August 17, 2005

IN THE PIPELINE; BEFORE ICAHN MOVES, TW PLANNED CABLE SPIN-OFF

Carl Icahn may end up taking credit for the idea, but Time Warner management had been moving toward a complete spin-off of its cable unit long before the financier put...

PARK AVE. STEAL - STONEHENGE PAYS $200M FOR 330 UNITS

THERE is nothing like great Park Avenue real estate, and that's the reason Stonehenge Partners signed up the "Platinum Portfolio" for less than $200 million, according to our sources. The...

OUT OF FASHION; TOP BRAND CLOTHIER LOOKS TO UNWIND HOLDINGS

The venerable family that controls Vestimenta SpA, the Italian company that has produced clothes for some of the biggest designers, including Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein and Emanuel Ungaro, is taking...

TIME INC. GOBBLES UP LARGE MEXICAN MAG PUBLISHER

Time Inc., continuing its effort to expand internationally, announced yesterday the purchase of Grupo Editorial Expansion, Mexico's second-largest magazine publisher. Terms weren't disclosed, but a source close to the deal...

NEW 'ROME' PAGE; HBO USES FIREFOX BROWSER TO PROMO MINI-SERIES

Marketers are getting hip to the increasing popularity of Firefox, the fast-growing upstart Internet browser. Pay channel HBO has developed what is being touted as the first commercial design theme...

ATLANTIC CHIEF TO EXIT AMID RUMORED TENSIONS

Jason Flom, the chairman and chief executive officer of Warner Music's Atlantic Records Group, is stepping down, The Post has learned. Craig Kallman, who is Atlantic's co-chairman and chief operating...

A&E'S 'BIO' HAZARD

'BIOGRAPHY" could be his tory. The long-running cornerstone show that put A&E on the map 18 years ago has lost more than half its audience, had its on-air schedule cut...

SECRETS BEHIND '55 LYNCHING COME TO LIGHT

THE UNTOLD STORY OF EMMETT LOUIS TILL *** ½ (three and one half stars) Justice in the making.Running time: 70 minutes. Not rated (violent images). At the Film Forum, Houston...

A FAMILY TRIP AROUND THE WORLD

CITY sanitation worker Tony Paolo and his suburban New York brood are among the families competing in "The Amazing Race: Family Edition," kicking off next month on CBS. This time...

BASHFUL 'BRIDE'; A FAIRY TALE MAY COME TRUE ONSTAGE

THAT yet another Hollywood movie is being turned into a stage musical hardly qualifies as news anymore. Times Square is already packed with such shows - "The Producers," "Hairspray," "Spamalot,"...

HOT PICKS

* FATHER FIGURE (SATURDAY) Puerto Rican reggaetón sensation Hector El Father (right) is already one of the genre's most recognizable faces, having spent over a decade as part of the...

SEASON'S EATINGS - FRUITS AND VEGGIES NOW AT PEAK FLAVOR

NOTHING compares to biting into a ripe tomato still warm from the sun: It's a mouthful of summer some of us dream about all year long. No wonder those tasteless...

WOK ON OVER TO MAINLAND

Mainland (two stars) 1081 Third Ave. (at 64th Street) (212) 888-6333 THE waitress at Mainland said of the dragons cavorting across a wall, "A Chinese lady told me we have...

REAL ANIMALS - 'BATTLE' FOR AN EXTRA 15 MINUTES OF FAME

"Battle of the Network Reality Stars" Tonight at 9 on Bravo Zero stars IT should come as news to no one that Bravo's "Battle of the Network Reality Stars" isn't...

STARR REPORT

Reege roars in July I don 't know if Regis Philbin is Saving the network! (as he might say) - but there 's no ignoring the July numbers he and...

LONG ISLAND GI KILLED IN IRAQ

A Long Island soldier has been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said yesterday. Army Spc. José L. Ruiz, 28, of Brentwood, was hit by small-arms fire in Mosul on Monday....

BOWERY ATTACKER NABBED

A man with a violent criminal history was busted yesterday for the brutal attack on a woman in a Lower East Side subway station. Charles Maxwell, 26, of West 42nd...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

With these fries, I thee wed. That line could well be part of the vows when Ken Sinchar, 38, and Lori Sherbondy, 42, tie the knot at the McDonald's drive-thru...

DUMPY DUDES HAVE A 'HANDLE' ON THE GALS

There is a God after all, guys - a lot of women actually like those love handles rolling over the sides of your pants. In fact, many think a little...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN *** Police said this man (above) robbed a cashier at an Upper East Side business at gunpoint. The robbery took place at 1278 First Av. on Aug. 3 at...

RUNAWAY KID MUM TO MOM

A Brooklyn mom said yesterday she still doesn't know why her 11-year-old daughter - a Catholic-school honors student - ran away from home, but is thrilled she's back. "She just...

AYE, THERE'S THE FLUB FOR DEBATING DEMS

The four Democratic candidates for mayor yesterday brushed aside charges that their campaigns have been riddled by gaffes and insisted the public wants to hear about their positions. "This isn't...

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TRY TO AD TO ENROLLMENT

Catholics are going commercial to save their schools. After witnessing the largest round of parish-school closings in history, Catholic educators in the New York Archdiocese next week will launch a...

TABLE FOR 'JEW' - COUPLE HAS A TIP FOR N.J. EATERY: KEEP RELIGIOUS INSULTS OFF CHECK

Two diners on a date at a fancy Jersey Shore restaurant were furious when they saw the check - which listed their table as that of the "Jew Couple." Brooklynite...

HEROIN RING SMACKED; 'FACTORY' IN BRONX MADE $6M A WEEK

The NYPD and federal narcotics agents yesterday busted a heroin-processing plant - equipped with trapdoors and secret passageways for quick getaways - that turned out $6 million worth of drugs...

HELL'S KITCHEN ANGEL ALL ART; ESTHER FIGHTS FOR DISABLED

Art lovers who want to check out a Rembrandt or a Caravaggio can head for the Metropolitan Museum and share the salons with any number of aficionados from around the...

DUMB RUM MOM; BUSTED IN TEEN BASH

A Long Island mom who's a former PTA president was busted for running a bottle of rum to a group of unsupervised teens - including one who fell sick from...

THUG: I KILLED BROTHERS

A Queens man who stabbed two brothers to death in a brawl will serve 23 years. Adrian Soriano, 23, pleaded guilty to manslaughter yesterday. "I was in a fight and...

MIRACLE DOC'S RISING SPIRITS

He's still weak and he tires easily. But for the first time in years, Dr. Michael Harris is able to say "I feel healthy." "I'm being a good patient," said...

MCCAIN: GO, GO, GOLISANO

ALBANY - Maverick Republican Sen. John McCain has urged maverick upstate billionaire Tom Golisano, who has lost three races as an independent candidate for governor, to run again - this...

BUSH PUSH FOR FREEDOM GETS ULTIMATE TEST

PRESIDENT Bush's prestige and his belief that spreading freedom is the best way to fight terror - are now on trial in Gaza. From the moment that Bush took office,...

BUTTAFUOCO MAKES 90G BAIL

LOS ANGELES - Joey Buttafuoco posted $90,000 bail to leave a Los Angeles County lockup yesterday, after his latest arrest for probation violation. "It's incredibly stressful in there," he said....

HILLARY ON CLIMATE TRIP TO ALASKA

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and a trio of GOP senators blazed through the Yukon and Alaska yesterday amid surprisingly scorching temperatures for a firsthand look at the impact...

'GUN-PULL' COP'S FATE WEIGHED

A Bronx jury yesterday began deliberating the case of an off-duty Westchester cop charged with chasing down a tow-truck driver for a receipt - at gunpoint. With one hand on...

'GHOST' AIRLINER HAD PRESSURE WOE BEFORE - MADE A FORCED LANDING LAST YEAR

The troubled jet that crashed into a Greek hillside, killing all 121 people on board, once made an emergency landing because of problems with its air-pressure system, airline officials admitted...

BUSTS IN RACE ATTACK - 'ROMANTIC VENDETTA'

Four thugs have been arrested for a vicious, racially fueled pipe and bat attack on a black man - who police sources say was the target of a vendetta over...

GIRL ADMITS CLASSMATE SLAY

A Queens girl who fatally stabbed a classmate in a fight over a boy pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter yesterday, admitting she plunged a 6-inch dagger into the teen's chest....

FRENCH TWIST; N.Y. KID ORDERED BACK TO FRANCE

Incroyable! A French judge says a little New York girl should be returned to the mother who spirited her away to France and kept her from her dad for a...

RUDY NIXES 'ANTHRAX' BLDG. DEAL

Thanks to some red-hot tabloid photos, Rudy Giuliani will not be moving into the anthrax-plagued former home of the National Enquirer in Boca Raton, Fla., a company official said yesterday....

FRESH FIELDS FLUB HAS AIDE MAKING EXCUSES

C. Virginia Fields' campaign spokeswoman was red-faced yesterday after accidentally sending to reporters an e-mail advising Fields' borough president's office on how to make arrangements for a government event. Campaign...

SHORT IS SWEET IN HUBBY HUNT

When it comes to perfect husbands, shorter men stand head and shoulders above the rest - with women believing taller guys are excellent for a fling, but shorter men are...

GOTTI WHACKED MY DAD: CANARY

A mob turncoat testified that he blames John Gotti for his father's murder, but denied that he is seeking revenge by taking the witness stand against the late Gambino boss'...

IT'S JUST THE FAX AT FORGE TRIAL

A Queens lawyer embroiled in a civil case against an investment firm forged a judge's order in hopes of embarrassing the opposing side's lawyer, prosecutors said yesterday in Brooklyn federal...

FDNY UNION FIRES ON FREEDOM CENTER PLAN

The union representing New York's Bravest yesterday demanded that the controversial International Freedom Center be removed from Ground Zero. In another blow to the cultural plans for Ground Zero, Uniformed...

NY'S CASSANDRA; UNHEARD WARNINGS ON TERROR

PRESIDENT Bill Clinton's team ignored dire warnings that its approach to terrorism was "very dangerous" and could have "deadly results," according to a blistering memo just obtained by The Post....

3 MORE FATAL ODS COULD BE RELATED

Cops yesterday said they are probing whether three other druggies also died from the suspected batch of deadly narcotics that may have killed two coeds and a hairdresser on the...

FIGHT OF HIS WIFE - TEXAN SUING HERE TO KEEP SPOUSE IN U.S.

A wealthy Dallas developer and ex-city official who dumped his wife of 30 years to marry a Chinese masseuse has come to New York to fight to keep her in...

ISRAEL IN BOLD STEP FORWARD - HISTORIC WITHDRAWAL LARGELY PEACEFUL

JERUSALEM - Israel opened a new era in the Mideast yesterday, clearing settlers out of the Gaza Strip in a historic bid to dramatically push the peace process forward. Jewish...

MADONNA HURT BY BRUTE HORSE - BREAKS BONES IN THROW

Madonna had a very unhappy 47th birthday yesterday - she was thrown from a horse at her palatial English country estate, suffering a broken hand, a broken collarbone, and three...

OGNIBENE SUES OVER BAD 'SIGN'

Thomas Ognibene, the Republican challenger wannabe to Mayor Bloomberg, filed suit in Brooklyn federal court yesterday, contending that GOP candidates shouldn't be required to collect as many signatures as Democrats...

MILLER TIME; GIFF ROMPS IN DEBATE - FREDDY, JOURNOS FLAIL

THERE was a Democratic mayoral debate last night. The most impressive thing about it was that Anthony Weiner was in transports of agony in a hospital emergency room suffering from...

SCIENTOLOGY SKIRMISH AT BEEP BATTLE

Manhattan borough presidential candidate Brian Ellner lashed out at rival Margarita Lopez in their first debate last night for taking campaign cash from Scientologists, labeling the religious group "a problematic...

TEXAN IN CITY FOR FIGHT OF HIS WIFE

A wealthy Dallas developer and ex-city official who dumped his wife of 30 years to marry a Chinese masseuse has come to New York to fight to keep her in...

SWEET & SOUR CHARITY; MIKE'S $139M IN GIFTS

The Lenora Fulani-supported All Stars Project - currently under investigation by city and state officials - was among the more than 800 charities that benefited last year from Mayor Bloomberg's...

JOEY OUT OF 'INSANE ASYLUM' JAIL

LOS ANGELES - Joey Buttafuoco posted $90,000 bail to leave a Los Angeles County lockup yesterday, after his latest arrest for probation violation. "It's incredibly stressful in there," he said....

HILLARY MUSHES NORTH TO ALASKA

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and a trio of GOP senators blazed through the Yukon and Alaska yesterday amid surprisingly scorching temperatures for a firsthand look at the impact...

TEARS FOR CO-EDS; FAMILIES RECALL GIRLS' GOOD SIDE

One of the beautiful co-eds wore a yellow T-shirt that defiantly read, "Mellie Rules!" while the other lay dressed in a demure white dress, clutching a black rosary. Mellie Carballo...

PERV ADMITS FLASHING

A former custodian at a city agency has confessed to flashing female staffers, the Department of Investigation said yesterday. Efrain Rivera, 53, of Brooklyn, was sentenced to 9 months for...

SHORT IS SWEET IN HUBBIES

When it comes to perfect husbands, shorter men stand head and shoulders above the rest - with women believing that taller guys may be excellent for a fling, but shorter...

CAR KILLS WOMAN AT BUS STOP

A 62-year-old woman who stepped off a Brooklyn curb to see if her bus was coming was struck and killed by a car, cops and a witness said. The victim,...

DEM DEBATE TURNS TO 'BLAST BLOOMY' NIGHT

The four Democratic candidates for mayor faced off last night in their first debate, declining to criticize each other - but all slinging arrows at Mayor Bloomberg. Each vowed to...

BIAS-BEAT BUSTS; ROMANTIC VENDETTA IN B'KLYN ASSAULT

Four thugs have been arrested for a vicious, racially fueled pipe and bat attack on a black man - who police sources say was the target of a vendetta over...

FIELDS' CAMPAIGN BACK IN BLUNDERLAND

C. Virginia Fields' campaign spokeswoman was red-faced yesterday after accidentally sending to reporters an e-mail advising Fields' borough president's office on how to make arrangements for a government event. Campaign...

RUDY BIO-FIRM NIXES 'ANTHRAX' BLDG. DEAL

Thanks to some red-hot tabloid photos, Rudy Giuliani will not be moving into the anthrax-plagued former home of the National Enquirer in Boca Raton, Fla., a company official said yesterday....

B'KLYN BUS-STOP TRAGEDY

A 62-year-old woman who stepped off a curb in Brooklyn to see if her bus was coming was struck and killed by a car, cops and a witness said. The...

FIERY FIND AT BX. GOLF COURSE

A burning body was found in a wooded area just outside a popular Bronx golf course last night, police said. Police and firefighters were called after passing motorists reported a...

GIRL ADMITS KILLING CLASSMATE IN BATTLE OVER BOY

A Queens girl who fatally stabbed a classmate in a fight over a boy pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter yesterday, admitting she plunged a 6-inch dagger into the teen's chest....

HEROIN RING SMACKED - DRUGS, GUNS, 250G IN 'QUIET' BX. BLDG.

The NYPD and federal narcotics agents yesterday busted a heroin-processing plant - equipped with trapdoors and secret passageways for quick getaways - that turned out $6 million worth of drugs...

SWEET & SOUR CHARITY - UNDER-FIRE GROUP GOT MIKE'S $$

The Lenora Fulani-supported All Stars Project - currently under investigation by city and state officials - was among the more than 800 charities that benefited last year from Mayor Bloomberg's...

PORGIES HIT PEAK THIS TIME OF YEAR

PORGY fishing has exploded in the past half-decade and has become a staple of bottom fishing on the East End and in Long Island Sound. Porgies, also called scup, are...

'PEN COULD BE IN BROWN'S FUTURE

YANKEE NOTES ST. PETERSBURG - Kevin Brown hasn't completely vanished from the Yankees' radar. After a weekend visit to back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in California, Brown returned to Georgia...

CHOICE SHOULD BRING CHEERS

THERE is a small but vocal segment of Mets fans who will accept Carlos Beltran's decision to postpone surgery with a shrug and a yawn. These are the people who...

BELTRAN CHOOSES TO FACE HIS FEARS - WON'T HAVE SURGERY; COULD PLAY TONIGHT

No matter the risk, Carlos Beltran is bypassing surgery for a playoff push. The new Mets cornerstone, who suffered a small fracture of his left cheekbone during a frightening collision...

CAN'T MASK THE TRUTH - FACE GUARD TOUGH TO PLAY WITH

Richard Hamilton wears one, John Starks used to wear one, and Carlos Beltran may soon join the small fraternity of professional athletes forced to play with a protective mask that...

TRACHSEL'S IN LIMBO & READY TO RETURN

MET NOTES Steve Trachsel won't be part of a six-man rotation, Willie Randolph said yesterday. Nor will Trachsel, who has been out all season after back surgery in March, work...

BOMBERS NOW ARMED & READY

ST. PETERSBURG - Of all things, the Yankees may actually be well-armed coming down the stretch. They have gone from crisis to something approaching surplus. Joe Torre had to remove...

NETS, MCKIE MEET

Each side likes what the other has to offer, so Net brass met last night with Philadelphia free agent swingman Aaron McKie, one of the remaining targets the Nets have...

IT'S BACK TO FUTURE FOR JUSTIN - MCCAREINS, HEIMERDINGER REUNITED

You've heard all about how the Jets think their passing game will be revived by reuniting QB Chad Pennington with his favorite receiver, Laveranues Coles. But the Jets are also...

NOW OR NEVER FOR LIBS

The margin of error is now officially zero. Liberty coach Pat Coyle has been saying that was the case all season long. But when everyone is healthy and there's an...

STRONG SAFETY IS JETS' WEAK LINK

JET NOTES When the Jets open the season Sept. 11 at Kansas City, it won't be hard to guess three of their four starters in the secondary. The fourth? Not...

BABY BOMBERS' SCHMIDT CLOSING WITH A FLOURISH

The only difference between the Bronx Bombers' Mariano Rivera and the Staten Island Yankees' Josh Schmidt is when the latter trots out of the bullpen to close out a game,...

WALK-A-THON ; PROCTOR'S FREE PASS GIVES RAYS WINNING RUN

11 INNINGSDevil Rays 4Yankees 3 ST. PETERSBURG - With their bats malfunctioning for the first time in a while, the Yankees turned to Randy Johnson last night and asked him...

BELTRAN MAY JOIN MASKED MEN CLUB

Richard Hamilton wears one, John Starks and Dave Parker used to wear one, and Carlos Beltran may soon join the small fraternity of professional athletes forced to play with a...

WEARY MARIANO NEEDS MORE HELP FROM TEAMMATES

THE Yankees had an opportunity to do much more than win a game last night. They had a chance to win a game and rest the suddenly weary Mariano Rivera....

KRIS CROSSES IT OFF ; PUTS PIRATES FEUD BEHIND HIM

For bloodthirsty beanball enthusiasts all across the globe, it was a great disappointment Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon didn't have an at-bat against Kris Benson last night in the Mets' 6-2...

TEAM JUST CAN'T WAIT FOR BELTRAN

THE METS are the worst kind of tease when they play this well, when they pitch this well, when they hit this well. They are the worst kind of illusion....

MOGILNY BACK WITH DEVILS

With Patrik Elias' return in question, the Devils have reached back to the last man to score 43 for them. The Devils last night brought back former 76-goal scorer Alexander...

HOMESTAND OFF ON RIGHT FOOT ; RESILIENT METS RALLY TO BACK BENSON

Mets 6Pirates 2 Resiliency is no substitute for proficiency, but the 2005 Mets have, at the very least, shown the ability to rebound. The road trip to San Diego and...

LIBS CLEAR ONE HURDLE

Liberty 72Mystics 66 The margin of error is now officially zero. Liberty coach Pat Coyle has been trying to get her players to understand this all season. But when everyone...

TRACHSEL'S IN LIMBO

MET NOTES Steve Trachsel won't be part of a six-man rotation, Willie Randolph said yesterday. And Trachsel won't work out of the bullpen when he's activated from the disabled list....

BILL OF HAIL - PRAISE OF CONNORS IS WRIGHT UP BOSS' ALLEY

ST. PETERSBURG - Patience has never been George Steinbrenner's biggest virtue. He was impulsive when he brought the Yankees and will remain that way until the day he punches out....

SHOCKEY NOT FOOLIN' AROUND

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - The other day while running the two-minute drill, Jeremy Shockey caught a pass over the middle, was tagged by the defense and proceeded to flip the...

PHILLY FOLLIES - BIG BLUE AMUSED BY T.O. CIRCUS ACT

ALBANY - From afar, the Giants can chuckle or grimace or gaze in wonderment at the latest development in the Terrell Owens saga, thankful that he's the Eagles' problem and...

NO PROBLEM, HOUSTON - KNICKS BETTER OFF EVEN IF ALLAN STAYS

THE decision to spare Allan Houston from being waived under the amnesty clause Monday does no harm to the Knicks' rebuilding program. Isiah Thomas knows better now. Houston has as...

'DOG' CALLS IT QUITS

Jerome Williams is expected to announce his retirement today. Williams will meet this morning with Knicks president Isiah Thomas, who will offer him a job as part-time scout, part-time community...