May 23, 2004

'INCUBATOR' ROCKERS -HOT ACT MAROON 5 IS BACKED BY WALL ST.

It may appear that rock sensation Maroon 5 burst out of nowhere. But the band's recent success is the result of nearly three years of steady hand-holding by an unlikely...

CARTER VS. CARTER - MEDIA ELITE BRAWL FUELED BY SCANDAL, BITTERNESS

Just as the controversy surrounding embattled Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter was about to die down last week, he was hit by a new broadside - a scathing editorial in...

TOO-FAT CATS; DOMESTIC FELINES DON'T GET ENOUGH EXERCISE

According to a report prepared by the National Research Council, as many as one-fourth of cats and dogs in the Western world are overweight. But dogs go out to exercise;...

CHOOSING COLORS FAIR AND SQUARE

WORLD-CLASS players don't flip coins to determine who plays the white pieces when they start a game. Nor do they follow the other traditions of amateur chess to decide who...

A GRANT SLAM

THIS year is the 100th anniversary of the birth, in Bristol, England, of Archibald Alexander Leach - better know as Cary Grant. To mark the occasion, the Ameri can Museum...

PRINCESS DIANA - DIANA DEGARNO BEAT THE DIVAS AND NOW SHE COULD BE THE NEXT 'AMERICAN IDOL'

MAY the best woman win. That's the idea behind this week's "American Idol" finale in which a new "AI" champion will be crowned as the series' third made-by-television superstar. But...

TV SOB STORIES RECALL TASTELESS '50S SHOWS

If it wasn't for Ed Norton, I might never have heard of "Strike It Rich." This was a tasteless TV show from the early '50s in which contestants with a...

THE SWAN - BEAUTY PAGEANT OF NIPS AND TUCKS

LOVE it or hate it, "The Swan'' has nipped and tucked its way into the reality-TV pantheon. And now comes the final incision: a beauty pageant of surgically enhanced babes...

FAKING THE VIDEO - CELEBS DUPE KIDS ON HIDDEN-CAMERA SHOW

After the success of "Punk'd," in which improv actors played pranks on celebrities, MTV decided to let the celebs in on the joke. The result? "Faking the Video," a six-week,...

SHOWMANCES - CAN LOVE SURVIVE REALITY-TV?

WHEN "Survivor All Stars" contestant Rob Mariano proposed to Amber Brkich on TV last week, viewers all over the country were brought to tears. In a game where you have...

IMUS CLEANS UP HIS ACT FOR BIG SHOTS

LISTENING to a circumspect Don Imus interviewing Sen. John McCain, then Sen. John Kerry, last week on his MSNBC/WFAN simulcast, it struck us that Imus should treat some of these...

HOT LIST - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK

Fleet Week All the cute, baby-faced sailors hit the streets of New York this week, inevitably sticking close to Midtown and never getting their starch-white uniforms sullied. It kicks off...

'THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW' - TAKING CITY BY STORM

ROLAND Emmerich was worried about setting his global-warming disaster movie "The Day after Tomorrow" in New York - after all, he wondered, can people stand to see buildings fall and...

IRISH BEACH BOYS - SURFING U.S.A. WITH THE THRILLS, DUBLIN'S HOT ROCKERS

It seems no matter where they're from, today's rock bands sound like Joy Division or Gang of Four. Now meet the Thrills, an Irish band that sounds more like the...

HEAR THIS

IN CONCERT They may be born-again Christians, but SoCal rap-metal P.O.D. isn't a Christian band. Catch them at Roseland Ballroom on Tuesday. Andrew W.K. will be headbanging with his fans...

THIS WEEK'S CDS

Everlast "White Trash Beautiful" * * * (three stars) Island Even though Everlast doesn't break out the banjos and yodel on his latest album, "White Trash Beautiful," the disc heads...

THIS GIRL'S LIFE - WITH HER NEW CD, TEEN QUEEN AVRIL LAVIGNE IS OLDER AND WISER

Her songs of defiance and individuality set Avril Lavigne up in the role as music's Britney slayer when her 2002 album, "Let Go," charged up the charts, eventually selling more...

JOHNNY CRASH - THE MAN IN BLACK WAS THE REAL DEAL, FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Fans and critics of Johnny Cash have long placed a hubcap halo over the country music legend's Mount Rushmore-size head, canonizing him as a dark angel who walked the straight...

POWER TO THE PEEBLES - A DEVOTED SON GIVES PROPS TO POP IN HOMAGE TO DAD'S '70S FLICK

History has a way of repeating itself in the Van Peebles filmmaking family. When Melvin Van Peebles was making his landmark black indie, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," in 1971, funds...

THIS WEEK'S MOVIES

RAISING HELEN New mom Kate Hudson stars in this Garry Marshall romantic comedy about a successful single Manhattan gal who "inherits" her sister's three kids when she's killed in a...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - FIT FARRAH'S GOT A NEW OUTLOOK ON LIFE

I did it. I passed the finish line. People haven't stopped congratulating me, my body is in the best shape of my life and my fiancé can't keep his hands...

JUST OPENED

Bogart's 99 Park Ave. (at 39th Street) (212) 922-9244Appetizers: $10 Entrees: $15 A 21-foot round bar of California walnut takes center stage at this bi-level newcomer that doles out tapas...

QUICK BITES - THE TASTIEST EVENTS THIS WEEK

SPEARHEADS: A few times a year Blue Hill chefs Dan Barber and Juan Cuevas intensify their mission to serve local, seasonal ingredients by focusing on just one for one night...

LAST WEEK'S PLAYERS

Last week, Jackie chose Jonathan - even though our readers thought she should have chosen Lorenzo. They went to Taj, a hip Indian restaurant, and the conversation was promising -...

MEET MARKET - THE PLACE WHERE THE POST HOOKS YOU UP AND SENDS YOU OUT

Party Photog Seeks Picture-Perfect Galpal Welcome back to the Sunday New York Post's exciting dating game. Last week, Dave went out with Kate, a feisty restaurant hostess. They had a...

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I hate to sound like a type who can't stand change, but my neighborhood, the Meatpacking District, has gotten completely out of control. Not so long ago, I felt like...

PAIRS NOW IN SEASON

LITTLE Lizzie Jagger and Sean Lennon have been busy all week proving they are definitely still a couple. And they're not the only ones - everywhere you look, someone's hooking...

ACTING FOR EVA - SUSAN SARANDON'S DAUGHTER STEPS OUT ON HER OWN

While the average person's childhood is defined by memories of home, Eva Amurri's strongest recollections are of movie sets. That's because mom Susan Sarandon's version of Bring Your Daughter to...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A family dog survived five weeks at the bottom of a 30-foot deep pit in the California desert. Stephen Schwartz was hiking with his family in Death Valley National Park...

SUBWAY 'THRAX SEX LAWSUIT

Three female transit workers have filed a multimillion-dollar claim against the city, saying they were sexually harassed by members of an FDNY Hazardous Materials unit following an anthrax scare on...

KIDS' CUFF KINK ; RAUNCHY 'SEX BRACELET' FAD HITS CITY SCHOOLS

"I told her about the birds and the bees, but this is too much."PARENT MICHELLE STECHER A bizarre new kids' sex craze is sweeping the city's elementary schools. Girls as...

CHUCK AIRS RADIO PLAN

Police, firefighters and EMTs should adapt military communication techniques and technology when responding to emergencies, Sen. Chuck Schumer said yesterday. Schumer is introducing a bill to establish a new agency...

MOORE MERRIER AT CANNES

CANNES, France - Director Michael Moore's Bush-bashing "Fahrenheit 9/11" won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, for best film last night at the Cannes film festival. "What have you done?...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

QUEENS *** A man was critically wounded early yesterday when a gunman opened fire upon him as he stood at Jamaica intersection, police said. The victim, 24, whose name was...

SAD FAREWELL TO MURDERED CANADIAN

Grieving friends and family bid a tearful goodbye yesterday to the Canadian woman whose bullet-riddled body was found in a Queens Dumpster. Stacy-Ann Sappleton, who was in the city making...

HARLEM BABY KILLED IN PARENTAL HORROR

A 3-month-old Harlem infant found malnourished, dehydrated and with several broken bones last week was beaten to death by his parents, cops said yesterday Colesvinton Florestal, 27, and his 20-year-old...

TRAGIC LOST SECONDS; LADDER CO. AWAY AS FATAL B'KLYN FIRE RAGED

The Brooklyn fire unit that would have been the first to respond to the horrific blaze that killed a couple and their two grandchildren was out of service for the...

CAR-HIT BOY CLINGING TO LIFE

A 10-year-old boy was fighting for his life yesterday after he ran out into a Brooklyn street and was hit by a car, cops said. The tragic mishap occurred around...

TERM-LIMITED POLS PUTTING $QUEEZE ON LOBBYISTS

LOBBYISTS are being bombarded with an un precedented number of solicitations from elected officials desperate to fill their campaign treasuries before term limits forces them to pack. "It's getting out...

TRIAL IS SET FOR MAFIA'S BIG JOEY

A reputed Bonanno boss who climbed the ranks alongside John Gotti - but worked to avoid the spotlight so relished by his flashier pal - is set to begin his...

AMUSEMENT PARK OUTING TURNS TRAGIC FOR GIRL, 7

A 7-year-old girl was tragically killed yesterday at Rye Playland while enjoying what apparently was one of her favorite rides, a park official said. The unidentified child had spent all...

SUICIDE TRY AT MACY'S ; 'SHOPLIFTER' HANGS SELF

A shoplifter was clinging to life last night after he tried to hang himself inside a holding cell at Macy's flagship Herald Square store, officials said. The alleged shoplifter, identified...

STOMACH STAPLING DOES IN GRANDMA

Sonia Nieves was excited about the stomach-stapling surgery she believed would downsize her 340-pound body, improve her health and give her more energy to chase her 2-year-old granddaughter. "Her dream...

DA DRUG-BUSTERS: FEDS RIPPING US OFF

Local prosecutors are steamed that the feds are hijacking a new anti-drug strike force - which will use $2 million of state money to prosecute drug dealers in federal court....

SHORE SHOT: F & Q TRAINS BACK

The F and Q trains return today to the terminal station on the Coney Island line for the first time in nearly two years. Service at the Stillwell Avenue stop...

EX-FOLLOWERS RIP 'SLEAZY' SRI

Charges of sexual exploitation are being leveled against a Queens-based guru who has presided over a worldwide spiritual empire for nearly 40 years, The Post has learned. The 72-year-old Chinmoy...

'ARMY' GIRDS FOR GAY WAR

The Salvation Army could be marching out of New York. The evangelical nonprofit organization is facing a major showdown with the city over a bill that would force it to...

AIRLINE $TICKING IT TO 9/11 KIN

Outraged 9/11 relatives are threatening to boycott American Airlines after its lawyers asked a judge to dismiss negligence lawsuits against the carrier - and make the victims' families pay its...

TRAGIC LOST SECONDS; LADDER CO. AWAY AS FATAL FIRE RAGED

The Brooklyn fire unit that would have been the first to respond to the horrific blaze that killed a couple and their two grandchildren was out of service for the...

PUFFED-UP POL DIDDY ; HE'LL RAP THE VOTE ON MTV TALK SHOW

Puffy's going political. He's run the New York City Marathon. He's starred on Broadway. Now he wants to challenge George W. Bush and John Kerry - on a new TV...

PAL'S ANGUISH IN BISCUIT 'CHASE' - HOW TEENS' FOOD RUN TURNED FATAL

They were hungry, so they went for burgers. It had started out as a typical Sunday night for the five Staten Island teens who grew up together in the close-knit...

HEDDA: I'LL FLEE ONCE EVIL JOEL GETS SPRUNG

Hedda Nussbaum - the ex-lover of infamous child killer and abuser Joel Steinberg - will go into hiding when he's released from prison within weeks. After serving 16 years at...

BLAME DEAD KID'S DRIVER - NOT OUR SONS, FATHERS SAY

The parents of two young men charged with menacing five teenagers have spoken out, blaming the accidental death of a 16-year-old on the reckless driving of his friend. The fathers...

MEYER EYES NEW YORK

MEYER BERGER'S NEW YORK BY MEYER BERGER FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS, 356 PAGES, $20 MOST newspaper stories are written on sand, doomed to be erased from readers' memories by the tide...

COURT COP KILLED IN CLUB SHOOTING

One moonlighting Westchester court officer was shot dead and another was wounded early yesterday at a Queens strip club when a man bounced from the establishment for fighting returned and...

HEINZ AIDS HUBBY'S CAMPAIGN ON THE 'FLY'

WASHINGTON - Teresa Heinz Kerry earned more than $100,000 last year on her Flying Squirrel charter jet - which her husband's presidential campaign used to the tune of nearly $300,000,...

GIFFIE TAKES HEAT FOR CITY HALL 'MAIL FRAUD'

A letter-writing campaign organized by City Council Speaker Gifford Miller has come under fire because, while Mayor Bloomberg is the target of the effort, respondents are asked to send their...

SLEAZY DOES IT - NEW ANTI-BUSH AD MARS LADY LIBERTY

Republicans close to President Bush are fuming over an advertisement featuring a hooded Statue of Liberty and calling for the firing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld - even though the...

COKE KICKS CARB - TASTE TESTERS TOAST TWEAKED FORMULA

It may not be the real thing, but Coca-Cola C2, a new low-calorie, low-carb version of Coca-Cola Classic, tastes a lot better than Diet Coke and about the same as...

CAMPUS CANCER CONCERN

The most beautiful college campus in America is now studying a deadly presence on its grounds. Brooklyn College - once voted the most beautiful campus in America by Princeton Review...

AMAZIN'S NOT PITCHING IN - STARTING ROTATION NEEDS NEW BLOOD

"ANYTHING can happen," Art Howe, the all-knowing, all-seeing, if not always all-truth-telling visitor from the East (Bay) who manages the Mets said yesterday afternoon. Indeed, last night Kaz Matsui hit...

BETHANY FINALLY EARNS LIB SPOT

Bethany Donaphin expected to be drafted when she left Stanford two years ago, but wasn't. She was eventually invited to try out for the Liberty, but didn't make the team....

PICKING UP THE PACERS ; REGGIE'S WINNING TREY A BLAST FROM THE PAST

EASTERN FINALS / GAME 1Pacers 78Pistons 74 INDIANAPOLIS - When Reggie Miller, making like old times, won last night's Eastern Conference Finals opener with a late 3-pointer, the only thing...

WANTED: CLUB MEMBERS

N.Y. GOLF OK, you want to join a private golf club but don't know where to go. Call Country Club Advisor. Yep, there's a matchmaker out there pairing up lonesome...

BURNITZ MAKING IMPACT

The fastball that ricocheted off the Jeromy Burnitz' head in the second inning last night made an ugly sound. The unintentional pellet from Tyler Yates cracked off Burnitz' helmet and...

HALL'S BARRETT HAS CAUGHT ISIAH'S INTEREST

Though the Knicks have no first-round pick, they began pre-draft workouts last week, with Seton Hall point guard Andre Barrett the headliner. Isiah Thomas has one second-round pick - 43rd...

METS' MR. WRIGHT; HOJO & CARTER SEE BRIGHT FUTURE AT 3B

BINGHAMTON - David Wright knows all about the futility of the Mets' farm system over the past decade. Growing up in Chesapeake, Va., Wright got a first-hand look at Mets...

PHIL IN THE BLANKS - JASON STARTING TO HIT FOR METS

When Jason Phillips comes up to the plate, the scoreboard flashes his season totals. But the Mets catcher/first baseman has not averted his eyes from the numbers up there. "It...

METS HAVE BASES FOR CONCERN

MET NOTES You dream of the bases being loaded. It's the ideal spot. If you're a pitcher who's facing the Mets, that is. The Mets played 42 games this year...

LADIES' DAY AT ST. ANDREWS - LPGA GETS FIRST SWING ON OLD COURSE

The Ladies Professional Golf Association took a giant leap forward when it was announced at the inaugural meeting of the World Congress of Women's Golf at the Waldorf-Astoria that the...

PISTONS MUST PASS ARTEST ; PRIDE OF QUEENSBRIDGE CORNERSTONE OF PACERS' 'D'

INDIANAPOLIS - Tayshaun Prince, the Pistons' struggling young small forward, goes from the frying pan to the fire, from Richard Jefferson to New York native Ron Artest, the Reigning Defensive...

'RED' ALL ABOUT IT! 'SMARTY' WOWS CROWD AT PHILLY

BENSALEM, Pa. - Eat your heart out, Secretariat. Even at the height of his popularity, "Big Red" never raised the roof like Smarty Jones did yesterday at Philadelphia Park. The...

THIS BULLPEN'S A TIRED ACT - STARTERS AREN'TDOING THEIR JOB

TYLER Yates, who pitched his way back to the minors less than two weeks ago, returned to the mound at Shea last night. Taking the turn of Al Leiter, Yates...

RASHEED GUARANTEES GAME 2 WIN

PLAYOFF NOTES INDIANAPOLIS - Rasheed Wallace was quick and to the point following the Pacers' 78-74 victory. The Pistons forward wouldn't take questions, he only wanted to make a guarantee....

CAMERON DEALS WITH THE PAIN

These days, with a third-degree sprain and a partial tear of the ligaments between his right ring and pinkie fingers, Mike Cameron has more incentive to make contact than most...

SUMMER STEAMS KIDD ; WON'T BLAME BUM KNEE FOR PLAYOFF OUSTING

To the world at large, and to the Nets in particular, left knee surgery sounds like a looming course of action for Jason Kidd. About the only one declining to...

PRICES HIGH FOR K-MART

There is a possibility, if not quite a probability, that the Nets' Game 7 loss to Detroit on Thursday might have been Kenyon Martin's last in a Net uniform. CEO...

SHERRI CATCHES BECKY ; TIES MORGAN FOR SYBASE LEAD

Moving Day yesterday in the third round of the LPGA Sybase Classic was more like Melting Day with the ladies' fair share of meltdowns under the muggy course conditions at...

PURGE DELETES PETER PAN FIELD

Purge had to chase Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones in his first two stakes attempts. Purge found the competition in yesterday's Peter Pan more to his liking, crushing...

SURPRISE TWIST - TURNED ANKLE EARNS GIAMBI FIRST TRIP TO DL

ARLINGTON - Given his choice, Jason Giambi would rather Joe Torre had waited a couple of days before putting Giambi on the shelf. But the Yankee cleanup hitter's plea fell...

SURPRISE TWIST; SPRAINED ANKLE EARNS GIAMBI 1ST TRIP TO DL

"[Putting him on the DL is] probably the safest thing to do."JOE TORRE ARLINGTON - Given his choice, Jason Giambi would rather Joe Torre had waited a couple of days...

JETER'S WOES STILL A-MYSTERY

YANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - Joe Torre doesn't know the exact reason Derek Jeter enters today hitting .190, but he is sure of one thing: Jeter isn't jealous of all the...

CONTRERAS RETURNS TO MOUND IN STYLE

"I knew I was going to come back and pitch a good game."JOSE CONTRERAS ARLINGTON - Billy Connors and Gordon Blakeley slept well last night. Even though Tom Gordon flushed...

GONE IN A FLASH ; BARAJAS HR OFF GORDON WASTES JOSE'S SOLID DAY

Rangers 4Yankees 3 ARLINGTON - Disappointment covered his face while an ice pack smothered his right shoulder. Sitting in front of his locker, Tom Gordon looked as bad as he...

JETER'S STRUGGLES STILL A-MYSTERY

YANKEE NOTES ARLINGTON - Joe Torre doesn't exactly know why Derek Jeter is batting .190 but he is sure of one thing: the Yankees' shortstop isn't jealous of Alex Rodriguez....

LOOPER AVERTS JEERS

Even as a Marlin in Miami, Braden Looper heard the boos Armando Benitez used to receive at Shea. In a way he felt bad for Benitez, because he knew the...

GETTIN' WIGGY WITH IT ; TY'S HR IN 8TH TOPS ROCKIES

Mets 5Rockies 4A s s o o n a s i t l e f t h i s b a t , T y W i g g i...

REYES ON TRACK FOR WEEKEND RETURN

MET NOTES Another day, another step toward the return of Jose Reyes. The Mets second baseman continued his comeback last night, playing seven innings for St. Lucie against the Palm...

CORLEY NO MATCH FOR MAYWEATHER ; OSCAR: I'LL FIGHT, BEAT HOPKINS

ATLANTIC CITY - Floyd Mayweather said he hurt his left shoulder in training camp and his right hand in the fourth round. Neither injury was enough to keep him from...

CATCH IT AGAIN: LIOTTA WASN'T CLUELESS; HE JUST COULDN'T HIT LIKE SHOELESS JOE

Why did the makers of "Field of Dreams" turn Shoeless Joe Jackson around at the plate and in the field? Jackson batted lefty and threw righty - but in the...

PIAZZA'S GOTTEN NO HOMER HELP IN LA, AT SHEA

Besides having to endure all the normal wear and tear associated with his position to set the major league homer record for catchers, Mike Piazza also has had to face...

THESE GUYS ARE THE REAL STEAL

WE'VE heard from fellow fantasy players that teams leading in the forgotten fantasy categories - saves and stolen bases - are starting to run away with their leagues. It makes...

'MERIT' HEADS KINGSTON FIELD

After beating open company optional claimers in his first start off a six-month layoff last out, Quantum Merit leads a field of 10 N.Y.-breds in the $100,000 Kingston Handicap today...

WIGGY TO THE RESCUE; TY'S HR IN 8TH TOPS ROCKIES

Mets 5Rockies 4 As soon as it left his bat, Ty Wigginton put his fist in the air. He knew. He knew what the Mets knew, what the Rockies knew,...

DONE IN DIXIE - END OF THE LINE FOR ATLANTA'S INCREDIBLE STREAK

PROCEED with caution. This is my annual column deeming the Braves dead before Memorial Day. This exercise has taken on a fairly routine form. I notice Atlanta playing horribly. I...

TO WOLVES, HE'S NOT MR. WONDER-PHIL - JAX'S SWEEP DREAMS MAY BE MINNY NIGHTMARE

HOW about Phil Jackson talking some not-so-subtle smack after the Lakers apprehended home court advantage in the opener against the Timberwolves? Said his team was now in position to win...

CATCH IT AGAIN: 15TH-ANNIVERSARY 'FIELD OF DREAMS' DVD: IF YOU WATCH IT, YOU WILL STILL CRY

ADMIT it, you cried when you first saw "Field of Dreams." When that baseball was being tossed back and forth between Ray Kinsella and his dad on that heavenly Iowa...

'CAN'T BUY A COMPUTER A DRINK' - IBO BELT BEFITTING OF A CHAMP

ANTONIO Tarver not only regained the WBC light- heavyweight championship when he knocked out Roy Jones Jr. in Las Vegas on May 15, he also captured the IBO belt as...

HEAD TO HEAD

Lenn Robbins and Mike Vaccaro, who will cover the Summer Olympics in Athens for The Post, lock horns over whether the United States Anti-Doping Agency should be able to ban...

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT! TELL RADIO LISTENERS WHEN SLUGGERS DON'T RUN 'EM OUT

MODERNIZE! Contemporize! The game isn't played the way it used to be played, thus it's high time radio's baseball broadcasters begin to tell us what's really going on down there....

LONG OVERDUE - TIME TO RETIRE NUMBERS OF KEITH & KING

TWENTY years ago this month, they teamed up to breathe life into franchises that had been left for dead on the New York landscape, injecting hope and energy and passion...

WHERE GIANTS ROAMES - FORTY YEARS AFTER WRECKING BALL, LEGENDS OF POLO GROUNDS LIVE ON

FRANCIS Giles stands on the sidewalk of 154th Street, pointing to a spot in the distance. "It was right over there," he says. He points toward a small playground where...

IT'S JUST PLEAU WRONG - GM PLAYING POLITICS IN PUTTING TOGETHER USA TEAM

BOBBY Holik is a naturalized U.S. citizen, an American of his own choosing since 1996, but he's not Yankee Doodle Dandy enough to satisfy the Hockey USA establishment that excluded...