December 24, 2003
BLACKBERRY SHARES TASTE 51% BETTER
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe BlackBerry pager maker's shares were wired yesterday jumping 51 percent on brightened prospects. Research in Motion, which makes a variety of wireless handheld devices, picked up steam after it...
BASS FUND HOOKS BIG FISH: DUANE READE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amDuane Reade, the metropolitan area's largest drug store chain, said yesterday that it had agreed to be acquired by a group of private investors led by Texas oilman Robert Bass...
MESSIER GETS $0 - SEC, VIVENDI SETTLE CHARGES FOR $50M; EX-CEO LOSES
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amFrench conglomerate Vivendi ponied up $50 million yesterday to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its accounting practices, a deal that also yanked a hefty severance package from...
KPMG BOLTS HOLLINGER GIG; KPMG BOLTS HOLLINGER
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amNewspaper baron Conrad Black's Toronto holding company Hollinger Inc. said yesterday that its auditor, KPMG, has resigned because the company has not made management changes. At the same time, Dan...
NASDAQ: NO NYSE MERGER
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe Nasdaq stock market issued a strong denial of claims that it had approached the NYSE about a possible merger, reported by the Wall Street Journal yesterday. "The unverified story...
S&S ROLLS DICE ON O'NEILL BOOK - PUBLISHER IS MUM ON REVELATIONS ABOUT BUSH WHITE HOUSE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amSIMON & Schuster appears to be gambling that a book about former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill - which some expect to show a highly unflattering insiders' view of the secretive...
PENTHOUSE GETS ANOTHER WHACK
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amPenthouse looks like it could emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy shortly with founder Bob Guccione still in control of the editorial content while a new group of creditors takes over...
$175 M JACKPOT: FUND SCAM UNCOVERED
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA Las Vegas lawyer-broker is being accused of reaping $175 million in ill-gotten profits from mutual fund trading schemes under widening investigations. Daniel Calugar, 49, whose brokerage was mired in...
1 DOWN, 1 TO GO IN BIDS FOR FAO
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amAn unnamed, surprise suitor has come forward with an offer for embattled FAO Schwarz - the second for the legendary toy name - a person who has been briefed on...
BLACKBERRY PIE: SHARES UP 51%
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amShort sellers were BlackBerry jammed yesterday, as shares of a popular short stock - Research in Motion, makers of the wireless handheld devices - hit the stratosphere. Research in Motion's...
MARRIAGE: A BELGIAN WAFFLE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amCHILDREN OF LOVE [] (three stars) Divorce, Belgian-style. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 87 minutes. Not rated (mature subject matter, nudity). At the Film Forum, Houston Street, west...
ON THEIR TOES
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amTHE COMPANY [] (three stars) A dancing feat. Running time: 112 minutes. Rated PG-13 (brief strong language, some nudity and sexual content). At the Paris and the Union Square. -----...
MAY THE HORSE BE WITH YOU
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amTHE YOUNG BLACK STALLION [] (two stars) Running time: 45 minutes. Rated G. At the Lincoln Square Imax Theatre, 68th Street & Broadway. ---- THE IMAX film "The Young Black...
NO RAVE, NO 'PAN'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amPETER PAN [ 1/2] (two and one-half stars) Nice try. Running time: 113 minutes. Rated PG (action violence). At the Empire, the Orpheum, the Battery Park City, others. ---- GIVEN...
TOO MANY KIDS, BUT NOT ENOUGH KIDDING
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amCHEAPER BY THE DOZEN [ 1/2] (one and one-half stars) Charm-free bunk. Running time: 99 minutes. Rated PG (language and some thematic elements). At the Empire, the Loews 84th Street,...
M-AIKEN THE GRADE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00am'AMERICAN Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken finally graduated from college last Sunday - amid a mixture of cheers and boos from his fellow students. Aiken graduated from the University of North...
DON'T BANK ON MANY THRILLS IN 'PAYCHECK'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amPAYCHECK [] (two stars) Half-hearted sci-fi thriller. Running time: 119 minutes. Rated PG- 13 (violence). At the E-Walk, the Kips Bay, the 84th Street, others. ---- THERE'S one pretty good...
SLAY RIDE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amMONSTER [] (three stars) Theron is a revelation. Running time: 108 minutes. Rated R (strong violence and sexual content, and for pervasive language). At Loews 19th Street East, 19th Street...
OUT OF BOUNDS - JUSTIN HOOPS IT UP FOR THE NBA
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amBRITNEY Spears may just be getting over Justin Timberlake - now we'll see if the NBA can survive a love affair with the former N*SYNC-er. ABC Sports has made Timberlake...
'MOUNTAIN' TOPS; CATCH THIS 'COLD'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amCOLD MOUNTAIN [*** ½] (three and one-half stars) Not far from the year's peak. Running time: 154 minutes. Rated R (gory war violence, sex, profanity). At the Ziegfeld, the Cinema...
STARR REPORT
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amFlay ices the deal Food Network personality Bobby Flay proposed to longtime galpal Stephanie March last Friday - smack- dab in the center of the ice rink at Rockefeller Center....
JOE SAYS SORRY TO ESPN 'KISS MISS'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amJOE Namath has apologized to ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber following Saturday's embarrassing interview in which Namath told Kolber he wanted to kiss her. "Joe apologized," Kolber said in a...
ONE MAN HAS TUBE TIED UP
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amACTION-MOVIE producer Jerry Bruckheimer was TV's top gun last week. Three of Bruckheimer's TV shows ranked first, second and third in the ratings last week, according to Nielsen figures released...
RAYMOND RETURN 'MYSTERY'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amTHERE'S no word yet whether "Everybody Loves Raymond" will return for another season, said star Patricia Heaton. "It's a huge mystery for all of us on the set," Heaton said....
MIKE BOO$TS STATE GOP
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amBillionaire Mayor Bloomberg has opened his wallet again for the GOP - writing a six-figure check to the state Republican Party. The mayor acknowledged during a year-end interview with The...
HE BROOKLYN U.S. ATTORNEY IS PLANNING TO CONVENE A GRAND JURY ...
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe Brooklyn U.S. attorney is planning to convene a grand jury as early as next week in the Staten Island Ferry crash that killed 11 passengers, law-enforcement sources told The...
S.I. FERRY HANDS WENT OVERBOARD ON OT
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amStaten Island Ferry deckhands who hauled in record amounts of overtime since 9/11 reported putting in superhuman workdays - in one case 30 hours with only a two-hour break, records...
PA DEAL A $229M BONANZA FOR SILVERSTEIN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amDeveloper Larry Silverstein got more than $229 million in cash - all wrapped up in time for the holidays - when he closed a deal yesterday with the Port Authority...
A BANG-UP BUSINESS ON NIGHT AFTER
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amRao's was open last night and doing a booming business less than 24 hours after a killer opened fire there. Walter Black of the Upper East Side had stopped by...
VISIT BAN ON 'STARVE' PARENTS
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amthe New Jersey foster parents accused of starving their four adopted sons were denied a visit with the kids for Christmas yesterday after the judge learned the children have continued...
DEAN'S DOOM
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amIT'S hardly surprising that Howard Dean wants his fellow Democratic presidential contenders to quit their "negative campaigning." After all, those sharp-edged barbs have just one target these days: Howard Dean....
WEIRD BUT TRUE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA robber broke into song in an Illinois court in a bid to get a reduced sentence - but he hit a sour note with the judge, who hit him...
GOWN FOR THE SPOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amBaseball-crazed brides can now slide all the way to the altar - in their very own Yankee wedding dress. Designer Linda Bekye has tailored a traditional white gown with the...
BATTLING BRIDE BUSTED AGAIN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00am"Bridezilla" attacks again! The Connecticut woman arrested for going on an alcohol-fueled rampage at her wedding reception has run afoul of the law again. Adrienne Samen, 19, has been charged...
HEAVY JAIL TIME - 25-YEAR TERM FOR HIT BID ON 'TOO FAT' WIFE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA Brooklyn judge sentenced an Egyptian businessman to 12 ½ to 25 years in jail for trying to whack his wife and others - saying that although some people may...
MOB THEME FINALLY FELT AUTHENTIC
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amMONDAY night, Rao's finally delivered on its promise to cut its red sauce with red blood - not that it's ever been about the food. Celebrities and power-brokers flock to...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * A man needed 150 stitches after he was slashed in a barbershop in East Harlem, authorities said yesterday. The man, whom police did not immediately identify, was in...
BUSH MAY 'PITCH' IN BRONX
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - Organizers of the Republican national convention have sent out an e-mail raising the possibility that President Bush will accept the nomination at Yankee Stadium. Jeff Kent, the U.S....
FEDS: WE JUST FOILED 10 QAEDA
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe feds said yesterday that up to 10 al Qaeda suspects have been stopped trying to enter the United States in the last month. An extensive "terror watch list" has...
S.I. DELI BOSS ADMITS SLICING TAXES TOO THIN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe Staten Island owner of 22 delis pleaded guilty to evading more than a million dollars in taxes yesterday, concluding an investigation begun by two state tax investigators who perished...
GOP PROFITS FROM DADDY BLOOMBUCKS
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg has opened his wallet again for the GOP - writing a six-figure check to the state Republican Party. The mayor acknowledged during a wide-ranging year-end interview with The...
PAN-SEARED FRUIT - CROSS-DRESS EATERY SUES ZAGAT FOR BAD REVIEW
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA popular transvestite-themed restaurant is throwing a queen-sized hissy fit at the Zagat Survey, claiming its "unfair" bad review is dragging their business down. In a $10 million lawsuit filed...
HOLY @#*%! LENNY CLEARED
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - The late comic Lenny Bruce, who inspired generations of anything-goes standups, received a posthumous pardon yesterday from Gov. Pataki, almost 40 years after he was arrested on obscenity...
CHILLING NEW WEB THREATS
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Alarming messages published on known al Qaeda Web sites are claiming the terror network is about to launch its biggest strikes ever - and are warning Muslims to...
PLAYERS PUTS ITS CIG SUIT IN PLAY
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe legendary Players Club filed a lawsuit yesterday to overturn city and state smoking bans, claiming data showing secondhand smoke kills as many as 1,000 New Yorkers a year is...
INFAMOUS HISTORY OF SOUR NOTES
December 24, 2003 | 5:00am'QUITE obviously, the deceased had a tin ear. Sadly, it cost him his life." Speaking was a cop who had been on the scene all day yesterday when Rao's was...
TEACHERS: ENOUGH TALK, WE NEED ACTION NOW
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg and city education chief Joel Klein need to walk the walk instead of just talking about their new plans to make New York's dangerous schools safer, students and...
POL'S AIDES WERE 'MAIDS'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amCity Councilman Allan Jennings is under investigation by the council's Ethics Committee for allegedly forcing two female staffers to clean his apartment and watch his TV appearances, sources told The...
MOURNING: THANKS, CUZ
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA tired but happy-looking Alonzo Mourning heartily thanked his cousin yesterday five days after the New York man donated his kidney to save the NBA great's life. "Jason was definitely...
BANDLEADER SUES SHOW
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amRosie O'Donnell's handpicked successor for her daytime talk show was no cutie patootie, a lawsuit charges. The former bandleader for the now-canceled Caroline Rhea Show has struck up a lawsuit...
U.S. ECONO-BOOM FINALLY REACHES NYC
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amBusiness in the Big Apple - and the entire country - is booming. New York has been lagging behind the rest of the country, but it now seems to be...
MIKE TAKING ON THE BULLIES - BLANKETS TROUBLED SCHOOLS WITH COPS
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOur city schools are combat zone, rocked almost daily by bullies who batter students, attack teachers and bring deadly weapons to class. parents, students and teachers are demanding that school...
CANCELED JACKO BACK ON TRACKO
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amIt'll be a Jacko January on CBS, which reportedly will air a prime-time entertainment special starring accused child molester Michael Jackson - and a news interview he'll do with "60...
MARKET IN RENEGADE FLU SHOTS SHOOTS UP
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA black-market supply of flu vaccine is being scooped up by the panicky public amid widespread shortages - and federal health officials are worried sick about it. The Food and...
DINER SLAIN FOR A SONG - HECKLING LED HOTHEAD HOOD TO BLAZE AWAY
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amEvery singer wants to knock 'em dead, but not the way it happened at Rao's. After Broadway songbird Rena Strober sang to almost unanimous applause at the East Harlem hangout...
ISRAEL BUSTS 'HEAD-HUNT' TERROR GANG
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Israeli forces arrested 22 members of Hamas cells who planned to kill soldiers, decapitate them, and then try to trade their severed heads for jailed terrorists, officials said...
MAD-COW SCARE HITS U.S.
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA sick Holstein cow in Washington state is believed to be the first U.S. case of the deadly mad-cow disease, federal officials said yesterday. The announcement - and potential threat...
FEARFUL BRONX STUDENT SUING FOR $10.5M OVER BEATING
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA Bronx teenager assaulted by a group of girls has been out of school for two months because she fears for her life - and now the family is suing...
FIENDS BREAK HEART ALONG WITH STATUE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amA Brooklyn mom who lost her beloved little boy in an accident 40 years ago has had her heart cruelly broken again - by vandals who desecrated a "guardian angel"...
IT'S THE FUN, NOT THE FOOD, SAYS POST PANEL
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThe Post visited Lucky Cheng's last night and did its own Zagat-style review. Lucky Cheng's is so much fun, most of the customers said the food was almost an afterthought....
TAILS, YOU LOSE, IN WACKY DOGFIGHT
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - A Manhattan dog owner who accused the American Kennel Club of unfair standards - which encourage the clipping of certain pooches' tails - saw his lawsuit chewed up...
EAST SIDE HARD-HATS STOP KIDNAP
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amHero construction workers yesterday kept a crazed woman from grabbing a 2-year-old girl from a stroller pushed by her mother and grandmother on the Upper East Side. "The woman grabbed...
YANKS ZERO IN ON BACKUP 1B
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOne more decision, one back-up first baseman plucked probably from the free-agent heap, and Brian Cashman can rest. The Yankees yesterday officially announced the signings of right-handed reliever Tom Gordon...
SPREE RUNS MOUTH & KNICKS OFF COURT - SCORES 31, TAUNTS DOLAN, N.Y. BENCH
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amLatrell Sprewell got everything he wanted for Christmas last night. The former Knick turned Timberwolve got a big Garden ovation during player intros, got the big scoring night and got...
LAS VEGAS BOWL
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOregon State (7-5) Spread record: 5-6 vs. New Mexico (8-4) Spread record: 7-4 Opening line: Oregon State -3 Tonight's Las Vegas Bowl could be the most even matchup this postseason....
JARVIS NOT ESPN-BOUND
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amESPN says it will not hire ex-St. John's coach Mike Jarvis to be a college basketball analyst. "We feel he is both opinionated and knowledgeable and we had some preliminary...
BIG BLUE'S SEARCH STILL LOOKS CLOUDY
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOne down, more to come. Tom Coughlin has already been interviewed for the Giants coaching job and will be talked to again down the road. Up next, Giants ownership will...
THE FAN'S CORNER
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amSteve Maluk competed in the Empire State Building run-up a record 21 times, but wanted to stop at 20. A nice round number, he thought. But after the Sept. 11...
SATHER'S WORRYING OVER LEAF INVASION
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amEven a two-day rest and the celebration of Christmas isn't enough to settle Glen Sather's nerves. "We know they're coming," Sather said following yesterday's practice. And no, the Rangers GM/coach...
ISLANDER POWER SURGES ON
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amKenny Jonsson had said that a win last night against Philadelphia, a team they hadn't beaten in three tries this year, would be a good Christmas present for the Islanders....
CHAD DEFENDS HACKETT
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amChad Pennington yesterday came to the defense of offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, who's recent work has come under fire with the Jets' offense having scored only 28 points in the...
A VERY BRADY X-MAS - YULE BE SORRY IF YOU DON'T PICK PATS OVER BILLS
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amTHIS will be one of the most meaningful Week 17 games ever played by a team with a 13-2 record. Usually, those teams already have locked up homefield throughout the...
ROLE-PLAYING HARRIS HAS BEEN TEAM'S ROCK
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOne night, Lucious Harris is hitting jumpers to trigger the Nets' run that scorches the Suns. The next, he's spelling Jason Kidd and running the team's complex offense. In between,...
HONDO'S FLYING TO THE FINISH LINE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amGET out of the way, he's coming through. Hondo made a stunning move in Week 16 as he scorched the field with a 13-3 mark (3-0 Best Bets) to climb...
DOLAN NEEDS TO FINISH JOB BY DUNKING CHANEY
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amTHE problem, of course, is that James Dolan's actions don't reflect his wishes. The man who owns the Knicks said Monday afternoon that the primary goal of his basketball operation...
MSG'S KEEPING EYE ON STORM
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amMadison Square Garden higher-ups will be watching the St. John's coaching search with great interest, and expect to be kept apprised of the process. That's because attendance for St. John's...
CHANEY 'VERY SAD' LAYDEN WAS AXED
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Isiah Thomas made no bones about wanting to coach again. Don Chaney made no bones about the fact he's upset GM Scott Layden was axed by the Knicks,...
CASHMAN'S ZEROING IN ON BACKUP 1ST BASEMAN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOne more decision, one back-up first baseman plucked probably from the free-agent heap, and Brian Cashman can rest. The Yankees yesterday officially announced the signings of right-handed reliever Tom Gordon...
SPREE FIRES BACK AT DOLAN - THINKS LAYDEN MOVE TIMED AS DISTRACTION TO OVERSHADOW RETURN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amLATRELL SPREWELL thinks the timing is too coincidental. Seeing as how Scott Layden had done a lousy job of being Knicks general manager for much of his four years, why...
A-ROD TRADE KAPUT - SIDES MOVE ON - BUT...
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThis time the "dead" in deadline really mattered. It meant Christmas in Boston would not include the gift of Alex Rodriguez, with Magglio Ordonez as a stocking stuffer. Ranger owner...
BOSOX BIGGEST LOSERS IN THIS FIASCO
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amEXEMPTING George Stein brenner and Nomar Garciaparra, the Alex Rodriguez-to-Boston trade was going to be filled with one winner after another. Which is why there are so many losers today,...
ALLAN HIGH ON ISIAH - HOUSTON RESPECTS FORMER TEAMMATE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amThis isn't the first time Allan Houston has played under the watchful eyes of Isiah Thomas. The new Knicks president was in his final year in Detroit during Houston's rookie...
SPREE GETS SOME HOLIDAY CHEER - MSG FANS SALUTE FORMER FAVORITE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amKnick fans haven't forgotten the joys he brought. With the Knicks reeling and having made a major managerial move the day before, Latrell Sprewell made his Garden return to a...
NETS TURN TO K-MART FOR HELP
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amJason Collins looked and sounded like a man who had just gone a few rounds with a freight train. His knee ached but his whole body felt worse from the...
LATRELL TAKES DELIGHT IN DOLAN OUT PAIN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amT'wolves 98 - Knicks 92LATRELL Sprewell's first visit back to the Garden could serve as microcosm of his tenure as a Knick. Greeted with cheers at the beginning, he eventually...
IT WAS A TOTAL DISGRACE - KNICKS STAND BY AS SPREWELL FILLS AIR WITH GARBAGE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amIN those first innocent minutes of Isiah Thomas' reign Monday afternoon, as TV cameras whirred and flashbulbs crackled, he conceded that he hadn't seen very much of his new team,...
KIDD'S KILLER LOOK SENDS MESSAGE TO SKILES
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amJason Kidd, who reportedly chewed out his current coach two weeks back, showed up his old one last night without whispering a word. After draining a third-quarter jump shot in...
KERRY COOKIN' WITH 'D'
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amNET NOTES It is a simple fact for the Nets: If they play defense, it fuels the offense and they win. As they won six of their last eight entering...
LON TO SPREE: STUFF IT! - 'JUST PLAY THE GAME,' HE SAYS
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amLon Kruger had heard enough. So when Latrell Sprewell went on yet another profanity-laced tirade aimed in the direction of Jim Dolan and then the Knicks' bench, the assistant coach...
YASHIN HURT IN ISLES' WIN
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amIslanders 4 - Flyers 2 If the Islanders ever get a new rink - as promised last night by owner Charles Wang, who said an official announcement of a Long...
MCDYESS SUFFERS SETBACK WITH KNEE
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Antonio McDyess' evening was limited to nine shaky minutes thanks to the first prominent setback of his return from knee surgery. McDyess, still recovering from a devastating injury...
BIG BLUE COACH SEARCH STILL SOMEWHAT CLOUDY
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amOne down, more to come. Tom Coughlin has already been interviewed for the Giants coaching job and will be talked to again down the road. Up next, Giants ownership will...
NETS LOOK FUN-TASTIC
December 24, 2003 | 5:00amNets 95 - Bulls 78 The defense forced an Antonio Davis miss. Kerry Kittles rebounded, passed to Richard Jefferson, who sent a touch pass to Jason Kidd. The breakout ensued,...