November 8, 2005

HERE'S SOME CORPORATE NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

THERE was a lot of important corporate news in the papers last week that you may have missed. So I'm going to use this space to help you catch up....

NBC BIG REPLACES PAXSON CHIEF EXEC

The drama over NBC's tangled partnership with broadcast network Paxson Communications intensified yesterday, as Paxson boss Bud Paxson was pushed aside and replaced with a top NBC executive. At the...

SWIG GRABS OFFICE TOWER AT 90 BROAD

KENT Swig's downtown buying spree has snared another good-size property - the nearly 400,000-square-foot, 1930-vintage office tower at 90 Broad St., which his company just signed a contract to buy...

NICKEL STOCK HITS $90, SPURS FRENZY AND SUSPENSION

The Securities and Exchange Commission suspended a speculative frenzy in the shares of little-known Cameron International yesterday, after the stock's price went from 5 cents to more than $90 in...

NEWS REELS - SNOOZE'S CIRCULATION HITS AN ALL-TIME LOW

The battle between New York's two tabloid newspapers is now tighter than ever with less than 26,000 copies a day separating The Post from its arch-rival, the Daily News. The...

SEARS AIMS AT SOFT SIDE

In an effort to revitalize its ailing fashion business, Sears yesterday promoted one-time Gap creative force Lisa Schultz to the newly created position of executive vice president of apparel and...

MAG BULK COPIES TO COUNT IN CIRC

Magazine publishers will be able to count some bulk copies distributed in places such as doctor's offices, hair salons and hotels in a separate category under new reporting rules. The...

GUIDANT GOES FAINT ; SHARES DECLINE AS J&J MERGER DIMS

Heart-device maker Guidant is struggling in court to resuscitate its failing $25.4 billion merger with Johnson & Johnson, but instead may wind up alone and on life support. Guidant got...

DIAMOND'S 'SONGS' A GEM FOR EVERMORE

NEIL DIAMOND "12 Songs" **** (four stars)Columbia records FILE it in the hell freezing over and pigs flying category, and start practicing saying, "I love Neil Diamond's new album." That's...

BOOB TUBE; ODDS 'STACKED' IN PAM'S FAVOR

"Stacked" Tomorrow night at 8:30 on Fox/Ch. 5 * * (two stars) YOU just know that somebody came up with the name "Stacked," Pamela Anderson's sitcom, before they came up...

REVISITING WHAT SUCKS; BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD OUT ON DVD

BILLY Dee Williams is back on late-night TV this week, but he's not hawking another 1-900 psychic line. Instead, in a half-hour MTV mock-infomercial titled "Living Without Fear: Beavis and...

OPRAH DANCES FOR FAT ACTRESS

ZAFTIG Kirstie Alley says she's shed 55 pounds through a weight-loss dance routine - and admits she ballooned to 219 pounds before deciding to lose some weight. Alley was on...

DEBATE TIGHTENS 'WEST WING' RACE

SUNDAY night's live "West Wing" debate on NBC gave a boost to California Republican Arnold Vinick and to the show's ratings. But Texas Democrat Matt Santos still holds a commanding...

SIMON SAYS: I'VE FOUND THE NEXT 'IDOL'... AND SHE ISN'T EVEN FROM AMERICA

SIMON Cowell says it'll be raw talent, and perhaps a bit of Irish luck, that propels the next winner of "American Idol." "The only person I can genuinely remember from...

STARR REPORT

Love in action CBS, looking to beef up the female audience for "Close to Home," has shifted that show to Fridays at 9 for the next two weeks - where...

TYRA BUSTS OUT - 'OPRAH WITH CLEAVAGE' HAS BIG AMBITIONS

WHEN supermodels become so-so models, they tend to follow one of two cliches: Get an acting coach and land a bit part in a slasher flick. Or sign a recording...

VICIOUS CYCLE - ONE MAN'S BATTLE AGAINST THE SEVEN-SEAT PARTYBIKE

IN a city of 8 million people, we all have our dragons to slay - be it a ferocious co-op board, infernal subway temperatures or the crowds at the Barneys...

E-MAIL A MOMENT IN TIME

NORMALLY,immediacy is the key to successful e-mail delivery.But when you log onto forbes.com 's e-mail capsule (at forbes.codefix.net/capsule),the longer the better. Until Nov.30,you can write yourself an e-mail and pick...

ROSE'S KID SOLD DRUGS TO PLAYERS

Pete Rose Jr., son of baseball's disgraced all-time hits leader, pleaded guilty yesterday to peddling a steroid alternative to his minor-league teammates. Under a deal with federal prosecutors, the Long...

VALERY MA'S KIN FINALLY GET BODY

The slain mother of abandoned Queens tot Valery Lozada is a little closer to resting in peace. Monica Lozada-Rivadineira's kin have not been able to hold a funeral for the...

'TRUCK' KID FINALLY HOME

A 7-year-old boy who was nearly killed by a FedEx truck in Manhattan last Christmas is home at last. Jordan Perrone suffered severe brain trauma and is confined to a...

HONOR & COUNTRY; GI HERO'SVET DAY GIG

When country singer Keni Thomas kicks off this week's Veterans Day Parade, he'll be buoyed by memories of the comrades he lost on one of the darkest days in U.S....

IRAQ HOTEL COULD BE A REAL TOURIST TRAP

Iraq is planning on a tourist boom - with a 23-story luxury hotel in the heart of Baghdad and a theme park of Saddam Hussein's palaces as centerpieces. Officials said...

NEW YORKERS GET AN EIFFEL OF VIOLENCE & DECIDE TO STAY AWAY

Tourists are saying "Non!" to France in the wake of 12 days of violent rioting across the country, New York travel agents said yesterday. "Right now, nobody is flying to...

DIPLO WON'T TESTIFY IN SAUDI PROBE

WASHINGTON - The State Department abruptly pulled a top official from testifying at a Senate hearing on Saudi links to terrorism today amid a massive lobbying campaign by Saudi agents...

'PEACE BY PIECE' TRANSPLANTS; SLAIN ARAB BOY'S GIFT: LIFE & HOPE

JERUSALEM - This is a different kind of story from the Middle East. The vital organs of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy accidentally killed by Israeli troops are giving longer life...

BOND-BID HEARING

Developer Larry Silverstein's bid for $3.3 billion in Liberty Bonds to help build five office towers at the World Trade Center has been scheduled for a public hearing next month...

PETE ROSE SON GUILTY IN DRUG SALE

Pete Rose Jr., son of baseball's disgraced all-time hits leader, pleaded guilty yesterday to peddling a steroid alternative to his minor-league teammates. Under a deal with federal prosecutors, the Long...

DNA SENDS BURGLAR UP FOR 20 YRS.

The first burglar in the city to be nailed at trial by DNA evidence showed little emotion yesterday in a Queens courtroom as he was sentenced to 20 years to...

FIRE RAGES THROUGH L.I. MARINA

A raging inferno broke out at a Long Island marina yesterday, causing massive explosions that crippled four pricey vessels and sent three others to Davie Jones' locker. The fire began...

EX FACTOR IN JERSEY GOV RACE

The final polls in the madly mudslinging New Jersey's governor race last night showed it's a 5-point contest and the big question is whether his ex-wife's attacks have derailed Democrat...

OFFICIALS READY TO ROLL AT POLLS

The Board of Elections is prepared to tackle whatever comes up today, Executive Director John Ravitz said yesterday - as 7,030 voting machines were delivered to 1,369 polling sites. Ravitz...

CARJACKED CABBY RUNS DOWN BX. GRANNY ; HAD KNIFE TO HIS NECK DURING CRASH

A cabdriver with a knife to his throat struck and killed a Bronx grandmother yesterday as she walked with her husband to a store near their home, police said. Rosa...

SCAFFOLD DROP INJURES THREE

Three construction workers had a brush with death in TriBeCa yesterday when the 12th-story scaffold they were working on suddenly gave way, police said. The support cables of the scaffold...

RIGHT IN THE KI$$ER ; DATE SERVICE SOAKS GALS

A Manhattan judge isn't showing any love to one of the country's best-known dating services after finding it massively overcharged two clients. The Internet dating service Great Expectations charged one...

DEMS' FUTURE HOPE WEINER ALREADY TROLLS FOR '09 VOTES

THE spirit of the Democratic Party's future hit the pavement in Manhattan yesterday to look for votes in the mayoral campaign. The 2009 campaign, that is. Rep. Anthony Weiner, the...

INSEPARABLE L.I. COUPLE DIE IN CRASH

A beloved elderly couple who "did everything together" died over the weekend when the husband smashed their 1999 Buick into a tree. Leo Cucco, 79, and his wife, Josephine, 76,...

MIKE ON BRINK OF HISTORY; POISED TO SHATTER GIULIANI'S VICTORY MARK

The final poll of the mayor's race yesterday showed Mayor Bloomberg crushing challenger Fernando Ferrer by 38 points, as the candidates hunted every last vote before today's election. The Quinnipiac...

EGG-TOSS SLAY DUO INDICTED

A grand jury yesterday indicted two Bronx teens on murder charges for allegedly shooting a father of two after he confronted them for throwing eggs at his minivan just days...

KFC COOKS UP BIRD-FLU PLAN

Concerned that a possible avian-flu outbreak might leave Americans too chicken-hearted to eat poultry, Kentucky Fried Chicken is reportedly developing a campaign to assure them it's finger-lickin' safe. KFC's parent...

MOM GRILLED OVER SCALD TOT'S DEATH IN BATHTUB

Child-welfare authorities and police are investigating the death over the weekend of a 1-year-old boy left unsupervised in his Brooklyn bathtub. Tracina Vaughn, 25, told cops she was giving her...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN *** (lcf) A 25-year-old man was beaten in Greenwich Village in what police are investigating as a bias crime, authorities said yesterday. The violence began just before midnight Saturday...

L.I. SEX CLAIM CLASH ; HUBBY'S COURT FURY

The macho hubby of an ex-Long Island councilwoman on trial for sexual harassment testified yesterday his wife of 24 years never bedded the town's horny harbormaster. Ex-Marine and state cop...

SHEFF SEX 'EXTORT' REV. ON TRIAL; CALLED YANKS ABOUT VID OF STAR'S WIFE: TEAM

CHICAGO - A self-proclaimed minister accused of trying to shake down slugger Gary Sheffield over a steamy sex video of his gospel-singing wife and randy R&B star R. Kelly first...

B'KLYN MILITANT LINK ; TRANSLATOR HAD LINE TO IRAQ REBS: FEDS

A mysterious Arabic translator who worked with Army intelligence in Iraq had contact numbers of guerrillas in his cellphone and classified Defense Department information in his Brooklyn home, authorities said....

CO-OP COOLS SEX IN POOL

Sex in the pool - not cool! That's the word from the co-op management of the posh London Terrace Towers apartments in Chelsea, which has issued a disturbing notice accusing...

THRILL OF CHASE FOR 'SEX SICKO' ; 'FDNY PHONY' REVELING AS NEW ATTACK FEARED

Bogus Bravest sex attack suspect Peter Braunstein is fiendishly playing a "cat-and-mouse game" with police, who fear he may lash out and assault another woman, sources said yesterday. "We think...

RULING HAS L.I. INDIANS 'BETTOR' OFF

The Long Island-based Shinnecock Indians scored a big legal victory yesterday after a federal judge ruled they're an official tribe - removing a legal obstacle in the group's efforts of...

SUBWAY 'KILLER' PHONE FEUD; NEW BEAU TORMENTED CUCKOLDED HUSBAND

Memo to guys who date married women: When her angry husband hunts you down and calls you, do not further irritate him by offering that he sleep with your mother...

'OPERA MAN' LEASH LONGER

Opera buff and alleged rip-off artist Alberto Vilar remains, for the most part, restricted to his lavish apartment near the United Nations. But he can spend a few more hours...

MOM HELD IN SCALD DEATH OF TUB TOT

A Brooklyn woman who allegedly left her unsupervised 1-year-old son to die in a bathtub was charged yesterday with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a minor. Tracina Vaughn,...

EX FROM HELL; WANTED GAL CRIPPLED: DA

A spurned ex-lover tried to hire a hit man to whack his former girlfriend's new beau - but decided he'd rather have his ex maimed, thinking that living with a...

THRILL OF CHASE FOR 'SEX SICKO'; 'FDNY PHONY' REVELING AS NEW ATTACK FEARED

Bogus Bravest sex attack suspect Peter Braunstein is fiendishly playing a "cat-and-mouse game" with police, who fear he may assault another woman, sources said yesterday. "We think he's enjoying this,"...

KFC ORDERS BIRD FLU PLAN

Concerned that a possible avian-flu outbreak might leave Americans too chicken-hearted to eat poultry, Kentucky Fried Chicken is reportedly developing a campaign to assure them it's finger-lickin' safe. KFC's parent...

HOSPITAL GETS $PONGE BATH

A jury awarded a Brooklyn livery driver $400,000 yesterday - as compensation for pain and suffering after a surgeon performing an appendectomy accidentally left a sponge in the patient's body....

BIZMEN BUSTED IN GRISLY THIEF SLAYS

Three businessmen were busted for allegedly executing two petty thugs they caught in the act of burglarizing a dairy delivery truck in the Hunts Point market in The Bronx, police...

VA. POSES TEST FOR BUSH

If there's one race in America where President Bush's prestige is clearly on the line today, it's the neck-and-neck Virginia governor's race. Republican Jerry Kilgore and Democrat Tim Kaine are...

GAL SET UP BEAU: COPS

A Long Island woman was busted for setting up her boyfriend to be robbed in a home-invasion ruse by two ski-masked accomplices, police said yesterday. Ebony LeMay, 19, and two...

SLAY RAP IN FIERY BX. DWI

The alleged drunken driver who killed a young mother of two in a horrific car crash Sunday has been charged with manslaughter, police said yesterday. Cops say Shaneeta Moore, 31,...

HARASS SUIT VS. FOX NEWS

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a sexual-harassment lawsuit against the Fox News Channel, charging a high-level exec with discriminating against women. A lawyer for Fox, which is...

MARKET MAYHEM - COPS CREAM DAIRY MEN IN THIEF SLAYINGS

Three businessmen were busted for allegedly executing two petty thugs they caught in the act of burglarizing a dairy delivery truck in the Hunts Point market in The Bronx, police...

HOSE YOUR DADDY, JOEY?

LOS ANGELES - Not only has Joey Buttafuoco turned Hollywood, he's gone soft - like ice cream. "I've turned over a new cone, baby!" Buttafuoco told The Post yesterday, explaining...

COP INJURES COP

A police officer was hit by a patrol car driven by another cop outside a West Side stationhouse early today, authorities said. The cop, who is assigned to the Manhattan...

VINCE AND RJ SLAM IT TO 'ZO

NET NOTES MIAMI - This was a first for Alonzo Mourning. He was dunked on four times - three times by Vince Carter and once by Richard Jefferson. And both...

PEYTON, COLTS (8-0) SLAY FOXBOROUGH HEX

Colts 40Patriots 21 FOXBOROUGH - Peyton Manning added another line to his impressive risumi last night: "Big-game quarterback." Since his days at Tennessee, the knock on the Colts' quarterback has...

LARRY PLAYING MATCH GAME

Larry Brown isn't pleased with the Knicks' 0-3 start, but he bristled at the notion that the team was in turmoil. "It's going to take time," the Knicks coach said...

PAUL SCHWARTZ' GIANT REPORT CARD - NO LETTING DOWN

QUARTERBACKS Staying away from mistakes and giv ing his playmakers a chance was what Eli Manning (18 of 33, 251, 1 TD) did best. Still too many errant throws. Continues...

TAKING A FEW SHOTS IN JEST

NET NOTES MIAMI - It doesn't pay to take a shot at Richard Jefferson, especially if you have trouble with your own shot. Yesterday, before the Nets' 90-89 loss to...

MAKING A POINT ; JINTS: SCORE MORE

At another time during their offensive evolution - virtually any other time - the Giants would do the math, put smiles on their faces and not delve too deeply into...

PUNCHLESS DEVS LOOK TO GET MOGILNY GOING

Such is the state of the Devils these days: What could drag another week or two without Martin Brodeur is well down the list of Larry Robinson's concerns. "I have...

POSTSEASON NOT TOPIC - YET

GIANT NOTES With eight games gone and eight to go, the Giants, at 6-2, have positioned themselves perfectly for the second half of the season, but coach Tom Coughlin said...

GOOD MOURNING ; EX-MATE BRINGS HEAT AGAINST KRSTIC, NETS

MIAMI - Sure, Alonzo Mourning dresses nice, but his sartorial splendor was the least of the Nets' concerns as they tried to end a nine-game run of futility - including...

YANKS ZERO IN ON MATSUI DEAL

PALM SPRINGS - Considering Brian Cashman and Hideki Matsui's agent won't meet face to face until tomorrow night, it certainly appears neither side believes it will take much time to...

GMS MAY TAKE LOOK AT REPLAY

GM MEETINGS NOTEBOOK PALM SPRINGS - A year ago at the GM meetings, 30 clubs were deadlocked on whether instant replay should be further explored. Last month, though, a few...

IN A BLUE MOOD; PENS SINK SLOW-STARTING RANGERS

Penguins 3Rangers 2 This was one from the bad old days; from the dark ages the Rangers promised had come to an end. This was one that brought the anger...

IN A FOUL MOOD ; NO-CALL AT BUZZER HELPS HEAT EDGE NETS

Heat 90Nets 89 MIAMI - Rule No. 1 is never blame the refs in a defeat. The Nets had every right to break that rule last night. After a questionable...

METS MULL NEW PITCH FOR MANNY

PALM SPRINGS - The GM meetings opened yesterday, and though the Red Sox lack one, they do have an intriguing superstar who reportedly wants out in Manny Ramirez. And the...

JETS FEAR END FOR CHREBET - CHREBET IR'D; CAREER ALMOST SURELY OVER

The day after the Jets' most heartbreaking defeat of an already miserable season, the sobering news began sinking in that the remarkable career of Wayne Chrebet is all but certain...

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM

The Eagles, taking swift and bold action, have finally filed for separation from their diva wide receiver, Terrell Owens. Owens, who has authored a rap sheet filled with selfish maneuvers...

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - I, LIKE THE EAGLES, MADE BIG MISTAKES

We need to start with a mea culpa, a loud one, because in the interests of full disclosure I have to say it: I was had. I was fooled. I...

PAT SHOWDOWN JUST FIRST TEST FOR COLTS

FOXBOROUGH - When the Colts' schedule was released, everyone circled last night's game in New England as the team's biggest test. While that may be true, it is far from...

ISIAH TAKES THE HARD LINE

IT has come down to this: Polls show Fernando Ferrer sittin' on a win before the Knicks. Might we see Isiah Thomas begin yet another reconstruction project before the Knicks...

SIDNEY KNOWS LEGENDS GROW IN THE GARDEN

Sidney Crosby was saying all the right things about playing Broadway for the first time; that he had been looking forward to it, that the Garden was a historic building,...

KNICKS FORCE BROWN TO PLAY MATCH GAME

Larry Brown isn't pleased with the Knicks' 0-3 start, but he bristled at the notion that the team was in turmoil. "It's going to take time," the Knicks coach said...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Mark Kassel, who headed the juvenile jail in Will County, Ill., must feel like a real heel this week. The 39-year-old corrections boss abruptly resigned after officials discovered he's involved...