Where Republicans erred

The Issue: Predictions suggesting Mitt Romney would beat President Obama in the Nov. 6 election.

***

What John Podhoretz's column mentions about the failure of the Republican Party to motivate its base is correct ("My Election Mistake," PostOpinion, Nov. 27).

Somehow, despite all of the "we can't have four more years of President Obama" talk heard in the streets, he beat Mitt Romney despite winning fewer popular and electoral votes than when he beat Sen. John McCain in 2008.

Romney, despite his personal success, did not come across as the man to lead. I am puzzled as to why the GOP cannot find a potential leader in its ranks.

Ray Hackinson

Ozone Park

Podhoretz writes that Obama's "ideas are wrong and have proved unworkable."

Which ideas were those — the ones that brought us back from the brink of global economic Armageddon?

For what should the American electorate forgive him — making hard choices to clean up the fiscal mess left by George W. Bush?

Podhoretz makes the myopic mistake of underestimating the intelligence of the majority and caring about nothing but driving this good man from office.

If he takes off the conservative blinders, perhaps he will see.

Michael Valente

San Clemente, Calif.

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For shame!

The United Nations yesterday irrevocably repudiated the principles upon which it was founded some seven decades ago as the world emerged from a genocidal war vowing "never again."

Ostensibly, of course, the General Assembly voted merely to upgrade the status of "the state of Palestine" — which doesn't in fact exist and which isn't likely to, in any real sense, for some time to come.

But the vote was a giant step toward UN recognition of such a thing — that is to say, the creation of a Turtle Bay bolthole for the agglomeration of terrorists, Islamists, cutthroats, thieves and backstabbers who now animate Palestinian politics.

AP

Turkey's Ahmet Davutoglu hugs Mahmoud Abbas after the UN vote

In so doing, the UN lowered its own status — at least in the eyes of folk who believe in what's supposed to be the once-upon-a-time honorable body's core values: global peace, security, the rule of law, negotiation.

And in the eyes of those — like us (and even the UN itself, ostensibly) — who think the state of Israel has a right to exist.

What a disgrace: By extending its "Non-member Observer" label to an entity it unilaterally calls "Palestine," a world body that arose from the ashes of the Second World War and was looked to in desperation to ensure global peace has lent its prestige to a movement bent on the extermination of a peaceful, democratic state: Israel.

Or such prestige as remains, that is. The United Nations has been traveling down this road for some time now.

Let's be clear.

One can always hope for the eventual emergence of a Palestinian state dedicated to a peaceful coexistence with Israel.

But that will never happen while Palestinians and their murderous enablers in Iran and in the Islamist movements worldwide surrender their fantasies of extinguishing the Jewish state.

Don't hold your breath.

Indeed, yesterday's UN vote only made that less likely. Because what Turtle Bay did, coming hard on the heels of a round of Hamas-inspired violence in Gaza, was to reward the concept of statehood-by-terror; it sent a stark message that peace and negotiation are for suckers; that violence, terror and bullying will win the day.

How ironic. And sad.

True, it is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas who has pushed the bid for unilateral UN recognition. In recent years, Abbas' faction — based in the West Bank — has been somewhat less radical and violent. And it's nominally distinct from the more openly terroristic Hamas in Gaza.

But making distinctions of any sort between Palestinian factions is a mug's game — to say nothing of making actual policy decisions based on such differences.

The Palestinians have to sort out their own rivalries — which will be a long and bloody process — before they are fit negotiating partners for anyone.

For the UN, none of that matters. Fact is, it long ago lost its way — along with its credibility, its legitimacy and its honor.

Yesterday's vote only reinforced that.

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Still New York’s finest

When Police Officer Larry DePrimo stopped to help a homeless man in need on a frigid night this month, he had no idea his private gesture would become a public symbol of New York at its gritty best.

But a stranger snapped a cellphone photo of him — which went online this week and has now been seen by millions.

Officer DePrimo was working the Times Square beat on Nov. 14 when he came across a barefoot man hobbling down 7th Avenue. Many folks would've just walked on by, but not DePrimo.

"It was freezing out and you could see the blisters on the man's feet," DePrimo said this week. "I had two pairs of wool winter socks and combat boots, and I was cold."

AP

PO Larry DePrimo's act of charity

So he stopped into a shoe store and plunked down $75 for a pair of winter boots and thermal socks for the man, whose name he never learned.

As DePrimo squatted down to help put those new shoes on, a tourist from Arizona took the now-famous photo of the scene.

"I was never so impressed in my life," said the tourist, who sent her photo over to the NYPD, which posted it on Facebook Tuesday. It quickly went viral.

New York cops get bashed every day — so this is an image of the force that is rarely seen, a side its critics would have you believe doesn't exist.

But the NYPD is not just a wall of blue.

It's a collection of 35,000 men and women like Larry DePrimo, who spend their days and nights working to protect and serve the city — and who, in quiet moments like this, give a great deal of comfort, too.

New York's lucky to have the NYPD.

Just as the NYPD is blessed to have DePrimo.

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Anthony scores 29, Knicks win in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE — Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 102-88 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Anthony, who sat out the fourth quarter, was 9 of 18 from the floor and also grabbed eight rebounds in 30 minutes. The second-leading scorer in the NBA has scored at least 29 points in his last four games, including 35 points and 13 rebounds in a 96-89 overtime loss at Brooklyn on Monday.

New York's Steve Novak added 19 points and Tyson Chandler chipped in with 17 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game road losing streak.

NBAE/Getty Images

Carmelo Anthony drives to the basket against Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Jason Kidd missed his second game in a row for New York with lower back spasms.

Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and Beno Udrih each scored 18 points.

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NJ spruce lights up as Rockefeller Center tree

Jon Hyde

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit during the 80th annual tree lighting ceremony.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday helped light the Rockefeller Center tree, an 80-foot Norway spruce that made it through Superstorm Sandy.

Thousands of onlookers crowded behind barricades on the streets that surrounded Rockefeller Center. A video screen was provided for those who did not have a direct line of sight of the tree, which was illuminated with more than 30,000 lights and topped by a Swarovski star.

"It makes me want to sing and dance," said Zuri Young, who came several hours early with her boyfriend to watch the lighting for the first time.

"I've heard a lot about it. I was kind of sick of staying home and watching it on television," the 19-year-old nursing student from Queens said.

The tree came from the Mount Olive, N.J., home of Joe Balku. Balku lost power and other trees during the storm at his residence about an hour outside of Manhattan.

The tree was taken from his home in November. It had been there for years, measuring about 22 feet tall in 1973 when Balku bought the house. It's now 50 feet in diameter and weighs 10 tons.

"It's an experience that I cannot get back home," said Freyja Shairp, a 22-year-old from Sidney, Australia, who is working in the U.S. temporarily. She said she hadn't planned to come, but was in the neighborhood.

Standing next to her was Donna D'Agostino, 48, and her 17-year-old daughter. She said she lived in New York City her whole life and decided this was the year she was going to see the lighting.

"It's a bucket list item," said D'Agostino. "I think it starts the whole season."

Erik Pauze, the head gardener at Tishman Speyer, one of the owners of Rockefeller Center, picked out the tree. He said he found it by accident when he got lost while returning to the city on a tree hunting expedition.

"It wasn't even on our list. It was a good find," Pauze said.

Pauze said workers prepared for Superstorm Sandy by bracing the tree with cables to secure and protect it.

The lights were turned on just before 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 80th annual celebration. Prior to that, the tree-lighting event include performances from Rod Stewart, Cee Lo Green, Scotty McCreery, Il Volo, Victoria Justice, Brooke White, Mariah Carey, Trace Adkins and Tony Bennett, along with appearances by Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.

The tradition of a Christmas tree in that location started in 1931, when workers building Rockefeller Center put up the first one. No tree was put up the following year, and in 1933, the first tree-lighting ceremony took place.

People will be able to view the tree until Jan. 7. After its stint in the spotlight, it will be turned in lumber for Habitat for Humanity.

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Just sold!

Manhattan

UPPER WEST SIDE $515,000

235 W. 102nd St.

One-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 650 square feet, with beamed ceilings, dishwasher, new refrigerator, new windows and window AC; building features doorman, courtyard, roof deck, solarium and bike storage. Maintenance $1,206, 50 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $525,000, on market five weeks. Brokers: Scott Stewart and Kristina Ojdanic, The Corcoran Group

WEST VILLAGE $1,707,000

295 W. 11th St.

Two-bedroom, two-bath duplex co-op, 1,500 square feet, with living room with updated hardwood floors, eat-in kitchen with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, dining room, washer/dryer and walk-in closets. Building features elevator and bike room. Maintenance $2,413, 55 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $1,595,000, on market three weeks. Brokers: Bo Poulsen and Stacey Curry, Town Residential

Queens

SUNNYSIDE $255,500

47-39 40th St.

One-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 850 square feet, with windowed eat-in kitchen and dining area; building features elevator, laundry, storage and bike room. Maintenance $619, 50 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $265,000, on market eight weeks. Brokers: Mariana Bekerman, AC Lawrence and Sandeep Shrivastav, Laffey Fine Homes

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‘Deadliest’ crab cakes for sale

The tough-guy "Deadliest Catch" duo is casting their fishing nets onto the land of press-on nails, porcelain dolls and those Joan Rivers butterfly pins.

Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand, who star in the popular Discovery series, will appear on shopping network QVC this Sunday to shill their "Deadliest Catch Alaskan Style Crab Cakes."

Really.

The brothers , who captain the Time Bandit fishing boat, will go live at noon on David Venable's show, "In the Kitchen With David," hoping to reel in big bucks by selling their crab cakes — which, according to press materials, are "packed with three types of 100 percent USA caught crab, wild caught cod fish and the Hillstrand family's secret blend of seasonings."

FISHY: Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand will sell crab.

And, as an added incentive for viewers, the crab cakes were "created especially for QVC foodies," the network says.

Oh — and "they're sure to make a splash with seafood lovers of all ages," QVC promises.

"The lack of quality crab cakes available to the general public, coupled with numerous requests from fans who want to buy the Hillstrands' crab, was enough incentive for the Captains to produce their own brand of crab cakes," reads a posting on a Facebook page devoted to the Time Bandit.

This is the first time that talent from a Discovery series has appeared on QVC.

The network has, however, welcomed stars from shows on Discovery's sister network TLC, including "Cake Boss," "DC Cupcakes" and Clinton Kelley from "What Not To Wear."

The Hillstrand brothers, who are third-generation Alaskan fishermen, have starred on "Deadliest Catch" since it premiered in 2005.

The show weathered a tragedy when one of its cast members, Capt. Phil Harris, suffered a stroke in January 2010 and died shortly after.

The ninth season is slated to premiere in April.

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Golden age

Emma Koenig came of age at the right time.

Koenig, 24, sold her provocatively named Tumblr site, "F - - k! I'm in My Twenties," as a 30-minute comedy series to NBC.

"I'm so crazy lucky because the person I am in real life suddenly became completely in vogue, which is insane," she says.

Networks have started scooping up young female writers — like Koenig — who have captured new heroines: women just out of college, struggling to find work in their chosen fields, managing student loans and dealing with meaningful relationships.

Koenig's is the latest "emerging adulthood" blog to be reborn as a comedy series.

Astrid Stawiarz

'GIRLS' GIRL: Blogger Emma Koenig's new show will be similar to "Girls".

Kelly Williams Brown's "Adulting: How To Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps," which will also be released in book form next spring, was just bought by J.J. Abrams and sold to Fox (TV title: just plain "Adulting").

And Lauren Bachelis sold her Hollywood assistants blog to CBS, tentatively titled "20-Nothings" — to be directed and executive-produced by grown-up "Wonder Years" boy Fred Savage.

When Koenig initially conceived of "F - - k! I'm in my Twenties" in the summer of 2010, after graduating from NYU with a degree in drama, she wasn't hopping on a new fad.

She was just looking for a way to channel her frustration as an expensively educated post-grad working in a sandwich shop and struggling to land gigs as an actress.

She originally envisioned a 25-page zine, replete with erotica and coloring book sections, "a silly workbook to circulate among friends to be like, you know, this sucks, we're all freaking out, but hopefully we can laugh about it."

In May 2011, she launched the blog, scanning in notebook pages of hand-drawn doodles, diagrams and cartoons at a friend's office.

Its gimmicky design and theme of twenty-something angst appealed to the young readers well before Lena Dunham charmed broke and hapless new grads into watching HBO's "Girls."

Within a couple of months, Koenig's blog had gone viral and, by the end of the summer, she had a deal for a book, which came out in August.

Dunham introduced the new archetypal young female — whose most telling characteristic seems to be a blend of shamelessness and candor about personal dysfunction.

It's not surprising so many of these types developed their personas via blogging, the quintessential platform for over-sharing.

And Koenig gets this.

"I can totally acknowledge the irony that anything good that's happened for me in my career happened because I was bitching and moaning about how unhappy I was," she says.

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Minaj calls Tyler comment ‘racist’

More drama on the "American Idol" set — and the new season hasn't even aired yet!

Nicki Minaj and former "AI" judge Steven Tyler have been caught in a war of words.

It all started in an interview with MTV News when the Aerosmith singer criticized the new judges' panel for its lack of camaraderie in light of the well-publicized "feud" between judges Minaj and Mariah Carey.

"They should have something going on so thick and beautiful that they can lay it over the new talent that's trying to birth itself," he said. "These kids, they just got out of a car from the Midwest somewhere, and they're in New York City; they're scared to death; you're not going to get the best [out of them]."

But it was Tyler's following comment that sent Minaj's pink wig flying off: "If it was Bob Dylan, Nicki Minaj would have had him sent to the cornfield! Whereas, if it was Bob Dylan with us, we would have brought the best of him out, as we did with Phillip Phillips. Just saying."

An angry Minaj responded on Twitter. "Steven Tyler said I would have sent Bob Dylan to a cornfield??? Steven, you haven't seen me judge one single solitary contestant yet!" she tweeted.

"I understand you really wanted to keep your job, but take that up with the producers. I haven't done anything to you. That's a racist comment.

"You assume that I wouldn't have liked Bob Dylan??? why? black? rapper? what? go [bleep] yourself and worry about yourself babe," she added.

"When Steven 1st went on Idol he was ridiculed by his peers & fans alike. Called a sell out. So what does he do? Ridicule the next judge."

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Predatory pedicabs

The City Council yesterday took a measured half-step toward protecting tourists from price-gouging by pedicab drivers; what a pity that the council didn't ban the kamikaze karts altogether.

Little steps for little feet, we guess.

The depredations of the pedicab pirates are well-known.

For example, The Post first reported in August on the travails of the Rodriguez family, tourists from Texas who got a lesson on how things aren't always the way they seem in New York.

After initially telling the family that a short trip would be just $1 a block, the driver produced a "rate card" with nearly unreadable small print. No one saw the "$100 per person" minimum. With fees, the bill ended up being $442 for a 12-minute ride.

Michael Hicks

A pack of pedicabs in Times Sqaure

And the driver demanded a tip, too.

The Rodriguezes should have just called a cop, of course. But they really shouldn't have had to. No tourist should.

Under new legislation, pedicabs will have to carry timers and list rates in clear type on their cabs.

Which is fine — as far as it goes. But the basic problem is the pedicab itself.

They are dangerous to pedestrians, to automobiles and to themselves. (Just like bicycles, but that's a topic for another day.)

Eighteen months ago, the council capped the permissible number of pedicabs at 850.

Alas, the streets are scarcely safer, because pedicabs travel in schools, like piranha — and are equally predatory.

The council needs to go further.

Fraud is bad, but ultimately, this is a safety issue.

Pedicabs must go. Simple as that.

Have an opinion on this Post editorial? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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Hoop di-do

Monday night's headline matchup between the Nets and the Manhattan-rival Knicks at Brooklyn's Barclays Center — the beginning of beautiful rivalry — drew a TV audience to match the excitement.

While final ratings numbers were not immediately available, the game outrated ESPN's "Monday Night Football" Panthers-Eagles game in New York, according to Nielsen — a rare instance of basketball outdrawing the NFL.

The game — originally scheduled to air last month — had been postponed in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

TNT, which usually airs games on Thursday, made a special exception for the Nets-Knicks game.

NBAE/Getty Images

HOOP: Gerald Wallace of the Brooklyn Nets shoots over Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks.

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Despot in the making?

"The presidency reiterates the temporary nature of those measures, which are not intended to concentrate power . . .The presidency stresses its firm commitment to engage all political forces in the inclusive democratic dialogue to reach a common ground." — A statement yesterday from the office of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, arguing that new decrees that shift power to the presidency won't create another dictatorship

AP

Mohammed Morsi

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No quick tax fix

Gov. Cuomo offered an alarming picture yesterday of New York's post-Sandy fiscal situation; happily, he seems set on avoiding tax hikes to deal with it.

That's commendable. And all the more so given the huge pressure he's sure to face to wring yet more tax dollars from the "rich."

Cuomo said it would cost some $32 billion to restore New York to its pre-storm state, and another $9 billion to buttress it from future storms.

And those numbers, he said, are only likely to grow.

Insisting that Congress should be ready to ship billions to New York pronto, Cuomo argued that Sandy was more "impactful" than Hurricane Katrina.

AP

Andrew Cuomo

Some 300,000-plus homes were damaged or destroyed statewide, he noted, and 265,000 businesses. The MTA alone took a whopping $5 billion wallop.

But Cuomo rejected the idea that state taxpayers should, or even could, shoulder the burden by themselves. He insisted any new levies would "incapacitate" the state.

"Tax increases," he said, "are always a last, last, last resort."

He has said that before — only a year ago, in fact — and don't you just know it but that last, last, last resort situation developed.

But that was then, and this is now.

Cuomo's statements backed up a report by The Post's Fredric U. Dicker yesterday that the governor would steer clear of tax hikes, despite Sandy's hit.

Instead, he seems to be counting on efforts to restrain spending growth, along with massive federal aid.

Resisting tax hikes is certainly an impressive impulse — and not just because of the severe strain of the rebuilding costs.

Remember, voters this month clearly embraced "soak the rich" policies, both in New York and nationally. That's surely emboldened big-spending pols.

President Obama, for example, made tax hikes on the wealthy a centerpiece of his re-election bid. In New York, Democrats picked up key legislative seats.

At one point, all of the candidates expected to run for mayor in the city have backed hefty new surcharges on the "rich."

Yet, as we often note, New York's sky-high taxes sap its economy, killing jobs and chasing away the very tax revenue the pols so badly want to spend.

Cuomo once agreed with us about that.

Now he seems to be remembering his own words: "New York has no future as the tax capital of the nation. Our young people will not stay. Our business[es] will not come," he said last year.

"Put it simply," Cuomo said. "The people of this state cannot afford to pay any more taxes — period."

Cuomo was right then. And he still is.

Sandy — powerful as she was — didn't change that one bit.

Have an opinion on this Post editorial? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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Talk show guests

TUESDAY

DR. OZ - The Oprah Winfrey Show, 8 a.m., (OWN)

HELEN HUNT, BRYAN ADAMS, CARLEY RONEY - LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, 9 a.m., Ch. 7

WENDIE MALICK, TICHINA ARNOLD, BOBBIE BROWN - The Wendy Williams Show, 10 a.m., Ch. 5 and 3 p.m., Ch. 9

JOAN COLLINS, FRAN DRESCHER, PETER BILLINGSLEY - The View, 11 a.m., Ch. 7

DANNY BONADUCE - Dr. Phil, 11 a.m., (OWN)

PAT SUMMERALL - Dr. Phil, 12 p.m., (OWN)

MAYRA ROSALES - Anderson Live, 12 p.m., Ch. 5

BARBRA STREISAND - Katie, 3 p.m., Ch. 7

JASON SUDEIKIS - The Ellen DeGeneres Show , 4 p.m., Ch. 4

MEL BROOKS, KRISTEN SCHAAL, JON DORE - Conan, 11 p.m., (TBS)

FORTUNE FEIMSTER, INGRID HAAS, GARY VALENTINE - Chelsea Lately, 11 p.m., (E!)

ALEC BALDWIN - Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 2

JULIE BOWEN - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 4

REBA MCENTIRE, MIKE TYSON - Jimmy Kimmel Live, 12:02 a.m., Ch. 7

JAMES MARSDEN, DANIELA RUAH - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., Ch. 2

GRIMES, TEAM RUBICON - Last Call with Carson Daly, 1:36 a.m., Ch. 4

WEDNESDAY

DR. TRAVIS STORK, CLINTON KELLY - Rachael Ray, 7 a.m., (OWN)

BEN GORDON - The Oprah Winfrey Show, 9 a.m., (OWN)

DOLLY PARTON, KEVIN MCKIDD - LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, 9 a.m., Ch. 7

JORDIN SPARKS, JASON DERÃœLO - The Wendy Williams Show, 10 a.m., Ch. 5 and 3 p.m., Ch. 9

BETTY WHITE - The View, 11 a.m., Ch. 7

SARA RAMIREZ, KERRY WASHINGTON - Anderson Live, 12 p.m., Ch. 5

MAGIC JOHNSON, KATHY IRELAND - Katie, 3 p.m., Ch. 7

PAT NEELY, GINA NEELY - Steve Harvey, 3 p.m., Ch. 4

KHLOE KARDASHIAN-ODOM - The Ellen DeGeneres Show , 4 p.m., Ch. 4

JESSICA BIEL, MARC MARON, ALICE COOPER - Conan, 11 p.m., (TBS)

JOE MATARESE, APRIL RICHARDSON, JO KOY - Chelsea Lately, 11 p.m., (E!)

STEVEN TYLER, JOE PERRY, JUDY GREER - Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 2

BLAKE SHELTON, WANDA SYKES - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 4

ERIC BANA, DAMIAN LEWIS - Jimmy Kimmel Live, 12:02 a.m., Ch. 7

LEWIS BLACK, KAREN GILLAN - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., Ch. 2

SERGEANT DAKOTA MEYER, LAUREN GREENFIELD - Last Call with Carson Daly, 1:36 a.m., Ch. 4

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The trouble before Sandy

Nicole Gelinas

As Mayor Bloomberg and everyone else keep reminding us, Superstorm Sandy packed an economic and fiscal wallop. But Sandy didn't create City Hall's economic and budget problems; it only made them a little worse.

Bloomberg shouldn't allow Sandy to distract him from what was already his task for his very last budget as mayor: tackling the mess that existed before Oct. 29.

Yesterday, Bloomberg tallied up the Sandy damage to Gotham: $19 billion.

That number includes $5.7 billion in lost "city product" — money that people didn't earn or spend in New York because they were waylaid by the storm.

Kristy Leibowitz

Muddling through? Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg at an early post-storm press conference.

Nearly $6 billion isn't nothing — and if it's your restaurant on Staten Island that had to close or your lost wages, you're taking more than your fair share of the hit.

But that's only about eight-tenths of a percent of the city's annual economic activity.

Gov. Cuomo claimed yesterday that Sandy packed a bigger fiscal punch than Katrina. Sorry, no: This is not Katrina when it comes to the proportion of the city damaged.

Katrina knocked more than 9 percent off New Orleans' regional economy in late 2005 and early 2006. An equivalent hit here would be $60.8 billion in lost business, not $5.7 billion. For that, we can be thankful.

Of course, it's still jarring that Chinese tourists can flock to Louis Vuitton on Fifth Avenue while poor elderly folk huddle in the cold in the Rockaways, but that is what keeps the city budget afloat.

What about the budget?

Bloomberg says that city agencies have lost $4.5 billion, either in overtime spending or in damaged property, like the Staten Island ferry terminal.

The feds will automatically pay three-quarters of that, leaving $1.1 billion for city taxpayers. (Bloomberg wants the feds to pay this, too; maybe they will.)

Then there are lost tax revenues. The city generally takes in about 3.6 percent of its GDP in taxes that are particularly sensitive to lost business — so the hit there could be about $200 million.

But this is not easy to predict: Home rebuilding and replacing lost appliances will add tax revenues, plus high-wage earners, who pay the most taxes, lost less income than low-wage earners.

All told, though, the hit to the city budget could be about $1.5 billion. But before Sandy, the city already faced a budget gap of $2.5 billion for the fiscal year that starts next summer — or about 5.6 percent of tax revenues.

Just a few days after Sandy, Bloomberg quietly released a budget update trying to close at least half of that gap. But the "action" is mostly just placeholders — telling agencies to keep doing things like increasing nuisance fees or cut back on staff.

And the mayor is still relying on one-shots that didn't come through last year, like selling 2,000 new taxi medallions. Absent gimmicks like that, the city is still spending more than it takes in, each and every year.

Plus, even if the feds don't pay for everything Sandy-related, the extra Sandy costs will go away soon enough. Once the city has replaced flood vehicles and work schedules have gotten back to normal, it's done with.

What's driving the permanent budget disaster won't go away.

In fact, Bloomberg's budget update contains one ominous figure that nobody noticed: Starting next year, what the mayor calls "non-controllable" expenses — pensions, health benefits, Medicaid, welfare and the like — will exceed the city's "controllable" expenses for the first time ever.

And they'll keep doing so. Next year, "non-controllable" expenses will exceed "controllable" ones like city-worker salaries by $508 million. Two years after that, they'll be higher by $2.6 billion.

"Non-controllable" is really a misnomer. No, pension costs can't be controlled in a year. But they could have been controlled over Bloomberg's 12 years, with a bigger effort in Albany and by holding the line on salaries and overtime. (All of these things affect pensions.)

Who cares, though? We always muddle through. Indeed, in its first budget report after 9/11, the city said outright that the terror attacks similarly didn't cause our budget problems, only "exacerbated" them.

"In the late 1990s, a booming national and local economy caused tax revenues to grow faster than expenses," said the then-month-old Bloomberg administration, but the burst tech-bubble "signaled the need to reconsider our ability to maintain services at that level."

That's still true today — and, yes, New York is still alive and kicking. But as "uncontrollable" costs eat up ever more of the budget each year, the city has less and less to spend on core functions — including flood-control measures.

Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute's City Journal.

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Sorry, Vito

Great news from Brooklyn: Disgraced political boss Vito Lopez likely won't be able to grope his way to a City Council seat.

Not for lack of trying.

The 14-term assemblyman had his eyes on a council district a few blocks west of his Bushwick home when — presto, change-o — a city panel redrew the maps and moved Vito's house right into the politically favorable district he craved.

In this town, that's just the Brooklyn Way: Vito Lopez, a serial sexual harasser, is used to getting what he wants.

But The Post's Sally Goldenberg lifted the veil off the plan — and these pages called on Council Speaker Chris Quinn to block the maneuver.

AP

Vito Lopez

After hemming and hawing for a week, Quinn finally appears ready to act.

"Speaker Quinn is actively exploring ways to fix the Vito problem," a source told Post City Hall Bureau Chief David Seifman.

Good for her.

She appointed one-third of the redistricting panel that draws the council maps, and has to give her approval for the new district lines — so she has the final say here.

And it's an easy choice, really.

An ethical miasma follows Vito no matter where he goes, so he needs to be kept as far away from public office as possible.

His closest crony and long-time aide pleaded guilty this month to lying to federal investigators about her massive salary at a "nonprofit" Vito founded.

And Vito himself was censured by the Assembly this summer for harassing four female employees.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver hushed two of Vito's accusers using taxpayer funds — in secret, no less.

These escapades cost Vito his throne as Brooklyn's Democratic boss — but he has made no secret of his wish to vault from the Assembly to the council next year.

Quinn said she'll do everything in her power to keep him off the council; un-jiggering the district lines in question would be a good start.

Three decades of Vito Lopez is enough.

Have an opinion on this Post editorial? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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Jenkins picks off two passes as Rams defeat Cardinals

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Janoris Jenkins became the first player in Rams history and the first NFL rookie since 1960 to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game and St. Louis dominated the second half to hand the Arizona Cardinals their seventh loss in a row, 31-17 on Sunday.

Arizona rookie Ryan Lindley was intercepted four times in his first NFL start.

Jenkins' returns of 36 and 39 yards emphatically ended the Rams' streak of five straight games without an opponent turnover.

Sam Bradford had a pair of 37-yard touchdown passes — to Lance Kendricks and Chris Givens — for the Rams (4-6-1), who snapped a five-game winless streak and beat Arizona (4-7) for the second time this season.

The Rams' Steven Jackson rushed for 139 yards in 24 carries.

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Kaepernick picks up second win as 49ers topple Saints

NEW ORLEANS — Ahmad Brooks and Donte Whitner returned interceptions for touchdowns, the 49ers sacked Drew Brees five times, and San Francisco ended the New Orleans Saints' three-game winning streak, 31-21 on Sunday.

Colin Kaepernick was solid in his second-career start while Alex Smith, deemed healthy enough to suit up, watched from the sideline. Kaepernick passed for 231 yards, including a short touchdown to Frank Gore. He also ran for a 7-yard score. He threw his first career interception, but it was inconsequential.

Brees finished with 267 yards and three TDs. After rushing for 140 yards or more in each of its previous three games, New Orleans (5-6) managed only 59 yards against San Francisco (8-2-1).

One of Brees' scoring passes went to Marques Colston, who set a Saints record with his 56th career touchdown with the club

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Oho ho ho! Web sales expected to grow 17%

Us online holiday sales are already on the rise, and are expected to grow 17 percent from last year to $43.4 billion, a new forecast said last week.

The report from the research firm comScore showed retail e-commerce spending for the first 18 days of November-December holiday season were up 16 percent to $10.1 billion.

"Recent five-year highs in consumer confidence and early retailer promotions appear to be serving as wind in the sails for the beginning portion of the holiday season, with consumers opening up their wallets early and often," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

The comScore forecast of a 17 percent gain would outpace last season's 15 percent increase and would be well ahead of the retail industry's expectation for a 4.1 percent increase in consumers' overall spending this holiday season.

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This week's couple: Picture perfect

SOME dates need a dose of creativity. So we sent Tim and Winnie, both 26, to SoHo's Cupping Room Cafe for Paint Nite NYC. While sipping cocktails, artist Nick Pappalardo helped Tim and Winnie create their own pieces of art fit to hang in their respective places. But did they see more than meets the eye in each other?

He said:

Winnie showed up 10 minutes late, but she was cute with an energetic and witty personality. Both of us were probably overdressed for painting but that happens in NYC.

We talked about how we like to go out and dance and karaoke. We also bonded over Sandy survival stories.

Eilon Paz

She's a piece of art.

The painting class was an entertaining and light atmosphere. We shared laughs over her thinking the water brush cup was for drinking and me spilling mine. But we both were surprised and happy with the result of our paintings.

Winnie was fun and not afraid to laugh at herself...or me. I always enjoy meeting new people so I think we're open to the idea of hanging out again in the future.

She said:

Just as I sat down, the painting class started. I noticed Tim looked quite spiffy in what he wore from work. I like a man in a suit.

When we began making our masterpieces we joked about getting in touch with our inner-artistes. Tim was easy to talk to. He joked about things from politics to Justin Bieber.

We both had awkward moments with the paint water cups. Me, mistaking it for actual water; Tim knocking his over. We were hot messes, but made up for it with good conversation.

Paint Nite NYC at the Cupping Room Cafe was a great first-date spot. We had a great time, so we exchanged numbers. I hope to see Tim soon.

meetmarket@nypost.com

Let The Post hook you up andsend you out! Sent an e-mail tofor details.

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Savannah Guthrie: My Downtown

Savannah Guthrie may be the high-profile co-host of NBC's New York institution the "Today" show, but she still doesn't consider herself a real New Yorker. "I have a best friend who grew up here, and she has an encyclopedic knowledge of the city, block by block. If you can do that, then you've earned the title of true New Yorker," says the 40-year-old, who grew up in Tucson, Ariz., and moved into a two-bedroom apartment in SoHo 18 months ago after a decade in Washington, DC. Since taking over her show's co-hosting spot from Ann Curry in July, Guthrie has grown increasingly enamored of her 'hood, mostly because after the hustle and bustle of Rockefeller Center, it's a relief to return to a homier nabe. This is her downtown.

Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 15: Savannah Guthrie attends the "Scandalous" Broadway Opening Night at Neil Simon Theatre on November 15, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images)

Photos: Savannah Guthrie: My Downtown

1. Think Pink, 455 West Broadway, between Prince and Houston streets

"That's a neighborhood nail salon. It's not a super-fancy or chichi place, but the ladies are really nice. I should get a manicure more often. If you watch the show, you know I don't really do that. I get pedicures there. They're very nice to my toes, which, if I'm running a lot, are not that attractive. They have their work cut out for them."

2. Macbar, 54 Prince St., between Lafayette and Mulberry streets

"Another indulgence — it's not for when you're on a diet. One of the things I love about New York is that it's one of the only places where you could have an entire restaurant dedicated to macaroni and cheese. I'm partial to the cheeseburger mac."

3. Piperlime, 121 Wooster St., at Prince Street

"I believe it started on the Web, accessories and different kind of fashions, and now they have a storefront. It's trendy. It's a fun place to shop. I bought two Rachel Zoe blouses there. I always buy things for work. I never have any clothes to go out in, because I always just buy for work. I don't know why. Habit."

4. Lure Fishbar, 142 Mercer St., at Prince Street

"The décor is as though you're inside a boat. It's downstairs, and the windows are high enough where you see people walking by on the street. They have a really great salad with cucumber. I also get a little tuna tartar dish they have. The other thing I've noticed is that they seem to constantly have an '80s soundtrack playing. It makes me laugh. You're sitting there with a glass of wine, eating your light supper, and listening to the Thompson Twins or Culture Club. How long has it been since most of us heard 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?' "

5. Locanda Verde, 377 Greenwich St., at North Moore Street

"It's Italian, and there's a courtyard garden area where it's really fun to sit outside with dinner or drinks. The courtyard is big — it seats, like, 60 people. But there are nice little corners where you can tuck yourself away. It feels cozy, kind of rustic. I've been drinking a lot of white wine there. If there's a Sancerre on the menu, I'll order it every time."

6. Hudson River Park

"If you're gonna eat all that ice cream, you better get some exercise. I try to run a few times a week, and I love the West Side Highway. In the summer, when it's hot, you get that breeze off the water, and if you take the route south toward Battery City, you see the Statue of Liberty. I have been known to put the 'Working Girl' song in my headset for motivation — that Carly Simon song, 'Let the River Run.' "

7. Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream, 73 W. Houston St., between West Broadway and Wooster Street

"They have flavors that are totally unique. They have a flavor called chocolate addiction — it's like chocolate and chocolate, plus chocolate. And there's a yogurt I get a lot: two scoops of grasshopper pie and Oreo chocolate chip. It's green and minty. I might go there two or three times a week — that's not good."

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'Steel' this movie

Consider the utterly messed-up cinematic world we live in. Superhero movies have become so popular that someone is actually considering remaking "Condorman." Meanwhile, nobody has yet figured out how to launch a viable franchise featuring the granddaddy of the entire spandex scene: Superman.

This could all change this summer when "Man of Steel" lands on screens and attempts to KO pretenders with a big Kryptonian right hook.

Little is known about the plot. It will mostly follow the familiar origin story: A baby travels to Earth from a distant planet, lands in Middle America and grows up to become a costumed hero who fights baddies — in this case, General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, a character that appeared in "Superman II."

AP

Henry Cavill plays Superman in next summer's update of the famed franchise.

The one thing that can be gleaned from the single teaser trailer that's been released is that this could be a darker, more humanistic take on the character than movies past.

"We tried to approach this as though there's never been a Superman movie before, but at the same time respecting the canon and mythology," director Zack Snyder tells The Post in an exclusive interview. "There are the pillars that you have to respect, and I'm not about to break them. But it is fun for me to bend them and mess with them."

Christopher Nolan, the director of the recent Batman movies, was brought in by Warner Bros. as producer and godfather of the project.

"There's a logic and concreteness that has to exist with Chris," Snyder says. "You can't just do stuff because it's cool. He demands that there be story and character behind all of it, which I'm a big fan of."

Henry Cavill, who becomes the first Brit to play the character, says he's also a fan of the more down-to-earth approach.

"I liked the idea of the realism immediately," Cavill tells The Post in an exclusive on-set interview. "Traditional Superman fans know what it's all about, and they will hopefully love and associate with the character anyway. But the people who aren't die-hard Superman fans still need to associate with the character, and that needs to have some realism in today's world, certainly, in sense of a science as opposed to mythology attached to it as well."

One of the obvious changes is with Superman's costume. Gone is the flimsy spandex in favor of a slightly metallic, more armored look.

"The costume was a big deal for me, and we played around for a long time," Snyder says. "I tried like crazy to keep the red briefs on him. Everyone else said, 'You can't have the briefs on him.' I looked at probably 1,500 versions of the costumes with the briefs on."

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Hellooo, Santa

My mother told me I couldn't sing, and I believed her," jokes Wayne Knight. If that's the case, he might be in trouble, since he's in the middle of a nine-week run of "Elf" on Broadway. The holiday musical, based on the 2003 Will Ferrell movie, is about a naive human raised as an elf at the North Pole before going in search of his real father. Knight plays Santa Claus, a role handled by an especially crotchety Ed Asner in the film.

Knight has appeared on Broadway before, in "Art" and "Sweet Charity," but he's best known for his turn as the nosy postman Newman in "Seinfeld." The Post caught up with the actor during a rehearsal break.

FilmMagic

Wayne Knight as "Santa"

How is your singing voice?

It's kind of like natural childbirth — something comes out; we can't guarantee what it looks like. But Santa is not a dulcet-toned character, so it should be OK.

What about the dancing?

The requirements on me are minimal, and I'm just barely adequate. I just kind of naturally, uh, suck. No. Everybody's going through a tap number that Santa's not part of. I told my wife, "Geez, I feel bad. I'm not doing enough in this number." She said, "You should tell them. They'll let you into that tap number." I said, "Honey, we're doing nine shows a week. Shut up."

Have you spoken to Ed Asner about the role?

No, I didn't think there were any tips he could give me. Like, "Remember, when you lift the sack, bend your legs."

I read that you lost a little bit of weight.

You read this? What publication was this, because I'll subscribe. I've lost some weight since, like, "Jurassic Park" and Newman because otherwise, I would be speaking to you from heaven.

Did doctors tell you that?

I think passers-by on the street told me that. It's pretty clear information. I also have a young son, and I'm happily married, and I would kind of like to live.

Was "Seinfeld" a mixed blessing, in that becoming so synonymous with one character made it harder to get other work?

It makes it much more difficult when someone sees you as a particular character to disappear in a film. They see you as Newman. It is a mixed blessing in that sense. But in the sense that it's brought me income and notoriety, no, it's fine.

What do fans who approach you say?

You name it. Oftentimes they think they're the first person to tell you, "Hello, Newman." I think it was Steve Martin, when asked what it was like to be rich and famous said, "Try being rich first. I think it will suffice." It's just part and parcel of being a public person. It's really not that bad. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have anything better to do.

You played a cop in the infamous "Basic Instinct" Sharon Stone leg-crossing scene. Did you know then we'd be talking about it decades later?

It was kind of like a big deal even at the time. I remember being cast for that movie and director Paul Verhoeven taking a camera and getting it really close to my face, and he said [in Dutch accent], "Maybe you should do a lick. A lick with the tongue. A lick on the lip. Maybe you do another lick. You do two licks. Maybe you try three licks. Lick. Lick. Lick. No, that's too many licks."

Have you invited Jerry Seinfeld to "Elf"?

I ran into him at the "Night of Too Many Stars." I mentioned that I was doing the show, and he said [imitating bored Seinfeld], "Yeah, I know." So, there you have it. [laughs]

He's Jewish, so maybe Christmas isn't his thing.

Well, elves. It doesn't matter if you're Jewish or Hindu, I think everyone loves an elf.

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Drake, Chris Brown nightclub brawl – no charges filed: report

Chris Brown and Drake will not be answering to the law as charges for their bottle-throwing melee at SoHo hot spot W.i.P. this summer have reportedly been dropped.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that there will be no criminal charges because there is not enough evidence to move forward with a case and there will be no further investigation. Apparently, surveillance video was too dark and blurry and failed to illuminate how the fight broke out. Additionally, all interviews conducted by the NYPD were considered "inconclusive."

The "lack of evidence" development comes as a surprising twist. Shortly after the brawl, Brown posted a Twitter photo of an injury he sustained from a flying bottle that was allegedly thrown from Drake's table. Bodyguards, random clubgoers and posse members were badly injured from the bottle attacks. NBA player Tony Parker filed a $20 million lawsuit against the club, claiming that his eye was injured during the incident.

AP

Chris Brown and Drake

Chris Brown via Twitter

Chris Brown after fight with Drake at the New York W.i.P

Gossipcop via Twitter

W.i.P. after a nasty club brawl allegedly between the entourages of Drake and Chris Brown.

Many reports suggest that the brawl began over an argument regarding Brown's on-and-off flame Rihanna. Sources told The Post in August that Drake drove the hot-headed Brown into a rage when his table sent over note that read, "I am f--king the love of your life." Drake's camp has maintained the fight was instigated by a member of Brown's crew.

In a suit filed over the summer by Entertainment Enterprises (the company that owns the trademark on the nightclub) Brown and Drake's respective posses were accused of fashioning "deadly weapons out of whatever materials they could find, including glasses, alcohol bottles and furniture, thereby circumventing the nightclubs' extensive efforts to ensure a safe environment."

Looks like Brown and Drake are off the hook.

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Business briefs

Va-va-Viagra

Pfizer has cut the Canadian price of its Viagra erectile dysfunction drug after the Supreme Court of Canada opened the door to sales of generic versions of the drug.

Scaredy cat

German politicians accused Deutsche Bank Co-CEO Anshu Jain of "chickening out" after the banker opted to send his chief compliance officer to a parliamentary hearing on interest-rate rigging next week.

Cashing in

More than one in ten tips about corporate wrongdoing received by the SEC came from overseas, with Brits topping the list in the hunt for bounties, said global security firm Kroll.

RIM rise

Shares of Research In Motion surged more than 11 percent in Toronto yesterday, after an analyst raised his price target.

UBS fine

Sources:

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click For Restrictions

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Red Friday Alert

Gilt Groupe, once the city's hottest e-commerce startup, won't be celebrating a true Black Friday.

Tech insiders say this is a make-or-break holiday shopping season for the struggling e-retailer, which specializes in fashion flash sales.

No matter how many sales Gilt rings up between now and Christmas, the five-year-old privately held company will still end the year in the red, sources said.

In fact, its losses are widening as its revenue growth slows dramatically, these sources added.

And with the growing pool of red ink, the company, with 5 million members, has seen its value fall by about 20 percent, according to a person familiar with the situation.

"After an auspicious start and hyper growth two years ago, Gilt has suddenly lost momentum and hit a wall," said Sam Hamadeh, CEO of PrivCo, a provider of private-company financial intelligence. "This holiday season is a make-or-break one for Gilt."

The company, headed bv CEO Kevin Ryan, one of the city's tech elite, had been one of the only Big Apple startups to command a $1 billion valuation, when it last raised money in May 2011.

At that time, Gilt's revenue was up 90 percent from 2010, topping $500 million in 2011.

To be sure, many tech firms have seen their valuations tumble — especially in the wake of Facebook's botched initial public offering that smacked some new realities into the market.

The social network giant started trading at $38 a share on May 18 but has spent every day since late July under $25.

Gilt was not immune, and in secondary trading, shares of the company were selling for $21.50 post-Facebook IPO, down from $26 a few months prior, according to Hamadeh, who tracked the stock on private exchanges.

Gilt is losing money, and revenue growth this year will slow down to 15.5 percent, hitting $580 million for 2012, sources said, despite the steep markdowns it featured.

For example, Gilt was selling this week a $900 Badgley Mischka ostrich feather trim coat for $499.

But the company is forced to spend heavily to attract buyers. Hamadeh estimated that the Gilt forks out $100 million for marketing alone, contributing to a yearly loss of $45 million.

Gilt's Ryan is reportedly on his way out the door in a transition that the company has said was always the plan. A CEO search is ongoing.

The company did not return a request for comment.

Gilt had been on course to go public, likely next year, but industry watchers say that future is in doubt without a turnaround that hinges on this year's holiday sales.

gsloane@nypost.com

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Sandy’s silver lining

John Crudele

You have to wonder how anyone in Belmar, NJ, a small shore town ravaged by Sandy, could possibly be thankful today.

As in nearby Manasquan and in Midland Beach on Staten Island, just 25 miles up the coastline and around the aptly-named Sandy Hook, miles of homes here were either gutted or rendered uninhabitable.

The guy who owns a $1 million multi-story home just off Belmar's Lake Como, for instance, says he is very thankful — relative to how he would feel if he owned the house in the picture to the right.

The house in the photo is no more than 50 yards from the ocean. There's another 100 yards before you get to the home owned by Robert Frungillo, who runs a catering business further inland in Jersey.

HOPE SPRINGS:Jersey Shore homes may be beyond repair, like this one in Belmar. Still, many of their owners are digging deep into the holiday spirit this season.

Frungillo's home got six feet of water — but he told me he thinks it could have been worse.

"Yeah, we do, absolutely," said Frungillo when I asked if he had reason to be thankful. "We're all safe and that's most important. This is all brick and mortar. As long as you are safe you can rebuild."

That's a response you hear a lot down on The Shore.

The shock of Sandy seems to be wearing off. And while you can't say that optimism abounds, there is a feeling that things will — one day — return to normal.

Normal, of course, is relative, a word that takes on a dual meaning this time of year. Thanksgiving has always been about relatives, and many in this neighborhood were forced to spend the holiday yesterday at the homes of relatives.

But this year the word "relative" takes on a different meaning in towns like this.

Before people started developing every inch of shoreline in the metropolitan region, there was vacant land along the waterfront. Storms can't do much damage to vacant land.

It was as if — with Sandy — nature said "OK, I let you use this property. Now, I'm taking it back."

Frungillo says he has insurance but that many of his neighbors aren't as lucky. "A lot of people don't have flood insurance," he said. That special kind of policy is expensive and "some people just rolled the dice."

Again, it's all relative — those neighbors whose houses were only flooded by the ocean's water and lakes on two sides of Belmar probably feel lucky their house isn't "red-tagged" — designated to be completely knocked down like many thousand or so homes in Jersey, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens that will soon be demolished by authorities.

There is, of course, a bigger real estate story that Sandy has written. Even when the Jersey Shore is restored to its former self — from the honky-tonk thrills of Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant to the upscale beauty of places like Deal and Ocean Grove — real estate values aren't likely to be what they once were.

Any future buyer will have to take into serious consideration the hurricane risk when making an offer. And if environmentalists are right about global warming and the frequency of storms like Sandy property values might never recover.

There doesn't, of course, need to be ironclad proof that Sandy was a rogue occurrence. Buyers use any excuse they can think of to pay less, and they will do so along the coastline here for decades to come.

Right now, however, people's thoughts aren't about future real estate values. They'd like to get their homes and businesses up and running for next summer. But that timetable might be ambitious.

I ran into Tom Rogers, a shop owner, along Ocean Avenue. "This is beautiful now. You should have seen it [before]." Bulldozers were moving sand off the street and trucks were hauling away trash .

One store still had a sign in the window that said "Breakfast Served." Even if it were being served, there was hardly anyone around to eat.

Rogers said he was grateful that the storm piled four feet of sand in front of his shop's door and window. The sand drift acted as a barrier against the flood waters.

I also ran into Mark at a café in Manasquan and we discussed the awkwardness of Thanksgiving. "I honestly look forward to it. A moment of normalcy, a step toward recovery and an example of the fact that life goes on," he said.

To be sure, there are a lot of mixed emotions. A World War II vet I met was proud that he rode out every storm in his home. This time, however, he did have to take shelter on the second floor.

And a woman named Maryann said she had no damage but is suffering from survivor's guilt because people just a few blocks away from her were wiped out.

Me? I'm a big fan of the Jersey Shore, especially Belmar. That's where I got to know my wife years ago. I'm grateful that it was there then — and will be again, someday.

john.crudele@nypost.com

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Evergreen copy caper called out

The company behind the "Little Trees" brand air fresheners says Capital One's marketing campaign really stinks.

Car-Freshner Corp. has sued the "what's-in-your-wallet?" company for allegedly stealing the design of its tree-shaped deodorizers to tout low-cost car loans.

The Manhattan federal court filing says Capital One created copycat "paper hangers" that look just like Car-Freshner's evergreens and are part of a promotion that "features advertising copy that directly references fresh scents and 'refreshing your auto loan.' "

Car-Freshner charges the alleged rip-off "is part of an overall scheme to free-ride on the enormous goodwill established in plaintiff's quality products," which "are sold in most countries throughout the world and appear frequently on television, in movies and in popular culture."

The suit seeks a restraining order against the bank, along with unspecified damages for trademark infringement, trademark dilution and unfair competition.

Capital One didn't return a request for comment.

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Judge rules for Singer

A federal judge has ordered Argentina to pay holders of defaulted bonds, including Paul Singer's Elliott Management, immediately, a blow to the country's efforts to overcome a 2002 debt crisis that has raised fears of another default.

In a ruling Wednesday, Judge Thomas Griesa lifted a previous order stalling payments to so-called holdout investors who refused to take part in two swaps of defaulted debt.

Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez, has said her government will not pay "one dollar," and Griesa's ruling cited threats by Argentina's leaders to defy his rulings in the decade-old dispute.

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click For Restrictions

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Penn Station reopens after switch problem

Christopher Sadowski

Massive lines caused by people waiting for LIRR, NJ Transit and Amtrak trains at Penn Station in Manhattan tonight.

The switch problem that led to a complete service shutdown at Penn Station on the busiest travel night of the year has been resolved, Long Island Rail Road said.

The station — which was shut down due to overcrowding — was reopened.

Amtrak, NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road were all still down for about an hour.

Expect delays on many lines, officials said.

At one point, thousands of people packed the streets outside the station.

Kaylee Osowski

Crowds outside Penn Station tonight.

Many of the stranded travelers included people leaving town for the holiday, lugging suitcases.

"Its the busiest travel day and they can't get their s—t together!" fumed Ashley Smith, 28, a New Jersey bound Queens woman.

Twenty-five year old Anh Le was so desperate she contemplated calling a car service from Manhattan to New Jersey.

"It's frustrating," she said.

Officials said the problem stems from a power outage that effected Amtrak's switches.

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Cops hunting suspect wanted for B'klyn rape

A sicko stalked a young woman, followed her into her Williamsburg apartment building and raped her, police said today.

The suspect followed the victim into her Kent Ave. apartment building at around 5:45 am Saturday and raped her, police said.

The suspect is described as 6'0" tall and 190 pounds, cops said.

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public's assistance identifying the following individual wanted for a rape in Brooklyn.

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B'klyn store owner says bookkeeper tipped off robbers

He said it was an inside job.

The owner of a Brooklyn grocery store testified against his pretty bookkeeper who he claims tipped off a pack of robbers who attacked him in 2010.

Natalie De Los Santos, 31, allegedly called and told her accomplice, Carlos Perez-Rodriguez, 29, when Bruno Corona, the owner of Associated Supermarket in Flatbush, was leaving with the week's cash in a plastic bag, prosecutors said.

Perez-Rodriguez and two other men allegedly jumped Corona --- breaking his collarbone --- and stole $45,000 in cash.

"Nobody, just the secretary," Corona said, when asked who knew he would be leaving with the money.

But De Los Santos' defense attorney then established that multiple Corona family members also knew.

"I'm being judged untruthfully," Perez-Rodriguez, a Bronx manicurist, said during a break in the Brooklyn Supreme Court trial. "I had nothing to do with this crime."

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Mother & son busted with illegal cigarettes & $132,000 in cash

Mama taught him wrong.

A Queens mother and her son were arrested with 677 cartons of illegal Asian cigarettes and $132,000 in cash, authorities announced today.

Ying-Jian Lin, 48, and Xiao Lin, 23, face up to four years in prison for peddling the shady smokes, which are untaxed and don't carry the required surgeon general warnings, according to a Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Investigators watched the son pick up the contraband cartons from a Flushing garage and carry them to a small grocery store where his mother was spotted selling the cigarettes, Brown said.

Authorities said they found the cash --- mostly in $50 and $100 bills --- in a safe-deposit box.

Brown said the pair would have cheated the city out of about $45,000 in taxes on the seized smokes alone.

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Just sold!

Manhattan

GRAMERCY $815,000

44 Gramercy Park North

One-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 850 square feet, with foyer, windowed kitchen, dining area and two walk-in closets; building features elevator operator, laundry and live-in super. Maintenance $1,545, 43 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $850,000, on market four weeks. Brokers: Lucy Kuhn, Douglas Elliman and Roseann Barber, The Corcoran Group

MURRAY HILL $1,195,000

80 Park Ave.

One-bedroom, one-bath condo, 900 square feet, with home office and 425-square-foot terrace; building features parking, roof deck with Empire State Building view and laundry. Common charges $ 1,180, taxes $986. Asking price $1,195,000, on market 19 weeks. Brokers: Rory Nichols and John Carapella, Town Residential and Constance Southwick, The Corcoran Group

UPPER WEST SIDE $515,000

235 W. 102nd St.

One-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 650 square feet, with beamed ceilings, dishwasher, new windows and window AC; building features doorman, courtyard, roof deck, bike room and live-in super. Maintenance $1,206, 50 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $525,000, on market five weeks. Brokers: Scott Stewart and Kristina Ojdanic, The Corcoran Group

Queens

FOREST HILLS $875,000

67-80 Selfridge St.

Three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath Tudor townhouse, 2,460 square feet, with foyer, living room with original fireplace, renovated kitchen, breakfast room, formal dining room, master suite with renovated bath, basement and slate patio with barbecue grill. Taxes $5,599. Asking price $888,000, on market eight weeks. Broker: Susana Hof, Terrace Sotheby's International Realty

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‘Radiance’ is light on ideas

THEATER REVIEW

RADIANCE
Bank Street Theater, 155 Bank St.; 212-513-1080. Through Dec. 2. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.

'if it wasn't for you, we might all be eating with chopsticks."

Those comforting words are offered to a haunted-looking man in "Radiance," Cusi Cram's new play that marks the latest misstep by the Labyrinth Theater Company.

As we soon learn, he's none other than Robert Lewis (Kohl Sudduth), the Enola Gay co-pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese. And as provocative as the subject is, this wan effort seems content mainly in providing a gloomy noir-ish atmosphere rather than exploring his lingering guilt.

Monique Carboni

Kohl Sudduth and Ana Reeder meet in a dive bar in Cusi Cram's dark new play, "Radiance.".

It's 1955, and Lewis has wandered into a Los Angeles dive bar to kill time before appearing on the television show "This Is Your Life."

The barkeep is the voluptuous May (Ana Reeder), who's clad in a skintight cocktail dress and is sleeping with the sleazy, married bar owner (Kelly AuCoin). May watches as Rob, getting steadily drunker, resists the desperate entreaties of the TV producer (Aaron Roman Weiner) to come to the theater, where the show — complete with a group of seriously disfigured female victims dubbed the "Hiroshima Maidens" — is being taped.

"I was going to tell you," Rob awkwardly tells May after she realizes who he is. "I just never know how to bring it up in casual conversation."

The play is based on real events, as a fact sheet handed out as you leave makes clear. But this doesn't make it any more engrossing. Flashbacks depicting Lewis' interactions 10 years earlier with his commanding officer, a New York Times reporter and the nurse he loved are full of dialogue that might have appeared in a '40s war movie: "I gotta go drop a bomb and end a war," he tells the nurse before heading off to his fateful mission.

Under Suzanne Agins' claustrophobic direction, the actors — all, except Sudduth, in dual roles — deliver assured performances. And scenic designer David Meyer has created a seedy bar setting so detailed, it would probably do solid business if left open after the show. Even so, "Radiance" isn't very illuminating.

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Gottfried Helnwein And The Dreaming Child

MOVIE REVIEW

GOTTFRIED HELNWEIN AND THE DREAMING CHILD

As a rule, when politicians say that something must be done "for the children," it's an excellent time both to make sure your wallet is secured and a helpful reminder that the chief interest of any politician is obtaining and holding power. The documentary "Gottfried Helnwein and the Dreaming Child" extends these principles to the art world.

In his Bono shades and skull-emblazoned Axl Rose do-rag, Helnwein would make a comical figure were it not for his appalling art — mainly photo-realistic images of tortured, bloodied little girls. Helnwein's defense? Hey, I'm speaking up for the children! Also: I'm reminding everyone about the Nazis! Thanks, Gottfried, but exploitation does not equal art.

Hacky artist Gottfried Helnwein and his work (above) are the subjects of a shallow new doc.

This infomercial for Helnwein's work as designer for an Israeli opera called "The Child Dreams" doesn't tell us a lot about how opera comes together, but it is accidentally revealing about its subject. In one particularly fatuous moment, he claims that people who are not bothered by the Holocaust are "shocked" by his work. Spinal Tap never said anything so ridiculous. The 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht was, for Helnwein, a convenient publicity tie-in for one of his shows.

The astute eye will notice everything about Helnwein illustrates the triumph of "branding" in the art world: his goofy characteristic "look" and his constant recycling of the same idea create a notion of Helnweinism in the shallow and trend-fixated art world. Such shtick drives up the value of his work, no matter how bereft of content.

Running time: 72 minutes. Not rated (profanity, disturbing images). Opens Friday at the Quad, 13th Street and University Place.

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Seeds Of Resiliency

MOVIE REVIEW

SEEDS OF RESILIENCY

It must have seemed a good idea at the time: filmed interviews with a dozen good people who have had very, very bad things happen to them. From these people could be gathered pointers on how to overcome the hardships that life deals most of us sooner or later.

The subjects are an astonishing group, including a man with spina bifida who holds a world record for turning flips in a wheelchair, and a refugee from Uganda who has devoted his life to helping similar people come to the US. There are three Holocaust survivors. And there's a one-time homeless alcoholic man disabled while filming "Bumfight" videos, now sober and helping others.

Truly digging into what made these people able to get on with living after such calamities might have made a fascinating film. But director Susan Polis Schutz has no idea how to reach beyond the individually compelling stories to glean more than banalities about believing in yourself, keeping religious faith and maintaining a positive attitude.

There are worse ways to spend time than with people who have inspirational stories to tell, but the chirpy inability of "Seeds of Resiliency'' to convey real insight is ultimately maddening.

Running time: 60 minutes. Not rated (some violent images). Opens Friday at the Quad, 13th Street and University Place.

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Shin Bet doc is a sure bet

MOVIE REVIEW

THE GATEKEEPERS

The Israeli security agency known as Shin Bet is so secretive that its members are not permitted even to acknowledge that they work there. The only public faces of the organization are its leaders, and six former heads consented to be interviewed by filmmaker Dror Moreh.

For New Yorkers, Moreh's film comes hard on the heels of the similarly conceived "The Law in These Parts." This is a slicker affair, with re-enactments meant to show what the agency sees of a targeted killing in progress. There are also harrowing scenes of buses torn apart by suicide bombings, meant to show what's at stake.

Former leaders of Shin Bet — Israel's highly secretive national security agency — consent to be interviewed in Dror Moreh's harrowing and prescient documentary "The Gatekeepers."

These former spymasters seem wily at times, such as one man's brusque dismissal of Moreh's suggestion that you can't drop a 1-ton bomb in a heavily populated area without "collateral damage." There is also breathtaking candor, such as Avraham Shalom's testy comeback, "They were terrorists," when pressed about the summary execution of two hijackers captured alive. Carmi Gillon, who served from 1994 to 1996, speaks with palpable bitterness about the Israeli extreme right and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.

The filmmaker doesn't speculate about why these men are talking, but he leaves you with an excellent guess. All of them express a desire for negotiation with the very people they fought, and they all fear that chances for peace are slipping away. Anyone watching the news from Gaza this week will find chilling prescience in "The Gatekeepers."

In Hebrew, with English subtitles. Running time: 97 minutes. PG-13 (violent images). Opens Monday at the Lincoln Plaza, Broadway and 63rd Street.

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Starr Report

Michael Starr

Blog: TV

Tony Denison has one of "those faces" you've seen so many times before — but can't quite place where.

Well, let me refresh your memory.

The veteran actor, who was named Time Magazine's "Best Villain of the Decade" for his role as Ray Luca on NBC's "Crime Story" — and for playing John Gotti (in "Getting Gotti") and Joey Buttafuoco (in "The Amy Fisher Story") — also won a Prism Award for his work on "The Closer," where he co-starred for seven years opposite Kyra Sedgwick as Det. Andy Flynn.

He's now headlining "The Closer's" spinoff, "Major Crimes," which premiered to over 9.5 million viewers last August on TNT and heads into its second season next year (it ended up averaging over 7 million viewers in Season One).

WireImage

Veteran actor Tony Denison is keeping busy on TV and on the big screen.

Denison, who's quite a cook in real life, is also starring as a San Francisco chef in the big-screen movie "Trattoria," co-starring John Amedori ("Gossip Girl") and featuring celebrity chefs Elizabeth Falkner ("The Next Iron Chef") and Traci Des Jardins ("Top Chef Masters") also featured.

Another one of "those faces" is Starr Report favorite Jim O'Heir, who plays Jerry on "Parks and Recreation." Jim will visit Marie Osmond on Hallmark Channel's "Marie" next Tuesday, Nov. 27 (11 a.m.) to talk about working with series star Amy Poehler, among other topics.

* * *

Last, but not least:

* With Jodi Applegate leaving Ch. 11 next month, who wouldn't want to see Kaity Tong back and anchoring the station's10 p.m. newscast? Just sayin' . . . RIP: "The Jeffersons" star Sherman Hemsley will finally be buried today — he died last July 24 of lung cancer — after a dispute over his will. Hemsley, who was 74, will be buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, Texas . . . "Dr. Oz" snared its best household rating of the season (2.5) for the week of Nov. 5 and averaged 3.3 million viewers . . . Former ABC News anchor/correspondent Bob Woodruff will be a special guest at The John A. Reisenbach Foundation's 21st Annual Gala this Monday, Nov. 26 (at the Harmonie Club on East 60th).

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Splits for the ‘Gonzo Strip’

Since Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show was canceled last month, it appears the CNN newsman is suddenly more willing to jet off to world hot spots and leave the talk show in the hands of substitutes.

Cooper popped up in the Middle East over the weekend covering the bloody rocket war between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza for CNN.

That left the talk show yesterday to be hosted by Rosie O'Donnell and reality-show favorite NeNe Leakes.

A taped show is set to air today and Andy Cohen, the host of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" is set to fill in again.

ZUMAPRESS.com

NEW DEAL?: Cooper

It's the first time Cooper has used substitutes.

Contractually, he is still obligated to host the daytime show — which airs here on Ch. 5 weekdays at noon — until May 2013.

A spokesman for Cooper said there was no new arrangement that allowed him to take off for other assignments now that the show's days are numbered.

"It was always part of the expectation that he would be away when and where events dictated," said the spokesman.

The show is syndicated by an arm of Warner TV, which is owned by rhe same company that owns CNN.

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Who is the mole?

Linda Stasi

TV Critic

We're well into the second season of "Homeland," and still there is only one thing that we know for sure: The only person who can't be the mole is the man from the hole — Nick Brody.

Brody has played for so many teams, he's become the Bobo Newsom of the terrorist world. (FYI: Bobo was one of the most traded player in baseball history — 16 times!)

Nobody trusts Brody, everybody seems to be onto him (except the hard right wingers who want him on the presidential ticket).

His wife is disgusted with him, his daughter has turned to Mike, his son is, well, no one knows because he's like every little brother on every show — the forgotten kid.

Kent Smith

UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: Fans are trying to figure out which one of these CIA operatives is feeding Abu Nazir.

The only one who really cares about Brody is Carrie, and she's got issues.

Frankly, Brody's become nothing but a no-good cry baby who gets on my nerves now.

So the real ticking time bomb of "Homeland"isn't the triple agent Brody — but the identity of who's been er, mucking up (we're a family newspaper here!) every mission.

There is a mole the size of a Hummer in their midst, and they don't seem to be as concerned as they should be — or laser-focused on finding him. Or her. But I'm betting on him.

Everyone has a betting interest:

* Saul Berenson: Seems to be the odds-on favorite.

For one thing, he trusts crazy Carrie with everything even though she's constantly putting everyone in danger and is incapable of following the simplest orders.

Only a fool — or traitor — would want a bipolar, self-medicating, promiscuous spy in there with Brody.

And whatever happened to his wife? Last time we saw her, she was on her way to the airport in a cab being driven by who-knows-who.

* David Estes: The director is on some lists as the man, the messenger, the mole.

I totally disagree because, for one thing, nobody would want to jeopardize the best government gig in the world for no good reason. Oh, right, Gen. BETRAYus.

* Peter Quinn: Let's face it, he is the only one to survive the Gettysburg massacre intact. Just lucky? Hmm.

He showed up late to the operation with full knowledge of every aspect. The handstabbing thing is so over-the-top for a professional, makes me wonder who's he trying to impress? Jodie Foster?

None of that is enough to make him a suspect, but he does have fantastic cheekbones.

* Carrie Mathison: Nah. Too crazy. However she does manage to screw up everything in her wake, which is good for the other side.

If she isn't the mole then Abu Nazir should have his HR people contact her immediately and begin recruitment negotiations to insure that the CIA continues to be in constant turmoil.

My money? It's on Saul because I don't get the whole wife-in-Mumbai thing. But in my heart? I really wish it could be VP Walden. If anybody deserves a Brody-style beatdown, it's that creep.

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Kenan may leave ‘SNL’; has sitcom

Kenan Thompson is teaming with Lorne Michaels for an NBC sitcom pilot — opening up the possibility he could leave "Saturday Night Live" after a 10-year run.

Thompson is working with Michaels on the sitcom, in which he would play a guy who moves from New York City to his in-laws' house in the suburbs, according to reports.

"It's in the early stages and there's no way to guess his future on 'SNL,' " a source said.

Michaels, the longtime executive producer of "SNL" — who's not leaving the show — would handle the same duties on Thompson's sitcom.

Thompson is a featured performer on "SNL," where he's best known for the sketch, "What Up With That?"

Before "SNL," he teamed with Kel Mitchell on Nick's "Kenan and Kel."

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‘What Would’ spinoff

ABC News is planning to spin off its popular hidden-camera show, "What Would You Do ?" — and has posted a casting notice on the show's Web site, according to tvnewser.com.

"What" uses hidden cameras to catch people reacting to different social situations. HLN airs reruns of the show.

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Talk show guests

TUESDAY

KE$HA - Today, 7 a.m., Ch. 4

AMY POEHLER, RICO RODRIGUEZ - LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, 9 a.m., Ch. 7

ZOOEY DESCHANEL, DR. PHIL MCGRAW - Rachael Ray, 10 a.m., Ch. 7

KATIE COURIC - The Wendy Williams Show, 10 a.m., Ch. 5 and 3 p.m., Ch. 9

TIM FERRISS - The Dr. Oz Show, 11 a.m., Ch. 5 and 4 p.m., Ch. 5

ASHLEY GREENE, KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, HODA KOTB - Anderson Live, 12 p.m., Ch. 5

CHRIS O'DONNELL, DR. MICHELLE CALLAHAN - The Talk, 2 p.m., Ch. 2

JESSE TYLER FERGUSON - The Ellen DeGeneres Show , 4 p.m., Ch. 4

BEN STILLER, OLIVIA MUNN - Conan, 11 p.m., (TBS)

AMY POEHLER, JOSH HUTCHERSON, TEGAN AND SARA - Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 2

LINDSAY LOHAN, DAVID GREGORY - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 4

SIMON COWELL, DEMI LOVATO - Jimmy Kimmel Live, 12:02 a.m., Ch. 7

MARION COTILLARD - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., Ch. 2

WEDNESDAY

ELIZABETH KARMEL - Good Morning America, 7 a.m., Ch. 7

PITBULL - Today, 7 a.m., Ch. 4

KELLY PRESTON - The Doctors, 9 a.m., Ch. 2

ALEC BALDWIN, NICKI MINAJ - LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, 9 a.m., Ch. 7

REGIS PHILBIN - Rachael Ray, 10 a.m., Ch. 7

JACKSON RATHBONE - The Wendy Williams Show, 10 a.m., Ch. 5 and 3 p.m., Ch. 9

KNICKS CITY DANCERS, CHRIS NOTH - The View, 11 a.m., Ch. 7

ANA GASTEYER, ROCCO DISPIRITO - Anderson Live, 12 p.m., Ch. 5

TONI COLLETTE, TONY GOLDWYN, MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD - The Talk, 2 p.m., Ch. 2

INA GARTEN - Katie, 3 p.m., Ch. 7

AMBER RILEY, CARRÉ OTIS - The Ricki Lake Show, 4 p.m., Ch. 11

JENNIFER LAWRENCE - The Ellen DeGeneres Show , 4 p.m., Ch. 4

KELLY PRESTON - The Doctors, 6 p.m., Ch. 55

ANDREW NAPOLITANO - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11 p.m., (COM)

CHRIS FRANJOLA, SARAH COLONNA, DOV DAVIDOFF - Chelsea Lately, 11 p.m., (E!)

WILL FERRELL - Conan, 11 p.m., (TBS)

KEN BURNS - The Colbert Report, 11:31 p.m., (COM)

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, WILLIE NELSON - Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 2

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, KRIS JENNER - The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 4

MANNY PACQUIAO, TIM ALLEN - Jimmy Kimmel Live, 12:02 a.m., Ch. 7

AMY POEHLER, ALICIA KEYS - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 12:36 a.m., Ch. 4

TOM HANKS - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., Ch. 2

NATE SILVER, RONDA ROUSEY, THE FEATURES - Last Call with Carson Daly, 1:36 a.m., Ch. 4

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Go to Greg

I've received two job offers: The job I prefer has only average benefits while the other job has great perks and benefits like unlimited vacation time. How much value should one place on company benefits when considering a job?

Well, if unlimited vacation time is important to you, then how about just not working at all? Between paid company holidays, vacation time, personal days, sick days, leaves of absence, etc., the average workweek for many people is already only four days. If that's not enough time off for you, then move to Canada or Europe. If you take the job you want, presumably you'll want to work because you enjoy your job. And presumably the harder you work and more valuable you become, the more you'll get rewarded with more opportunity, more "work" and more money, etc. .. That's usually how it "works" if you want a career. If you want a life of leisure with minimal work, but don't want to leave the country, then become a lifeguard.

I work for a large employer that just instituted a policy against company-sponsored birthday celebrations for employees; if colleagues want to get a cake, they have to pay for it themselves. I think that's cheap, but pooling together a measly 10 bucks isn't a big deal. The question is when it comes to the boss' birthday, should everyone chip in to get him a cake?

You're only spending 10 bucks on a birthday cake? What, are you buying out-of-date cakes from Costco in bulk? Why do people think that their employer should pay for birthday cakes for everyone anyway? Maybe every engaged employee should announce where they are registered on the company intranet and the company should make a matching donation. You get a job, you get pay, you get benefits, you get reprimanded when something goes wrong and hardly a pat on the back when things go right, what more do you want?! Have your little celebrations for co-workers by each digging deep for a $1.25 and skip the candle-blowing ceremony for the boss.

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The Man Below

Bill Schermerhorn, long-time creative director of the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and two-time Emmy Award-winning lyricist, started at the retail behemoth fresh out of William and Mary, but his first gig had nothing to do with orchestrating the turkey day festival: It was a day job selling Calvin Klein underwear on the second floor at the Herald Square shop.

Growing up in Philmont, NY, surrounded by cows, apple trees and dirt roads, Schermerhorn dreamed of becoming an actor and was deeply involved in high school theatre. Fast-forward: He's put his love of storytelling and spectacle to work overseeing the Thanksgiving extravaganza for the last 30 years. We talked with Schermerhorn about his career path and having such a dream job.

Tamara Beckwith/NY POST, Paul Martinka (above)

FLOATER : Thanksgiving Day parade planner Bill Schermerhorn in his office.

How did you go from selling underwear to organizing the famous parade?

I was working on a small theater show in Brooklyn. To pay the rent I flipped a coin to decide whether I'd work at Macy's or Bloomingdale's. It came up Macy's, so in June of 1982 I took a job as a sales clerk. Then someone said, "If you're working at Macy's, why don't you go up and work in the parade office?" So I went looking for a part-time spot, but Jean McFaddin, who was running the parade at the time, convinced me to take a full-time job. It was a fit from the start. I realized I didn't need to be on the stage to enjoy the creative act of storytelling.

How do you pull all the moving parts together for the spectacle each year?

I always start with the turkey and end with Santa. The stuff in the middle reflects pop culture — tween singers, maybe a battle with Power Rangers to appeal to the 8-year-olds, as well as old family favorites, like the annual performance by the high-kicking Rockettes. It's one of the last great variety shows. Really, I get all the ingredients and create a great soufflé.

What's the hardest part about creating such an event?

We're at the mercy of Mother Nature. Our events are rain or shine. I'd love to have a job where everything's inside. With my luck though there'd be a blizzard and no one would get there.

Any particularly hairy moments come to mind?

One year one of the floats took a wrong turn. I was in a golf cart monitoring the route and got the message "the Mother Goose float's caught at the wrong intersection." I still have no idea how that happened.

What's the best thing about the job?

I get to bring joy to so many people no matter what they've been through. Also I work with the best people in entertainment — especially people from Broadway — singers, actors, choreographers.

What's different this year?

The parade always reflects the state of the country. Hurricane Sandy's had an impact. We're sensitive to what's happened in the area. Our goal is to bring a smile, bring us all together to celebrate and forget the real world. Oh, and Snoopy won't be in the parade this year. He's retiring, but Charlie Brown will be carrying a football down the parade route.

Snoopy's retiring?!

Well, you never know when he'll make a return.

It must be nonstop in the run up to Thanksgiving. How do you keep going?

Six cups of coffee a day is a good thing, no? I use coffee to wash down the chocolate.

I also find inspiration — an illustration in my office of a wishing star by Mike Gabriel of Disney, for example, and the view, which extends all the way down to 1 World Trade, helps too.

In addition to serving as the show's "head chef," you also make a direct contribution as a lyricist, right?

That's right. In June, we won our second Emmy for outstanding original song with last year's show opener, "Won't You Join our Parade?"

What's your typical day?

I live on 58th and Ninth by the Time Warner Center and I walk to work through Times Square and past "Good Morning America" 's outdoor stage. I see full marching bands, Elise the Cow, and other oddities en route to the office. I get in by 8, 8:30 a.m., catch up on the papers, dash off emails, and meet with members of my team. I view my lunch break as sacred. I'll always leave the office, even if it's just for a walk around the neighborhood, followed by lunch at the desk. In the run up to the parade, the meetings are about staging, timing, rundowns and getting Santa to appear at precisely the right moment. The day typically ends around 6 or 7 p.m., unless a big event's approaching, in which case all bets are off.

Why is this a dream job?

You get the freedom to let your imagination soar. Very few jobs allow you to do that as much as this one. We fit all the pieces together — country musicians, pirates, Uncle Sam. And knowing the latest trends and talent at Disney and Nickelodeon keeps me young. After 30 years I'm still learning.

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