April 18, 2008

Reyes takes a knee to the head

Jose Reyes just took a wicked shot to his head at second base in the third inning of tonight's game with the Phillies but stayed in the game after a...

Castillo not locked into No. 8 spot

Second baseman Luis Castillo was in the eighth spot in the batting order for the fourth game in a row last night, but Willie Randolph said it won’t be permanent....

KELLEN CLEMENS' DAUGHTER BLESSED BY POPE

While Kellen Clemens and his wife, Nicole, were driving up the New Jersey Turnpike from Washington to their Long Island home yesterday afternoon with their daughter, Kate Elizabeth, the tires...

Medical updates on Castro, Alou

Look for Raul Casanova to remain the Mets’ backup catcher for the foreseeable future. Willie Randolph said tonight that Ramon Castro, who has been out since late in spring training...

Lineups in for opener with Phils

We have the lineups for tonight’s duel between Johan Santana and the Phillies’ Cole Hamels (pictured) at Citizens Bank Park. It’s one of the most anticipated meetings of the young...

Clemens' daughter blessed by Pope

By MARK CANNIZZAROWhile Kellen Clemens and his wife, Nicole, were driving up the New Jersey Turnpike from Washington to their Long Island home this afternoon with their daughter, Kate Elizabeth,...

ISIAH OUT AS KNICKS COACH

The Knicks finally made it official with Isiah Thomas. Team president Donnie Walsh said today that Thomas is out as head coach and has been reassigned, reporting directly to Walsh....

Isiah out as coach; will report to Walsh

The Knicks finally made it official with Isiah Thomas.Team president Donnie Walsh said today that Thomas is out as head coach and has been reassigned, reporting directly to Walsh."I just...

That's a Wrap

By FRED KERBERAnd now next season begins. Really. "There's only one advantage to not making the post-season," coach Lawrence Frank said yesterday, the Nets official hefty bag day when lockers...

Report: "Max" says A-Rod hated steroids

APA man named Joseph Dion says he is the person identified in Jose Canseco’s book as “Max,” the person Canseco claims was a steroids dealer he introduced to Alex Rodriguez,...

GOALIE CONTACT HAS IN-CREASED

There won't be any question how to vote when Martin Broduer's name comes up on the Hockey Hall of Fame ballot. He has been the Devils' backbone for three Stanley...

Game 5 theater viewing tonight

Tonight's Game 5 between the Rangers and Devils at Newark's Prudential Center will be shown at Clearview’s Ziegfeld Theatre (54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).The game will be telecast...

Hamels-Santana matchup on tap

Greetings from Citizens Bank Park, where it seems Phillies starter Cole Hamels is looking forward to tonight’s pitching showdown with Johan Santana as much as the rest of us. Hamels...

It's a wrap: Player evaluations

By MARC BERMANSince Donnie Walsh still won't allow me to write the official obituary on Isiah Thomas as coach, here's something else to chew on - final player evaluations.Walsh and...

Statement from Joba Chamberlain

Joba Chamberlain today released this statement on the condition of his father, Harlan:"After several difficult days, my father is feeling much better. He is still in the critical care unit...

EA Assault On Take-Two Pushed To May 16

EA's monstrous appetite for devouring other companies has been quelled, for a short while, it seems. Or rather, EA is willing to push its deadline to May 16th before feasting...

RIVALRY SHORT ONE PLAYER

The Mets and Phillies are led by their shortstops, in the lineup and off the field. When Jose Reyes is clicking, the Mets play like a totally different team. And...

Soccer on TV

The boob tube is full of great games this weekend. Here's what we're watching:Saturday, April 19FOX SOCCER CHANNELEngland: WIGAN-TOTTENHAM (live), 10 am.England: BLACKBURN-MANCHESTER UNITED (live), noon.Italy: FIORENTINA-PARMA (live), 2:30 pm.Italy:...

PHIL'S FALLING FAST

Phil Hughes is in dangerous territory. The 21-year-old Yankees right-hander will make his fourth start of the season tonight against the Orioles in Baltimore (7:05 p.m., YES, WCBS 880 AM)...

RANGERS TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED

Both teams know the numbers and both teams don't want to give them any clout. There have been 20 teams out of 219 in NHL history to come back from...

Is Carrie On For Cannes?

The movie version of "Sex and the City,'' which has been rumored to be opening this year's Cannes Film Festival, is conspicuously not mentioned in a lengthy article in today's...

'Lost' spoilers!

PopWrap's Jarett spoke with "Lost" producers about plans for the season's five remaining episodes, and a few spoilers and hints were dropped along the way. Let's just say we have...

Deal of the Day-Tylho

Okay, I love shirt dresses. I just cannot resist them, so here you go. This Melanie Dress by Tylho which has these cool origami-like folds under the collar and makes...

Starr Report: At least for now...

Abdul's rep said yesterday that, "She looks forward to performing for her loyal and supportive fans and being a part of the prestigious 'Toyota Concert Series on 'Today,'"- attributing the...

Box Office Preview: Another Soft Opening for Team Apatow?

A huge promotional blitz for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' may not reverse the flagging fortunes of producer Judd Apatow, whose reputation as Hollywood's King of Comedy suffered when "Walk Hard'' and...

IS MIKE MUSSINA FINISHED?

FROM JOEL SHERMANIn today’s Post, I wrote a column that details just how bad Mike Mussina has been recently against the Red Sox. It asks the larger question, though, whether...

3 UP: MUSSINA, CABRERA AND MOELLER

1. In today’s Post, I wrote a column that details just how bad Mike Mussina has been recently against the Red Sox. It asks the larger question, though, whether it...

THINK EARTH-DAY EVERYDAY

We love our planet - and must take care of it. Earth Day, on April 22, is a yearly reminder for us think green all year long. Here's how it...

THE WEST OF TIMES

Get that disgusting taste out of your mouth - the taste that came from watching Isiah Thomas cluelessly slumped on the bench or Eddy Curry not getting back on defense....

5 QUESTIONS FOR... BUCK SHOWALTER

BUCK Showalter, ESPN's new "Baseball Tonight" analyst - and former Yankees, D'backs and Rangers manager - talked with The Post's Justin Terranova about the expectations this season for the Yanks...

SPORTS SHORTS

NBA: Bulls, Bucks fire coaches Two NBA head coaches lost their jobs yesterday when Jim Boyland was fired in Chicago and Larry Krystkowiak got the ax in Milwaukee. The Bulls...

BLUE-CHIP QB PICKS RUTGERS

Rutgers reportedly Will land one of the most heralded recruits in its 139-year football history today, with rising senior QB Tom Savage - the 24th-ranked player nationally on rivals.com -...

CONGRESS CONSIDERS BCS PROBE

WASHINGTON (AP) - Forget government corruption or corporate fraud. Three members of Congress want the Justice Department to investigate whether college football's Bowl Championship Series is an illegal enterprise. Reps....

HONDO GOES PAPAL!

Hondo goes Papal! Luckily for Hondo, the Pope snapped out of his mini- slump last night when he somewhat offset the Cardi nals' loss by scoring with the Angels. That...

MORGAN'S AT IT AGAIN

IT didn't take long. It never does. With one out, first and third, bottom of the first of Yanks-Red Sox, Sunday night, Phil Hughes had a 1-1 count on Manny...

GOMEZ: TIME TO END DEVS' SEASON

Been there, done that, with them, got the ring. The Rangers' leading scorer in these playoffs wants to put his old Devils buddies out of their misery - before they...

EBANKS COMMITTED TO USING 'PLAN B'

Devin Ebanks still has at least three colleges to visit after he plays in the Jordan Brand Classic tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. It's not exactly how the Long Island...

MASON ANXIOUS TO STORM INTO ACTION

When he went down for the third time last season with a sprained left ankle, Anthony Mason Jr. of St. John's did have that one moment when he asked, "Why...

MARIST HIRES MARTIN

Marist named former Memphis assistant Chuck Martin, a Bronx native, its head basketball coach yesterday. Martin, who helped lead the Tigers to the national title game this season, replaces Matt...

HOPKINS-CALZAGHE IS A BATTLE OF THE AGES

LAS VEGAS - When Joe Calzaghe handed Bernard Hopkins a walking cane at their press conference at Planet Hollywood on Wednesday, it was part gift, part needle and part symbolic....

HEARTBREAK KID

Despite a career that was mostly spent with the Montreal Expos, former catcher Gary Carter considers himself a Met and wanted to go into the Hall of Fame as one....

BEASTS OF THE EAST

FOR 82 games, NBA observers have been dribbling on themselves, riveted by the grandeur of the Western Conference's tightness and tenseness and fawning over the bunched-up top nine teams who've...

CALLS OF DUTY

Amid the speculation and rumblings about a possible trade of Jeremy Shockey, one aspect of the story has been reported accurately, according to Giants general manager Jerry Reese: The Giants...

DARREN DILEMMA

A gaggle of Jets assistant coaches squired Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, perhaps the most dynamic player available in next week's NFL Draft, around an ESPN "Wednesday Night Fights" boxing...

ISIAH'S ON WAY OUT, BUT STEPH MAY STAY

In his first meeting with new Knicks president Donnie Walsh, Stephon Marbury got no indication he's being shown the same exit door as Isiah Thomas, who will be removed officially...

STIFF NECK A BIG PAIN FOR CARLOS

It was a no-go for Carlos Beltran last night, as the All-Star center fielder wasn't in the lineup thanks to a stiff neck. But that didn't keep him from pinch-hitting...

FIGUEROA TAKESAMAZIN' JOURNEY

Nelson Figueroa was long gone by the time the Mets pulled out of last night's 14-inning, 3-2 win over the Nationals. He said he spent two-plus hours doing a lot...

EASLEY DOES IT

The Mets played on and on, with their bullpen and offense both delivering zeroes. But in the 14th inning last night at Shea Stadium, the Mets finally emerged triumphant, earning...

CONN JOB

Unlike the players who will compete, my focus does not have to be trained on tonight's Game 5 at the Rock in which the Rangers can knock the Devils right...

MOOSE COOKED

MIKE Mussina is from here on barred from The Rivalry. He can come as a spectator. He can sit in the dugout. He can wear his uniform. He just is...

A-ROD LEAVES ABREU HANGING

Because every move he makes is under a huge spotlight, Alex Rodriguez was asked last night why he doesn't shake hands, exchange fist knuckles or acknowledge Bobby Abreu when Abreu...

0-FER FOR GIAMBI

Maybe Jason Giambi should leave some bats behind this weekend to have Pope Benedict XVI perform an exorcism on them. There seems to be some evil spirits in them and...

MANNY SOX IT TO BOMBERS, AGAIN

The Yankees should give Manny Ramirez the finger. Actually, four of them every time he steps into the batter's box. In what can only be compared to your head feeling...

YANKEE KILLER DODGES A BULLET

Manny Ramirez not only avoided Kyle Farnsworth's 98-mph missile last night, he effortlessly dismissed the incident afterward. Though Ramirez isn't a psychic, he seemed inclined to believe the fastball Farnsworth...

FANS CHEER KYLE FOR BRUSHBACK

KYLE Farnsworth tried to take care of the Yankees' Manny Problem last night by buzzing a first-pitch fastball behind the head of the Yankee Killer in the top of the...

WEEKEND SUBWAY GUIDE

2 Uptown trains cease to run on normal route from Nevins Street and begin running on 5 line until 149th Street-Grand Concourse. Manhattan-bound trains run express from Franklin to Atlantic...

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK!

Here's a tale as messy as any of Jackson Pollock's famed splatter paintings. A world-renowned fingerprint analyst says a purported Pollock painting found in a Long Island garage is a...

FUROR AT STUDENT'S ABORT 'ART'

You can call it a miscarriage of art - but Yale calls it bogus. A shocking video featuring a Yale University student supposedly undergoing gruesome drug-induced miscarriages in a bathtub...

NEW KIND OF 'ROCK' STAR

Life became finger-flickin' good for Josh Cohen last night. The 24-year-old bartender earned a trip to Las Vegas, winning a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament at Josie Woods Pub in Greenwich...

SILDA MOURNS BROTHER-IN-LAW

Silda Spitzer is dealing with another heartache - her beloved brother-in-law has lost his long battle with cancer. The state's former first lady and Eliot Spitzer yesterday attended the funeral...

COURT OVERTURNS 'JUSTICE DELAYED' JUDGE'S RULING

A Brooklyn judge went too far when she adjourned a drug defendant's sentencing for nearly eight years - then let him go by dismissing the case, according to an appeals...

LAST CALL

The city that never sleeps is becoming the city that's going dry. The 4 a.m. closing time for bars and restaurants is facing its last call because community boards are...

FOXY GETS OUT OF THE HOLE TODAY

Foxy Brown is a free woman once more. After eight months in Rikers Island, the raunchy rapper, whose real name is Inga Marchand, will step out of jail today -...

JUDGE TO LI PATSY'S: PASTA NEW DOOR SIGN

The food fight goes on. Patsy's Pizzeria in Syosset, LI, was ordered to post a sign on its door stating, "We are not affiliated with Patsy's Italian Restaurant," Brooklyn federal...

PATERSON EYEING NEXT PA HEAD

Gov. Paterson is set to install his own appointee at the helm of the Port Authority after accepting Executive Director Anthony Shorris' resignation yesterday. The most prominent name mentioned so...

MAYOR WANTS BIDS ON PORK

Calling for a reforms in how the City Council doles out pork-barrel funds, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that large grants to nonprofit groups should be awarded only by competitive bidding....

TRASHY WTC SECURITY

It's a good thing Osama wasn't walking through SoHo yesterday morning. Two sets of confidential blueprints for the planned Freedom Tower, which is set to rise at Ground Zero, were...

NYERS CHEER CONGEST-FEE NIX

New Yorkers are glad that Mayor Bloomberg's $8 congestion fee is dead, a Quinnipiac poll yesterday showed. Fifty-six percent of suburban voters, 59 percent of city voters - who would...

AN ENROLL OF THE DICE FOR HARLEM KIDS

Parents of about 3,000 kids packed the Harlem Armory last night to participate in a lottery for just 600 coveted spots in the Harlem Success Academy, a charter school adding...

COP & A DIMWIT TELLER

It was an inside job. NYPD cop-turned-robber Christian Torres repeatedly hit Sovereign Bank branches because he had help from a friend who was a teller, federal prosecutors charged yesterday. Christina...

CATHEDRAL CAB BURSTS INTO FIERY INFERNO

On the day before Pope Benedict XVI's scheduled New York arrival, an exploding cab in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday gave cops a big-time security scare. But it turned...

PRIEST SEX VICTIMS BARE PAIN TO PONTIFF

Their tales of clergy sex abuse vary in the details, but they share the same sad common bond - and yesterday, the pope lent them an ear. In a surprise...

POPE ARRIVES IN NEW YORK CITY

Pope Benedict XVI started getting a taste of the Big Apple today after he arrived at JFK and headed straight to the UN where he is set to address the...

OY, THAT PASSOVER GIVES JEWS SUCH TSURIS!

During Passover, which begins tomorrow night, Jews gather in their homes and synagogues to observe the holiday - and in emergency rooms to recover from it. Doctors have noticed a...

'KIDDIE PERV' DJ ARRAIGNED

A wedding DJ from Queens is facing up to seven years behind bars for allegedly possessing and sharing kiddie porn - including an instructional video on how to sexually abuse...

MIKE CUTS CONEY IS. PARK SITE

In a last-ditch effort to restore Coney Island to its glory days, the Bloomberg administration has reduced the size of the fabled seaside strip's amusement district - a move that...

NJ GAS TAINTED

About 60 cars conked out on the Garden State Parkway last night after being filled up with a bad batch of gas. Some drivers were stranded for hours because of...

'PARALYZED' TRACK STAR WALKS

A college student and former track star will walk out of a Long Island hospital today - only months after being paralyzed in a car crash he thought would have...

BX. FIREMAN SAVES BABY FROM BLAZE

A firefighter saved an infant from the flames of a firebombed Bronx house yesterday after the panicked father came close to dropping the baby from an upper floor. Michael Tompkins,...

'SEX' POL IN DENIAL

In his first comments about his guilty plea to sex-abuse charges last month, former Queens City Councilman Dennis Gallagher told The Post yesterday he thought he would have been cleared...

PASSOVER GRANNY BUSTED IN AIRPORT SCUFFLE

A 74-year-old Holocaust survivor on her way to Rockland County to visit her family for Passover was arrested at a Florida airport for shoving a cop, authorities said yesterday. But...

BLOOMY BASHES BUSH

Teaming up with his favorite political partner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday bashed President Bush by saying "at least we'll have an adult in office" when his successor takes the...

CITY'S CRANE BLAME

The East Side building project where a crane collapsed, killing seven people, shouldn't have been granted a construction permit, the city admitted yesterday. Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster told angry City...

PUTI'S NEW CUTIE

Vladimir Putin may be leaving the Kremlin spotlight, but he's matching France's Nicolas Sarkozy in the trophy wife department. The 56-year-old Russian president is engaged to a 24-year-old model and...

O 'SWINGS' PAST MCCAIN

Barack Obama edges out John McCain in enough swing states to clinch the presidency, says a new Gallup Poll compilation. Obama averages a 4-point lead in states that were competitive...

10M VIEWERS 'IDOL'IZE DEMS

PHILADELPHIA - Wednesday night's televised debate between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama drew 10.7 million viewers - and even outdrew "American Idol" in four media markets, including Philadelphia, ABC...

RIVALS' COLBERT COMFORT

PHILADELPHIA - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama each made light-hearted guest appearances on the faux-news talk show "The Colbert Report" last night, getting laughs about a race that has...

OBAMA'S 'GOTCHA' GRIPE OVER DEBATE

Barack Obama yesterday called Wednesday's debate a "gotcha" game, and charged that Hillary Rodham Clinton was "in her element," while he was grilled on issues from his "bitter" comments to...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BrooklynPolice are asking the public for help in finding a Brownsville woman who disappeared from her apartment last week. Charlotte Hall, 64, described by police as mentally impaired, was last...

PA NEWS BLACKOUT DOWNRIGHT SINISTER

ON behalf of all Ground Zero-watchers, I'd like to thank the Port Authority for opening a new information portal to the public. The detailed Freedom Tower floor plans left in...

X-RATED X-RAY VISION

GO TO the airport. Get a cheap thrill. Folks who enjoy the full-body cavity search, rejoice! The people who protect our skies from terrorists, hijackers, and numbskulls who pack toiletries...

LOTTERY

NEW YORK Midday Nos. Thu.: 463; Lucky Sum: 13 / Midday Win-4 Thu.: 1860; Lucky Sum: 15 / Evening Nos. Thu.: 631; Lucky Sum: 10 / Evening Win- 4 Thu.:...

A-ROD A-COMIN'

Baseball's all-time home-run record has been carrying a heavy dose of tarnish ever since last fall, when Barry Bonds hit homer No. 756 amid wide speculation that his place atop...

OTB OR NO-TB?

Looks like Gov. Paterson has gotten the message that Mayor Bloomberg is really serious this time about shuttering the Off-Track Betting Corp. for good. Even as OTB began mailing out...

THE POPE IN NEW YORK

The key to understanding Pope Benedict XVI, it's been said, is to listen carefully. True or not, New Yorkers will certainly get their chance this weekend, as the spiritual leader...

THE CATHOLIC VOTE

EVEN as Pope Benedict XVI tours the United States, Catholic voters are emerging as a crucial swing vote in the presidential election. In Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton knows...

ITALY'S CONSERVATIVE COMEBACK

IS the European elite's hatred of Silvio Berlusconi preventing a proper understanding of the significance of this week's Italian general election? The question isn't fanciful. Much of the media in...

NY'S SECRET BUILDING BOOM

For all the economic doom and gloom we've been hearing, private-sector construc tion has been going gangbusters. But with several big-ticket public construction projects teetering, the question is: Will New...

A JOB FOR MIKE

EVERYONE is wondering about Michael Bloomberg's plans after leaving office. He won't run for prez, but what about veep? Gov? Or Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, should she (somehow) become president?...

NO MORE DO-OVERS FOR TERMED-OUT POLS

THE ISSUE: Rumors that Mayor Bloomberg wants to run for a third term as mayor. Mayor Bloomberg apparently hasn't learned from his defeats ("Third Term Mike," April 13). Like most...

HILL TO BILL: LIAR, LAY LOW

THE ISSUE: Bill Clinton's inaccurate description of his wife's trip to Bosnia in 1996. I don't know if what Hillary told Bill is going to work - Bill Clinton has...

GOOGLE SOARS

After taking a beating this year, Google is back in the good graces of Wall Street. The Internet giant released first-quarter results late yesterday that beat analysts' estimates, defying fears...

TAKE-TWO SHAREHOLDERS REJECT EA'S OFFER

Electronic Arts' hostile pursuit of rival Take-Two Interactive suffered a setback last night, as shareholders of the "Grand Theft Auto" maker approved a compensation package for management and supported the...

YAHOO! SETS UP M'SOFT DEFENSE

Yahoo! hopes the threat of a search deal with Google and the prospect of strong first-quarter earnings next week will force Microsoft to raise its offer before going fully hostile....

RUMORS SWIRLING OVER A COURIC MEMOIR

KATIE Couric may be plagued by low ratings and rumblings that she will exit her anchor chair at CBS, but in the book publishing world, she is still golden. Given...

CLIVE TAKES A DIVE

In a move that sent shockwaves through the music industry, SonyBMG last night announced a series of executive changes that included stripping Clive Davis of his chairman and CEO post...

BOVE IS BULLISH ON BATTERED BANKING

On the heels of billionaire investor Wilbur Ross announcing on Wednesday that he was raising some $4 billion to gobble up hobbled banks, one prominent Wall St. analyst is aiming...

MERRILL'S PAIN

John Thain sees relief by the depths of next winter from Merrill Lynch's wipeout - but this spring, it will cost 4,000 people their jobs. The chief of Merrill yesterday...

LINENS 'N THINGS PONDERS OPTIONS

An investment bank hired by Linens 'n Things said the struggling home-furnishings chain may be downsized, sold or both as it restructures its business. The Clifton, NJ-based retailer said yesterday...

INVESTORS TALK UP OIL, COMMODITIES

With talk of oil hitting $125 a barrel, and records snapping almost daily in grains and metals, smart money thinks the swollen commodities bubble is about to pop. Several major...

TIMES REPORTS RED INK

New York Times Co. reported a surprise first-quarter loss yesterday, as the weakening economy placed pressure on already sagging ad sales. The results came on the heels of efforts by...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Florida baby sitter was busted for allegedly teaching the kids in her care a drinking game that almost killed a 12-year-old girl. Police say that Nicole Russell, 18, was...

AN 'AFFAIR' TO REMEMBER, A MUSICAL OF NOTE

HUMOR, yes, but humanity? That's rare in a Broadway musical. When it does come along - as it did last night, when "A Catered Affair" opened at the Walter Kerr...

DRAMATIC CONCLUSION

A member of the Drama Desk nominating committee has left his post, charging in a stinging resignation letter that the committee chair woman, theater critic Barbara Siegel, is "an imminent...

IT'S SMOOTH SAILING FOR POP SINGER

TODAY'S pop is tomorrow's nostalgia. Look no farther than Christopher Cross' debut at the Café Carlyle. This singer/songwriter was a sensation in 1979, when his self-titled album nabbed five Grammys,...

FORESIGHT FROM FORSYTHE

TEN years ago, the idea of the Kirov presenting an entire evening of works by ballet's bad boy, William Forsythe, as it did at City Center Tuesday night, would have...

ANOTHER 'DANCING' TALK SHOW HOST

MARISSA Jaret Winokur, meet Ricki Lake. Winokur, the "Dancing with the Stars" favorite who starred in Broadway's "Hairspray," has inked a deal to host a talk show - much like...

HOW 'LOST' LOST 2 HRS.

THE producers of "Lost" were forced to ditch an entire storyline this season thanks to the 100-day Writers Guild strike. Two episodes of the popular ABC drama had to be...

KATIE WANTS OUT - AND NOW WE KNOW WHY

KATIE Couric's well-docu mented doubts about staying much longer as "CBS Evening News" anchor are apparently tied to more bad ratings news. The ratings slide that began when she started...

'KING' OF THE APES

'NATURE," one of PBS' most enduring and en dearing series, has a show on Sunday night that you simply should not miss if you are at all a, er, nature...

STARR REPORT

At least for now ... OK, so now Paula Abdulwill perform on the "Today" show, after canceling her original April 25 live perform ance (part of the show's sum mer...

KICK BUTT, DROP NAMES

THE martial arts fantasy "Forbidden Kingdom" is chop-socky bordering on chop-schlocky, but it's good-natured myth-making cut into kid-size pieces. Rising star Michael Angarano plays a South Boston teen named Jason...

TONGUE-IN-GEEK

I have to admit that in at least one way, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" represents an advance in the geek-comedy universe of Judd Apatow. Instead of the usual flabby guys running...

IT'S 87 TOO LONG

'88 Minutes" holds you in a state of acute suspense, keeping you wondering until the very last minute whether this is the worst Al Pacino movie ever made. It's on...

STOP, OR I'LL DISCUSS ART

A serial-killer flick told like an art lecture, "Anamorph" manages to be gruesome yet dull. Willem Dafoe plays an NYPD detective haunted by memories of a serial-killer case from five...

THE FIRST SATURDAY IN MAY

A labor of love by brothers John and Brad Henne gan, "The First Saturday in May" follows six trainers who are trying to defy the odds to get their horses...

PRISON TEACHES KILLER A HARD (PIANO) LESSON

THE campy German drama "Four Minutes," written and directed by Chris Kraus, has it all: Nazis, lesbians, women behind bars and the music of Robert Schumann. The setting is a...

NAKED AND THE UNDEAD

'ZOMBIE Strippers" not only boasts the best title since "Snakes on a Plane," it's also the first horror movie to directly reference the war in Iraq. It's set during the...

IT'S ILL-CONCEIVED

A fine performance by Evan Rachel Wood is wasted on "The Life Before Her Eyes," an overwrought and patently offensive anti- abortion drama from the director of the accomplished "House...

YOUNG YAKUZA

MRS. Wantanabe has a prob lem. Her 20-year-old son, Naoki, is a jobless troublemaker who spends most of his time vegging out at home. Hoping to give the pockmarked youth...

CONSTANTINE'S SWORD

JAMES Carroll, a Roman Cath olic priest turned husband and father, wrote the 2001 book "Constantine's Sword," in which he tackled alleged anti-Semitism by Christianty. (The Jews killed Christ, etc.)...

WEEKEND HOT PICKS AND ENTERTAINMENT

A LEMMON TWIST April 20 - Film Nobody doesn't like "Some Like It Hot," Billy Wilder's precious 1959 comedy. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon don wigs and dresses and join...

BROADWAY

"AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY": *** It's a long day's journey into September - well over three hours - but Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is eviscerating melodrama. Imperial Theatre, 249 W....

LONG-RUNNING

"AVENUE Q": *** John Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St.; (212) 239-6200. "CHICAGO": **** Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th St.; (212) 239-6200. "A CHORUS LINE": **½ Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. 236...

OFF-BROADWAY

ADDING MACHINE": *** ½ A powerful chamber-music theater adaptation of Elmer Rice's 1923 Expressionist classic. Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane; (212) 307-4100. "ALMOST AN EVENING": Three new comic plays...

POP, ROCK, FOLK

PAT BENATAR: This tough cookie with a long history brings her rocking '80s sound and hubbie/guitarist Neil Giraldo (along with the rest of her backing band) for Sunday and Tuesday...

JAZZ

BIRDLAND: Tonight and tomorrow: Cesar Camargo Mariano, Harry Allan, Joao Bosco and others play the BossaBrasil Festival. Lineup at birdlandjazz.com. 315 W. 44th St.; (212) 581-3080. BLUE NOTE: Tuesday through...

CLASSICAL

AVERY FISHER HALL: American Symphony Orchestra performs "New Italian Renaissance" featuring the U.S. premiere of Gian Francesco Malipiero's "Pause del Silenzio," tonight at 8. On Wednesday, pianist Andre Watts (subbing...

CABARET

FEINSTEIN'S: Monday: Michael Feinstein hosts a star-studded tribute to Kitty Carlisle Hart. 540 Park Ave.; (212) 339-4095. METROPOLITAN ROOM: Tonight and tomorrow: Julie Wilson. 3 W. 22nd St.; (212) 206-4400....

DANCE

DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP:Sean Curran Company presents "Aria/Apology," a program inspired by Curran's work as an opera choreographer, Tuesday through April 16. 219 W. 19th St.; (212) 924-0077. JOYCE THEATER:Ballet Tech...

FILM

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES: For nearly 20 years, filmmaker and Anthology founder Jonas Mekas carried around a 16mm Bolex and produced the film "Walden" (1969), which includes impromptu appearances from Allen...

FAIRS, FESTS, ETC...

CALLING PLANET EARTH: The fifth annual EarthFair startstoday at noon at Grand Central, featuringfree musical performances, various "green" vendors and an art exhibit with works by Warhol and Haring. Vanderbilt...

PREVIEWS

"THE COUNTRY GIRL": Mike Nichols directs Frances McDormand, Morgan Freeman and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' tale of a troubled actor trying to regain his form. Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre,...

RUTGERS REPORTEDLY LANDS STUD QB TOM SAVAGE

By BRIAN LEWISRutgers will be playing its 139th year of college football, and never have the Scarlet Knights landed a prospect as ballyhooed as Tom Savage. That looks like it’s...