November 25, 2005
TOP OF THE LINE - ANOTHER BIG HOLIDAY SEASON FOR LUXURY RETAILERS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThe worse the rich feel, the more they seem to spend. Although a luxury-shopping index has sunk to all-time lows this season, most luxury retailers are confidant that sales of...
BATTLE BREWS IN NEW ENGLAND OVER F+W DEAL
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amA fight between two of the big media money power players in New England - Boston-based Abry Partners and Providence, R.I.-based Providence Equity Partners - looks like it will get...
TALE OF ADDICT MOM IS SAD 'TO THE BONE'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amA riveting, Oscar-caliber performance by rising actress Vera Farmiga carries the addiction drama "Down to the Bone," a harrowing character study. Writer-director Debra Granik has found a star, and wisely...
DO NOT USHER IN 'THE MIX'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amUSHER makes his lead ing-man debut, and as you'd expect he doesn't always succeed in keeping his shirt on. "In the Mix" seems to have been inspired by a storyline...
'BEAUTY IS CHEAP' - KIM ON 'IDOL' VS. 'MODEL'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amIT'S hard to really stand out from the crowd when you're beautiful. So says Kim Stoltz, the chatty model wannabe who was booted from "America's Next Top Model" this week....
PLOWRIGHT ON
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amCHARMING and touching, "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" is apparently the first lead role in a film for one of England's greatest actresses, Joan Plowright. Possibly because she is the...
UNHEAVENLY LORD
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amEQUAL parts Oscar Wilde and Dirk Diggler, the Earl of Rochester is one sharp-pronged rake. And when you need someone to deliver the saucy lines of "The Libertine" - Rochester...
CHEERS & TEARS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amEVERY time Carly Simon has tried to mine jazz standards, on records like "Torch" and "My Romance," she's come up with fool's gold - that is until this year's "Moonlight...
CELEBRATION OF LANDSCAPE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNEW York City Ballet has been starting its fall/winter season with a special gala before heading into 45 performances of "The Nutcracker" until the end of the year. This first-night...
EYES BRIGHT FUTURE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amAS a singer/songwriter following in the steps of protest singers, Conor Oberst, of the much-hyped Bright Eyes, has been heralded as the new Dylan. That may be a bit premature,...
CUTTHROAT CONTEST - 'SWEENEY' VS. 'JERSEY' FOR TOP MUSICAL
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amAT first glance, there wouldn't seem to be much competition between "Sweeney Todd" and "Jersey Boys," the two musical hits of the fall. "Sweeney Todd," Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece about vengeance,...
STARR REPORT
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThis 'Case' for 'Rent' Tracie Thoms, who's starring on the big-screen in "Rent," joins the cast of CBS' "Cold Case" as a regular on Sunday (8 p.m./ Ch. 2). Thoms...
MARY'S HOT PICK
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amJuan Polvillo, one of Spain's most famous flamenco dancers, prefers sad dances to the happy ones - he can reflect more. You can see for yourself when Compania Flamenca Juan...
FIND THE BEST GIFTS ON BLACK FRIDAY ... WITHOUT EVER LEAVING THE HOUSE - SECRET SITES FAR AWAY FROM THE MAD CROWDS; SECRET SITES FOR HOT GIFTS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amSHOPPING on Black Friday is like hitting the Blarney Stone for a pint on St. Patrick's Day: strictly for amateurs. Only suckers leave the comfort of their couch the day...
CLINTON HAS 'CANE-DO ATTITUDE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is parachuting into Cajun country next month for a bird's-eye view of New Orleans neighborhoods battered by Hurricane Katrina. "I want to see New...
BIG WHEEL COLIN SHIFTS GEARS TO INSPIRE YOUTH OF N.Y.
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amCOLIN POWELL is having fun. The former secretary of state pulls up in his beige Jaguar with a flourish at City College. He says he loves cars and has five....
OL' JOKE: CAVEMEN WERE CRACK-UPS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amTake my loincloth - please! Cavemen invented slapstick - predating the Stooges and Groucho by a mere 2 million years. Our ancestors laughed to relieve stress from continuous hunting and...
KID CAM SNARES 'CROOK' - L.I. CHURCH 'THIEF'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amTwo Long Island high-school students deserve an A - for capturing a church thief while filming a class project, cops said yesterday. As part of a project for their religion...
KING CRACKS DOWN - NEW JORDAN PM TOLD TO WIPE OUT ISLAM TERRORISTS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amJordan's King Abdullah II appointed a new get-tough prime minister yesterday and ordered him to launch an all-out war against Islamic militants in the wake of this month's hotel bombings....
ANNA'S WEDDING FROWN - BOMBSHELL PIX MAY COST BLUE BRIDE $88M
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amTHEY say a picture is worth a thousand words, but newly unearthed wedding photos of blond bombshell Anna Nicole Smith sporting a sour puss on her big day could cost...
'PUPPY TORTURER' BUSTED IN PET'S DEATH
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amA man has been busted for savagely beating his 5-month-old puppy to death, ASPCA officials said yesterday. Oleg Zhdanov, 35, of West 56th Street in Manhattan, faces up to two...
TOY TO THE WORLD ON 5TH AVE.
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNew York City was transformed into Toy Town yesterday as FAO Schwarz opened its doors for the first time on Thanksgiving Day. Thousands of wide-eyed kids, with their moms and...
BUSH TALKS TURKEY WITH THE TROOPS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amPresident Bush yesterday marked Thanksgiving by calling 10 service members around the world from his Texas ranch to say thank you - some in Iraq, one in Afghanistan and one...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amTHE BRONX * A man was struck and killed by a subway train at the No. 5 station at Pelham Parkway yesterday, police said. The victim was described as 35...
IT'S HELLO GOOD BUY! - STORES SET FOR HORDES HUNTING BARGAINS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amOn your mark . . . get set . . . shop! The first big Christmas shopping day of the year is here - and hundreds of thousands of bargain...
INFERNO GUTS B'KLYN APTS. - 3 HURT, DOZENS HOMELESS IN DEVASTATION
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amFire ripped through a six-story building in Brooklyn yesterday, leaving scores of residents homeless and critically injuring three, including a 58-year-old man who braved the flames to search for his...
S.I. DAD MAKES GRISLY FIND
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThe father of a young man missing for two months made a horrifying discovery in a Staten Island park yesterday - a badly decomposed body, its head severed, wearing shoes...
ISRAELI SIEGE NETS BOMBER
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - The mastermind of a terror bomb attack that killed six Israelis surrendered after a 16-hour siege of his West Bank hideout, officials said yesterday. Ayad Abu al-Rob gave...
COP'S THANKSGIVING JOY - COLLEAGUE GAVE HIM HER KIDNEY
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amFor the first time in nine years, NYPD Officer Vance Lloyd enjoyed Thanksgiving without worrying about scheduling dialysis treatments around the holiday. The father of four has fellow Police Officer...
YES, VIRGINIA, HILL HAS A FOE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amWATCH OUT, Hillary Clinton. The guy who could be your biggest 2008 presidential rival, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, is revving up to raise big bucks - and he's already doing...
QUEENS POL'S DOUBLE DUTY STIRS 'CONFLICT' CONCERNS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amFormer Councilman Tom White could be collecting two salaries - totaling around $300,000 - after he returns to the council in January. As a councilman, he'll earn $90,000 - plus...
LIFE WAS LESSON IN BRAVERY
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amJULIA MINARD was as beautiful as she was fearless. And now she is dead. It is hard to look at a photo of this 20-year-old lady, who grew up in...
JUDGE: I WAS SET UP - LAURA BLAMES COPS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThe Queens judge facing the ax for helping a robbery suspect avoid arrest thinks she may have been the victim of a police conspiracy, The Post has learned. Despite telling...
PAL: NICK BLEW T'DAY CALL - 'GAME' PLAN LAST STRAW FOR JESS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNick Lachey and Jessica Simpson's marriage might have been saved if he'd chosen his wife over football and friends. Lachey snubbed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Simpson's family in Texas,...
PAL: NICK BLEW T'DAY CALL - 'GAME' PLAN ]]LAST STRAW FOR JESSICA
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNick Lachey and Jessica Simpson's marriage might have been saved if he'd chosen his wife over football and friends. Lachey snubbed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Simpson's family in Texas,...
DOUBLE DIP FOR CITY BIG - POL'S 'CONFLICT' EYED
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amFormer Councilman Tom White could be collecting two salaries - totaling around $300,000 - after he returns to the council in January. As a councilman, he'll earn $90,000 - plus...
PARADE HIT BY A NEW 'BLOW'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThe Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade narrowly avoided disaster yesterday when, for the second time in eight years, a balloon crashed into a lamppost - sending a light fixture plunging to...
GIRARDI ACCEPTS MARLINS' MOVES
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amJoe Girardi accepted the Marlins' managing job with his eyes wide open. He knew there was a strong possibility the franchise would make cost cutting moves in the offseason. However,...
SENATORS HAVE ISLES' NUMBERS
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amSENS at ISLES - Today 2:00 - FSN; WBBR (1130) This is the Islanders' chance for revenge, but there should be a sense of dread, too, when they host the...
PUT ME IN COACH - LAWTON IN UNIFORM FOR 1ST TIME AS PRO
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amHere's proof that there are still some good, worthy stories on a 2-8 team going nowhere. Meet Luke Lawton, No. 44 in your Jets' program, but make sure it's a...
HASSELBECKS SQUARE OFF
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amGIANT NOTES The phone calls have taken on a different tone this week, the obvious concern and caring giving way to the feistiness of old-fashioned trash-talking. When Seattle quarterback Matt...
CAL'S BABY TIGERS FACE TOUGHEST TEST
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amPreseason NIT: DUKE vs. MEMPHIS - Tonight 7 p.m.; ESPN2 Memphis' John Calipari insisted he wanted Wednesday night's NIT Tip-Off semi against UCLA to be close, a sweaty-palm nailbiter to...
DUKIN' OVER FLUKIN'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amTHE proposal by the National Marine Fisheries Service to cut the summer flounder quota has the recreational fishing community up in arms. The proposed rule would cut the 2006 fluke...
THE DEVILS TO PAY - LAMORIELLO FORCED INTO CAP CUT
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amDEVILS at LIGHTNING - Tonight 7:30 - FSN; WFAN (660) TAMPA - So there they were, both of the Devils' leading sacrificial candidates, back in the lineup. There were the...
PECORA FILLED WITH HOMETOWN PRIDE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amIF you don't know Tom Pecora's name, give it time. The fifth-year Hofstra coach has a loaded team that is coming off a 21-9 season and an NIT berth. The...
BAD TRIP FOR NETS' 'D'
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNETS at SUNS - Tonight 10:30 - YES; WFAN (660 AM) PHOENIX - Nets coach Lawrence Frank was asked for the one word he would use as the theme for...
ATTILA'S STORM WINS HIGHWEIGHT
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThanks to Turkey Day traffic tie-ups on Staten Island bridges, Ramon Dominguez, driving up to Big A from Maryland, never made it in time for traditional Thanksgiving feature, Grade 3,...
METS BID FOR BENGIE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amHaving filled a colossal need for a muscular bat by getting Carlos Delgado and making an offer to stud closer Billy Wagner, the Mets are close to presenting free agent...
BATTLE IN COURT HELPS PRINCE LEAD ON COURT
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amEpiphanny Prince loves playing basketball. She loves scoring points, winning games and championships. It's the stuff that comes along with that success that she could do without. "I hate attention,"...
ROBINSON TESTING BROWN'S PATIENCE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amSomewhere amidst yesterday's turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, Larry Brown wished he had a backup point guard to be truly thankful for. Brown has come down hard on the immensely...
COLLINS SET TO GO; CARTER IS UP IN AIR
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNET NOTES PHOENIX - One says definitely, the other says maybe. At this point, the Nets will take whatever they can get. So while Jason Collins insists he will play...
BROWN-IVERSON FEUD A LESSON FOR MARBURY
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amMaybe Stephon Marbury can learn from the rocky Allen Iverson-Larry Brown marriage. It was ugly and ultimately ended in Brown's departure, but the Sixers made the NBA Finals once and...
BLACK & BLUESHIRTS STAY HOT - WEEKES, JAGR GET DINGED UP IN WIN
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amRangers 6 - Thrashers 3 ATLANTA - The net may topple onto the starting goaltender as it did on Kevin Weekes early in the third period last night, but that...
BIG BLUE CAN TAKE A BIG STEP IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amNOW we find out if the Giants can leave their Thanksgiving dinner tables hungry. It has taken them two years and 10 games, one new quarterback and one new head...
THE SEATTLE SUPER SHAUNIC - GIANTS DEFENSE BRACING FOR SEATTLE'S BEST: ALEXANDER
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amLet those who do not have to tackle Shaun Alexander study and gawk and look in awe at the numbers he has amassed through 10 games this season. The yards...
SLACK HAWKS DOWN - NOTHING PEACHY GOING ON IN ATLANTA
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amWHILE this may be the week to debone and devour one particular noble bird, we would be remiss if we didn't give props to another able avian. For one night,...
GETTIN' WISE - WITH RUCCHIN OUT, CHANCE FOR CHAD
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amATLANTA - The more obvious move would have been to recall a pivot from Hartford, what with Rangers second-line center Steve Rucchin nursing problematic back and groin issues over the...
DUE FOR A FALL - COLTS ARE NFL'S BEST - BUT WON'T GO UNBEATEN
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThe Colts are not going to do it. They are the best team in the NFL, but they are not going to go undefeated. They might have the right mindset,...
LOOKS LIKE KEITH'S THE MAN - HERNANDEZ LEADER FOR MET ANALYST JOB
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amKeith Hernandez is moving closer to becoming the Mets' lead analyst on SportsNet New York, according to sources. If Hernandez signs on, he is expected to work 100 to 125...
5 QUESTIONS FOR MIKE TIRICO
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amThis week, NYP TV Sports' Andrew Marchand spoke with ABC/ESPN's Mike Tirico. Tirico, 38, calls golf, football and basketball. He grew up in Whitestone, Queens. Q: Is there a player...
MARCHAND'S MEMO OF THE WEEK
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amTo: Radio listeners From: Andrew Marchand Re: Colin Cowherd CC: Joe Benigno Dear Listeners: Simply put, ESPN's Colin Cowherd knows how to put on a radio show. His national program,...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
November 25, 2005 | 5:00amA man being sought in a hit-and-run case was caught hiding in a doghouse by - what else? - a police dog. Cops in the Seattle suburb of Marysville say...