January 27, 2006
BALLY'S CHIEF IS SPARED - CRITICS GET ON BOARD
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amDissident shareholders of Bally Total Fitness failed yesterday to oust the troubled health club's Chief Executive Paul Toback at the company's annual meeting, but did win board seats for three...
BREACH OF ETHICS - MORGAN EXEC TOOK GIFTS, HOME FIXES FROM CLIENTS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amMorgan Stanley's chief technology officer used his power over a massive purchasing budget to win favors for himself and the Wall Street giant in a possible violation of Morgan's in-house...
GIANT BRA IS STRAPPED FOR A HOME
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA 20-foot long bra that has been slung over a billboard along the West Side Highway for the past month needs a new home. Created by New York ad agency...
GREENSPAN SET FOR LIFE AFTER 'RETIREMENT'
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amFor around $500,000 an hour, you can rent Alan Greenspan to steer you through an economy that he's molded by his own hands. The 79-year-old Federal Reserve chief is opening...
CONDÉ PAST BACK AGAIN - EX-BERNER BOYS RETURN TO FOLD
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amAS most of the Fairchild operation continues to be dismantled and crunched into Condé Nast, at least two key people who resigned when the division was still a separate fiefdom...
NAVY SCHOOL RERUN FULL OF SHIP
January 27, 2006 | 5:00am'ANNAPOLIS" marches so slavishly in the path of "An Officer and a Gentleman" that many scenes - the pushups in the rain, the fights with the bald black torturer/mentor -...
UNBEARABLE BLANDNESS OF BEING
January 27, 2006 | 5:00am'BUBBLE" is one of the more interesting low-budget experiments Steven Soderbergh has indulged in between flashy Hollywood entertainments like "Ocean's 11" and "Erin Brockovich." This one not only uses a...
FUNNY? FAT CHANCE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA partial list of things that are more amusing than "Big Momma's House 2": "Beverly Hills Cop," "Fletch," the original "Big Momma's House," every sitcom currently on TV, open-heart surgery....
'SPINAL TAP' IN A TRI-CORNERED HAT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTHE freakiest classic of the 18th century was Laurence Sterne's novel "Tristram Shandy," which was 200 years ahead of its time. Things have sped up since then, but the film...
NANNY MCPHEEBLE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTHE kiddie komedy of "Nanny McPhee" shows that "Mary Poppins" plus Charles Dickens can add up to less than even "Cheaper by the Dozen." In an England of no particular...
PLAY IT SAFE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amPARK CITY, Utah - A recurring question at this year's Sundance Film Festival was: Exactly what constitutes an independent? One festival favorite was the "The Illusionist," a lavish romantic drama...
IT'S A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTHERE'S a lot to be said for versatility, and Sarah Jones manages to cover an awful lot of it in her one-woman show, "Bridge & Tunnel," which opened last night...
LITTLE REASON TO 'IMAGINE ME & YOU'
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amIMAGINE ME & YOU [**] (Two stars)'IMAGINE Me & You" applies the posh Britcom formula perfected in hits like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" to a lesbian romance with slick...
DOUBLE DOWN - ARRESTED TWINS 'UNINVITED' BY 'IDOL'
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTHE "American Idol" twins accused of identity theft say they've been booted off the show. A lawyer for Derrell and Terrell Brittenum, arrested earlier this month but now free on...
SONG-&-DANCE BASH - PUBLIC THEATER DRAWS FROM MANY ERAS FOR 50TH
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWHEN Oskar Eustis was 17, he auditioned for a role in "Henry V" at the Public Theater for founder Joseph Papp. He didn't get the part, and it would be...
B'WAY KNIGHTS TO REMEMBER
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amLIKE much in life that is sublimely silly, "Spamalot" is even better the second time around. More remarkably, so is the entire cast. Fast approaching its first birthday, Eric Idle's...
OUT OF THIS WORLD!
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amROVING MARS [***] (Three starsAS it turns out, sending robotic dune buggies 300 million miles through space to send back pictures of Mars is pretty complicated. "Roving Mars," a splendidly...
CW'S NAME GAME
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWORD is that the name of the new network created by the merger of the WB and UPN - the CW - does not have long to live. Execs at...
FILM A SLAVE TO ANTI-U.S. IDEAS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amMANDERLAY [*] (One star) 'MANDERLAY" is another ridiculous anti-American screed by the minimalist Danish director Lars von Trier, who has never set foot in this country. Bryce Dallas Howard -...
ROUSE REIGNING IN SPAIN IN SONG
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amAFTER his marriage broke up a few years ago, Josh Rouse left his hometown in central Tennessee for Valencia, Spain. His latest disc, "Nashville" was his goodbye to music city....
P IS FOR PITIFUL - WHY HIP-HOP CLOD HAS NOT BEEN VOTED OFF 'DANCING WITH THE STARS'
January 27, 2006 | 5:00am"TO JUSTIFY WATCHING THE SHOW, THEY KEEP THE WORST PERSON ON, THEN CLAIM THEY'RE ONLY WATCHING BECAUSE 'IT'S A TRAIN WRECK.' " IF you're wondering just how Master P has...
ELTON'S COFFIN FIT - NEW BLOOD FLIES IN FOR MORIBUND 'LESTAT'
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amELTON John is about to descend on his much-maligned new musical "Lestat," and the cast and crew are gnawing their nails. Tomorrow night, the Elton John flotilla - which usually...
FRENCH TALE IS NO SMALL FEAT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSEXUAL repression and its consequences are the subjects of "La Petite Jerusalem," written and directed by Karin Albou. Laura and Mathilde are working-class sisters living in a Paris suburb called...
STARR REPORT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTyra's 'Sister' act Tyra Banks officially launches her new initiative, "The Sisterhood," on today's "Tyra" (5 p.m./Ch. 9), explaining that she wants to help other women stop from committing "The...
HEARTY B'DAY BOY - TODDLER'S TRANSPLANT MIRACLE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWho's a big boy now? Baby Jordan - who at 8 days old underwent a miracle heart transplant after doctors found a tumor in his tiny ticker - celebrated his...
UZI THUG'S HOSP HEARING
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn man accused of squeezing off rounds from an Uzi machine gun at two cops issued an angry denial from his hospital bed as he was arraigned on attempted-murder...
TRAGIC YANKEE NIECE - BX. TOT EATS COKE, DIES
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA 2-year-old niece of former Yankee player Luis Polonia died after swallowing cocaine left around her Bronx apartment by her mother's suspected-drug-dealer boyfriend, police said. Relatives of Sherlyn Polonia said...
THE HAMAS VICTORY: KICKING OUT CORRUPTION
January 27, 2006 | 5:00am'Disgust had more to do with the outcome than militancy.' IN Wednesday's Palestinian elections, Hamas, a fundamentalist party that sponsors terrorism and denies Israel's right to exist, won an outright...
RUDY TAKES A RIGHT ON ROAD TO '08
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amIF YOU'RE Rudy Giuliani and you're thinking about running for president in 2008, one big worry could be how grass-roots Republican conservatives will react when they learn you back gay...
COPS' KILLER HAS A HOLY LOT OF NERVE WITH SABBATH STUNT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amMARLON LEGERE'S trial will wrap up any day now. But hold on - there will be no court today out of respect for the accused double cop killer's religious beliefs....
MCCAIN PAIN IN HOME SALE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSen. John McCain is cutting the price of his Arizona mansion in hopes of unloading it. The possible 2008 Republican presidential candidate and his wife, Cindy, are the latest to...
THE HAMAS VICTORY: NO LOSS FOR PEACE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTHE Palestinians have voted in a terrorist group that has been involved in killing Americans, attacking Israeli civilians and seeks the destruction of Israel and its replacement by a Palestinian...
JAIL-OFFICER 'SICK' $CAM
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amFour correction officers were arrested yesterday on charges of bilking the city of almost $60,000 by playing hooky, then forging doctors' notes - including for fictitious pregnancies. According to the...
DOG-MAUL GIRL SUES PET CHAIN
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA 5-year-old Long Island girl was viciously bitten on the face by a Rottweiler she was petting inside a PETCO, her mother claims in a negligence lawsuit against the store....
MAKING A REAL LOVE 'LINK' - HEART-TO-HEARTS BEAT ONLINE DATING IN POLL
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTake heart this Valentine's Day, computer-challenged loners: Chance encounter - not online dating - is the way most singles believe they'll make a love connection. But a case of the...
FAKE-COP ACTOR GETS SLAP IN COURT SEQUEL
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amAn actor busted at Bronx Supreme Court last year carrying a real police uniform, fake gun, and genuine ammunition clip pleaded guilty yesterday to disorderly conduct. Preston Handy, 63, of...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * An East Harlem couple was arrested in the stabbing death of a 43-year-old man, police said yesterday. Laverne Yarber, 44, allegedly knifed Pedro Torres in the chest outside...
BUSH: HATE GROUP CAN'T BE 'PARTNER'
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday warned Hamas that it can't be a "partner in peace" unless it renounces its call for Israel's destruction - and took a wait-and-see stance on...
PERV'S BAG OF TRICKS - HS SICKO AT MART, TOO
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amThe peeping handyman accused of videotaping women's rooms at two Brooklyn high schools also filmed under the skirts of unwitting women at a popular Brooklyn farmer's market by hiding his...
MIKE TELLS LARRY: GIVE UP 2 TOWERS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSpending political capital earned by his enormous re-election victory, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday laid out an extensive agenda to remake Ground Zero, squeeze municipal unions to share in health costs and...
TERRORIST WIN SHAKES ISRAEL - HAMAS GETS A FREE HAND TO CREATE 'TALIBAN' STATE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - The militant Muslim state of "Hamastan" was created yesterday in the West Bank and Gaza - severely setting back the chances for peace, Israeli officials warned as they...
KERRY SEEKS A FILIBUSTER AGAINST ALITO
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Failed presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry wants to filibuster Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, it was reported yesterday - leaving many Democrats scratching their heads. Top Democratic Senate...
HORROR OF WHEELCHAIR GRANNY SLAY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTwo home health-care aides attacked and tormented a wheelchair-dependent, great-great grandmother in her East Harlem apartment - even stealing her medical-alert button - one of the women on trial for...
FROM WRIST SLAP TO JAIL SMACK
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amHad it not been for a no-nonsense voyeurism victim and a Post campaign to toughen sentences for perverted peepers, Michael Conte could be facing a slap on the wrist instead...
W.: I DON'T KNOW JACK (ABRAMOFF)
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday said "I don't know" Jack Abramoff, but refused to release photos of himself with the corrupt lobbyist on grounds that they'd be used "for pure...
SQUEEZING SILVERSTEIN - MAYOR MIKE'S UGLY ATTACK MAY HAVE A SILVER LINING
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amMIKE Bloomberg's ugly attack yesterday on Ground Zero developer/leaseholder Larry Silverstein was a disgrace coming from a mayor whose own administration has so badly served Lower Manhattan since 9/11. It's...
LANDSLIDE BLOOMY NOW MR. TOUGH GUY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSuddenly, Mike Bloomberg's Mr. Tough Guy in public. After four years of largely nonconfrontational governing, the mayor ripped into the state Legislature yesterday for refusing to require DNA samples from...
TERROR BUCKS BLOWN - NYERS RIP INDY WASTE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars sent to protect the nation's heartland have been squandered in Indiana alone, a stunning new audit reveals - more evidence the cash...
DNA TWIST IN CAPE COD SLAY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amThe suspect charged in the brutal slaying of Cape Cod fashion writer Christa Worthington is seeking to have the DNA sample that led to his arrest thrown out, claiming his...
OPRAH BARES FURY - GOES BALLISTIC ON LYING AUTHOR AND APOLOGIZES FOR DEFENDING HIM ON TV
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amBehold - the wrath of Oprah! In a display of fury never seen before on her daytime talk show, Oprah Winfrey yesterday bared her fangs and then tore to shreds...
BUILDER BIG BRIBED MOB: FEDS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amThe head of a construction company paid thousands of dollars in bribes to mob-connected union officials, prosecutors charged yesterday. John Amicucci, owner of the multimillion-dollar DeFoe Corp., "repeatedly and secretly...
'BIAS ATTACK' TEEN BUSTED IN COP-BRIBE BID
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA Brooklyn teen who made headlines for his alleged role in a bias attack last summer was busted for offering a cop a bribe after being pinched for spraying his...
'MR. MOM' IS A KILLER, DA CLAIMS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA Rockland County man recruited killers to rub out two enemies of one of the city's most notorious drug dealers, prosecutors said yesterday. Emanuel Mosley - described by a defense...
SUBWAY TRACK-FALL MIRACLE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA stockbroker fell from a downtown subway platform yesterday, but miraculously emerged from underneath a train with just a scratch, police said. The 29-year-old Brooklyn man, whose name was withheld,...
PET-SHOP MAUL SUIT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA 5-year-old Long Island girl was viciously bitten on the face by a Rottweiler she was petting inside a PETCO, her mother claims in a lawsuit against the store. Danielle...
RESCUE ME!
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA firefighter on a cherry picker moves yesterday to rescue a woman trapped in a smoky blaze at Queens housing project that left more than 30 people injured, including two...
REHAB EYED FOR SLAY DOG - GIRL'S PET MAY BE RETRAINED
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amLong Island officials are hoping to ship the golden retriever who accidentally strangled a 6-year-old girl Wednesday to a renowned California animal-training center for rehabilitation. Brookhaven Animal Shelter staffers said...
'REHAB' FOR DOG IN PLAY TRAGEDY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amLong Island officials hope to ship the golden retriever that accidentally strangled a 6-year-old girl to a California animal-training facility. Brookhaven Animal Shelter staffers said yesterday that the Helen Woodward...
PERV BUSTED ON '6' TRAIN: COPS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amA man was busted for allegedly exposing himself and rubbing against a woman on the subway. Maximino Vasquez, 42, of Astoria, allegedly victimized the 25-year-old woman at 6 p.m. Tuesday...
A LONG 'NAP' SHEET - SUBWAY CLERK JUST CAN'T STOP DOZING
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWayne Wiggins refuses to stand clear of the closing eyes. The hard-waking station agent spotted dozing in his booth Sunday afternoon was nabbed by his supervisors for three naps in...
MARIO IN MOLTO LANDLORD TROUBLE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amItalian chef Mario Batali is already in Dutch with the landlords at his new restaurant. The Food Network's "Molto Mario" chef and his partners are fighting off eviction by Somerset...
PERFECT WEATHER TO FISH TOGETHER
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWHEN you get weather like we've been enjoying, you have to take advantage of it. From what I'm hearing, there is action on both ends of Long Island. Bottom fishing...
TICKETMASTER OF DISGUISE - KATRINA DONATIONS REMAIN A MYSTERY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amIT was a bit late and it took a bit of a push, but Ticketmaster, back in September, got on the right side of things. Or so it seemed. The...
VINCE-ING IN PAIN - NETS HURTING WITHOUT CARTER
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amNETS at BLAZERS Tonight 10:00 - YES; WFAN (660) PORTLAND - In each of the Nets' past two games, they failed to score 80 points, failed to shoot as rotten...
PITT ROSTER HAS SLICE OF NYC
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amDURING his playing days at St. Francis, Brooklyn's Barry Rohrssen was nicknamed "Slice," because he knifed through defenses like butter. Eventually, like many others, he swapped the uniform for a...
FOUR HAVE 'NUMBERS' FOR DERBY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amStevie Wonderboy, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park, who on Monday received the Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old colt of 2005, heads the short list...
BROKEN WRIST SHELVES LOPEZ
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSome jockeys can't catch a break. Poor C.C. Lopez catches too many of them. Last Nov. 25, Chucky went down in three-horse spill, breaking thumb and rib that sidelined him...
STORM DIED IN SPAN OF 7 SECONDS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amIn a span of seven seconds, St. John's' bid to pull off the Big East upset of the season went from quite possible to impossible predicament. Two mental mistakes in...
ISLES EYE ESPO FOR GM JOB
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amThe Islanders have intensified their search for a new general manager this week, conducting interviews with at least two candidates, The Post has learned. In addition to former Orlando Magic...
LARRY WANTS KNICKS TO KEEP ISIAH
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES Larry Brown yesterday made a plea for Knicks owner James Dolan not to mess with embattled Isiah Thomas' job. Brown, asked directly if he's worried about Thomas' future...
PSAL: IT'S SUPER IDEA
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amWhile not everyone is convinced it's the best idea, the creation of a PSAL boys basketball "superpower" is a step closer to fruition after league officials and coaches met yesterday....
DEV: NHL, DARIUS WRONG
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - His once-broken neck is still aching from Sunday's Darius Kasparaitis elbow. That's not all Devils winger Grant Marshall is sore about. Marshall says the NHL is to blame...
ISLES EYEING ESPO AS GM
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSHOOTOUT: Islanders 4 - Penguins 3 Charles Wang's quest to hire a new general manager intensified this week, evidenced by a growing list of candidates being considered to fill the...
BRODEUR GETS DEVILS' POINT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amOVERTIME: Lightning 1 - Devils 0 TAMPA - A performance like that is why the Devils are preparing to sign Martin Brodeur until he's 40. There's plenty of negotiating left,...
DIVERSE TO PERVERSE - OMAR'S RUN ON LATINOS EXPOSES FAN BIGOTRY
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amPEOPLE are gathering in the dark this month to cheer the message of inclusion at the heart of the film "Glory Road," which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Texas Western...
ISIAH IN THE LINE OF FIRE - THOMAS DODGES THE MEDIA CIRCUS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amKnicks president Isiah Thomas watched practice yesterday at their Westchester campus, then disappeared before reporters were allowed into the gym. Thomas' absence was telling, as the playful Knicks president normally...
NO OTHER SOLUTION THAN TO CUT TIES
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amJIM Dolan, dream owner for arrogant, unaccountable and under performing general managers, now has a nightmare on his hands to try even his exceptional level of patience. Wherever the truth...
NO KEVINS HEAVEN - K.G. READY TO BAIL ON MCHALE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amOVER the past few months, as it became increasingly evident the Timberwolves' imperfections were more than skin deep, numerous teams called to inquire about Kevin Garnett's availability. All were told...
THIS ROY'S LIFE - OUT OF CLOSET SIMMONS TELLS GIANT TALE OF SEX AND DRUGS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amROY Simmons was gay when he played for the Giants in the early 1980s, and knew even then that he wasn't the only one, because he had sex one night...
MARSHALL SUFFERING FROM KASPARAITIS
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTAMPA - His once-broken neck is still aching from Sunday's Darius Kasparaitis elbow. That's not all Devils winger Grant Marshall is sore about. Marshall says the NHL is to blame...
JETS LET GO OF MARRONE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amIn another long-overdue move, the Jets have released offensive-line coach Doug Marrone from his contract. It came one day after offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was released from his contract. Marrone,...
NEW YORK RECRUITS DIG PITT
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amDURING his playing days at St. Francis, Brooklyn's Barry Rohrssen was nicknamed "Slice," because he knifed through defenses like butter. Eventually, like many others, he swapped the uniform for a...
BROWN'S SUPPORT OF ISIAH IS WEAK AT ITS BEST
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amIsiah Thomas found himself the subject of sexual harassment litigation brought by a former team executive. Whether he's guilty or innocent - we shall have to wait for the Bush...
AL SET TO DON FEATHERS? MOVE TO PEACOCK NETWORK COULD COME AFTER SUPE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amESPN will decide after the Super Bowl whether it will let Al Michaels out of his signed Monday Night Football contract, allowing Michaels to join John Madden on NBC's Football...
MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amMiddays vs. overnights (Where is Joe Benigno better?) When WFAN's Joe Benigno did overnights, his opening monologues were must-listens, because you felt his pain and his joy (well, every once...
5 QUESTIONS FOR TROY AIKMAN
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amThis week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with Fox Sports' Troy Aikman. Aikman, 39, is expected to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next weekend. Aikman...
GREAT DEBATE - WHO'S THE BEST: KOBE OR LEBRON?
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amTuesday Lakers at Knicks 7:30 p.m., MSG Wednesday Nets at Cavs 7 p.m., YES Who would you rather have: LeBron James or Kobe Bryant? "I love LeBron James," ESPN's Greg...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
January 27, 2006 | 5:00amSylvester Williams' business cards got him a fast response - from the cops. The enterprising but dumb 21-year-old Kansas man allegedly peddled crack with cards featuring a phone number, an...