November 27, 2003

BOFA-FLEET COOLED MERGER DEALS

BLAME Bank of America for all the corporate takeover activity you aren't seeing. A source with an excellent overview of the Wall Street merger business says at least five deals...

SEARCH AND DESTROY: GOOGLE UPGRADE SLAMS FREELOADERS

Retailers got a taste of the power of Google this month, as the search site changed the way it combs through the Web, knocking some companies in its rankings -...

NEW NYSE RULES ADD OUTSIDERS

The New York Stock Exchange's new board of directors voted yesterday to approve major changes to the way the Big Board is run. Among the changes are adding a representative...

GIFTS THAT GIVE - MORE RETAILERS ARE LINKING UP WITH CHARITIES

Now you can look good and do good at the same time. An increasing number of retailers are donating a portion of proceeds from holiday sales to charities. These so-called...

GOBBLEDYGOOK - THESE CINEMATIC STINKERS DESERVE A DRESSING-DOWN

HOLLYWOOD has been turning out turkeys for 100 years, but no movie has ever taken as much pride in being part of the flock as "Gigli," the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez...

JAY-Z RAPPING IT UP

JAY-Z and FRIENDSAt Madison Square Garden. ---- WHETHER you believe him or not, rap idol Jay-Z is calling it quits as a solo artist. And with last week's release of...

MAD GRADS - CLASSMATES IN UPROAR OVER SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR CLAY AT COMMENCEMENT

CLAY Aiken's college graduation has thrown the University of North Carolina-Charlotte into a tizzy - and Aiken's fellow students are singing an angry tune. Aiken, the "American Idol 2" runner-up,...

HBO BRAKES FOR 'GREENLIGHT 3'

'PROJECT Greenlight" won't see a third season - at least not on HBO. The Ben Affleck/Matt Damon reality show, co-produced with Miramax TV, won't be returning to HBO, but could...

TRIUMPH EYES THE COMPETITION

DOGS from Peoria to Pittsburgh will be camped out in front of the TV today to watch NBC's second annual telecast of "The National Dog Show." So we sat down...

WANNA BE A 'SURVIVOR'?

THE search is on for "Survivor 9" contestants. CBS is accepting applications for the ninth edition of its popular reality series on its website, cbs.com. Applications are being accepted through...

MILLIONS JAM PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

Millions of Thanksgiving travelers hit the skies, roads and rails yesterday in what's expected to be the busiest holiday exodus since 9/11. The annual turkey-holiday trek got off to a...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Elvis has not only has left the building, he's driving a cab in Seattle. Officials were all shook up when cabby David Groh started wearing a spangly white Elvis jumpsuit...

SILVER PEDDLES STREET-SELLER SOLUTION

ALBANY - Concerned that the swarm of Midtown vendors will create havoc during the holiday season, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is pushing for the state Legislature to enact a new...

L.I. GIRL'S RAPE STORY WAS HOAX

Police on Long Island now say the 12-year-old girl who claimed she was sexually molested in Roosevelt by two men in masks made up the story to cover for a...

BRIT TV TO AIR HIS NIXED VIDEO

The Michael Jackson video that was supposed to debut this week on a now-canceled CBS special will now get its first showing on British TV. "One More Chance," a single...

$ECURITY BOOST TO GIVE WALL STREET NEW LOOK

The heavily guarded area around the New York Stock Exchange will be beautified, and its security revamped, with a $10 million grant announced yesterday by state and city officials. Heightened...

OUTER-BORO BUSES ROLL ON

Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill yesterday to extend contracts of seven private bus companies that primarily serve the outer boroughs. Bloomberg wants the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to take over the...

'LIFE-&-DEATH' BATTLE OVER VIDEO BAN

A New York film producer accused the Motion Picture Association of America of "killing independent filmmaking" in a heated courtroom exchange with a lawyer yesterday. Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, of Antidote International...

VOLUNTEERS FOR DOC'S 'ORGASMATRON' ARE HARD TO COME BY

You'd think women would be lining up for it. But amazingly, a surgeon has been unable to find female volunteers to test his remote-control orgasm machine. Dr. Stuart Meloy, a...

HE'LL ROT IN JAIL - LIFE FOR SAVAGE KILLER OF EX-LOVE AND HER KID

A man was sentenced to nearly four decades in prison yesterday for a vicious stabbing spree that left his ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter dead. Moo Chul Shin, 31, stood...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

THE BRONX * A Longwood bodega employee was shot in the stomach last night after struggling with a stick-up man trying to rob his store, cops said. The 48-year-old clerk...

HIT-MAN HIRE JUST A TRICK, SAYS HUBBY

An Egyptian businessman, charged with hiring a hit man to kill his Brooklyn wife and four other family members, claimed yesterday that he was just trying to dupe the assassin...

UNAPPRECIATED AMERICANS - OUR MUSLIM FELLOW CITIZENS

'Freedom really is magic.' AS suicide bombers terrorize much of the planet, America has been remarkably free of such attacks since 9/11. Much of the credit goes to our law-enforcement...

TWISTED TALE OF MURDER, MONEY AND FAMILY

A family of Guyanese immigrants linked to a murder-for-hire scheme preyed on each other for more than a decade - taking out life insurance policies on "loved ones," murdering them...

DEAN'S SAD MISSION - ON HAND FOR RETURN OF MISSING BRO'S BODY

WASHINGTON - Howard Dean took a break from the presidential campaign yesterday to go to Hawaii for a repatriation ceremony of the remains of his younger brother, Charlie, who was...

APPLE TO GET $25M FOR GOP BASH

WASHINGTON - New York stands to get $25 million from Uncle Sam to help pay for security at next summer's Republican convention to renominate President Bush, state lawmakers say. The...

HILLARY WILL MEET KARZAI IN KABUL

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet with Afghani leader Hamid Karzai today in Kabul before enjoying a Thanksgiving turkey dinner with U.S. troops. On her first trip...

KOBE GAL'S HOSP STAY - CHECKED INTO ARIZ. CENTER TO 'ESCAPE': REPORT

The woman who is accusing NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of rape reportedly checked into an Arizona medical-treatment center recently. The 19-year-old woman, who claims Bryant sexually assaulted her last June,...

JACKO'S JOLLY JAILBIRD JUBILEE

Accused child molester Michael Jackson smiled often and flashed the peace sign to inmates while in police custody - and was cheered on by prisoners, an inmate at the facility...

LT 'SACKED' FOES WITH ESCORT GALS

On the gridiron, former Giants superstar linebacker Lawrence Taylor specialized in sacks - and off the field, he found an edge by luring opposing players into the sack with call-girl...

'GROPE' GRIPE - PARADE VICTIM'S EX: SHE EXAGGERATED

An outspoken victim of the Puerto Rican Day Parade grope assaults "exaggerated" her injuries from the infamous incident to bolster her lawsuit against the city, her ex-husband claims in newly...

CRASHING KERRY COULD LEAVE ROOM FOR EDWARDS

THERE are two Johns in the 2004 Democratic presidential pack and as the campaign takes its first holiday pause, one looks to be down for the count while the other...

ISRAELIS KILL 2, FOILING GAZA AMBUSH

JERUSALEM - Israeli troops yesterday killed two Palestinians who were apparently planning to set up an ambush on a Gaza Strip road used by Jewish settlers, officials said. Also, in...

EARLY BIRD WILL GET THE BARGAIN - IT'S A DAWN DEAL FOR SHOPPERS TOMORROW

Get your fill of turkey today and then morph into an early bird tomorrow to catch a feast of shopping deals. Hungry-for-green retailers will roll out the red carpet -...

COPS ARREST HIRED GUN IN QUEENS PAYBACK MURDER

A hit man wanted for the revenge execution of a Queens man has been captured by detectives after a nearly two-month manhunt, authorities said yesterday. Gary "Supreme" Leconte, 21, was...

DUO BUSTED IN LINCOLN CENTER STAB

Two men have been arrested on charges of stabbing two high-school students and punching a third outside Lincoln Center in broad daylight, police said yesterday. Lenning Ponce, 18, of 611...

'SORRY' SLAY JURY - VISIT L.I. VICTIM'S KIN AFTER MISTRIAL

The day after a judge declared a mistrial in the case of a slain Long Island teen, jurors turned up on the family's doorstep yesterday to show support and say...

TEEN THUGS RAMPAGE AT L.I. SCHOOL

Dozens of youths rioted near Uniondale HS at the end of classes yesterday - and attacked Nassau County cops who came to investigate, authorities said. Four police cars arrived at...

TWO TEENS KILLED IN BMW HORROR CRASH

Two Queens teenagers in a speeding BMW were killed on Long Island early yesterday when their car spun out of control and hit a tree, police said. The two boys...

CITY SINKS SILENT SKIPPER

The ferry captain who clammed up has been canned by the city. Capt. Michael Gansas was ordered to walk the plank yesterday when the Department of Transportation fired him for...

CHUCK PLEADS WITH GOPER TO FREE 'HOSTAGE' 9/11 BILL

Sen. Charles Schumer has asked the mystery Republican lawmaker blocking a 9/11-compensation bill to let the measure go before the Senate. "This is a Thanksgiving plea to the solitary senator...

BMW HORROR CRASH - 2 IMMIGRANT TEENS FROM INDIA KILLED ON L.I.

A teenager from India, celebrating his American dream of getting a green card, was killed along with a friend yesterday when their BMW spun out of control and hit a...

KOBE'S ACCUSER 'ESCAPES' TO HOSP

The woman who is accusing NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of rape reportedly checked into an Arizona medical-treatment center recently. The 19-year-old woman, who claims Bryant sexually assaulted her last June,...

PAYBACK 'HIT MAN' BUSTED

A hit man wanted for the revenge execution of a Queens man has been captured by detectives after a nearly two-month manhunt, authorities said yesterday. Gary "Supreme" Leconte, 21, was...

THANKS - FOR OUR FREEDOM AND YOUR SACRIFICE; GRATEFUL NYERS ARE THINKING ABOUT OUR TROOPS

New Yorkers enjoying their turkey dinner will give thanks for their freedom today as they remember the U.S. troops patrolling Baghdad's dangerous streets (above, yesterday), as well as GIs in...

ISRAELIS KILL THREE IN GAZA

JERUSALEM - Israeli troops yesterday killed two Palestinians who were apparently planning to set up an ambush on a Gaza Strip road used by Jewish settlers, officials said. Also, in...

KOBE GAL ESCAPES TO HOSP: REPORT

The woman who is accusing NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of rape reportedly checked into an Arizona medical treatment center recently. The 19-year-old woman, who claims Bryant sexually assaulted her last...

LT 'SACKED' FOES WITH HOOKERS

'Every time they tell you, 'Oh, we got to get some sleep,' that's when the party really starts.' -Lawrence Taylor On the gridiron, former Giants superstar linebacker Lawrence Taylor specialized...

MIKE OKS BILL TO KEEP OUTER-BORO BUSES ROLLING

Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill yesterday to extend contracts of seven private bus companies that primarily serve the outer boroughs. Bloomberg wants the Metropolitan Transit Authority to take over those...

CALL HIM SPREE 'L' - KNICKS, HOU GET BEST OF LATRELL

MINNEAPOLIS - Latrell Sprewell not only didn't make a statement last night, he didn't show up. It was nothing short of a nightmare for the former toast of the Garden,...

UCONN SLIPS IN GARDEN - YELLOW JACKETS SWARM ALL OVER NO. 1 HUSKIES

NIT SEMI: Ga. Tech 77 - UConn 61 Connecticut got what it needed, not what it wanted. The Post's preseason No. 1 college basketball team had survived sluggish efforts in...

FEST-IVE MOOD AT AQUEDUCT

New York racing, in a deep funk this fall as the specter of federal indictments looms over NYRA, gets a brief but much-needed shot in the arm this weekend as...

FORWARD MIGHT BE FIN-ISHED

Sean Bergenheim has trouble with the little things. Whether it's picking up the intricacies of hockey at the NHL level, or learning how to use English slang, the 19-year-old Finn...

HOUSTON: LESS SHOTS NO PROBLEM

MINNEAPOLIS - Allan Houston says he's ready to accept a smaller offensive role now that the Knicks' attack hummed along without him during their season-high two-game winning streak. Houston, battling...

METS STILL SHOPPING FOR DEALS

The Mets have not shown an outsized appetite this offseason. With orders to downsize the payroll, Flushing's team has never seriously considered elite free agents Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, Bartolo...

KNICKS ARE SET TO ROLL OUT DICE

KNICK NOTES MINNEAPOLIS - When the calendar flips to December Monday, the Knicks could well have Antonio McDyess flipped into their lineup. Don Chaney gave the strongest indication yet that...

GORDON, GABE GET OFFERS

YANKEE NOTES While starting pitching and right field have been the major area of focus, the Yankees aren't ignoring their bullpen and have made offers to righty Tom Gordon and...

TOOMER'S TWO THAT GOT AWAY

GIANT NOTES The most frustrating part for Amani Toomer was that when he looked at the Buccaneers' defense, he did not see the same dominant unit that made opposing offenses...

CAN'T 'STAND' IT - BIG BOOS AWAITING BIG BLUE

They do not expect the most cordial of welcomes. The last time the Giants set foot on the new turf field at Giants Stadium, the sounds cascading down from above...

UCONN HAS '1' WORRY - HUSKIES TRY TO IGNORE RANKING

If you had any thoughts about jumping on the Connecticut bandwagon, forget it. Where are you going to sit? Next to Jim Calhoun, the surefire Hall of Fame coach who...

NEW DAY FOR KNIGHT - TIMES CHANGE, COACH ADAPTS

THE PITY of Bob Knight, if you think about it, is that he has been most responsible for nudging toward extinction the very thing he came to embody across the...

ONE TOUGH TITAN - JETS SURE HOBBLED MCNAIR WILL PLAY

When the NFL injury report arrived at Weeb Ewbank Hall yesterday and it showed that Titan quarterback Steve McNair is listed as "questionable" for Monday night's game against the Jets...

MARTIN: WE AIN'T DONE YET

JET NOTES Sure, the Jets have to win every one of their remaining five games against opponents with a combined 33-22 record to finish 9-7 and have the slimmest chance...

NETS: SONIC ROMP JUST A FIRST STEP

LOS ANGELES - The rotation went nine deep. Jason Kidd looked like "the Jason of old." Nobody broke, sprained or twisted anything. There was defense, rebounding, running. And there was...

SATHER: 1 DOESN'T EQUAL 1 - COACH FEARS OT LOSSES WOULD HURT BLUESHIRTS

SUNRISE, Fla. - This was over a week ago, when the Rangers played consecutive overtime games in Chicago and San Jose. Given that the matches were against western opponents, a...

PLANINIC LOSES SPOT IN ROTATION

NET NOTES LOS ANGELES - Rookie point guard Zoran Planinic has dropped in the Nets' rotation. Robert Pack is ahead of him. Lucious Harris is ahead of him as a...

ISLES GO COLD TURKEY

Hurricanes 2 - Islanders 0 It ain't cool being a jive turkey this close to Thanksgiving. But gladly playing the part of those turkeys last night were the Islanders, who...

RED RAIDERS MARCH INTO FINAL

NIT SEMI: Tex. Tech 65 - Utah 54 Could Bobby Knight be mellowing toward the media? Minutes after Texas Tech completed a by-the-numbers 65-54 steamrolling of Utah in last night's...

RANGERS KNOT THERE YET

Rangers 3 - Panthers 3 SUNRISE, Fla. - They have enough good players so that they could come back from two goals down to earn a 3-3 tie here last...

SPREWELL: DOLAN'S TO BLAME

KNICK NOTES MINNEAPOLIS - After hearing James Dolan question his character before the season opener, Latrell Sprewell said it confirmed what he already suspected - the Knick owner ran him...

TOUGH TEXAS TECH ROLLS INTO FINAL

NIT SEMI: Tex. Tech 65 - Utah 54 Could Bobby Knight be mellowing toward the media? Minutes after Texas Tech completed a by-the-numbers 65-54 steamrolling of Utah in last night's...

YANKS GIVING - BOMBERS, PETTITTE HAVE FIRST POW-WOW

Negotiations are moving slower than an intravenous drip, but talks between the Yankees and Andy Pettitte's representatives were held yesterday. Yet, the only thing Yankee officials and Randy and Alan...

UCONN'S NO. 1 PRIORITY - HUSKIES TRY TO DOWNPLAY RANKING

If you had any thoughts about jumping on the Connecticut bandwagon, forget it. Where are you going to sit? Next to Jim Calhoun, the surefire Hall of Fame coach who...