August 16, 2006

VALUE MAKEOVER - TENANTS FLOCK TO 645 MADISON AVE.

A $4 million reposition ing of 645 Madison Ave. has lured a handful of hedge funds and high-profile tenants to hand over $100 or more a foot for a spot...

BURNETT GOT SWEETHEART DEAL ON MARTHA STOCK

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia gave reality television king Mark Burnett the chance to buy $14 million worth of stock at a deep discount to keep him as a producer for...

GOOGLE'S VERBIAGE: YOU'RE OFF THE MARK

Would they feel better if we Yahooed instead? With the word "Google" hitting the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary this summer, the search engine company wants to make sure people don't confuse...

BOTCHED SALE COSTS GOLDMAN $20M

The failure of Jones Apparel Group to find a buyer after a months-long auction process deals a huge blow to the company's advisers including Goldman Sachs - the top dealmaker...

OFF THE RACK - JONES AUCTION FAILS; CEO ON THE ROPES

Worried that a sagging stock price would invite unwanted attention from shareholder activists, the Jones Apparel Group sought advice last fall from Goldman Sachs, according to people familiar with the...

I GOT YOU, DAVE - HASSELHOFF WON'T BE LEAVING 'TALENT,' SAYS BOSS SIMON

NO one is more shocked than Simon Cowell that the NBC summer variety show "America's Got Talent" turned out to be a hit. And he's the show's creator. "To be...

'30 ROCK' CAST OFF

FORMER "SNL"er Rachel Dratch has lost a piece of the "Rock." Dratch, who was originally scheduled to be a regular on Tina Fey's fall sitcom, "30 Rock," will now appear...

SING ALONG WITH XENA

SIMON Cowell has gotten them all for a song. WWE's Chris Jericho, Cheech Marin, Lucy "Xena" Lawless and Olympic gold- medalist Carly Patterson are among those who'll croon on "Celebrity...

REVIVED, RESTED AND READY TO SHOCK B'WAY

KIKI & HERB: ALIVE ON BROADWAY (three and a half stars)Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue; (212) 944-9450. Through Sept. 10. THEY'RE not dead...

GREASE & DESIST; COMPOSER CLAIMS PAL STOLE IDEA FOR SHOW

AH, the theater, where treachery is sweetly done. Andrew Lloyd Webber is at war with a prominent London producer who, the legendary theater composer believes, made off with his idea...

BALLGIRLS - HOW BASEBALL 'ANNIES' HUNT FOR BIG GAME - PLAYING THE FIELD

NOT since "Bull Durham" has the baseball groupie had such a moment - thanks to the exploits of soon-to-be-divorced Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca, caught in the midst of two...

AMALIA DRAWS NIGHT VISITORS

TURBAN-topped hotelier Vikram Chatwal is bringing a huge 8,000square-foot restaurant and lounge to the North Times Square area. The new venture, Amalia, will open in a former carriage house space...

TONGUE THAI'D - DESIGN ECLIPSES FOOD ON PLANET MANHATTAN

WHEN Planet Thailand owner Anna Pop brought her wildly successful Williamsburg operation to West 24th Street a few months ago, everyone hoped it would break with Manhattan's tedious takeout-anddelivery Thai...

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES!

HE'S the tomato guru to the stars - star chefs, that is. This time of year, the people behind New York's trendiest restaurants line up to talk to Tim Stark,...

CLASSROOM EXTRA - GETTING OFF THE GROUND

Ever wonder how a big metal airplane shares space with the sparrows? Read on to see how these winged marvels make it in the air. Man envied the birds for...

STARR REPORT

Ellen DeGeneres will be here Monday, Aug. 28 to tape an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in Central Park (the episode airs Sept. 4) with guest Justin Timberlake. Ellentv.com...

RAG LOVERS 'RUN' WILD

TURNS out there may have been some sex on the set of "Project Runway" after all. In an interview posted yesterday on the Bravo Web site, network program exec Andy...

'RAYMOND' BRO'S SECRET SPLIT

BRAD Garrett has been separated from his wife since April, but has only recently told his parents, co-workers and close friends. The comedy giant (he's 6' 8 1/2" tall) revealed...

HIT AND RUN IN B'KLYN - 'DAZED' WOMAN KILLED

A Brooklyn woman was struck and killed crossing the street last night by a hit-and-run driver who sent her flying nearly 20 feet, police and witnesses said. The 50-year-old victim,...

HS KIDS' TIRELESS GUIDING LIGHT - COUNSELOR GOES EXTRA MILE

Diane Bailey's son is heading to college this fall and her heart was set on "buying a trophy" for the high-school guidance counselor who helped put his feet on the...

BENEFITS OF VEGGIES EASY TO SEE

Mom always told you that if you eat your carrots, it'll help you see better. But now new medical research reveals certain other veggies can protect your eyesight later in...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN * A teenager menaced his mom and kid brother in separate incidents at their Bay Ridge home, authorities said yesterday. About 11:30 a.m. on July 28 Ricardo Pacheco, 17,...

CH. 4 TO AIR NYC SHOWS

Daytime viewers who tune to Channel 4 next month are in for a surprise - they'll be able to watch local programs produced by the city's own TV station. The...

TOP GEN. ADMITS TO SUSPICIOUS STOCK SALE

JERUSALEM - Israel's armed-forces chief admitted yesterday that he sold his entire stock portfolio three hours after the border attack that launched the Lebanese war. But Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz...

LIGHT SHED ON BRONX BLACKOUT

A defective overhead cable was blamed for a 31/2-hour blackout in The Bronx yesterday morning. Most of Eastchester was knocked off Con Ed's grid when the cable went out around...

MIKE GIVES $125M TO MAKE WORLD CIG-FREE

Four years after imposing one of the toughest smoking bans in the nation, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that he's donating $125 million over two years to take on the tobacco...

600 MOURN SLAIN TEENAGER - SHOT DEAD BY FATHER OF ANOTHER BOY: COPS

Tearful friends and family gathered yesterday to bid farewell to a Long Island teen who was gunned down in a driveway - allegedly by the father of a rival he...

W.'S ALERT: 'ENEMY ONLY HAS TO BE RIGHT ONCE'

WASHINGTON - President Bush vowed yesterday that the feds will do "everything in our power" to protect the homeland, but warned the foiled British plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners...

DIG STARTS AT WTC SHRINE

Despite still needing to raise more than $170 million to complete the project, construction workers finally began building the World Trade Center memorial yesterday. WTC Memorial Foundation officials confirmed to...

STATE POL 'GONE' TO THE RACES

A high-ranking state official abruptly resigned yesterday amid allegations that he was involved in an altercation at a posh Saratoga Race Course nightclub last week, The Post has learned. Ralph...

BRIT 'BABY BOMB' BEASTS - PLOT TO BLOW UP OWN CHILD & JET

These are the fanatical young British parents who planned to sacrifice their own precious baby in the evil cause of mass murder. Abdula Ahmed Ali, 25, and his wife, Cossor,...

'KILLER' MOM'S ANGER ISSUES

A teenage mother accused of beating her 3-year-old daughter to death told cops she routinely hit the little girl and has "anger-management issues," according to court papers. Jessica Rosado, who...

'SNITCHING' IS CRIME SOLVER

Brooklyn lawmakers yesterday praised the NYPD's swift arrest in the murder of a churchgoing great-grandmother, and the public was urged to ditch the "don't snitch" street credo and help cops...

COLLEGE IS IN THE CARDS - L.I. GAL HITS $1M BLACKJACK LOTTERY

Say goodbye to student loans. A $1 million lottery win for Ashley Ploneis, 20, of Selden, L.I., has wiped the financial slate clean for the information technology student, clearing the...

CANCER OP FOR 'BRIBE' JUDGE

Beleaguered Brooklyn judge Gerald Garson, who resigned from the bench in 2004, will undergo cancer surgery at the end of the month. His lawyers say that because of the operation...

BUBBA'S BLUES OVER THE BIG 6-OH - BILL TURNING INTO GRUMPY OLD MAN

The big 6-0 is fast approaching and Bill Clinton says he hates it - man, does he hate it. Once, the nation's 42nd president was the youngest person in the...

NO STOPPING 'COP KILLER'

Boozed up on rum and Cokes, the motorist accused of fatally mowing down an off-duty cop made no attempt to stop, even with the officer's motorcycle wedged beneath his SUV,...

BLOOMY $ICK OF 9/11 BILLS

Sick Ground Zero workers shouldn't be treated better than responders who become ill as a result of other disasters, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday. The disparity in benefits is his latest...

NO-ACCOUNT CROOK SENTENCED

A thieving bookkeeper with three embezzlement convictions under his belt - including one for stealing from the Salvation Army - was sentenced to up to seven years prison yesterday by...

EMPIRE ST. JUMPER IN COURT FLOP

The daredevil who almost jumped off the Empire State Building almost jumped bail yesterday. Jumping Jeb Corliss was six hours late for his scheduled appearance in Manhattan court, where he's...

TEEN'S VANISH PUZZLE - CONN. KID IN BRONX

Federal authorities have convened a grand jury to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a 14-year-old Connecticut girl who was last seen at her cousin's Bronx apartment in July. FBI agents...

POL PITCH FOR 'TEEN' BOOZE LAW

ALBANY - A Westchester state senator yesterday said he is drafting two bills designed to curb underage drinking, just days after personally checking out the rowdy Chelsea bar scene last...

IT STINKS: PANIC OVER PASSING GAS - 'TOXIC' FUMES SPREAD

A potent, noxious gas odor - first noticed in the waters off Bayonne, N.J. - wafted to the shores of Staten Island and Queens yesterday, sickening at least 21 people...

300G IN SCAR BUCKS - SUIT BURNS JAVA GIANT

No wonder their drinks cost so much - Starbucks has to pay $300,000 for spilling hot coffee on a Manhattan woman's foot. A jury granted Alice Griffin the venti-sized award...

MA GOTTI: JURIST'S PRUDENT - HAILS MOB-COP JUDGE

The judge in the mob-cop case got some surprise fan mail, thanks to his stunning ruling that overturned the convictions of two disgraced NYPD detectives - a syrupy letter of...

CHASE-SLAY TEEN GUILTY

A baby-faced member of an underage wolf pack of punks who chased an NYU student to his death in Harlem pleaded guilty to felony murder yesterday. Clarence Mayfield, 15, admitted...

DEADLY OVERLOAD - TIRED T'PIKE DRIVER'S RIG TOO HEAVY: COPS

The truck driver who caused the horrific crash that killed four people on the New Jersey Turnpike reportedly may face charges for spending too many hours on the road and...

'SAFE' CALL FOR YANKS

The new Yankee Stadium has begun a new winning tradition. A Manhattan judge yesterday handed the Yankees and their new $950 million stadium a major victory when he denied an...

HARLEM MAN IN TRIPLE-RAPE RAP

Cops busted a Harlem man for allegedly raping two women and attempting a third attack in upper Manhattan over the past 13 months, police said yesterday. Phillip McKelvey, 41, was...

COLLEGE IN CARDS - GAL HITS $1M BLACKJACK LOTTO

Say goodbye to student loans. A $1 million lottery win for Ashley Ploneis, 20, of Selden, L.I., has wiped the financial slate clean for the information technology student, clearing the...

BLAST VICTIM LOWERS THE BOOM

The Hunter College grad seriously injured when a deranged doctor blew up his Manhattan townhouse now wants to inflict a little pain herself. Jennifer Panicali, 22, of Staten Island, yesterday...

REDHEADS A RED-HOT LOT

Blondes may have more fun - but redheads have more sex. That's according to a German researcher, who says redheads not only have the most sex partners, they also spend...

HELL'S SEX FIEND ON CAMERA

A fiend who sexually assaulted a woman in Hell's Kitchen has been caught on tape. The man was captured on surveillance cameras Sunday when he accosted the 21-year-old woman as...

NEW 9/11 EMERGENCY CALLS BARED TODAY

The city today is releasing more tragic emergency recordings from the Sept. 11 attacks - including 911 calls from 10 victims inside the crumbling World Trade Center towers, other people...

CH. 4 TO AIR NYC TV SHOWS

Daytime viewers who tune to Channel 4 next month are in for a surprise - they'll be able to watch local programs produced by the city's own TV station. The...

COPPERFIELD'S 'FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH'

Believe a master illusionist at your own risk, but magician David Copperfield says he's found the mythical Fountain of Youth. "I've discovered a true phenomenon," Copperfield, who turns 50 next...

FEDS PROBE CASE OF CONN. GIRL MISSING IN BX.

Federal authorities have convened a grand jury to probe the disappearance of a 14-year-old Connecticut girl who was last seen at her cousin's Bronx apartment in July. FBI agents have...

THE 5TH ANNUAL LIBERTY MEDAL AWARDS - OUR SECRET SAMARITANS

Someone, somewhere is right now making a difference in a New Yorker's life and we want to know who it is so we can say thanks. We are seeking candidates...

'SHE'LL BE ALONE' - TURNPIKE ORPHAN LIKE MOM

Heartsick relatives fear little Theresa Christmas, the orphaned Queens 4-year old who survived the horrific New Jersey Turnpike pile-up that killed her parents and baby sister, is doomed to years...

NEW 9/11 CALLS WILL BE HEARD

The city today is releasing more tragic emergency recordings from the Sept. 11 attacks - including 911 calls from 10 victims inside the crumbling World Trade Center towers, other people...

INJURY STRAINS PERFECT PLANS

THE Mets once won a World Series when their best pitcher, a fellow named Tom Seaver, pitched to a less-than-Seaveresque ERA of 4.09 in three postseason games. Seaver was hammered...

RED BULLS PUT STREAK ON THE LINE

The message sent by 79,002 at Giants Stadium was not lost on Bruce Arena, whose first MLS game as Red Bulls coach tonight will draw only a tiny fraction of...

ISLANDERS LAND HILL TO BOOST BLUE LINE

Few people on the planet know better than Garth Snow how many holes the Islanders' defense corps had going into the summer. The backup goalie-turned-GM continued to bulk up the...

BOATMEN BATTLE FLOUNDER CUTS

THE drastic cuts that anglers face for the 2007 summer flounder season have a number of fishing groups leading the charge to find a solution to prevent many in the...

BOOTHE PICKS STORM

Norm Roberts' attempt to turn around the St. John's program got a shot in the arm yesterday when the Red Storm received a verbal commitment from Christ the King's Malik...

JOMO: JAKE CAN CARRY TIKI'S TORCH

Joe Morris, the legendary Giants running back, says Tiki Barber isn't getting too old to carry the load for Big Blue anymore. But Morris did say that when the Giants...

NO COACH'S PET - SON-IN-LAW SNEE JUST ANOTHER GIANT

ALBANY - When Chris Snee went down with an injury to his right knee that at first appeared fairly serious, teammates expressed concern but predicted a quick recovery, based mainly...

JINTS NEED MOSS RX ASAP

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - Twice during training camp, coach Tom Coughlin anticipated the return of rookie receiver Sinorice Moss, and both times Moss was unable to make it to the...

WILLIE ON PEDRO: 'NOT CONCERNED' - METS DON'T GIVE OUTLOOK ON CALF INJURY

PHILADELPHIA - The report on Pedro Martinez was still undetermined last night. Martinez was in New York yesterday at the Hospital for Special Surgery being examined. Just before game time...

REYES LEADS OFF WITH BANG

MET NOTES PHILADELPHIA - Jose Reyes matched Kazuo Matsui. Actually, Reyes has exceeded Matsui in seemingly everything important. But last night, Reyes tied the former Met for the most leadoff...

NO NEWS ON PEDRO'S CALF

MET NOTES PHILADELPHIA - The report on Pedro Martinez was still undetermined last night. Martinez was in New York yesterday at the Hospital for Special Surgery being examined. Just before...

METS CAN'T PHIL UP DESPITE REYES - THREE HOME RUNS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH

Phillies 11 - Mets 4 PHILADELPHIA - The second deck in right field was where the third one was hit. Jose Reyes' trio of homers put him in Mets history....

LATE HEROICS 'O' SO SWEET - DAMON, PROCTOR HELP YANKS FORGE 3-GAME LEAD

Yankees 6 - Orioles 3 You see that three-game bulge the Yankees hold over the Red Sox in today's paper? Thank Scott Proctor for it. Yes, Johnny Damon delivered a...

INTANGIBLES STILL IN TORRE'S CORNER

JOE TORRE was talking about the Red Sox, whom the Yankees will play five times in four days at Fenway beginning Friday, but he just as well could have been...

LATE HEROICS 'O' SO SWEET - DAMON, YANKS RALLY TO FORGE 3-GAME LEAD IN EAST

Yankees 6 - Orioles 3 Today the Yankees break ground on their new ballpark. Politicians will smile, as will George Steinbrenner, and everyone will applaud the first shovel into the...

TORRE STRESSES PRIORITY NO. WON

JOE Torre was talking about the Red Sox, whom the Yankees will play five times in four days at Fenway beginning Friday, but he just as well could have been...

BEST IN SHOW - JETER'S SOLID SEASON WORTHY OF MVP TALK

The consensus outside of Yankee Stadium is that David Ortiz will win the AL's Most Valuable Player award. How many more times do voters need to see Ortiz win a...

PRIORITY NO. WON - PUTTING 1ST THINGS 1ST HELPS KEEP YANKS IN 1ST

JOE Torre was talking about the Red Sox, whom the Yankees will play five times in four days at Fenway beginning Friday, but he just as well could have been...

LEE YA! - SUGGS FAILS PHYSICAL, SENT BACK TO BROWNS

As it turned out, the only running play Lee Suggs ran for the Jets was a reverse back to Cleveland. Suggs, the running back the Jets acquired Monday from the...

STADIUM GROUNDBREAKING TODAY

On the eve of groundbreaking for the new Yankee Stadium, George Steinbrenner yesterday admitted to being a little nostalgic about the third-oldest stadium in baseball, the place where his Bombers...

MAYFAIR BACK IN SWING

PGA NOTES MEDINAH - Billy Mayfair had never been as happy to participate in a practice round as he was yesterday at Medinah. Mayfair, 40, will compete in the 88th...

MAYFAIR BACK IN SWING OF THINGS

PGA NOTES MEDINAH - Billy Mayfair had never been as happy to participate in a practice round as he was yesterday at Medinah. Mayfair, 40, will compete in the 88th...

DOUBLE FEATURE - TIGER, PHIL PAIRING THE HEADLINER AT FINAL MAJOR

MEDINAH - Tiger Woods insisted "we're fine," while Phil Mickelson gushed about Woods as if he were the best thing ever to wear golf shoes. If there's bad blood between...

MO WOULD LIKE TO BE AROUND FOR NEW STADIUM

YANKEE NOTES With the first shovel going into the ground today on the site of the new Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera was emphatic about his desire to work there in...

THE BOSS WILL 'MISS' STADIUM

On the eve of groundbreaking for the new Yankee Stadium, George Steinbrenner admits to being a little nostalgic about the third-oldest stadium in baseball, the place where his Bombers forged...

DERRICK BACK ON STRAIT AND NARROW

JET NOTES As soon as word came out that Lee Suggs had failed his physical and was headed back to Cleveland yesterday, the Jets' spin cycle on Derrick Strait began...

MO WANTS A GO IN NEW STADIUM

YANKEE NOTES With the first shovel going into the ground today on the site of the new Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera was emphatic about his desire to work there in...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A detour that bypasses road work on a state highway in Wisconsin's Green Lake resort area directs motorists on a circuitous route that takes them more than 50 miles out...