly employing...

FASO VOTED AGAINST 'EQUAL PAY'

Republican gubernatorial hopeful John Faso cast votes as a state Assemblyman against legislation to create equal pay for men and women doing "comparable" work, The Post has learned. Faso voted...

G-MAN HAD IT 'MADE' - CAPO EYED HIM FOR MOB

An FBI agent known as the "modern-day Donnie Brasco" for infiltrating the Gambino crime family testified that his gangster act was so good, reputed capo Greg DePalma wanted to induct...

JUDGE NIXES MEMORIAL 'FOOTPRINT' LAWSUIT

A Manhattan judge has thrown out a lawsuit by relatives of 9/11 victims that aimed at blocking construction of the memorial at Ground Zero. The Coalition for 9/11 Families had...

'THIEVING' THERAPIST IN ID BUST

An alleged con woman was making a living as a physical therapist - but she used someone else's identity and license, prosecutors said yesterday. Caryn Dinetz worked as a physical...

MCCAIN'S COLUMBIA DIPLOMA-CY

Sen. John McCain was greeted with a mix of cheers and jeers yesterday during a graduation ceremony at Columbia University, where he defended the Iraq war and self-expression. Hundreds of...

COLUMBIA KID IS A 'SUICIDE'

A body pulled out of the East River yesterday is believed to be that of the missing Columbia University student who had been scheduled to graduate today, police sources said....

L.I. SCANDAL-SCHOOL PHONE PRANK

Staffers at Long Island's infamous Mepham HS were shocked to receive voice mail that sounded a lot like their principal whispering sweet nothings to a woman - but officials say...

PAYING BY THE MONTH - TWU TO SETTLE FINE

The Transport Workers Union will pay off its $2.5 million Taylor Law fine on the installment plan. Starting June 1, it will make monthly payments of $208,333 for a year...

SLAY GRANNY FEARED FATE

A grandmother found viciously murdered in her Westchester home had recently confided that she feared for her safety after someone tampered with her car brakes and broke into her house,...

GAL BUSTED IN DJ STALK

A Harlem woman has been arrested for stalking and sending sexually explicit messages to WKTU disc jockey Diane Prior, authorities said last night. Kim Leibskind, 39, was picked up outside...

TAYLOR-MADE LOHAN - 'LA LIZ' LINDSAY

A temptingly tousled Lindsay Lohan does her best "La Liz" imitation, gazing into the camera to conjure up a youthful image of the screen legend circa 1960 (inset) as part...

MCCAIN'S DIPLOMA(CY) - WELCOMES DISSENT AT COLUMBIA

Sen. John McCain was greeted with a mix of cheers and jeers yesterday during a graduation ceremony at Columbia University, where he defended the Iraq War and self-expression. Hundreds of...

NEW JAZZ AGE AT OLD BOP SHOP

You can stop singing the blues - world-famous Harlem jazz spot Minton's Playhouse is back. After 30 years, "the birthplace of bebop" reopens Friday, on the birthday of another Harlem...

SLAIN GRANNY SENSED DOOM

A grandmother found viciously murdered in her Westchester home had recently confided she feared for her safety after someone tampered with her car brakes and broke into her house, a...

L.I. HS PHONE PRANK - NEW MEPHAM SHOCK

Staffers at Long Island's infamous Mepham HS were shocked to receive voice mail that sounded a lot like their principal whispering sweet nothings to a woman - but officials claim...

STRUGGLIN' FLOYD AIMS TO BUST OUT

MET NOTES ST. LOUIS - Cliff Floyd said he didn't really do much during Monday's off day. "I just laid in the room and sulked," he said yesterday. Can't blame...

'BROADWAY' BOUT FOR BRONX'S SHEA

The world of difference between the Golden Globes and the Golden Gloves is much more than a single letter. If you're of Irish and Mexican descent and can flawlessly pull...

BARBARO STANDS TALL AS OPPOSITION GROWS

BALTIMORE - Saturday's 131st Preakness Stakes is taking on echoes of "Gulliver's Travels," when Gulliver, a towering giant visiting the land of Lilliput, is swarmed over by the Lilliputians, who...

JASPERS' ASSISTANT REAL WIZ

After looking to the Big East for a head coach, Manhattan College went to the NBA to find an assistant. Barry Rohrssen named Ron Ganulin, the coordinator of player development...

HEAT'S ON NETS - FACED ELIMINATION IN MIAMI

MIAMI - The Heat wanted to contain Vince Carter. They hoped to prevent Richard Jefferson from getting to the line. They sought to cut off the Nets' running game. Done....

BEWARE: SPURS ARE MAD

ANY demonic thoughts that the Spurs may have left it all in Dallas following two perforated gut checks that leave them one loss away from officially being dethroned need to...

ELIAS ENVISIONS DEVIL OF CHOICE

Patrik Elias yesterday revealed that negotiations with Devils president Lou Lamoriello were "not really" close to keeping him from entering the unrestricted-free-agent market. The 30-year-old center also told The Post...

DAMON'S FOOT IS 'KILLING' HIM

YANKEE NOTES Since his left shoulder is smothered in heat before games and packed in ice afterward, it's easy to assume that Johnny Damon's biggest health worry is his throwing...

METS SUBWAY SERIOUS - PEDRO LOOKS AHEAD TO SATURDAY START AGAINST YANKEES

ST. LOUIS - Willie Randolph officially declared his rotation for the Mets' next two series, and all of it is as expected. Randolph said Jose Lima will pitch in tomorrow...

NETS ALL, FOLKS - SEASON ENDS WITH GAME 5 LOSS

MIAMI - In the end, all the hope, all the expectations, all the lofty goals ended with some red-rimmed eyes, downcast faces, bitter disappointment and perhaps a streak of resentment....

FRANK-LY, NO PRAISE FOR NENAD

NET NOTES MIAMI - Net coach Lawrence Frank was obviously distraught. The words came with difficulty. But when they came and gave praise to his team, they arrived without any...

PEDRO LOOKS AHEAD TO DAMON MATCHUP

MET NOTES ST. LOUIS - Willie Randolph officially declared his rotation for the next two series, and all of it is as expected. Randolph said Jose Lima will pitch in...

WARD SAYS TEAM NEEDS ROLE PLAYERS

Former Knicks guard Charlie Ward is sickened by what he sees. It's not the losing. The former Heisman Trophy winner at Florida State and longtime Knicks point guard has endured...

SAINT'S ALIVE: DON'T DISMISS DERBY FAVE

BALTIMORE - If any horse had a legitimate excuse for failing in the Kentucky Derby it was the 11-2 favorite Sweetnorthernsaint, who was all but upended in the critical first...

BULL BENCHES GUEVARA

All-star midfielder Amado Guevara has been fined and scratched from Red Bull New York's active roster for Saturday's match against Chivas USA. It begs the question whether he'll ever play...

BUSCH-WHACKERS! - METS 'RAIN' IN CARDS' NEW BALLPARK

Mets 8 - Cards 3 ST. LOUIS - This year Paul Lo Duca has been hidden from the spotlight. But the Met catcher had another crucial hit last night. On...

POSADA PACKS PUNCH

WITH all the auditions taking place at the Stadium these days, you'd tell one of the understudies aspiring for a lead role to go break a leg, except the way...

BENCH A BARGAIN BASEMENT

WITH all the auditions taking place at the Stadium these days, you'd tell one of the understudies aspiring for a lead role to go break a leg, except the way...

BARGAIN BASEMENT - AS INJURIES MOUNT, YANKS' SLIM, CHEAP BENCH EXPOSED AS INJURIES MOUNT, YANKS' SLIM, CHEAP BENCH EXPOSED

THE SHOW must go on, and so it did on the biggest stage in The Bronx last night - even without Hideki Matsui, even without Gary Sheffield, and even without...

JORGE HITS WINNER AS BOMBERS ERASE TEXAS-SIZE DEFICIT

Yankees 14 - Rangers 13 Mystique & aura? Try blood, guts & heart. It wasn't enough for the Yankees to be without Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui last...

NETS ALL FOLKS - SEASON ENDS WITH GAME 5 LOSS

MIAMI - The marker board in the Nets' locker room before the game held the motivational, encouraging and inspirational message for the team as they went out in an attempt...

LONG-RANGE RALLY CAPPED - YANKS OVERCOME TEXAS-SIZE DEFICIT

Yankees 14 - Rangers 13 Yankee fans can wail about injuries to Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi. What, you think the Yankees are the only team that gets...

SLING SHIFT - MATSUI HOPES TO RETURN THIS SEASON

Hideki Matsui doesn't know when he will return to action, but he has no intention of sitting out the rest of the year. "I plan to come back," Matsui said...

BYE BUYOUT - AGENT CLAIMS BROWN WILL COACH OR BE FIRED

Angry agent Joe Glass claimed the Knicks will have to fire recuperating Larry Brown if they don't want him to coach next season because he will not accept a buyout....

BYE, BUYOUT - AGENT CLAIMS BROWN WILL COACH OR BE FIRED

Angry agent Joe Glass claimed the Knicks will have to fire recuperating Larry Brown if they don't want him to coach next season because he will not accept a buyout....

DINGED, NO DINGER - BONDS DRILLED BUT GOES HR-LESS AGAIN

Giants 14 - Astros 3 HOUSTON - Russ Springer probably won't be a featured guest on "Bonds on Bonds" anytime soon. The Astro reliever hit Bonds in the right shoulder...

WAIT OF WORLD ON BONDS - ROAD TO 714 SLOW

HOUSTON - Three hours before last night's game between the Astros and Giants, Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez sat in a corner of the clubhouse. Teammates Willy Taveras and Fernando Nieve...

MATSUI HAS SIX-WEEK SLING SHIFT

Hideki Matsui doesn't know when he will return to action, but he has no intention of sitting out the rest of the year. "I plan to come back," Matsui said...

LARRY OK AFTER SURGERY

Though Larry Brown's days as Knicks coach are numbered, The Post has learned his days of living a normal lifestyle have returned. According to a source close to the Browns,...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

It started out as a home-improvement project, but ended up as a home demolition. Stevie Spencer of Denver, N.C., had taken a brief smoking break while painting his house. Ready...