July 19, 2005
FEDS ARE JUST LIKE BERNIE
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amWHEN Bernie Ebbers massaged his company's numbers, it resulted in a lifetime prison sentence. But apparently the government that prosecuted Ebbers has different standards for its own accounting. Last week's...
GE GETS MEYER A 5-YR. DEAL
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amUniversal Studios boss Ron Meyer has won over his bosses at General Electric. Meyer was rewarded yesterday with a new five-year deal, a little more than a year after GE's...
MCD'S EXPANDS FOWL FOOD MENU
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amMcDonald's may soon be perching a chicken atop its golden arches. The world's biggest fast food chain is announcing three new "Premium Chicken Sandwiches" today. That makes the burger joint's...
NEWS CORP. RAMPS UP WEB BIZ WITH $580M BUY
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amNews Corp. said yesterday it agreed to buy Intermix Media for $580 million, marking the latest in a slew of Internet investments by traditional media firms. The deal followed Friday's...
CHASE OUT OF 522 5TH; CHASE TO SELL 522 FIFTH
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amGIANT J.P. Morgan Chase, shrinking its Manhattan real estate portfolio in the wake of its merger with Bank One, is selling off one of its most prestigious buildings. J.P. Morgan...
IT'S JUST WHAT YOU WANTED: COMMERCIALS WITH YOUR TIVO
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTiVo is courting advertisers with new features aimed at helping them reach viewers who often skip their pitches. TiVo users who want to know more about a product can punch...
EDITOR BYRNE GOES HOME TO BW
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amJohn Byrne, the editor-in-chief of Fast Company,, who helped find a buyer to save the magazine last month, is bailing out and going home to BusinessWeek as a new executive...
BONDS BURN CITI $$
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amDark clouds are moving across the profits of Wall Street's giants. In a surprise to analysts, the mighty Citigroup yesterday said profits weren't what analysts expected, while four other giants...
RYANAIR AD HITS A NERVE IN U.K.
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe no-frills airline Ryan- air has Brits up in arms over a new ad campaign. The ad blitz by the European carrier has prompted a barrage of complaints from critics...
MACY'S LOOKING FOR RICHES FROM RAG(S)
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTired of losing teen customers to specialty retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters, Macy's is fighting back with an ambitious rollout of a proprietary concept that offers...
BACK-TO-SCHOOL FACES BACKLASH
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA lack of new fashion may put a damper on back-to-school shopping, according to research released yesterday. Parents said they planned to spend just $296.20 to outfit their kids for...
HANK'S BRAIN 4 BIRDS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amGoldman Sachs chief Hank Paulson turned a blind eye to Dick Grasso's massive pay package at the New York Stock Exchange because he was too busy bird-watching in Brazil. Documents...
BING, BANG: CROSBY'S ROAD TO REDEMPTION
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amBING Crosby not only has more No. 1 records than The Beatles and Elvis Presley combined, he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar three times (he won once) and...
HOME COURT - WILLIAMS SISTERS SERVE UP A 'REAL' TREAT FOR THEIR FANS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amEVERY little girl with aspirations of growing up to become just like tennis' top-ranked Williams sisters should glom onto "Venus & Serena: For Real" and watch it as obsessively as...
'POTTER' DEATH CAN BE TOUGH ON KIDS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amYOU can't say we hadn't been warned: A much-loved character at Hogwarts does die in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - and the fallout on the home front may...
SOFA, SO GOOD - NEW BILLBOARD HAS HBO CLIMBING THE WALLS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amHOW hot is HBO's programming? So hot that people are willing to scale the side of a building to watch it on a huge TV screen. That's the message of...
WEEKEND ROUGH-HOUSING HITS 'BIG'
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTWO "Big Brother" house guests nearly came to blows last Saturday night on the CBS reality show. The scuffle between houseguests Michael Donnellan and Eric Littman aired live on the...
AN INSTANT 'REPLAY' TEEN RIHANNA STORMS THE CHARTS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amWITH more than a month to go before her debut album hits shelves, the relatively unknown singer Rihanna is taking the city by storm. "Pon de Replay," her dancehall-reggae single,...
STARR REPORT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amEmeril opens Shop Emeril Lagasse's affiliation with Shop At Home Network is already paying handsome dividends. The Food Network star debuted his "From Emeril's Kitchen" special last Saturday, and the...
A SHELL OF A RIDE - ANDY WANG AND ERIN FRANZMAN TAKE A GULF COAST TOUR THAT TURNS, UNEXPECTEDLY, INTO AN URGENT SEARCH FOR THE REGION'S BEST SHRIMP
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA hand-painted sign in the marina says "Live Shrimp," so we pull in. We're in Gulfport, Miss., about 15 miles east of Biloxi, on the first of a three-day drive...
5 FOR THE ROAD - DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THESE ESSENTIAL NEW GADGETS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA HYBRID CAR Everything you've heard is true - these babies rule Ford's sweet Escape Hybrid retails for $26,970 (ford.com). Or, rent green on your next West Coast trip, via...
BOOTY-LICIOUS - NEW CLASS TEACHES HOW TO BRIBE CELEBS; TRIGGER THE SWAG REFLEX
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amWHAT was once a gift bag is now a gift buffet. Instead of a small token of appreciation given to celebrities at parties, now it's a "swag suite" full of...
CAR KILLS BOY, 5, ON L.I.
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA 5-year-old Long Island boy darted into the street and was killed by a car driven by a man on his way home from church, cops said yesterday. Daniel Cruz...
CHINESE-FOOD 'KILLER' NABBED
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amNearly a year and a half after a teenage Chinese-food deliveryman was lured to a Queens apartment where he was beaten and stabbed to death, authorities arrested the third and...
COP HONCHO ELECTROCUTED
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA top police official was electrocuted last night while making repairs to his home yesterday, authorities said. Inspector Michael Shortell, 46, who lived in Rockland County, commanded the Bronx Narcotics...
HORROR CRASH - 3 DIE AS SPEEDING CAR SLAMS QNS. TREE
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTwo men and a woman were killed last night in a horrific crash when their speeding car slammed into a tree in a remote area in Queens, police said. The...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThey take the concept of resting in peace seriously at the Humenik Funeral Chapel in Ohio, where the corpse is laid out on a mattress in a bedroomlike setting. Owner...
VARY ANTI-THUG TACTICS: MAYOR
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amKeep criminals guessing. Mayor Bloomberg said that's his plan for bringing crime down as he praised the NYPD's successful Operation Impact program yesterday. "In police work, you want to make...
INSULT JUROR FINED - BUT SPITZER BACKS HIM
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amHere's one for the official juror handbook: During jury selection, never announce that you think the defendant is "a scumbag." Even if you wind up being right - and have...
PATAKI A PUZZLE TO IOWA GOPERS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki made a good personal impression in Iowa this weekend, but Republican leaders say he has a long way to go before he can think about winning...
BLOWING TOP OFF CAMERON CASE
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - An eagle-eyed photo sleuth told jurors yesterday that Cameron Diaz's signature was lifted from an autographed picture and allegedly used for a bogus contract aimed at pressuring...
N.Y. POL: LET'S STOP WING NUTS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - A New York congressman is demanding tighter national security standards for small planes and rural airports in the wake of a drunken pilot's unnoticed joy ride in the...
ISRAEL BLOCKS SETTLER SWARM
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - Some 20,000 Israeli police officers and soldiers stopped an equal number of Jewish settlers and their supporters from marching into the Gaza Strip yesterday. The protesters are seeking...
SPITZER BACKS EX-BOSS MORGY
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amManhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau yesterday got the endorsement of one of his former employees - state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "Robert Morgenthau defines integrity. He always has, he always...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amMANHATTAN * Police say this man (above) raped and robbed a teenager at gunpoint as she walked across the Madison Avenue Bridge Friday night. Police said the suspect - a...
NAKED TO NECKING FOR ROOFTOP DUO
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe two Long Island lovebirds who were caught having sex on a public-school roof were sprung yesterday - and promptly kept the lovefest going after a night apart in jail....
MATERIAL MOMMY MADONNA LOOKS AS IFSHE'S TO THE MANOR BORN
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amMadonna has gone from Material Girl to Lady of the Manor. In an amazing - almost surreal - feature in the August edition of Vogue, the aging pop temptress comes...
MELLOW OUT, CHUCK - TOO MUCH TIME ON WARPATH
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amDEAR Sen. Schumer, Congratulations! You're looking good, almost like you got a fancy new tailor and lost some weight (send me some tips if you got 'em). Plus - and...
JOGGER ATTACK IN MURDERED SARAH'S PARK
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amAnother woman jogger has been attacked by a man in Inwood Park - not far from where Juilliard student Sarah Fox was murdered 14 months ago, cops said yesterday. But...
COPS ADVISE RIDERS ON TERROR
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe NYPD began educating passengers on buses and trains yesterday about ways they can help prevent terrorist attacks. During the morning rush, swarms of cops boarded Amtrak trains at Penn...
I'M RUDE JUDE - LAW 'FESSES UP TO SEX ROMPS WITH KIDS' NANNY
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amPretty-boy actor Jude Law yesterday issued a pretty ugly admission - he cheated on starlet fiancée Sienna Miller with his kids' nanny. "I just want to say I am deeply...
ONLY THE BIBLE OUTSELLS 'HARRY'
July 19, 2005 | 4:00am"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" shattered world records yesterday as the fastest selling book ever, outdoing just about everything except the Bible. The latest book in the seven-volume series...
TRAVEL BACK IN TIME - NEW RAIL HUB WILL HAVE OLD PENN GRANDEUR
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe developers of a proposed $800 million transportation hub at the Farley Post Office yesterday said they will right an architectural wrong when they break ground on a new commuter...
BLOOMY'S NEW CLASS ACT - WANTS TO EXPAND TOUGH PROMOTION POLICY TO 7TH-GRADERS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amProclaiming his efforts to end social promotion for failing third- and fifth-graders a success, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday proposed that the same tough standards be phased in for the seventh grade...
GIFF: MY FLIERS WERE ON THE UP AND UP
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amCouncil Speaker Gifford Miller insisted yesterday that his taxpayer-funded, campaign-style fliers violated no rules. "We are very pleased to provide documentation that shows that every one of these mailings was...
HIT AT 'MAFIA' HAUNT - WHACKED IN HIS JAG
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA 26-year-old man who had just left a Queens social club was executed in his Jaguar by at least two gunmen who sped away in an SUV, cops and sources...
DEADLY BATTLE FOR KID - MOM'S EX SLAIN
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA boozy fight between a Queens mom and her former boyfriend over custody of their young daughter turned into a bloodbath when the woman's brother whipped out a semiautomatic, blew...
DUMMER SCHOOL - MATH MESS IN KIDS' BOOK; MATH MANUAL DOESN'T ADD UP
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amSTRUGGLING public school students are facing a new threat to their education - math teachers are using a summer-school manual riddled with laughable errors. The brand-new education tome - purchased...
ASHANTI: FALSETTO CLAIM$
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amSultry pop singer Ashanti took center stage in federal court yesterday to defend herself against a producer she knew years before her meteoric rise, and who now claims the star...
NFL HEIR A PIGSKIN PERV TEACH: N.J. COPS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA New Jersey high-school teacher and coach charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student is a noted Ivy League athlete and the scion of an American sports dynasty. Peter James...
CHURCH COPS' FATE 'SEALED'
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe madman who shot two cops in a hate-fueled attack on a Queens church Sunday had bought his shotgun at a reputable Long Island shop without a hitch - since...
DURST GETS A FOOTHOLD - STEPS OUT WITH ANKLE BRACELET
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amA dressed-down real-estate scion Robert Durst did a slightly slower version of the Texas Two-Step yesterday, thanks to the weight of the ankle bracelet that he will wear during his...
MACHO 'VILLAGE' 'COP' IS BUSTED
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe flamboyant ex-"cop" of the Village People found himself on the wrong side of the law with real officers after they discovered a loaded gun and rock cocaine in his...
NOTHING THAT LIL' ABOUT KIM'S $UIT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amLil' Kim is getting her revenge against a former pal who testified against her at her recent perjury trial - by rapping him with a $6 million lawsuit. The hip-hop...
MATERIAL MOMMY MADONNA LOOKS AS IF SHE'S TO THE MANOR BORN
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amMadonna has gone from Material Girl to Lady of the Manor. In an amazing - almost surreal - feature in the August edition of Vogue, the aging pop temptress comes...
GOP HURDLE FOR BLOOMBERG FOE
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTom Ognibene - Mayor Bloomberg's sole Republican foe - will likely face a battle to get on the September primary ballot. Four registered GOP voters last night filed "general objections"...
SEALED RECORD SEALED COPS' FATE
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe madman who shot two cops in a hate-fueled attack on a Queens church Sunday morning had bought his shotgun at a reputable Long Island shop without a hitch -...
PRINCIPAL HAS SEEN DIFFERENCE IN STUDENTS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amAs the assistant principal of a public elementary school, Brian Culot has witnessed firsthand the upheaval the city's policy against social promotion initially caused - and the benefits that have...
SPITZER STUMPS FOR EX-BOSS MORGY
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amManhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau yesterday got the endorsement of one of his former employees - state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. "Robert Morgenthau defines integrity. He always has, he always...
PATAKI A PUZZLE TO IOWA GOP
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amALBANY - Gov. Pataki made a good personal impression in Iowa this weekend, but Republican leaders say he has a long way to go before he can think about winning...
AL ANSWERS CALL AFTER CALL
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - As Al Leiter cooled down from a running program in the blistering Texas heat yesterday afternoon, he did so with a cell phone stuck to his ear. While...
SURGERY NOT YET OPTION FOR WANG
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - Chien-Ming Wang doesn't need surgery on his right shoulder - yet. The rookie pitcher was examined by Dr. James Andrews yesterday and Andrews concurred with Yankees...
BOMBERS BACK IN FIRST PLACE! - TOP TEXAS, GIVE JOE 65TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - They arrived at the AL East penthouse in a rusted Rambler. Yet it made no difference to the Yankees that they moved into first place last night with...
BROTHERS IN ARMS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amAmani Toomer had no trouble hauling in the soft toss thrown to him by his quarterback, Eli Manning. But when Eli's older brother, Peyton, lofted the ball in his direction,...
LIBS MUST BE ROAD WARRIORS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amAnn Wauters doesn't know why the Liberty so often lose the rebounding battle to opponents. The center doesn't understand why the team's defense continues to be porous for long stretches...
DOCUMENT DELAY IRKS NHL AGENTS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amWhile the NHL yesterday completed its CBA team seminars, player agents are livid that they aren't scheduled to get their first look at the document until Wednesday night at the...
BIG EAST REBOUND ALL IN THE CARDS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amPROVIDENCE - Miami had the talent. Virginia Tech had the cockiness. But both bolted to the ACC, leaving the Big East without a national power and rivals that knew no...
CB ABRAHAM QUITS JETS
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe Jets yesterday made official what's been coming for weeks, even months, when they announced the retirement of cornerback Donnie Abraham. "My decision to retire from the game that I've...
TRADE WINS - YEAR LATER, KRIS & VICTOR DEALS PAYING OFF
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amIt's been just short of a year, and there's still a lot that has yet to play out. But so far, the two biggest and most controversial trades the Mets...
EARNING HIS PINSTRIPES
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amALEX Rodriguez returns to the scene of his greatest baseball crimes this week, the place that changed forever the way people view him, critique him, judge him, appraise him. Everything...
PADILLA IS SOLID IN DEBUT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amMET NOTES With a six-run lead, Juan Padilla wasn't exactly thrust into a pressure-packed situation on Sunday. But Padilla's first action as a Met still was a success. Padilla was...
GOLF GURU HANEY SET TIGER STRAIGHT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amST. ANDREWS - There is now a man behind the man again. His name is Hank Haney, and his coming-out party of sorts was at Tiger Woods' runaway victory in...
IMPRESSIVE AL CAUSES PAUSE - YANKEES MAY NOT DEAL FOR PITCHING HELP
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - The Yankees know enough not to fall in love long term after one pitching performance by anybody. But what they saw out of Al Leiter Monday night in...
IN THE KNICK OF TIME - PISTONS, BROWN CLOSE TO COACHING BUYOUT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amNow Knicks president Isiah Thomas has a chance of landing his dream coach. It may not happen this season, but it's almost inevitable a year from now. Larry Brown and...
BRING HIM HOME
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTHEY have been moving toward each other since the 1950s, when Larry Brown used a General Organization card to buy 60-cent tickets at the Old Garden, the one on Eighth...
DOWN TO DETAILS - NETS, ABDUR-RAHIM NEAR A DEAL
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amThe Nets are getting Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The only question is how. The Nets, multiple league sources said, have received assurances from Abdur-Rahim, the 6-9, 28-year-old Portland free agent they have...
LEITER GETS CALL, AGAIN AND YET AGAIN
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - As Al Leiter cooled down from a running program in the blistering Texas heat yesterday afternoon, he did so with a cell phone stuck in his ear. While...
BRING LARRY HOME TO HIS 'DREAM JOB'
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTHEY have been inching toward each other since the 1950s, when Larry Brown would use a General Organization card to buy 60-cent tickets at the Old Garden, the one on...
IN THE KNICK OF TIME - AGENT: PISTONS GIVING BROWN THE BOOT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amNow Knicks president Isiah Thomas has a chance to land his dream coach. Sources confirmed the Pistons and Larry Brown are parting ways, potentially leaving him available to coach the...
BROWN EXPECTS TO MAKE NEXT START
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amARLINGTON - Kevin Brown says he is a go for Saturday's start against the Angels in Anaheim. Looking at him stumble at first base last night and listening to him...
BALLER OF THE WEEK: "MR.SMOOTH" BLACKTOP BEAT
July 19, 2005 | 4:00amTalk to Mike "Mr. Smooth" Campbell and his love for basketball is palpable. He speaks enthusiastically and almost energetically about his craft, his game. Almost energetically, because Mike Campbell, 30,...