March 8, 2002

ANDERSEN EXPECTED TO FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES

Arthur Andersen could get hit with criminal charges in the Enron accounting scandal as early as today. Because Andersen officials have admitted to shredding Enron documents, they could be charged...

PRIVATE CLOTHING PLANNING BARELY THERE:

Private Clothing is coming to SoHo. The clothing company, a division of an adult entertainment company, expects to open its second store sometime next February in the vicinity of Lafayette...

CONSECO: DON'T PANIC, WE FIRED CFO

Conseco Chief Financial Officer Chuck Chokel didn't jump; he was pushed. On Wednesday, Chokel said he was resigning from Conseco. The news precipitated a freefall in the stock - from...

PUBLIC SPAT AT CSFB - BANKING CHIEF, EXEC IN TIFF OVER RESTRUCTURING

The fur is flying at CSFB. Weeks after Adebayo Ogunlesi took over the reins of investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston, senior bankers are said to be spitting mad...

NEWS CORP. VETERAN RAE IS RETIRING

Veteran News Corp. executive Ian G. Rae is retiring after 43 years in senior positions at the company's broadcasting and publishing operations. Rae, who began as a reporter in Sydney...

HUEY, LALLI DUEL OVER MONEY

JOHN HUEY's recent jibe - that Money magazine in its pre-1998 format was strictly "trailer park" - drew quick fire from Frank Lalli, the managing editor who headed it during...

MARTS SPOOKED BY CHEERFUL GREENSPAN

A raft of good economic news couldn't offset a buyers strike sparked by fears that important interest rates would soon move higher. In the topsy-turvy world of Wall Street, good...

JPM CHASE TO SWING AX - TARGETS 10%-15% OF INVESTMENT BANKING GROUP

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is preparing to hand out more pink slips in its investment banking division, in the latest sign that the slowdown on Wall Street isn't reversing...

SEX, DRUGS, CASH SPIN BLACK RADIO BIZ: EXEC

The ugly word "payola" is surfacing in the radio business again - this time at urban music stations. An executive at the nation's largest radio network catering to black audiences,...

OZZY RULES MTV

TUESDAY'S premiere of "The Osbournes" notched record ratings for MTV. The reality show chronicling the life of rock madman Ozzy Osbourne and his family was seen in 3.2 million households...

THIS 'FAMILY' MAKES MANSON LOOK ENTERTAINING

THE MAKING AND MEANING OF WE ARE FAMILY [] A pointless documentary. Running time: 84 minutes. Not rated (nothing objectionable.) At the Screening Room, Varick and Canal streets. ----------- OK,...

REAL THIN ICE

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS [ 1/2] Tepid Ice Cube vehicle. Running time: 99 minutes. Rated R (gory violence, profanity, sex). At the Empire, Broadway and 84th Street, the Harlem USA,...

NEESON, LINNEY BEWITCHING

THE CRUCIBLE []At the Virginia Theatre, 245 W. 45th St., (212) 239-6200. ---------- ARTHUR Miller's "The Crucible" was magisterially reignited at the Virginia Theatre last night in Sir Richard Eyre's...

OSCAR WATCHERS PAY 'MIND' TO WEEKEND AWARDS

THE Oscars race will enter the homestretch after this weekend, when two key awards may help predict the top winners on March 24. The Directors Guild of America awards Saturday...

WILL LATE NIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS? ... OR THIS WHEN FOX JOINS THE TALENT HUNT; FOX JOINS THE HUNT

LOST in all the "Will David Letterman jump to ABC?" intrigue is the fact that Fox desperately wants to develop a late-night talk show. Fox reportedly wants to compete at...

IT'S NOT TOO TASTY

MISS WONTON [] Pretty indigestible. Running time: 87 minutes. Not rated(sexuality, profanity). At Cinema Village,East 12th Street and University Place. ---------------- 'MISS Wonton" is a baffling mixed platter of gritty...

NO-PAIN JANE

MALCOLM in the Middle" star Jane Kaczmarek appears to have found a cure for her migraine headaches. Kaczmarek - who plays Malcolm's mom Lois on the hit Fox comedy -...

CLICHÉD 'FESTIVAL' LACKING THE ALLURE OF CANNES

FESTIVAL IN CANNES [] Lame movie-biz satire. Running time: 99 minutes. Rated: PG-13 (gross kissing). At the First & 62nd Cinemas and the Angelika. ------------- IT'S quite an achievement to...

OUT FOR A SOLO 'SPIN'

GOING solo is one of the scariest things a person can do - whether it's driving a car, flying a plane or just crossing the street for the first time...

TAYLOR, BYRD ON BOARDS

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY City Center, 131 W. 55th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, (212) 581-1212. Season runs through Sunday. *DONALD BYRD/THE GROUP New Victory Theater, 209 W. 42nd...

STARR REPORT

That '80s nostalgia: ALF makes a comeback With '80s nostalgia all-the-rage, I suppose the re-emergence of '80s sitcom star ALF shouldn't really be surprising. ALF (aka Paul Fusco, who created...

A WORLD OF BARD THEMES IN THE GLOBE'S 'CYMBELINE'

CYMBELINEAt the BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn.Today, Sunday, Tuesday and March 17. Call BAM at (718) 636-4100 or Ticketmaster, (212) 307-4100. --------- 'CYMBELINE" is one of those wild,...

CINDERELLA THE UGLY (SISTERS) TRUTH

"Wonderful World of Disney: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" [] Sunday at 7 on ABC ------------- IF you wonder what happened to the Disney magic, I urge you to tune...

'SEX' HIRES A MOM

FUNNY lady Anne Meara is joining the cast of "Sex and the City." She will play the mother of Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) for the show's fifth season, premiering on...

SWEDE SMELL OF SUCCESS FOR REVIVED 'CHESS'

RIDING high from the worldwide success of "Mamma Mia!" (last week's North American gross: $3.5 million, thank you very much), ABBA boys Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have turned their...

SASSY GLOSSY TO PUBLISH OR BUST

TINA Brown could learn a few things from the editors of Bust. The sassy, sexy magazine - beloved by smart, loyal urbanites across the country - almost went belly up...

WASTE OF 'TIME' - GO BACK TO THE 1960 FILM OF H.G. WELLS' SCI-FI CLASSIC INSTEAD

THE TIME MACHINE [* ½] Dull and unimaginitive remake. Running Time: 96 minutes. Rated PG-13 (scary scenes). At the E-Walk, Lincoln Square, Loews 34th Street, Magic Johnson Theatres, others. ------------...

DEVELOPER SAYS HE'LL THINK SMALL, BUT SEEKS SMALLER PAYMENTS, TOO

Developer Larry Silverstein is negotiating with the Port Authority over changes in his lease for 7 World Trade Center, including the possibility of lower payments in exchange for erecting a...

$1.8B GRANT COULD SPUR NEW LOWER MANHATTAN TRANSIT HUB

An underground people-mover and a new lower Manhattan transit hub came closer to reality yesterday with a $1.8 billion infusion from the White House. The people-mover is part of an...

FREEDOM RINGS FOR LOUIMA COP - SCHWARZ OUT AFTER 2 ½ YRS. IN JAIL

A smiling and confident Charles Schwarz was released on $1 million bail yesterday after spending much of the past 2 ½ years in solitary confinement for allegedly joining in on...

HOW FIRST DAY AT NEW JOB TURNED TO GUN TERROR FOR KYLE - 'I THOUGHT IF I MOVED, I WAS GOING TO DIE'

When he felt the cold steel of a pistol against the back of his neck, high-school senior Kyle MacKenzie feared his first day of work at Staples might be his...

OSAMA AIDE ASKS JUDGE FOR BREAK

An accused terrorist and top adviser to Osama bin Laden is again asking a judge to ease his prison conditions, sources said. Mamdouh Salim, identified by the feds as a...

FEDERAL AWARDS FOR KIN OF VICTIMS WILL INCREASE BY 225G

Bowing to criticism from relatives of Sept. 11 victims, officials yesterday boosted the amount of money families will get from the federal compensation fund by an average of $225,000. Federal...

CUT$ WILL JAM MORE KIDS INTO CLASSES

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy warned that $354 million in proposed budget cuts could force schools to increase class sizes - particularly in the troubled middle grades. The Board of Education...

ISRAELI FORCES KILL FATAH BIG

JERUSALEM - Israeli raids early today killed one of the Palestinians' highest-ranking leaders, officials confirmed. Maj. Gen. Ahmed Mefraj, 55, a top security commander, was shot dead during a sweep...

BIKER COLLIDES WITH COP VAN

A motorcyclist suffered serious head and chest injuries in an accident last night involving a police van in Brooklyn, cops said. The collision occurred shortly after 9 p.m. at the...

FEDS MAKE LAY'S GRA$$ GREENER

Disgraced Enron boss Ken Lay is plowing the taxpayers again - by receiving generous federal farm subsidies. Over the last two years, as he cashed in $37 million in stock...

WAS HILLARY PRAISING BUSH?

OKAY, what alien force came to earth and replaced Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Charlie Rangel with eerily similar doubles? The alien pods who stood in the White House Rose...

ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO - NEW SITES TARGETED AFTER FALL OF GARDEZ

WASHINGTON - America went for the kill yesterday, pounding Taliban and al Qaeda mountain cave complexes with the most intense airstrikes of the six-day battle of Gardez. At least 100...

'GRIEVING' GHOULS FACE HUGE WTC FRAUD BUST

More than 100 people are under investigation for allegedly scamming more than $1 million from charities set up to help victims of the Twin Towers attack, The Post has learned....

ENRON-SUIT FIRM GAVE MCCALL 73G

Lawyers representing New York in the class-action case against Enron executives and the Arthur Andersen firm donated $73,000 to Carl McCall's campaign war chest two months ago, The Post has...

S.I. 'KIDDIE PORN' MOM'S SITTER, 15, ALSO NABBED

The 15-year-old baby sitter for a Staten Island mother who was charged with taking pornographic snapshots of eight kids has also been charged in the case, authorities said. The girl,...

CARL USING TAX $$ FOR ISRAEL TRIP

State Comptroller Carl McCall yesterday said he'd hand taxpayers his share of the tab for his just-completed trip to Israel. McCall returned yesterday from a three-day trip sponsored by Israel's...

THRUWAY BODY IS SANIT MAN'S MISSING WIFE

State police have identified skeletal remains found upstate as the long-missing wife of a city sanitation worker. Deborah Glinton disappeared mysteriously from her Newburgh home in 1998. Her car was...

BOTH SIDES IN RIVAL PROTESTS MISS THE POINT

CHARLES SCHWARZ was greeted by cameras, his friends - and throat-scratching chants of injustice outside the Brooklyn federal courthouse. The protesters knew he was coming because they saw reporters aiming...

TOKEN REPRIEVE FOR SUBWAY BOOTHS

The Transit Authority's controversial plan to shutter or reduce hours at 53 subway token booths around the city hit another red light yesterday. In a unanimous decision, the state Appellate...

BUSH IS BETTER THAN HIS WORD: ADDS A BILLION EXTRA TO CITY AID

President Bush yesterday made good on his $20 billion pledge to New York, and then some - he added an extra $1.4 billion and told ecstatic state leaders that it's...

PITCHING THE DISH - YANKEES TRY TO LURE FANS FROM CABLEVISION

A high-stakes game of corporate chicken involving sports giants George Steinbrenner and Charles Dolan has jeopardized the broadcasting of Yankee games on cable television to millions of New York Yankee...

COPS: B'KLYN SLAY COULD BE VENGEANCE FOR '72 MURDER

Did the bloody past of a convicted murderer finally catch up with him - 30 years after he shot a man to death in a Harlem robbery? City detectives were...

BLOOMY PUTS MORE $$ WHERE HIS JOB IS

Another campaign filing, another spending record for Mayor Bloomberg. The billionaire mayor reported paying out $370,000 between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 on his transition and inauguration, raising his total...

BUDGET BIG'S LIPS ARE SEALED

WASHINGTON - White House budget director Mitch Daniels remained in the background yesterday at the big White House announcement. Daniels - who once called New Yorkers "money grubbing" - stood...

END OF EXCAVATION TO BRING NEW ANGUISH

Even as they push to finish the Herculean task of excavating the World Trade Center site, officials approach the end with a special apprehension - knowing many families will then...

CBS OFFERS DAVE BIG PROMO PUSH

David Letterman's gap-toothed smile will appear in a lot more places if he accepts a CBS offer that would give him the promotional support he craves. Not only would CBS...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Absence makes the spouse grow sadder. That's the alarming conclusion of a new study that found frequent business trips abroad may lead to mental health problems for the spouse left...

COPS: B'KLYN TEEN RAPED IN 2-HOUR ORDEAL

A 15-year-old East New York girl was snatched off the street and brutally raped and terrorized for more than two hours early yesterday, cops said. The teen was heading to...

MURDER JURY TO WEIGH LANDLORD'S FATE TODAY

A Manhattan jury today begins deciding the fate of a millionaire landlord who shot his elderly rent-controlled tenant six times in the chest - a crime prosecutors call eviction by...

WIDOW WALKS HERO COP'S BODY OUT OF PIT

Helga Curtin walked her police officer husband's flag-draped body out of Ground Zero in front of a blue honor guard. Sgt. Michael Curtin's body was found Wednesday night near that...

TONYA VS. PAULA WEIGH OUT THERE

Tonya "Knee-Capper" Harding and Paula "Clinton Crusher" Jones butted gloves at their weigh-in as they prepared to duke it out on national TV next week. The bad skate and the...

'RAPIST': DEVIL MADE ME DO IT

A man charged with trying to rape a sedated Brooklyn hospital patient was "possessed" during the attempted attack, his lawyer said yesterday. The 29-year-old suspect, Ferdinand Santiago, told police shortly...

GUNMAN KILLS 4 IN GAZA ON NEW DAY OF VIOLENCE

JERUSALEM - A suspected Palestinian terrorist infiltrated a Gaza Strip settlement last night and killed four Israelis before he was fatally shot, capping a day that saw 15 other people...

JETS SIGN WHITE, EYE JOSH EVANS

The Jets, on a mission to bolster their 19th-ranked defense from a year ago, yesterday signed former Buccaneer defensive end Steve White. They also worked on a free-agent contract agreement...

BLACKHAWKS BOP BLUESHIRTS

Blackhawks 5 - Rangers 1 CHICAGO -Jobs are at stake, every Ranger must be aware of that now that it has become at least 50-50 that the Blueshirts will miss...

KNICK BRASS HAS LONG HISTORY OF GETTING IT WRONG

SINCE we last miss-communicated, the New York Knickerbockers stunned the basketball world, the free world, World B. Free, As The World Turns, Wally World, The World According To Garp, It's...

DENVER'S YOUNG KIDS RIP KNICKS

Nuggets 104 - Knicks 93 DENVER - A Nuggets fan held up a sign in the upper deck that read: "Hey, Van Gundy, if you're watching, How about Denver?" Jeff...

TAFT DRIVES X-MEN OVER ST. RAY'S - DROPS IN 23 TO LEAD CLIPPERS INTO SEMIS

CHSAA: Xaverian 66 - St. Ray's 49 Xaverian head coach Jack Alesi has tried to figure out his team all year. One game the Clippers look like one of the...

CHEN MAY BE ODD MAN OUT OF ROTATION

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - Bruce Chen has a few superstitions that he may not get to continue this season. He eats chicken the day of his starts. He...

METS MIGHT LEAVE PORT - CLUB, ST. LUCIE COUNTY DISAGREE ON STADIUM DEAL

Expos 7 - Mets 1 PORT ST. LUCIE - St. Lucie County is ready to play some hardball. And it may mean a new spring training home for the Mets...

UCONN FROSH NAILS 'NOVA

UConn 72 - Villanova 70 He's a mere freshman, an 18-year-old from nearby Mount Vernon, wearing oversized basketball shorts playing in his first Big East Tournament under the daunting spoked...

SABRES BLANK ISLES

Better not fork over money for those playoff tickets yet. After a week of playing some woebegone hockey - including losses to last-place teams Atlanta and Pittsburgh and last night's...

EX-MATE SAYS YAO SET TO BE NBA STAR

DENVER - Mengke Bateer, the Nuggets' 7-foot backup center, spoke in Chinese yesterday but the message is music to the ears of all Knick fans hoping June's lottery could bring...

HOWARD STILL SWEET ON NEW YORK

DENVER - Juwan Howard took extra shooting practice following the Nuggets' morning shootaround yesterday at Pepsi Center as the rest of the Knicks took the court. They joked with the...

NETS RUNNING OUT OF GAS

PORTLAND - There really could be an astonishingly simple explanation. "We're just not making shots," proclaimed Lucious Harris. Nah, that's too simple to explain the alarming tailspin currently afflicting the...

STOPPING ANIMAL RIGHTS RADICALS

A LEADING national outdoor sportsman's association is launching a nationwide campaign to combat the illegal activities of some animal rights and environmental groups that the FBI labels as major domestic...

REVENGE TIMES TWO - STAR SNUBS FUEL PITT'S PAYBACK WIN OVER BC

Pitt 76 - BC 62 Brandin Knight was trying to be diplomatic, but this just didn't make sense to him. How is it that the best team in the conference...

NIT LIKELY FOR EAGLES

For the first time in 19 years, Boston College has put together back-to-back 20-win seasons, but that might not be enough to land the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament. BC...

KNICKS LIKE WHAT THEY ARE HEARING ABOUT MING

DENVER - Mengke Bateer, backup center for the Nuggets, spoke in Chinese yesterday, but the message is music to the ears of all Knick fans hoping that the lottery could...

'BRINK' AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL GENERAL

A SEASON ON THE BRINK [Two thrown chairs] Running time: 1 hr. 36 mins. Airs Sunday, 8 p.m. on ESPN. Edited version appears simultaneously on ESPN2. ------FOR MORE than 30...

BIG APPLE LOOKS RIPE TO HOWARD

KNICK NOTES DENVER - Though it didn't happen, Juwan Howard might still be a Knick one day. The Knicks tried desperately to pry Howard from Dallas at the Feb. 21...

ROCKET NOT WORRIED AFTER HAMMERING

YANKEE NOTES ST. PETERSBURG - Among many other things Roger Clemens has proved across his Hall of Fame career is this: spring training means absolutely nothing to an established pitcher...

YANKS REMAIN INJURY PRONE

D-Rays 8 - Yankees 5 ST. PETERSBURG - The Yankees health picture took a turn for the worse yesterday. And while it would be incorrect to say the injuries are...

A REAL BARNES-BURNER - GUARD POURS IN 27 AS MIAMI SURVIVES IN OT

OVERTIME: Miami 84 - Georgetown 76 When Georgetown's final shot clanged off the rim, the ball ended up in Miami guard Marcus Barnes' hands, and he cradled it in tightly....

DEVS' GOMEZ STILL CENTER OF ATTENTION

ANAHEIM - Again the center of trade talk, Scott Gomez would rather be the center of a Devil line than the winger he currently is. It is believed that GM...

KIDD FINED 5G FOR BAD FINGER

PORTLAND - Jason Kidd insisted the booing from his former hometown crowd in Phoenix did not bother him Wednesday night. Nevertheless, Kidd flipped the middle finger as he exited the...

WFAN'S MIKE & MAD DOG KNOW LITTLE ON YES ISSUE

WITH three million homes on the verge of being shut out of 130 Yankee telecasts - the biggest sports consumer issue here in years - one would think that WFAN's...

SOMETIMES PICTURES DO LIE - FEINSTEIN RIPS FILM BASED ON HIS BOOK

"Hated it." - John Feinstein, author of "Season on the Brink."OF ALL the bad reviews of "Season on the Brink," which will air as an original ESPN movie, Sunday night,...

HATTEN CAN'T WIN AS ONE-MAN TEAM

This must be getting rather tiring for Marcus Hatten. Upon his transfer to St. John's this year, you wonder if Hatten was handed a bill of goods by Mike Jarvis...

SHAKY STORM FIZZLE OUT - LOSS TO NOTRE DAME EXPOSES ST. JOHN'S LIMITATIONS ON COURT

Notre Dame 83 - St. John's 63 Pardon the interuption, but we've lost track of what's important. We've been so absorbed in whether St. John's would garner an at-large berth...

BIG EAST'S DANCE CARD NEARLY FILLED

The Big East's post-season plans became more defined after yesterday's quarterfinal round action in the conference tournament. Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Miami and Notre Dame, the top four seeds, all won. All...

METS MAY EXIT PORT ST. LUCIE

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - St. Lucie County is ready to play some hardball. And it may mean a new spring training home for the Mets. County administrator Doug...

CHEN MAY BE ODD MAN OUT - LEFTY COULD BE BULLPEN-BOUND

PORT ST. LUCIE - Bruce Chen has a few superstitions that he may not get to adhere to this season. Chen eats chicken the day of his starts. He doesn't...

BLUESHIRTS SIT 'TIRED' RICHTER

CHICAGO - It is the time of year when every lineup decision is analyzed through the prism of the March 19 trade deadline. At any time, any player may be...

IT'S NOT ALL BAD FOR CZERKAWSKI

He's not struggling, Isles coach Peter Laviolette insists. Because Mariusz Czerkawski isn't scoring goals, doesn't mean he's not contributing. Expected to score in bunches on a line with Alexei Yashin...

NO APOLOGIES NEEDED - UNSIGHTLY STATS AND UGLY GAMES HAVEN'T DOOMED ST. JOHN'S

You think you're baffled? Join the club. Join the legions of St. John's coaches, players and fans who looked at the team's 20-10 record going into last night's Big East...

RED STORM SNUB SCENARIO HARD TO FIGURE NOW

Unless utter mayhem rules the rest of the conference tournaments throughout the country and teams with no shot at an at-large NCAA Tournament berth win their league's automatic bid, St....