November 5, 2002

BUSH DEJA VU: IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY, DUBYA

THIS is the only piece of economic news you need to know: More than one out of every 10 willing and able American workers right now don't have jobs. That's...

SEC, U.S. ATTORNEY LAUNCH PROBES OF VIVENDI

Vivendi's legal problems are getting deeper. The troubled French media conglomerate said yesterday it is cooperating with separate investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New...

DEAL DELAYS HANG UP DOWNTOWN

THE big deals that downtown is banking on still haven't happened. An expected lease for law firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood at 32 Old Slip has yet to close, we're...

SEC BIGS HEAD FOR THE HILLS

SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt and Chief Accountant Robert Herdman are trying to slip out of the limelight amid multiple investigations into their roles in putting William Webster in charge of...

FATHER KNOWS BEST - CABLEVISION'S CHUCK DOLAN CLIPS SON'S WINGS

Cablevision founder and Chairman Chuck Dolan appears to be taking back some of the power he gave to son Jimmy. A number of sources familiar with Cablevision say the elder...

BARBIE HANGING WITH DIVERSE NEW CROWD

Barbie's got a new posse. The blonde bombshell doll has a new look and new friends that Mattel is hoping will appeal to older girls. The new "My Scene" Barbie...

SHAKIRA DOLL WILL SHAKE UP BUSINESS FOR MATTEL

You'll soon be able to own Latin singing sensation Shakira - or at least a smaller plastic replica of the pop princess. The international pop tart has signed a license...

DOW JONES TO CUT 230 JOBS, FREEZE PAY

The ax man cometh once again at Dow Jones. Peter Kann, chairman and CEO of Dow Jones, began the bloodletting at the company that owns the Wall Street Journal, revealing...

O'DONNELL LASHED OUT AT CANCER VICTIM: VF

In her year-and-a-half run as the editorial director of Rosie, comedian Rosie O'Donnell's outbursts left the staff of the magazine shocked and intimidated - while giving kid-glove treatment to celebrity...

ALMOST GROUNDED - UAL AND OTHERS MAY SINK IN $8B OF RED INK

Several airlines, including giant United Airlines, are losing altitude financially and could end up grounded. Industry experts painted a bleak picture yesterday of the future of the nation's major carriers...

BROKER: ANALYSTS' ADVICE BURNED ME

In a bizarre twist, a former Morgan Stanley stockbroker claims he lost his inheritance investing in stocks touted by the tony investment bank's own research analysts, The Post has learned....

CABLEVISION CLOSES BRAVO DEAL WITH NBC

Cablevision finally sealed a deal yesterday to sell its Bravo cable channel to NBC for $1.25 billion in cash and stock. The deal will help cash-strapped Cablevision in its efforts...

BARBIE HAS NEW LOOK AND TWO NEW FRIENDS

Barbie's got a new posse. The blonde bombshell doll has a new look and some new friends that Mattel is hoping will appeal to older girls. The new "My Scene"...

MURDER IN THE MIDWEST, WILSON-STYLE

BOOK OF DAYSAt the Signature Theatre, 555 W. 42 St. Through Dec. 8. Call (212) 244-PLAY. ------- ON one level, Lanford Wilson's 1999 "Book of Days," which is having its...

FUN TO THE CORE

BIG APPLE CIRCUS [ 1/2]Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center. Tickets $18 to $70. CenterCharge, (212) 721-6500, or TicketMaster, (212) 307-4100. Through Jan. 12. ------- THE 4-year-old critic who took me to...

THE CHICK FLICK RETURNS - BREAK OUT HANKIES FOR RETRO 'HEAVEN'

THE classic '50s "woman's movie," long the Rodney Dangerfield of film genres, is back - and finally ready for its close-up. Todd Haynes' "Far From Heaven," starring a mink-coated and...

DOUBLE TROUBLE

MY HOLIDAYATTENDING the world's hottest parties, strutting down fashion catwalks and gracing the covers of international magazines translates into a lot of traveling for Paris and Nicky Hilton. And now...

EASILY 'JUSTIFIED'

* JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE "Justified" [] Jive On his out-of-SYNC solo debut, Justin Timberlake shakes the Swedes out of his pop and trades up to classic, hurts-so-good American R&B and modern...

STARR REPORT

Spaced-out Harvey going galactic Radio legend Paul Harvey is getting beamed into outer space. Beginning today, Harvey's syndicated show will be transmitted to the International Space Station by NASA and...

POP REALITY GURU IS 'IDOL' RICH

REALITY TV has been very kind to "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller. Between "Idol" and its predecessor, Britain's "Pop Idol," Fuller (who also invented The Spice Girls) has earned about...

ATTACK OF THE OSBOURNES: I'M SORRY WE DID THE SHOW: SHARON - 'I CAN'T THROW UP ON MY OWN AND OZZY CAN'T GET DRUNK ON HIS OWN'

SHARON Osbourne now says she's sorry she ever did "The Osbournes" for MTV - and that her cancer diagnosis has sent husband Ozzy Osbourne back into an alcoholic tailspin. "I...

MIAMI'S MALL WARS ; LIBBY CALLAWAY GETS SIDETRACKED ON HER WAY TO THE BEACH

SPEND IT MIAMI: It's not just for bikinis anymore. Sure, you can still find thongs and micro-minis aplenty in the town that defined East Coast seaside style. But South Florida's...

CMJ OUT OF THE WAY, BUT GROOVY SHOWS GO ON

WE'RE all a little worn out from non-stop CMJ action, but there's no rest for the beat-weary. The music never stops, even without a festival. French pop group Tahiti 80,...

SELLING OZZY AIR FRESHENERS

THE Osbournes are making sure they get the biggest buck for their bang. In one of the most aggressive licensing programs in history, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have sold their...

GRAND OLD PARTY PLANE

"Journeys With George" [ 1/2] Tonight at 9:30 on HBO ------- WHEN I first watched reporter Alexandra Pelosi's home movie (as she likes to call it) "Journeys With George" a...

ORANGE CRUSH ; NOW THAT ORANGE COUNTY HAS THE NATION'S ATTENTION, SAYS DAVID LANDSEL, MAYBE THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET WILL GET OUT - IT RULES

DETOURS THERE'S nothing like winning a World Series to make your town look good - even if that "town" is Orange County, a place best known for Disneyland and sprawling,...

ALL COKED UP: IT'S KNOWN FOR CNN AND SOFT DRINKS, BUT DAVID LANDSEL UNEARTHS A MORE SOPHISTICATED ATLANTA

LAYOVER THERE are questions that demand answers. As in, who decided to nickname Atlanta the "Big Peach"? And why is this city known for some of the silliest tourist attractions...

WELCOME TO DETROIT ; WITH EMINEM AS HER GUIDE, BETH PINSKER FINDS THE MOTOR CITY STILL HAS SOUL

ON LOCATION EMINEM'S Detroit, lovingly rendered in the rapper's new film "8 Mile," is a post-apocalyptic landscape of abandoned buildings, smoky factories and littered streets. It's not exactly a postcard...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Cops in Oklahoma have issued an urgent appeal to some bird-brained thieves: Please stop stealing our penguins! Four large plastic penguin statues - 6-feet-tall and 300 pounds apiece - were...

ESCAPED RAPIST ARRESTED: COPS

An alleged serial rapist who embarrassed Bronx cops when he escaped from their custody six months ago was arrested last night, police said. Luis Raul Acosta, 33, was wanted in...

DAD NABBED IN BABY SLAY - BLOW TO 9-MONTH-OLD'S BELLY WAS FATAL: L.I. COPS

A young, baby-faced Long Island dad has been arrested and charged with murder after he punched his 9-month-old son in the abdomen and the child died, apparently from internal injuries,...

JAILED GRAMPS HANGS SELF

Police say a Long Island grandfather mysteriously hanged himself with his socks in a police precinct cell after he was arrested over the weekend on DWI charges. The man's family...

L.I. BOSS AXED OVER RACIAL SLUR

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi yesterday fired a white road-work supervisor caught on tape using racial slurs against a black worker - who has been claiming for 18 years that...

KIDMAN SETS RECORD 'STRAIGHT'

Nicole Kidman has finally emerged to quash the nagging rumors that her marriage to Tom Cruise was a complete sham. "Look, the marriage was real. The marriage existed because it...

BOMBER HITS MALL - HERO GUARD IS AMONG 2 DEAD

JERUSALEM - A Palestinian bomber blew up himself and two Israelis yesterday at a shopping mall near Tel Aviv, and a previously unknown group claimed responsibility. The homicide bomber, Nabil...

'KILLER' PINS SAM SLAY ON WOMAN

A murder suspect yesterday blamed his lady friend for ordering the execution of a good Samaritan, who came to their aid on the Belt Parkway last year. Testifying at his...

'SNIPER' KID'S JAIL BID IS SHOT DOWN

Lawyers for John Lee Malvo yesterday lost a bid to have the teen Beltway sniper suspect transferred from Maryland's toughest prison to either a psychiatric or juvenile facility. At the...

RAP SESSION NIXED - MAN TIED TO JAM MASTER JAY WON'T TALK TO COPS

A mystery Queens man whom police want to question about the murder of hip-hopper Jam Master Jay says they'll have to book him before he speaks another word. "If you...

JDL BIG TRIES SUICIDE IN JAIL

The leader of the radical Jewish Defense League is brain-dead after attempting suicide in a Los Angeles lockup yesterday, just before a court hearing on charges he conspired to blow...

SEAGAL BLAMED IN THREATS

A lawyer for a reputed mobster accused of extorting actor Steven Seagal claims the action-movie hero may be behind a pair of frightening threats made toward reporters covering the case....

3 DIE AS CAR RAMS BRIDGE PILLAR

A Queens man killed along with two passengers yesterday when his car plowed into a pillar near the 59th Street Bridge may have had a heart attack before the crash,...

TAPE SNAGS HARLEM CHOIR 'PERV'

A former counselor for the Boys Choir of Harlem accused of sexually abusing a member of the group was secretly tape-recorded by his alleged victim saying he regretted what had...

TAKE THAT, BIN LADEN: STRIKE MARKS WAR'S NEW PHASE

ANALYSIS The Bush administration just stepped up its war against terror to a new level - delivering a huge and deadly in-your-face diss to Osama bin Laden. The U.S. move...

KLEIN WANTS SCHOOL MERGER

Chancellor Joel Klein is looking at having superintendents oversee all schools from kindergarten through 12th grade by merging separate community and high-school administrative offices, sources said yesterday. "That's been discussed,"...

U.S. HELLFIRE WIPES OUT GANG OF OSAMA THUGS

A remote-controlled CIA spy plane in Yemen scored a major coup in the U.S. war against terror, firing a missile that killed six al Qaeda suspects - including a key...

HER DAZZLING PERFORMANCE REALLY 'STEALS' THE SHOW

WINONA RYDER IN COURT (* * * 1/2) Sweet innocence. --------- BEVERLY HILLS. 'THE Age of Innocence, Part II" was the big attraction at the Beverly Hills municipal court yesterday....

MOURNERS PAY PROPER RESPECT TO 'KING' FROM QUEENS

Slain hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay wore his trademark white Adidas sneakers, a black leather hat and a thick gold chain around his neck as he lay in full 1980s...

MOM TOOK KIDS ON HEIST: COPS

A New Jersey mother and her twin 14-year-old daughters were charged yesterday with pulling off a bank robbery. Mom drove the getaway car, while the girls, wearing ski masks, carried...

TEEN LEAPS TO HIS DEATH IN SUBWAY

A troubled Jersey teen leaped to his death in front of a subway train yesterday after leaving three notes on the platform - addressed to his mother, father and cops,...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * A knife-wielding thug stabbed a young woman three times, then turned the blade on himself in a Washington Heights apartment building, cops said yesterday. The violence began Sunday...

ARIEL TO CALL FOR EARLY ELECTIONS

JERUSALEM - In a surprising reversal, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has decided an early national election is "inevitable" given the collapse of his governing coalition last week, The Post...

MOB GOON GUILTY OF TEEN STAB-SLAY

The son of a slain Luchese mobster may spend the rest of his life behind bars after a jury convicted him yesterday of murdering an innocent 17-year- old because he...

BUBBA RALLIES MCCALL FAITHFUL

With the help of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Carl McCall last night made it to the finish line in his uphill race against Gov. Pataki, spending his final hours campaigning...

LAUTENBERG LOOKS LIKE A LOCK IN N.J.

New Jersey voters decide today who will replace Sen. Robert Torricelli, the Democrat who quit under an ethics cloud - and the latest poll indicates that Democrat Frank Lautenberg has...

GOP COUNTS ON A BUSH BOUNCE : PREZ WRAPS UP HUGE ELEX BLITZ

President Bush barnstormed across four states yesterday, hoping to push Republicans over the top in a tight election - and win control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats. Polls showed...

CARL URGES DEMS TO VOTE

With the help of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Carl McCall last night made it to the finish line in his uphill race against Gov. Pataki, spending his final hours campaigning...

SURVEYS SEE GOV LANDSLIDE

ALBANY - Two final polls yesterday confirmed what's been clear for weeks: Gov. Pataki is heading for a landslide win today over Carl McCall and Tom Golisano. A Marist College...

FRITZ PUTS UP A FIGHT IN MINNESOTA DEBATE

A finger-wagging Walter Mondale went on the attack in the only debate of the last-minute Minnesota Senate race yesterday - and Republican Norm Coleman accused him of being too partisan....

JEB IS WAY AHEAD AT THE FINAL POLL

Jeb Bush built a big lead in his contentious bid for re-election, the latest poll says, while Democratic challenger Bill McBride scrambled across Florida with "Margaritaville" singer Jimmy Buffett. The...

NETWORKS WON'T CALL 'EM QUICK

The last thing the TV networks need is another election-night disaster. And that's why they're pulling out all the stops to ensure they won't be in position to blunder tonight...

WATCHING THE ELECTION

From the minute tonight's first election returns come in, there will be clues as to whether President Bush's friends or foes should be smiling. It's going to be a long...

D.A. DOES A NUMBER ON WINONA

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Using a David Letterman-style Top 10 list, a prosecutor yesterday urged jurors to convict Winona Ryder of shoplifting and summed up the DA's case in six...

HEVESI PULLING AWAY IN RACE FOR COMPTROLLER

ALBANY - Former New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi holds a double-digit lead over Assemblyman John Faso in the battle for state comptroller, two polls yesterday showed. The Marist College...

HIGH-FLYING GEORGE TOURS STATE

SYRACUSE - A buoyant Gov. Pataki, comfortably ahead in his bid for a third term, jetted around the state yesterday for a series of rallies before today's election. "I feel...

TEAM EFFORT KEEPS NET SEASON PERFECT

Nets 106 - T'wolves 82 Midway through the second quarter last night, Richard Jefferson moved around Minnesota's Marc Jackson and drove the left baseline. With 7-0 Rasho Nesterovic as the...

DEAN'S-LIST EFFORT

JET REPORT CARDQUARTERBACKS: A Chad Pennington (28-37, 253 yards, 1 TD) was again sharp, and this time it came against one of the NFL's better defenses.RUNNING BACKS: A Curtis Martin...

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT

GIANT REPORT CARDQUARTERBACKS: B+ The comfort level was evident for Kerry Collins (20 of 28, 228 yards, 1 TD), who rarely made a bad throw and often made a smart...

ENEMIES - FOR A DAY, ANYWAY

H.S. NOTES Tommy Salvato and Steve Peretzman typically talk to each other almost every day during the football season. Not this week. "We talk about football and everything else," said...

GILL KINDLES DISBELIEF IN FORMER TEAMMATES

NET NOTES Minnesota's Kendall Gill, the ex-Net, looks at his former team's success with a touch of envy and a dose of pride, claiming, "I know I helped build that...

HOWE ORDERS UP DENNY

Denny Walling is in position to become the next Mets hitting coach, The Post has learned. Walling, a former teammate and longtime friend of new Mets manager Art Howe, could...

IN CHAD THEY TRUST - PENNINGTON GIVES JETS PLAYOFF HOPE

BECAUSE of The Kid, the Jets suddenly believe anything is still possible this season. The reality of today's Jets, 3-5 at the midway point of the season after Sunday's stunning...

WOLVES' FLIP: NETS NEVER SOUGHT KG

So about those rumors that the Nets inquired about Kevin Garnett this past summer? Never happened. Not even anything close. At least not according to Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders....

DEFENSE NO LONGER TACKLING DUMMIES

JET NOTES All year long the Jets talked about how they just needed to get back to fundamentals on defense - namely, tackling. Finally, on Sunday, they did. "The tackling...

CAUTIOUS JETS WARN: IT'S ONLY ONE GAME

To hear people talk, every NFL game is either a disaster or a crowning achievement. So one week after the Jets' catastrophic loss to Cleveland, they rebounded with a resounding...

ANDERSON'S JOYLESS IN SEATTLE

TODAY is Election Day and, in keeping with tradition, most of the NBA intends to file absent-minded ballots. "We expect turnout to be light," said a New Jersey official. "Sorta...

JIM'S JUST DANDY

Too bad they ran a marathon in New York on Sunday. Jim Fassel yesterday looked ready to go the distance without feeling the slightest bit drained. Rejuvenation comes in different...

DAYNE HIGH ON NEW-LOOK OFFENSE

GIANT NOTES Ron Dayne said the way he was used and the success he enjoyed in Sunday night's 24-17 victory over the Jaguars offered him "a little flash of the...

ERIC, TROTS: ALL IS WELL

Everything is just fine in Ranger land between coach Bryan Trottier and Eric Lindros . . . sort of. The two had what Trottier called "a very nice short chat"...

U.S. STRIDING TOWARD KENYA

No American has won the New York City Marathon in 20 years, and U.S. distance running has been in a malaise for almost as long. To deny that domestic distance...

FASTEST START GETS DEVILS' AT-TEN-TION

His Devils stand on the verge of matching their best-ever 10-game start, and he's leading the NHL in goals-against. Against that background, it was a remarkable declaration made yesterday by...

SHAKE-UP, BUT NO WAKE-UP - PLAYER MOVES FAIL TO STIR ISLES

Flames 4 - Islanders 2 Do you like your Islanders shaken or stirred? GM Mike Milbury guaranteed a shake-up, but the Isles produced another meltdown last night in a 4-2...

NIX THE QUICK FIX

WHEN the most intriguing thing about the Knicks is guessing when they'll win their first game, it's clear it's going to be a long season. Their best chance for victory...

JEFFERSON'S GAME IS MOVIN' ON UP

Before last night's Nets-Timberwolves tilt at the Meadowlands, Minnesota's Loren Woods delivered a friendly message to his buddy, Richard Jefferson. "I left a note for him in his locker just...

COMING UP EMPTY - KNICKS FALL TO 0-4 AS SELLOUT STREAK ENDS

Bucks 97 - Knicks 88 The Knicks are halfway there - halfway to tying the worst start in franchise history at 0-8. The Garden crowd of 18,100 - 1,663 tickets...

SPREWELL POINTS TO NOV. 16

KNICK NOTES Latrell Sprewell finally acknowledged yesterday he will miss the season's first eight games. Sprewell aims to come back for Game 9 vs. the Sixers Nov. 16. Sprewell had...

DIKEMBE'S BUM THUMB ACHES CENTER SO GOOD

NET NOTES Dikembe Mutombo bent and flexed his left thumb. There was a different pain. And that was a good sign. "It's hurt but I don't think it's that bad...

NETS' JEFFERSON PROVES HIS POINT(S)

The Nets, for several years now, have been a team of balance. No one scores 20-plus consistently. In their scheme, the sum is always greater than the parts. Look at...

HOW TO FIX KNICKS

IF WE'RE ever going to survive one of the dreariest seasons in Knick history, it's time to come to this realization: The season-ending injury to Antonio McDyess was the best...

SPREE'S A HOT TOPIC - CASSELL: LATRELL WOULD'VE FIT BUCKS

Buck point guard Sam Cassell still wants to know why. Yesterday, the outspoken ex-Net said it was a mistake for the Bucks to trade Glenn Robinson - now leading the...

LAVIOLETTE SHAKING ISLES UP

The Islanders yesterday recalled the top three scorers from AHL Bridgeport in an attempt to instill a bit of fear in the players not getting it done and to inspire...

MASON: KNICKS NO LONGER 'D' TEAM

KNICK NOTES Anthony Mason saw the Knick crash coming long ago. He felt back in 1996 management had lost its direction that defense should always come first. Mason believes his...