Politically Incorrect

TV REVIEW

"House of Cards"
Entire 13 episodes posted Friday night on Netflix

Thanks to big-name talent like David Fincher, Netflix's first original series, "House of Cards," pulls off the impossible: It takes DC politics more seriously than DC does.

Theater of the absurd — "Veep," "Dr. Strangelove" — is really the only way to do Washington.

The pilot of "House of Cards," an adaptation of a BBC series, thinks it's revving up the drama when a hard-charging young reporter (Kate Mara) at a Washington Post-like paper demands that a Mephistophelean Southern congressman (Kevin Spacey) tell her whether the new president will push an education, tax reform or immigration bill first. Spoiler alert: It's education.

Patrick Harbron

DC DRAMA: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Michael Kelly star in "House of Cards," a first-of-a-kind series that can be seen only on Netflix.

The congressman leaks the bill to destroy the barely-visible background character who wrote it. You would have told the press, "Just a rough draft, overeager staffers, not ready for prime time," yada yada.

But then you'd be far too smart to be a character on "House of Cards."

Spacey is House Majority Whip Francis Underwood. We know he's evil because he keeps telling us so, in Hannibal Lecterisms addressed directly to the camera.

This technique doesn't become insufferable immediately — it takes about 15 minutes — but when he keeps saying things like, "I love her more than sharks love blood" or "I imagine their lightly salted faces frying in a skillet," you'll be longing for the comparative restraint of Howard Dean's flying-spittle "Yeeaaaaggh!" speech.

Series creator Beau Willimon, who wrote the play that became the movie "The Ides of March," was once a junior Dean staffer, but he seems to have absorbed only the cheap gesturing, not any actual knowledge of politics.

Willimon imagines a congressman's DUI arrest being known only to Underwood instead of immediately being put out in a press release, and he has a secretary of state nominee sunk by a loony conspiracy theorist living in a shack in the woods — who falsely accuses the would-be Cabinet member of writing an anti-Israel editorial in a student newspaper 35 years ago.

Underhanded Underwood (whose wife, as played by Robin Wright, would give the creeps to Lady Macbeth) leaks the name of a new Secretary of State nominee, which you'd think would cause immediate scoffing from the White House.

Instead the president warms to the idea. That's the kind of thing that worked on Elmer Fudd, but we're supposed to be gawping at the devious brilliance of DC.

This series is about as inside-the-Beltway as Fiji, and Fincher's main plan to compensate for the stupidity level is to have the gentlemen whip off their glasses and the ladies whip off their clothes.

He and Willimon think they're revealing that DC is a den of thieves or a nest of vipers, but it looks more like a petting zoo of arthritic lambs.

Spacey is so pleased to be playing the wolf again that he doesn't notice he's merely gumming his prey.

Kyle.Smith@nypost.com

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Just sold!

Manhattan

HARLEM $1,995,000

111 Central Park North

Three-bedroom, three-bath condo, 1,914 square feet, with glass balcony, floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in closet, washer/dryer and Central Park views; building features doorman, parking, roof deck, gym and party room. Common charges $2,170, taxes $467. Asking price $1,995,000, on market 34 weeks. Brokers: Michael Rosenblum, Douglas Elliman and Kristina Ojdanic, The Corcoran Group

UPPER EAST SIDE $1,400,000

300 E. 74th St.

Two-bedroom, two-bath co-op, 1,450 square feet, with windowed kitchen, dining room and balcony; building features doorman, gym, laundry and storage. Maintenance $2,042, 45 percent tax-deductible. Asking price $1,425,000, on market 21 weeks. Brokers: David Wolfenson, Maxwell Jacobs and Linda Chen, The Corcoran Group

Westchester

BEDFORD HILLS $2,385,000

33 Bedford Center Road

Five-bedroom, five-bath stone house, 6,731 square feet, with two-story conservatory, formal living and dining rooms, family room, guest wing and four antique fireplaces; landscaped property features fenced yard, pool and tennis court. Taxes $45,923. Asking price $2,750,000, on market 50 weeks. Broker: Angela Kessel, Houlihan Lawrence

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‘Rage’ against the anticlimax

THEATER REVIEW

ALL THE RAGE
Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 W. 42nd St.; 212-279-4200. Through Feb. 24. Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission.

The new off-Broadway piece "All the Rage" starts off with a diffident man in a pale-blue button-down shirt giving out a few words of welcome. He concludes his brief speech with a meek request for the audience to turn off their phones. That's not a stage manager who wandered onstage, though, but the writer and star of the show, Martin Moran.

In less than a minute, he has established the tone of his new solo outing: conversational, unassuming.

"I'm dying to tell you about this dream I had," Moran begins, "but first, let me tell you about the fight I had with my father's wife."

Joan Marcus

Martin Moran's one-man show starts off promisingly, but after various travels loses its way.

That story is the first of several loosely related ones that unfurl before we eventually get to the dream. All of them are autobiographical, as was Moran's breakthrough hit, 2004's "The Tricky Part" — directed, like "All the Rage," by Seth Barrish.

In that earlier show, Moran recounted how he had been abused by a counselor at a Catholic summer camp from age 12 to 15. Now 52, the mild-mannered, openly gay actor seems at peace with himself and what happened to him. He's even invited to participate in a panel titled "How To Forgive the Unforgivable."

But maybe all's not well, and here Moran deals with how to negotiate catharsis, asking himself one key question: "Where is my anger?"

Two of the main threads revolve around hardship and Africa. One involves Moran translating for Siba, an asylum-seeker who endured torture in his native African country. Another is about Moran's trip to Johannesburg and the people he met there.

Barrish has skillfully staged the show as if we were in an old-timey classroom — a blackboard, maps, a projector — and Moran is a charming storyteller.

Still, while he looks aw-shucks off the cuff, he's also an experienced actor with Broadway credits that include musicals like "Spamalot." He's in full control.

So it takes a little while to register that Moran's circuitous path to inner peace sounds a lot like the usual tale of the Westerner learning valuable lessons from long-suffering — but wise! — Africans. Ironically, at one point he mentions a woman who breaks from reading "Eat Pray Love" to yell back at a subway ranter.

As good as he is, even Moran can't find a way to make a trip to the Statue of Liberty with Siba less than cloying. By the time we hear about the dream, it's an anticlimax. It's tough to find a satisfying end to a show about a quest for closure.

elisabeth.vincentelli@nypost.com

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Under-par ‘Man’ on wrong track

THEATER REVIEW

THE MAN UNDER
59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St.; 212-279-4200. Through Feb. 17. Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission.

You'll think twice about taking advantage of the Missed Connections section on Craigslist after seeing "The Man Under." Paul Bomba's strained drama about a man who falls in love with a woman he meets in the bowels of the NYC subway system makes it clear that some people, as well as some plays, are best avoided.

In its world premiere by the Athena Theatre, the play begins with Jeff (playwright Bomba) spotting a beautiful young woman as he narrowly resists the impulse to throw himself in front of a moving train. Returning to the small apartment he shares with Martin (Curran Connor), he eagerly describes his newfound obsession while lamenting the fact that he has no idea who she is.

Bitten By A Zebra Photography

Paul Bomba falls for Briana Pozner, a woman he sees on a subway platform, in his own play "The Man Under."

"Sad eyes" is about all he can come up with by way of a description, so the pair spend the next week desperately prowling the station where Jeff saw her.

Eventually he finds the woman, Lisa (Briana Pozner), who enthusiastically introduces him to her rather dangerous habit of lying down on the tracks while a train passes above (simulated by lights).

As romance quickly blossoms between the two obviously damaged souls, a shy Martin tries to deal with his attraction to next-door neighbor Jennifer (Veronique Ory). She's newly available, having thrown out the cheating boyfriend who still periodically shows up in her apartment.

This urban romance has its heart in the right place, attempting to examine the ways in which we selfsabotage our attempts at finding love and happiness. But although it captures some essential truths — the disturbed Lisa will bring shudders to anyone who's fallen hard for the wrong person — it's far too awkward in its execution. Director Benjamin Kamine ("Job") is unable to reconcile the play's wild tonal shifts between sweet romance and "Vertigo"-like mystery.

The youthful ensemble struggles to bring life to schematic roles without much success, although Ory is quietly appealing as the lovelorn Jennifer. While lighting designer Charlie Forster and sound designer Jeremy S. Bloom impressively create the illusion of subway trains in the tiny theater space, you're best off letting "The Man Under" pass you by.

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Abortion and the Big Apple

The Issue: Whether an anti-abortion rally should be held in New York City, instead of Washington, DC.

***

Thanks to The Post and Seth Lipsky for their coverage of the pro-life rally in Washington, DC ("Next Year in NYC," PostOpinion, Jan. 26).

Some 500,000 Americans marched in sub-freezing weather to proclaim their support for human life.

Lipsky's column was outstanding in the revelation that there are many pro-life people right here in New York City.

Hopefully, we will march in New York City in 2014 and every year, until the culture of death is eliminated.

Ann Vetter

Floral Park

Why is it that so many pro-lifers have no children of their own?

I notice that it is very easy to be pro-life when someone else has to bear the child. When was the last time the Pope had a baby?

Ann Wyatt

Syracuse

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Slicing Bacon

The new Kevin Bacon serial killer drama "The Following" may be a blossoming hit for Fox, but one real-life serial killer thinks it's a comedy.

Raven, an imprisoned serial killer who appears each week on the Investigation Discovery series "Dark Minds," is not a TV critic by nature. But when it comes to a subject he knows, he has strong opinions

"He just started laughing," says show host M. William Phelps after asking Raven what he thought about the generally well-reviewed Fox series starring Bacon.

"They just can't seem to ever get it right in Hollywood when it comes to what really makes us tick," the real-life killer replied.

FACE TIME: "We don't have Edgar Allan Poe heads in a closet," an imprisoned killer told M. William Phelps on his ID show "Dark Minds." The killer said Kevin Bacon's new series "The Following" doesn't cut it.

William Phelps

Raven (his identity is hidden on the show and his voice electronically altered) has basic cable in his maximum-security prison cell, Phelps says, and decided to watch the show after seeing all the promos leading up to its debut last week.

"We would never kill in that manner," he told Phelps, who keeps tape recordings of all his conversations with the show's "expert" commentator.

"We don't have Edgar Allan Poe heads in a closet. Real serial killers create a legend. They don't latch onto Edgar Allan Poe," Raven said.

"And the last thing they would do is engage the police."

The serial killer was so disappointed with "The Following" that he turned off the drama 40 minutes into its one-hour airtime.

"It looked like a cartoon to him," says Phelps.

After the success of "Dexter" on Showtime, serial killers are hot properties on TV these days.

"The Following" is only one of the new dramas that features a serial killer (played by James Purefoy) as one of the main characters. BBC America has just given a second-season order to "Ripper Street," a Victorian drama set in London during the time of the notorious Jack the Ripper. On March 18, "Bates Motel," a prequel to "Psycho" concentrating on Norman Bates' wonder years, premieres on A&E.

Raven, who is serving a life sentence, is not going anywhere, and will be able to tune in.

"Us real serial killers have a hard time keeping up with the Hollywood version of ourselves," he told Phelps.

"Dark Minds" begins its second season Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. on ID.

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Starr Report

Michael Starr

Blog: TV

Starr Report exclusive:

TLC is launching a pilot as a potential spinoff of "Cake Boss," its successful, long-running series starring Buddy Valastro.

The pilot, which has the working title "Bakery Go Time," will feature Valastro visiting a struggling family-run bakery each week in an effort to help them revitalize their business. Think Gordon Ramsay and "Kitchen Nightmares," with a much-nicer host (I'm pretty sure you won't see the amiable Valastro dropping any f-bombs).

Here's a description from TLC:

"Knowing first hand the challenges of running a business — and the complications of doing it with relatives at your side — Buddy will spend an intensive week helping a family in crisis, both personally and professionally, evaluating their every ingredient and technique — and challenging them to make big changes all in an effort to transform their crumbling dream into a dough-making enterprise."

Getty Images

Cake Boss" star Buddy Valastro could be headlining another TLC reality show, if all goes as planned.

TLC will be putting out a casting notice today for the pilot, which will be produced by High Noon Productions with a summer premiere planned.

* * *

ABC News wasted no time yesterday in naming David Muir as Chris Cuomo's replacement on "20/20" — and sending out an official photo of Muir and "20/20" co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas — once Cuomo's departure to CNN was signed, sealed and delivered.

Muir, who currently anchors "World News" on weekends — and occasionally subs for "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer on weeknights — will continue in that role while joining Vargas on "20/20."

Cuomo, meanwhile, will "have a major role in a new CNN morning show" while anchoring and reporting for the network, CNN said in a statement.

* * *

My Post TV colleague Linda Stasi will be on the "Today" show tomorrow (Thursday) in the 9 a.m. hour to talk about her new novel, "The Sixth Station," before stopping by "Good Day New York" on Friday to promote the book, which is scoring critical kudos.

More books: NY1 will launch a new segment, tonight, called "The Book Reader," devoted to all-things-books (reviews, assessments of the classics, news/trends, etc.). It will air Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays throughout the day.

* * *

They're back: CBS has renewed its entire daytime lineup for next season: "The Bold and the Beautiful," "The Talk," "The Price is Right" and "Let's Make a Deal."

(Fear not, soap fans: "The Young and the Restless" is also coming back; its return for the 2013-14 season was previously announced).

Meanwhile, BBC America has renewed "Ripper Street" for a second season after only two episodes, with the second, eight-episode season airing in 2014; Showtime has renewed "Shameless," "House of Lies" and "Californication." Wake me when this gets exciting . . .

* * *

Chuck's take: Charles Grodin and Art Garfunkel will discuss their controversial 1969 CBS special, "Songs of America," in a screening/Q&A session at The Paley Center (West 52nd) next Wednesday (Feb. 6) at 6:30 p.m.

Then, on Sunday, March 3, Grodin returns to do an opening comedy act at The Metropolitan Room (West 22nd) to introduce his longtime pal, John Gabriel, who'll perform a number of familiar standards.

* * *

Last, but not least:

* Last Saturday's episode of "48 Hours," "Crazy Love" — about the murder of Fontainebleau Hotel heir Benji Novack — snared a winning 5.3 million viewers at 10 p.m. . . . Producers for NBC's "America's Got Talent" will be here Friday and Saturday at St. John' Center Studios (570 Washington St., 8 a.m.-7 p.m. both days) casting for the show's eighth season . . . "Being Mandela," a new reality show featuring Nelson and Winnie Mandela's granddaughters — Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway and Swati Dlamini — will premiere Feb. 10 on NBC's COZI TV.

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Met’s Vegas Verdi: Ain’t that a kick in the head

OPERA REVIEW

RIGOLETTO
Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center; 212-362-6000. Next performance tomorrow; other performances through May 1. Running time: 190 minutes, two intermissions.

The Met took a gamble on a new production of "Rigoletto" Monday night — but, dramatically at least, the show crapped out.

Director Michael Mayer — of Broadway's "Spring Awakening" and TV's "Smash" — relocated Verdi's tragedy from 16th-century Mantua to Las Vegas circa 1960. Instead of a court jester to a womanizing duke, Rigoletto was the opening act for a Sinatra-like lounge singer, trading his hunchback for a slight limp.

In fact, Mayer's staging is also slight and limp, shedding no new light on the melodrama. It's your grandfather's "Rigoletto," tarted up like a musical version of "Ocean's Eleven."

Mary Altaffer

If Zeljko Lucic, as Rigoletto, is distraught to find his daughter (played by Diana Damrau) dead in the trunk of his car, you couldn't see it in his "poker face" in Monday's premiere.

Amid the neon and slot machines of Christine Jones' eye-popping sets, Piotr Beczala shone as the ring-a-ding-ding Duke, his honeyed lyric tenor as immaculate as his crisp white dinner jacket. Though he scored a big ovation for the last act showpiece "La donna è mobile," his best moment came earlier in the show. The aria "Parmi veder le lagrime," in which the Duke recalls his beloved Gilda, was a model of easy, unaffected legato.

Matching him in freshness of voice was Diana Damrau as Rigoletto's daughter. Her light soprano easily flitted through the intricate "Caro nome," though in more lyric moments, she fussed too much with the line, suggesting a sophistication alien to the naive Gilda.

In the title role, expert baritone Zeljko Lucic seemed to be having an off night, with bleached tone and a lot of flat singing. His acting, too, seemed bland. When Rigoletto discovered his murdered daughter in the trunk of his car, he looked only mildly perturbed, as if he'd forgotten to pack a spare tire.

Stefan Kocán's obsidian-like bass etched a memorable cameo as the sleazy hit man Sparafucile, though mezzo Oksana Volkova was mostly inaudible as his hooker sister Maddalena.

The real problems were not onstage but in the pit. Conductor Michele Mariotti's glacially slow tempos left Damrau and Lucic short of breath, and on more upbeat numbers orchestra and chorus spun out of sync.

Sure, the Met deserves credit for trying something new with this "Rigoletto." But what happened in Vegas should have stayed in Mantua.

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‘Rebecca’ saga will not die

Michael Riedel

BROADWAY MATINEE

TOOT, toot — we have our "Rebecca" whistle-blower!

The man who brought the curtain down on Broadway's biggest fiasco in years is none other than the show's very own press agent, Marc Thibodeau.

A veteran Broadway publicist who has represented such shows as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Misérables" and "Miss Saigon," Thibodeau sent the "poison pen" e-mail to a potential "Rebecca" investor warning him that Manderley really was about to go up in flames.

The investor quickly fled for the hills, forcing embattled "Rebecca" producer Ben Sprecher to scuttle his $10 million Broadway musical.

As it turned out, Thibodeau did the investor a favor.

A few days after Thibodeau fired off his anonymous e-mail, Sprecher was forced to admit he'd been duped by Mark C. Hotton, a Long Island stockbroker mired in bankruptcy and allegations of fraud.

The feds nailed Hotton last fall, charging him with concocting phony investors and fleecing Sprecher of $60,000 in fees and expenses.

Hotton claimed one of his investors, a "Paul Abrams," died of malaria right before he was going to hand Sprecher a check for $4.5 million.

Sprecher sued Hotton last fall. And yesterday, he added Thibodeau's name to the suit, claiming the press agent had misused "confidential information" and took "malicious actions" against the production by sending out the anonymous e-mail.

"If he thought there was fraud going on here, you go to the authorities — you don't send an e-mail to the last investor to put in money and crash the play," Ronald Russo, Sprecher's lawyer, said yesterday.

Jeffrey Lichtman, Thibodeau's lawyer, responded: "Ben Sprecher is now suing the innocent whistle-blower with an impeccable reputation on Broadway who anonymously warned an innocent investor not to sink $2 million into the sinking ship that was 'Rebecca.' "

Lichtman said Thibodeau would soon fire back with his own lawsuit, claiming that Sprecher ignored his doubts about Abrams' existence and his warnings about Hotton's shady background.

"Despite Sprecher's assurances that he had done his 'due diligence' on Mark Hotton and Paul Abrams, Marc's 10-second Google search revealed that Hotton was knee-deep in fraud and that the home address of Paul Abrams provided to Sprecher was a fake," Lichtman said.

Desperate producers. Phony investors. Anonymous e-mails.

This whole business is starting to sound like "Sweet Smell of Success," that brilliant, brutal 1957 movie about a Broadway press agent, Sidney Falco, and his back-stabbing ways.

Except for one thing: Thibodeau is woefully miscast as Sidney Falco.

I've known him for more than 20 years, and back-stabbing he is not.

But don't take my word for it. Check with Cameron Mackintosh. Or Hal Prince. Or Andrew Lloyd Webber. Or any of his other high-powered clients who've known and trusted him for years.

Thibodeau declined to comment, but people close to him told me he was distraught about the goings-on with "Rebecca" from the beginning.

Fearing he'd get caught up in what he believed to be fraud, Thibodeau, says a source, scurried off to a Starbucks, opened his laptop and typed up the anonymous e-mail that capsized the production.

I'm told that as soon as he hit the send key, he regretted it — but what's done is done, and there's no such thing as an "anonymous e-mail" in this day and age.

Thibodeau has co-operated with the authorities, turning over e-mails and documents he sent to Sprecher and other people involved in the show, sources said.

And so the "Rebecca" saga continues.

As they say in "Sweet Smell of Success," It's "got more twists than a barrel of pretzels!"

Additional reporting by Mitchel Maddux and David K. Li

michael.riedel@nypost.com

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‘Teen Mom’ Days are Numbered

MTV appears to be pulling the plug on "Teen Mom 2."

The controversial documentary series, which follows the adult lives of four women who became pregnant in high school, is shutting down production, multiple sources tell The Post.

The decision to end the show follows several months of erratic, headline-grabbing behavior by loose-cannon star Jenelle Evans.

Since Thanksgiving, Evans has become pregnant again, got married, lost her baby and publicly demanded a divorce.

"You f - - king leave out of town and I might be having a miscarriage?! F - - k U, U f - - king piece of sh - t," she tweeted to her husband, Courtland Rogers, last week.

WENN

'TEEN' SCENE: Jenelle Evans' latest antics with husband-of-two-months Courtland Rogers have MTV rethinking her show.

Evans, 21, also shared what appeared to be disturbing, play-by-play updates of her seven-week pregnancy ending.

"And this is the end, I think," she shared with 632,800 followers Friday. "Feel light headed."

Hours later, Evans tweeted that she was with her ex-fiance, Gary Head, at a North Carolina bar.

Insiders say producers are concerned the attention-seeking reality star has become a liability for the show, which tries to characterize itself as a cautionary tale about the hardships of too-young motherhood.

MTV, once unafraid to push the limits of taste and exploitation, appears to be more protective of the image its programs project than in the past.

Last week, Oxygen abruptly scrapped "All My Babies' Mamas" — which documented the relationships between rapper Shawty Lo and the 10 mothers of his 11 children — after charges the show projected a negative stereotype.

"Teen Mom" producers, still reeling from bad press over cast member Amber Portwood, who was jailed last year on drug charges, have been unable to tone down Evans' out-of-control antics.

Since first appearing on MTV, Evans has been arrested seven times on charges including breaking and entering, assault, violation of probation and possession of drugs.

The scandal-plagued star has publicly feuded with her family and other cast members, been forced to give up custody of her 3-year-old son and posed for nude photos which were later leaked on the Internet.

In 2012, Evans was committed to rehab for a second time by her mother, amid tabloid reports of heroin addiction.

"Jenelle is nothing but bad publicity for MTV," says Ashley Majeski, editor of TheAshleysRealityRoundup.com.

"She feeds off the public and the recognition of the fans, and I don't see why they would want to have anything to do with that."

Still, "Teen Mom 2" has remained a ratings bonanza for the former music channel, pulling in more than 3.4 million viewers for its Season 3 premiere last November.

The spinoff of "16 and Pregnant" features newlywed Kailyn Lowry, South Dakota mom Chelsea Houska and recently remarried Leah Messer-Calvert, who is expecting her third child next month.

Some cast members are still awaiting official notice of the cancellation, a source says.

A network rep declined comment.

A fourth and final season of "Teen Mom 2" has already been filmed, and is expected to air sometime this year.

The original "Teen Mom" series concluded its run in October.

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Will SB XLVII not be that super after all?

It's a no-brainer that Sunday's Super Bowl will be the year's most-watched telecast.

But viewership for this year's NFL playoffs was down from last year, which has the experts wondering whether this year's game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers is headed for a sack.

"The playoff numbers don't necessarily translate into Super Bowl numbers," says former Fox Sports p.r. exec Vince Wladika, who runs VMW Communications.

"It's not like the World Series or NBA Finals, where bigger-market teams [like the Giants and Patriots last year] means a bigger number."

Viewership for this year's NFL Conference Championship games — Baltimore-New England and San Francisco-Atlanta — was down a substantial 15 percent.

"When you have that pronounced of a [downward] trend in the conference championship round, it's likely to carry over to the Super Bowl," says one exec, who asked to remain anonymous because his network is not carrying the game this year (it's airing on CBS).

"It's my experience that, barring a really unbelievable game — overtime, etc. — the numbers are going to be down a little bit on Sunday."

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Father 'proud' of son who stood up to alleged molester

I'm proud of him, the dad testified today of a brave nine-year-old boy who stood up to an alleged sex-molesting school aide at the Upper West Side's PS 87 last year.

The boy had taken the stand Friday to describe the alleged abuse at the hands of aide Gregory Atkins, 56, angrily confronting the defense attorney during cross examination by shouting, "Stop being a bully!"

In his own turn on the stand today, the kid's father, an educator, described to jurors how his son complained to him of Atkins on the night of the alleged abuse in a manner largely consistent with the kid's witness stand account a year later.

The troubled child had needed counseling three times a week after the incident, but now, "He is doing better than he's ever done before," the dad told a Manhattan Supreme Court jury, where Atkins is fighting first degree sex abuse and felony child porn possession charges.

"He's very extroverted, very curious," the dad told jurors of his son. "I'm very proud of him," testified the dad, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the child.

Of the family's $3 million claim against the Board of Education, the dad said that should a lawsuit be pursued, any money damages would be the child's. But another motivation of filing suit would be to prompt the BoE to improve background checks on staff, he said.

Atkins was hired at the high performing school despite a history of being reprimanded verbally for inappropriate sexual behavior toward another boy student at his prior school -- including giving that child inappropriate gifts including a jock strap.

"I've always said he's a significant improvement on the prior generation," the dad beamed to reporters, speaking of his son after court. "He's a great guy."

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Talk show guests

TUESDAY

MELISSA MCCARTHY, STEPHEN AMELL - LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, 9 a.m., Ch. 7

ANGELA BASSETT, DAVID CAPLAN - The Wendy Williams Show, 10 a.m., Ch. 5 and 3 p.m., Ch. 9

PATRICK DUFFY, LINDA GRAY, ANNE BURRELL - Anderson Live, 12 p.m., Ch. 5

CRAIG FERGUSON - The Talk, 2 p.m., Ch. 2

PATTI STRANGER - Steve Harvey, 3 p.m., Ch. 4

SALLY FIELD, REGGIE BUSH - The Ellen DeGeneres Show , 4 p.m., Ch. 4

MELISSA MCCARTHY - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11 p.m., (COM)

DAX SHEPARD - Conan, 11 p.m., (TBS)

EMMY ROSSUM, ROSS MATHEWS, ARDEN MYRIN - Chelsea Lately, 11 p.m., (E!)

KIM KARDASHIAN, KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, ADAM DRIVER - Jimmy Kimmel Live, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 7

SYLVESTER STALLONE, AL GORE - Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 2

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

LUCY LIU, BILLY GARDELL, TOMMY MOTTOLA - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 12:36 a.m., Ch. 4

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

WEDNESDAY

DUSTIN HOFFMAN, KERI RUSSELL - LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, 9 a.m., Ch. 7

RUSSELL PETERS, LAURIE COLE - The Wendy Williams Show, 10 a.m., Ch. 5 and 3 p.m., Ch. 9

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL - Anderson Live, 12 p.m., Ch. 5

SHORTY ROSSI, CÉSAR MILLÃN - The Jeff Probst Show, 2 p.m., Ch. 4

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, KEVIN FRAZIER - The Talk, 2 p.m., Ch. 2

NICHOLAS HOULT, CATHERINE ZETA-JONES - The Ellen DeGeneres Show , 4 p.m., Ch. 4

YVETTE NICOLE BROWN, JIM RASH - The Soup , 10 p.m., (E!)

AL GORE - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11 p.m., (COM)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, BEN FOLDS FIVE - Conan, 11 p.m., (TBS)

PIERS MORGAN, DREW DROEGE, FORTUNE FEIMSTER - Chelsea Lately, 11 p.m., (E!)

NICHOLAS HOULT - Jimmy Kimmel Live, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 7

JASON BATEMAN, ALISON BRIE - Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., Ch. 2

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

JUDE LAW, MIKE TYSON, JOSHUA TOPOLSKY - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 12:36 a.m., Ch. 4

DOMINIC MONAGHAN, ELLIE KEMPER - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., Ch. 2

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Starr Report

Michael Starr

Blog: TV

It's been a banner week for veteran TV exec Richard Dominick.

Not only did truTV renew the Dominick-created "Hardcore Pawn" for a seventh season, but Dominick inked a deal with Detroit-based Horizon Entertainment to produce movies under a new company, Richard Dominick Entertainment Group (which will connect "the worlds of music and reality television production," according to a press release).

In addition to "Hardcore Pawn," Dominick's long TV and movie resume includes executive-producing ("The Jerry Springer Show," "The Steve Wilkos Show," which he also created) and producing the big-screen movie, "Ringmaster," starring Jerry Springer and Jaime Pressly, among other credits.

PRNewsFoto/Fuse

The "Fuse News" team (l-r): Walaszczyk, Moran, Babel, Chung, Osbourne.

Speaking of talk shows — and Springer, indirectly — NBC Universal has renewed "Trisha Goddard" for a second season. The show, hosted by the British-born Goddard, airs here on CBS-owned Ch. 55 (at 5 p.m.) and originates from the same Stamford, Ct. studios as "Springer," "Maury Povich" and "Wilkos."

* * *

Larry Manetti, who co-starred all those years go in "Magnum, P.I.," is returning to the Hawaii beat for an episode of CBS's "Hawaii Five-O." Manetti, who co-hosts CRN Digital Talk Radio's "P.M. Show" with his wife, Nancy, will guest-star as Nicky "The Kid" Demarco, a lounge owner and singer who assists in an investigation, in an episode slated for later next month.

Like "Magnum," on which he played Orville "Rick" Wright, "Hawaii Five-O" is shot in The Rainbow State.

* * *

Fuse is set to launch its new franchise, "Fuse News," which will premiere with special Grammy coverage Feb. 6 (8 p.m.).

The new show, anchored by former MTV host Alexa Chung and Matte Babel — with contributors Jack Osbourne (yes, that Jack Osbourne), Elaine Moran and Liz Walaszczyk — will cover the music industry on a nightly basis.

Former ABC, CNN, MSNBC and CBS news exec Rick Kaplan is a producing consultant/senior executive producer; he's joined behind-the-scenes by industry vet Audrey Gruber.

The show will air weeknights at 8 p.m.

* * *

Last, but not least:

* Michael Kay has inked a new, multi-year extension with YES to remain the lead Yankees play-by-play voice and continue hosting "CenterStage" . . . Wilmer Valderrama guest-stars on tomorrow night's episode of "Suburgatory" (9:30/Ch. 7) . . . DirecTV's "Celebrity Beach Bowl," airing Saturday from LA, includes, among others, Snoop Dogg, Nina Dobrez, Maria Menounos and Justin Timberlake's first performance in almost five years (which won't be aired) . . . Voices: Billy Dee Williams, who recently popped up on an episode of "Modern Family," lends his pipes to this Thursday's episode of "Annoying Orange" (8:30 p.m./Cartoon Network); Jennifer Garner will voice an episode of "Martha Speaks," Feb. 4 on PBS Kids . . . The fifth and final season of Fox's "Fringe" will be out on DVD/Blu-ray May 7.

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New screen tests!

She wasn't desperately searching for a new job — but better benefits, a bigger salary and a boss who wasn't a creep would be nice. So when Hailey heard that the hard goods retailer she had always wanted to work for was recruiting a district manager to cover the Summit, NJ area where she lived, she jumped on it. A week later she received an invite for a video interview.

For an in-person meeting, Hailey (who asked that her last named not be used out of fear of career repercussions), says she would have worn a suit — but getting decked out to sit in front of her computer at her kitchen table seemed unnatural. "Like I was trying too hard," she notes. Besides, she was pretty sure the camera on her computer wouldn't capture anything below her neck unless she sat way back. (She knew this because she always had to back away from the screen to show her mother what she was wearing during their Sunday Skype sessions.)

NY Post: Brian Zak

CHATTERING CLASS:Kate Bocchio interviews potential new employee Alix Kraft for a job at BrightLine, a television ad firm, via Skype. Live video interviews are one way employers are using digital media to screen job candidates.

But her "interview" turned out to be anything but a casual online chat.

Hailey expected to have a virtual conversation with her boss-to-be — but when she logged in, there was no human being on the end. Instead, she was greeted by a question posed to her on her screen, and she was expected to answer it as her computer's webcam recorded her: 30 seconds to read a question, two minutes to answer. No one on other side to tell her how she was doing. No nod. No, "Tell me more."

"I rambled. I sounded like an idiot. I couldn't make a single point," she recalls. "It was weird."

Or maybe not so weird.

Welcome to interviewing circa 2013, when an increasing number of employers and recruiters are getting to know their job candidates via video — and not only via Skype or FaceTime. Video résumés, recorded elevator pitches and digitally recorded tests are just a few of the emerging tools employers are using to screen candidates.

According to an August 2012 survey by staffing service OfficeTeam, 63 percent of human resources managers said their company often conducts employment interviews via video, up from just 14 percent one year ago. And 13 percent of respondents think their organization will use video more frequently to meet with applicants in the next three years.

"Video interviews will be the norm in three years," confirms Ryder Cullison, a manager at human resources technology provider Hire-Intelligence.

And unlike the video interviews of yesteryear — which were used primarily when job candidates and employers were situated too far away from one another to meet in person — some of today's video interviews are simply one step of many in the job application process. Companies are now inviting job applicants to record their answers to interview questions via webcam so they can be viewed by multiple managers at any time, for instance. And they're presenting job candidates with live, timed online challenges such as composing clever tweets, preparing mock budgets and even coding computer programs.

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Bibi’s win — Bam’s loss?

The Issue: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first-place finish in the Israeli elections this week.

***

While the new makeup of the Knesset may be more centrist, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forced to include more moderate elements in his government, it will not change President Obama's attitude toward the leadership of Israel or toward the nation ("Bibi Victorious," Editorial, Jan. 23).

His nomination of Chuck Hagel — who is hostile toward the Jewish state — for a position in his Cabinet and John Brennan as CIA director portends stormy events in American-Israeli relations.

There's now less chance of any military response by Israel against Iran being approved.Nelson Marans

Silver Spring, Md.

Close only counts in horseshoes.

There's nothing to cheer about in Netanyahu's win. A vote for him was a vote against peace in the Middle East.

With another few years of Netanyahu, there can be only more of the same bullying and bellicose threats to strike at Iran's nuclear program and suppressing Palestinians, as well as replays of the same stalemate talks with Obama.

For crying out loud, don't the Israelis realize that it's time for a breath of fresh air?

JoAnn Lee Frank

Clearwater, Fla.

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Pols’ perverse priorities: Union bosses over kids

The Issue: Promises by three Democratic mayoral candidates to keep failing schools open, if elected.

***

I challenge anyone to find examples of any of these Democrats publicly disagreeing with the United Federation of Teachers on major educational issues during their respective careers ("Three Stooges for Mayor," Editorial, Jan. 25).

The UFT is the most powerful, self-serving special-interest group on the political landscape today.

Its recent million-dollar media blitz rivals that of any major candidate running for public office.

It spends more money than virtually any other union, business or other special-interest group in supporting its favorite candidates for public office. Larry Penner

Stephen Yang

Bill Thompson

Great Neck

How many times must the point be made that charter schools cherry-pick the best students from the public system?

They provide few special-ed services and quietly transfer students back to their neighborhood school if they do not make the grade.

Charters receive constant favoritism from the city because they are a clever ploy to fight the teachers union.

Once you review the facts, it is more than clear which type of school is the true nightmare.J.B. McGeever

Stonybrook

Your editorial is hateful, ignorant and unfair.

I believe you owe Moe, Larry and Curly an apology. As ridiculous as the Three Stooges acted, it was only an act.

With Bill de Blasio, John Liu and Bill Thompson, it's not an act, but an outright disregard for the welfare of our children.

Charlie Honadel

Staten Island

"Three Stooges for Mayor" makes a key point that the Democratic mayoral candidates are against closing failing schools and co-location of charter and union schools.

When a bad union school closes, it makes room for a good charter to open up in that space. In a densely populated area like New York City, school buildings are scarce and nearly impossible to build. By denying charters the real estate to operate, the unions choke them out.

The Archdiocese of New York is closing Catholic schools all over.

It should lease them to charters and keep the competition with union schools alive.

Greg Rand

White Plains

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PHOTOS: FDNY douses taxi fire in Brooklyn

Aaron Neilson-Belman

Firefighters put water on a burning taxi in Brooklyn.

These are some hot wheels! Firefighters doused a raging taxi fire that erupted on busy Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn today, just a block from the new Barclays Center.

Firefighters quickly put out the blaze, which erupted on Flatbush near Dean Street at about 3 p.m. in the northern section of tony Park Slope.

No one was hurt and the FDNY did not know what caused the fire, but from photos captured by a quick-thinking lensman, the taxi looks like a total loss.

Aaron Neilson-Belman

'HOT' COUTURE: Cab caught fire in front of the Versailles clothing shop.

Aaron Neilson-Belman

JUST AIN'T 'FARE': This cab won't be making pickups any time soon.

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LIU escapes Bryant in NEC thriller

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Jamal Olasewere scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half and grabbed a last-second rebound to preserve LIU Brooklyn's 79-78 victory over Bryant Saturday.

The Blackbirds (10-10, 5-3), the two-time defending Northeast Conference champs, trailed 49-42 at halftime before rallying.

Bryant (13-6, 6-2) got 25-points from Dyami Starks, who hit six 3-pointers. Frankie Dobbs added 11 points and Alex Francis 16. But Francis missed a critical late free throw.

Olasewere, who got help from teammates E.J. Reed (15 points), Booker Hucks (14) and Jason Brickman (11), led the second-half surge. Bryant last led 69-67 with 8:32 left after Vlad Kondratyev's basket.

Two baskets by Kenny Onyechi and Olasewere's last bucket put LIU Brooklyn up 79-74 with 2:17 left.

Francis, however, hit a layup, then another as he was fouled with a second left to make it 79-78. But he missed the free throw and Olasewere grabbed the rebound.

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Knicks fall to Holiday, 76ers

AP

Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, left, tries to knock the ball away from Philadelphia 76ers' Jrue Holiday during the first half.

PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 35 points, Nick Young had 20 and the Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a 97-80 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday night.

Evan Turner also added 20 points for the Sixers, who led from the start and beat the Knicks for the first time in four tries and second in eight games.

Carmelo Anthony needed 28 shots to get 25 points. He has 28 straight 20-point games, tied with Patrick Ewing for second-longest streak in franchise history. Richie Guerin did it 29 games in a row in 1961-62.

It was a great day for hoops at the Wells Fargo Center. In a game that tipped off eight hours earlier, Villanova knocked off No. 3 Syracuse 75-71 in overtime for its second victory over a top 5 team in five days.

The Atlantic Division-leading Knicks, who are second in the Eastern Conference, have lost five of eight.

Amare Stoudemire had 20 points for New York. Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith combined to go 0 for 17. Kidd had zero assists in 15 minutes.

The Sixers opened an eight-game homestand, their longest since 1986, with only their third win in 11 games. They're 8-19 since a 10-6 start.

Holiday, selected to his first All-Star team this week, took control right from the start. He scored eight points in the first three-plus minutes as the Sixers jumped out to a 12-2 lead and never let up.

Holiday hit a 3-pointer to make it 46-36 late in the second. After baskets by Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler, Holiday scored on a driving layup and made a free throw to complete a 3-point play.

Another basket by Holiday was followed by Turner's dunk off an alley-oop pass from Young that made it 53-41 going into the half.

Holiday got things started in the third quarter with a jumper, and Young hit a 20-footer and a 3-pointer to give Philadelphia a 60-43 lead. A 14-4 run put the Sixers up 67-45 and the lead stretched to 29 points at one point.

The Knicks missed 12 straight shots in a span of 7:22 in the third.

Notes: Sixers guard Jason Richardson (left knee) missed his third straight game. Young started in his place. Spencer Hawes replaced Lavoy Allen in the lineup. ... A sellout crowd of 20,540 included plenty of Knicks fans. ... Sixers rookie Arnett Moultrie saw his first action since Jan. 8. ... Knicks guard Raymond Felton returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a broken right finger. He had eight points. ... Felton hadn't played since Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Lakers. ... The Sixers are 10-4 when scoring 100 or more. ... Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, the 2007 NL MVP, sat courtside and got a loud ovation shown on the video screen. ... Kidd remains 13 assists shy of 12,000.

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Bloomberg giving $350 million to alma mater Johns Hopkins; he's first to donate more than $1B to single US university

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving $350 million to alma mater Johns Hopkins University, pushing his lifetime giving to the private Baltimore university past $1 billion, the university said today.

University officials believe Bloomberg, who earned his fortune creating the global financial services firm Bloomberg LP, is now the first person to give more than $1 billion to a single U.S. university.

Most of the latest gift, $250 million, will go toward a variety of cross-disciplinary subjects, including research on water resources, health care, global health, the science of learning and urban revitalization.

AFP/Getty Images

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving $350 million to alma mater Johns Hopkins University.

The remaining $100 million will go to need-based financial aid for undergraduate students, awarding 2,600 Bloomberg scholarships in the next 10 years.

"Johns Hopkins University has been an important part of my life since I first set foot on campus more than five decades ago," Bloomberg said in a statement released by the university. "Each dollar I have given has been well-spent improving the institution and, just as importantly, making its education available to students who might otherwise not be able to afford it."

The mayor has stayed closely involved with the university where he graduated in 1964, including stints on its board of trustees from 1996 to 2002 and as chairman of Johns Hopkins Initiative fundraising campaign. Among his past gifts was $120 million toward the construction of a children's section at The John Hopkins Hospital in honor of his late mother.

"This latest initiative allows us to greatly accelerate our investment in talented people and bring them together in a highly creative and dynamic atmosphere," university president Ronald J. Daniels said in a statement. "It illustrates Mike's passion for fixing big problems quickly and efficiently."

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Sex, spies & stoli

Keri Russell lies half-naked on a bed at a soundstage in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn. Dressed in a black bra and stockings, her pencil skirt hiked up above her waist, she's smiling, which is surprising given that in the past half hour, she's been spanked on her naked rear or whipped with a belt more than 50 times.

Russell is filming the fifth episode of "The Americans," FX's new drama about Soviet spies in America in the early 1980s. As Elizabeth Jennings (her American name) Russell is undercover, using sex as a weapon in the soon-to-be-lost battle against capitalist oppression. This scene calls for Elizabeth's mark, a corporate surveillance executive with a penchant for harmful sexual play, to turn unexpectedly violent.

The mechanics of the scene are tricky. After a kiss with guest-actor John Dossett, the two fall to the bed for a quick bout of fake sex. Dossett then flips Russell over, slaps her bottom twice and repeatedly whips her with a belt. Russell's character realizes what's happening, screams and squirms away.

In a scene of this sort, there are many details to work out. How many buttons should be undone on her peach blouse before Dossett removes it? When should Russell reach for his belt, and how long should her hands be down there? Then, when and how should he reach for the fake-leather belt which, in a true piece of showbiz magic, makes exactly the sound of a belt slashing flesh without causing Russell any pain?

Throughout, one is struck by Russell's nonchalance. But the accompanying remarks, as heard on headphones while the scene is filmed, would constitute highly inappropriate behavior in any other workplace.

"If you want me to do the full unzipping, it's gonna take a little time," says Russell.

"Let's see your next position. Turn over," says Holly Dale, the director.

"How unbuckled should his pants be?," Russell asks.

And then a crew member chimes in: "I feel like such a pervert watching this."

As the scene progresses, one thing becomes abundantly clear: Keri Russell has come a long, long way since "Felicity."

On a short break, the 36-year-old actress, now covered in a plush blue robe, relishes a quick snack.

"I've had a burrito and some chocolate. I feel great," says Russell. "I'm ready to get naked again."

In "The Americans," Russell's Russian-born spy was recruited by the KGB as a teen, and paired with Rhys' Philip (they are instructed not to share their real names with each other) to become a husband and wife in America, have kids, and pose as a regular family while secretly carrying out missions for the motherland.

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Caught: Suspect who escaped during bathroom break nabbed in Bronx

They finally flushed out this fugitive!

A murder suspect who escaped from a Brooklyn police precinct yesterday by asking a cop for a bathroom break was captured today by cops hiding out in a friend's Bronx apartment, the NYPD said.

Brandon Santana, 24, was apprehended at 3:15 p.m. at 3930 Third Avenue by NYPD officers and the Regional Fugitive Task Force, about 37 hours after he ran, un-handcuffed, from the 78th Precinct in Park Slope after knocking down a cop escorting him to the toilet.

Police said that the girlfriend of Santana's friend opened the door when they arrived, and she told them that a pal of her boyfriend was staying there.

NYPD

Brandon Santana, escaped during bathroom break.

Cops found Santana standing in the bedroom, and took him into custody without incident, according to the NYPD.

Santana is suspected of repeatedly bashing 22-year-old dad-to-be Alexander Santiago with a lead pipe during a gang assault on the man and three of his friends at 12th Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope on Aug. 1, 2010.

After Santana's latest arrest today, Santiago's girlfriend Stephanie Mercado, told The Post, "'I hope the cops keep him tight, and don't let him get away."

"No bathroom breaks this time," Mercado said. "And now that they have him we want them to get the rest of the cowards. I want justice."

Santana's apprehension was the second time in the past week he was caught by cops.

He had been hiding out with a relative in Iowa, but returned to the city this week – and was promptly caught by cops who wanted to arrest him for Santiago's murder.

Detectives questioned Santana at the station house Wednesday night, and then left at the end of their shift at 1 a.m. yesterday, expecting to put him in a witness lineup later.

An hour later, after he had been placed in a first-floor holding cell, Santana asked the officer minding him if he could use the bathroom.

When the cop opened the cell door, Santana — who was not handcuffed — shoved the officer, knocking him to the ground, and ran straight out of the station house, law-enforcement sources said.

One cop behind the front desk jumped over it to chase him, but hurt himself in the process, sources said.

A lieutenant also went after Santana but couldn't catch up, sources said.

"It's like they gave us justice, then took it away," said Anaisa Santiago, Alexander's 15-year-old sister yesterday.

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Te'o hoaxer Tuiasosopo does first interview with Dr. Phil

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo is talking to a psychologist a little too late.

TMZ.com is reporting that the man behind Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, gave his first interview with Dr. Phil on Thursday and that it will air next week. Tuiasosopo and Dr. Phil watched Te'o's interview with Katie Couric before having their conversation. Sources told the gossip website that the interview was "emotional and deep."

Tuiasosopo allegedly created Kekua on Twitter and carried on a long-term relationship with the Notre Dame linebacker, and several others before him. Tuiasosopo fooled Te'o online and The Post reported today that his cousin Tino spoke for hundreds of hours over the phone.

Getty Images

Manti Te'o

"I know so much has been splattered all over the media about my son & my family …," Ronaiah's dad Titus wrote on Facebook after the story broke.

"Those of you who know us the best still love us the most. It my hope & prayer that we allow the truth to take its course, wherever that may lead. My heart goes out to Manti & the Te'o Aiga. Please allow this young man to pursue his dream without judgement. He's an amazing role model for our youth and Samoan community. I love U all from the bottom of my heart."

Te'o spoke of Kekua in many national interviews after she supposedly died of leukemia on Sept. 12. His level of involvement is still being speculated on, but Te'o did admit to Couric that he perpetuated the lie at points.

Deadspin reported last week that Kekua was a hoax, and Te'o has said Tuiasosopo apologized to him.

Tuiasosopo has yet to address the story publicly, but that will change next week.

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Carbon monoxide leak sickens 2 in Hell's Kitchen

Two restaurant workers were rushed to the hospital after being overcome by carbon monoxide at a Hell's Kitchen eatery, a leak that prompted fire officials to briefly evacuate the building.

The employees, one of whom was knocked unconscious, were taken to New York-Cornell Medical Center after they succumbed to the gas escaping from a defective oil burner in the basement of Turkish Cuisine restaurant on 9th Avenue near 45th Street at 3:40 p.m.

"When the company arrived on scene, their carbon-monoxide meters ran at 1,000 parts per million," said FDNY Battalion Chief Mike Meyers, who added that safe levels are just 10 parts per million.

The stricken workers, who were not identified, will spend the next 24 hours in an oxygen chamber and are listed in serious condition.

Ten residents ordered to briefly leave the building were allowed back inside, but not before being chilled to the bone during today's cold snap.

"I was buying groceries, then I came back and firefighters told me, 'You can't go in.' Now I'm cold as hell and my hands are freezing." said John Zieley, 86, a retired actor who has called the building home for 44 years.

Meyers said that carbon monoxide poisoning is especially dangerous in wintertime, as cold weather prompts chilled residents to cover windows with plastic, concentrating the effects of a leak.

He said everyone should make sure carbon-monoxide detectors are installed and working.

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Woods atop the leaderboard at Torrey Pines

SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods made it look easy on a dreary day at Torrey Pines and wound up in a place he hasn't been in five years.

He had the 36-hole lead by himself at one of his favorite PGA Tour stops.

Woods didn't miss a shot during a four-hole stretch around the turn on the North Course that included a 5-iron to 5 feet for eagle and a wedge that one-hopped off the pin to set up birdie. It carried him to a 7-under 65 on Friday and gave him a two-shot lead in the Farmers Insurance Open.

"I feel good right now," Woods said. "I'm leading the tournament."

Woods was at 11-under 133 and had a two-shot lead over Billy Horschel, with six other players two shots behind. Already a favorite with seven wins as a pro at Torrey Pines, Woods had even more in his favor going into the weekend. He had a 74-0 edge in PGA Tour wins against the next seven players behind him.

Horschel, who had to go back to Q-school to get his card last year, had a 69 on the South Course to get into final group.

Woods caught a break in the draw by playing the easier North — it's about 600 yards shorter — on a day of light rain, a late breeze and soft conditions. But he kept the ball in play off the tee, and he only got in trouble once. That was on the par-4 eighth hole when he drove into a tough lie in the bunker, and it led to his only bogey.

There's a simple formula for playing the North — make birdie on the par 5s and pick up a few more on the short par 4s. And that's just what he did.

Woods missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the opening two holes and was taking baby steps until he took off. It started with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th. He followed with the 5-iron that landed just left of the pin on the 18th, a two-putt birdie on the par-5 first hole, and his wedge that took one hop, struck the flag and settled 4 feet away.

It was similar to Thursday on the South Course when he played five-hole stretch in 5 under, only this time, Woods finished strong. His approach to the seventh spun back and ran over the cup to set up a short birdie, and he finished off his routine day with a 5-wood onto the ninth green for another two-putt birdie.

"Drive the ball well here and you're going to probably have four iron shots into the par 5s," Woods said. "You sprinkle that in with probably four or five wedge shots in there, a round of 6- or 7-under par is definitely conceivable."

Brad Fritsch, a rookie from Canada, had a 67 on the South Course to lead the group of six players at 8-under 136. The others were Casey Wittenberg, Steve Marino, Jimmy Walker, Josh Teater and Erik Compton, whom Woods referred to as "remarkable" for being a two-time heart transplant recipient and being on the PGA Tour.

Defending champion Brandt Snedeker didn't fare so well. After opening with a 65 on the North, he made only one birdie and twice took bogey on the par 5s on his way to a 75 that left him seven shots behind. K.J. Choi, who had a 65 on the South Course, couldn't break par on the easier North and had a 73 to fall five behind.

Phil Mickelson struggled to keep his hands dry in the wet weather and finished bogey-bogey on the South for a 71 to make the cut on the number, though his work isn't over. There were 87 players who made the cut at 1-under 143, meaning there will be another cut to top 70 and ties Saturday.

Mike Weir, meanwhile, made the cut for the first time since July 2011 despite a sloppy finish for a 75 on the South. He was tied for 41st at 3-under 141.

Still, this had the trappings of another Tiger show at Torrey.

It was his first outright lead going into the weekend against a full field since the Australian Open in 2011 (he finished third at The Lakes), and his first time atop the leaderboard at Torrey Pines since 2008. Then again, he has only played one time at this event since then when he was just starting to change his swing.

Woods is coming off a missed cut in Abu Dhabi last week to start his year.

"I've had beautiful practice sessions at home," he said. "If I can do it there, I can do it out here. Even though last week I played only two days, I felt like I hit the ball well enough to shoot a better score than I did. I had a couple of days to work on it, and I came out here and felt pretty good about it."

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Kelly back to ‘GDNY’

Greg Kelly is heading back to "Good Day New York."

Kelly, who left "GDNY" last June to co-anchor Ch. 5's 10 p.m. newscast, will rejoin Rosanna Scotto on the morning beat starting today.

Dave Price, who joined "GDNY" six months ago, is already gone. He asked to be let out of his contract, according to insiders.

"I had a great experience returning to Fox 5, but it is time to look for opportunities outside WNYW," Price said in a statement. "I love Rosanna and the gang and wish them all the best."

"We appreciate all of Dave's contributions and wish him the best in his future endeavors," Ch. 5 VP/GM Lew Leone said in a statement.

Kelly will be replaced at 6 and 10 p.m. by Steve Lacy, who's been anchoring Ch. 5's early-morning newscasts.

"We are excited to welcome Greg back to 'Good Day,' " Leone said. "He has proven he has the versatility to anchor a prime-time newscast and an unscripted morning show — a rare and valuable quality.

"This, combined with his fun, spontaneous and inquisitive style, make him the perfect fit for this role."

Kelly previously co-anchored "GDNY" with Scotto for four years.

Lacy will be replacedfrom 4:30 to 7 a.m. by Antwan Lewis, at least for now.

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Who's zooming who!

1. 49ers vs. Falcons 4,698,831

2. Ravens vs. Patriots 4,307,161

3. American Idol 1,219,768

4. Pretty Little Liars 887,963

5. Lakers vs. Bulls 786,121

6. Catfish 721,173

7. SpongeBob 694,497

8. WWE Raw 639,502

9. Vampire Diaires 629,704

10. The Simpsons 624,677

The Trendrr social TV chart ranks total activity volume across all public profiles of Twitter, Facebook, Miso, and GetGlue.

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‘Mob’ Dad pays price for show

Forget sleeping with the fishes — the father of a Mob Wife has been "put on the shelf."

Anthony "TG" Graziano, the imprisoned dad of VH1 reality star Renee Graziano, has been sidelined by the Bonanno family as a result of his daughter's appearances on the show.

The elder Graziano, 72, "has been stripped of all his mobster rights and responsibilities," the Gang Land News site reported yesterday.

Despite efforts by the former capo to distance himself from the series, members of the Bonanno family are "irate" over regular on-air references to the group's legal troubles, the site said.

Although not as infamous as other types of mob justice, being "put on the shelf" severely diminishes Graziano's standing, and cuts him out of financial deals that generate income.

"It means 'pay him no mind,' " a law enforcement official said. "He has no mob responsibilities, and he can't earn. They don't know if he's cooperating. They're not 'unmaking' him, but it means he's not active."

"It's totally devastating to these guys," added a federal prosecutor who specializes in mafia cases.

"It's such a blow that some of them have even testified that that's the reason that they have decided to cooperate [with law enforcement]. It means people aren't supposed to deal with you at all."

The penalty marks the latest setback for Graziano, who returned to prison last year after being charged with racketeering and extortion.

Even from the slammer, he's figured prominently on the series, a ratings powerhouse now in its third season. It moves to a new, 10 p.m. timeslot beginning this Sunday.

Last Sunday's episode featured Renee Graziano burning pictures of her ex-husband, Hector "Junior" Pagan, whose testimony as a DEA informant proved crucial in the case.

Another daughter, Jennifer Graziano, created "Mob Wives" and serves as an executive producer.

The senior Graziano has never taken kindly to his daughters' TV work, refusing to appear on the series during the few months of its run when he hasn't been in prison.

Renee Graziano has claimed in interviews that she and her father haven't spoken since before the show began.

"My father has never 'allowed' me to do anything as it pertains to the show," Jennifer Graziano told The Post.

"He was completely unaware of its existence at first."

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Body piercing

Michael Starr

Blog: TV

TV REVIEW

"Spartacus"
Tonight at 9 on STARZ

Subtle it's not.

The opening shot of tonight's "Spartacus" season premiere features a skull, bashed open on a battlefield, with exposed brain matter, followed by a (dead) woman's naked breast.

That pretty much sets the cartoonishly violent tone of "Spartacus" that has made it a fan favorite heading into its fourth and final season.

Within the first five minutes, we're treated to what plays like a 14-year-old boy's ultimate video game fantasy — soft porn and slow-motion blood spatters and swords plunged into all parts of the body (including mouths, which weirdly seem to be a particular favorite method of Roman dispatch — who knew?).

A Starz Original Series

CHOKE AND DAGGER: Saxa (Ellen Hollman), who's loyal to Spartacus and his cause, takes out an enemy.

And, while soldiers loyal both to rebel slave Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) and his enemies casually drop enough f-bombs to make David Mamet blush, we're also treated to several decapitations — including what has to be TV's first-ever double-decapitation, done in one fell swoop and in slow-motion, natch.

(I can just hear Maxwell Smart, if he were living in ancient Roman times as, let's say, Maximus Smartus, on witnessing the double-decapitation: "Missed it by that much.")

Oh yeah, there's also a plot here, as the perpetually angry, sullen Spartacus plots his never-ending battle against Rome. It's been a few months since the death of Gaius Claudius Glaber, and Spartacus — joined by generals Crixus (Manu Bennett), Gannicus (Dustin Clare) and Agron (Dan Feuerriegel) — is intent on bringing down the entire Republic, one slashed belly/slit throat at a time.

Meanwhile, a new character, wealthy Roman businessman Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrell) — who's been told by the Roman Senate to destroy Spartacus and quell the rebel uprising — trains for the ultimate showdown.

Or something like that.

It's all a muddled mess of computer-generated battlefield scenes, gratuitous bare-breast-and-buttock shots (men and women — there's no favoritism here) and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"-type photography (someone who leaps into the air is frozen, midframe, before landing with badass intent).

Upcoming episodes will introduce Julius Caesar (yes, that Julius Caesar), but this is the kind of series where acting chops don't count for much — and one's value is measured more by how he or she can rock a loincloth.

To quote one of the Romans from tonight's opener, "Confounds thef- - - ing senses!"

Indeed.

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A reprieve . . . for now

Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin has issued a temporary stay of her order earlier this month halting the use of stop-and-frisk against suspected trespassers at privately owned Bronx buildings.

Don't think for a moment that she's rethinking her inclination to curtail one of the most effective anti-crime tactics in urban America. In her decision to grant a stay, she wrote that there is "more than enough proof that a large number of people have been improperly stopped as a result of NYPD practices."

All the judge did was to accept the city's contention that an immediate ban, even of a limited program like that in The Bronx, would impose too many burdens on the NYPD. Better, she said, to wait until she's decided on a comprehensive series of "reforms" to remake stop-and-frisk.

AFP/Getty Images

Shira Ann Scheindlin

In other words, she's not backing down from the position she outlined in her first ruling: "The public interest in liberty and dignity under the Fourth Amendment trumps whatever modicum of added safety might be gained."

Indeed, she's refused even to allow a city witness to testify to stop-and-frisk's effectiveness, calling that irrelevant.

It's not irrelevant to New Yorkers, of course — especially those who live in buildings and neighborhoods not nearly as safe and serene as those of federal judges.

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

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Commish Ray Kelly talks highly of videotaped interrogations

Commissioner Ray Kelly painted a rosy picture for the department's pilot program to videotape interrogations of felony crimes during his State of the NYPD 2013 address today at the Waldorf-Astoria in Midtown.

"After running a pilot program in five precincts, we found that the system was not only manageable logistically, but that the performance of our detectives was such that we expect there will be little if no downside for the prosecution," Kelly said.

The city's top cop pointed out that none of the 300 cases in the program, including murders, sex crimes and felony assaults, resulted in the defense asking for a jury trial.

"In fact, they were often eager to enter a plea once they saw the video recording of the jury trial," said Kelly, who first announced the program last year.

But Kelly noted that, in one case, a defense attorney claimed that the defendant "was unlawfully intimidated in the interrogation" and requested that the confession be tossed out.

However, the judge viewed the interrogation and "ruled in our favor," Kelly said.

Kelly also highlighted the "complicated logistics involved" in making the interrogation rooms sound proof, well lit and secure in the police precincts.

The Police Foundation has already raised $1 million to equip 23 of the commands.

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The new dating games

On their first date, set up through a mutual friend, Jackie Curtiss and Rob Matz met at a cowboy bar in Vancouver. Matz dyed his hair silver and Curtiss put on a pair of tight jeans to impress. They downed some drinks, hugged and fell for each other instantly. For their next date, Matz wanted to really stun her, so instead of going to a movie, they climbed to the top of a building and went roof jumping.

That is, virtual roof jumping, as well as virtual hugging in virtual Vancouver, because Matz and Curtiss met in Utherverse, a popular online 3-D universe where players interact in virtual cities, bars and, well, do pretty much anything else you can do in the real world, including have virtual sex.

For months, they continued their online courtship by spending romantic virtual nights together.

"We lived together pretty much since the moment we met in a virtual sense," says Matz, 28. Meanwhile, Curtiss, 33, calls Matz her "knight in shining pixels."

This digital romance may seem like a harmless fantasy, but falling for an online persona whom you've never met has real consequences. First of all, your new true love might not even exist.

Just look at Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, who became smitten in 2009 when a woman "pursued him" on Facebook and then suddenly "died" in September 2012. It turned out the woman was invented by a friend of his — and Te'o fell for an avatar, leading to nationwide scorn and ridicule.

People wondered out loud: How could someone like Te'o — a good-looking star athlete at a top-tier school — fall in love with a picture?

Experts say it can happen to anyone, and it's happening more often these days — especially to dreamer types who make easy targets.

"It's the same population that likes to go see romantic comedies," says Max Joseph, co-host of MTV's "Catfish," which investigates Web romances to find out whether the people involved are legit. (They're often not.) "Anyone who believes in love and wants it to happen to them is susceptible."

Robert Epstein, a senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, understands the feeling firsthand. Even though Epstein is a computer-intelligence expert, he found himself chatting online seven years ago with a woman who, after three months, he realized was not a sexy Russian love interest, but a chatbot programmed to auto-reply.

"It's crazy because I'm supposedly an expert in this area," he says. "It is really, really easy to be fooled."

Online relationships have been around as long as the first AOL chat room, but technological advances in recent years have changed their status to "it's complicated." Epstein estimates hundreds of thousands of people online are chatting with someone who is not whom they appear to be. The phenomenon is "out of control," adds Nev Schulman, the host and executive producer of MTV's "Catfish" and the star of the 2010 "Catfish" film that inspired the series.

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Warning, danger online!

Before you fall too hard for someone you've met online, "Catfish" hosts Nev Schulman and Max Joseph suggest looking for these warning signs that may indicate your Internet crush is not who they say they are:

1. Check out how many Facebook friends the person has. "If they have 100 friends or less, that's generally a red flag," Joseph says.

2. See if their friends are tagged in Facebook photos. Joseph says that, in many of the fake profiles they come across, only the person whose profile it is will be tagged in photos with groups of friends.

3. Don't get dragged into personal drama before you've even met a person. "If this person you're communicating with online but have never met or even know to exist, is drawing you into their very dramatic, complex life, is this a relationship you want to be engaged in, even if they are real?" Schulman asks.

4. Look for clues in Facebook wall posts or tweets. Joseph suggests looking for posts that indicate physical relationships with other people. If posts only indicate talking on the phone or online, as opposed to referencing meeting on a certain date and at a location, that should raise suspicion.

5. Be wary of models. On "Catfish," many people get duped because they want to believe they are dating a model.

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Bill Macy’s not dead yet

William H. Macy has no problem channeling his inner wino.

"It is more like a parlor trick," the "Shameless" star admits. "It ain't acting."

"As a matter of fact, one of the dangers in playing Frank Gallagher is that I walk away congratulating myself on being a great drunk — but I forgot to do the scene."

Did playing this character change your own drinking habits?

A: What a great question! I haven't been drinking recently. So, I guess no.

As fun as it is to play Frank as a boozer, do you root for him to get sober?

A: Yeah. I am his biggest supporter. I love the guy. I think he is smart. I think he tells the truth when nobody else has the guts to. He is very hardworking. He is an entrepreneur. And he is living his life absolutely his way. I am hoping we are going to do this show for many, many years. So I think there is room for many permutations of what Frank does. But yeah. I would love to see a couple of episodes where Frank is sober. But I think it is in the DNA of the show that Frank will always be loaded.

HAMMERED: Wiliam H. Macy's 'Shameless" character

Frank has already had such an incredible journey. What's next?

A: There is a lot of great comedy in this season. I think at the core, the thing that makes the Gallagher family so appealing is that it is a family, and blood is thicker than anything. You can burn down the house. You can steal the car. You can take a job away. But if you try to split up the family, you will see ferocity like you have never seen before. And that is exactly what happens. I finally have to pay the piper for years of self-abuse.

Is it nice not to have to walk around with long hair anymore?

A: I sort of dig it. It is nice to change your appearance once in a while. This was drastic. But yeah, I am trying to look dangerous these days.

Do you ever run into the other Bill Macy, Maude's husband?

A: Yes. I met Bill Macy. Lovely actor. Rest in peace. He was great on "Maude."

He is still alive!

A: I thought Bill passed away. [Laughs.] If you are still alive, Bill, please forgive me. I can't wait to work together.

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Cook county

'I was born in Brooklyn, but lived in Queens till I was 8. This is as far away from our apartment in Woodside as I could get," author Robin Cook says, gesturing at the massive windows of his sprawling Manhattan living room, from which he has an almost 360-degree view of the city.

Located on the 54th floor of Trump Tower, the apartment offers views all the way to Pennsylvania on a clear day. Limestone pillars carved like Grecian columns line the windows, giving the impression of looking out from an ancient balcony onto the glittering expanse of New York stretching below.

Eilon Paz(3)

THE WRITE STUFF: Robin Cook's 2,800-square-foot Trump Tower apartment boasts ornate pillars and a living room that's lined with bookshelves.

BLUE HEAVEN: The 54th-floor condo is a lush spot to rest.

"I have banged my forehead against the glass many times," Cook says, laughing.

Cook, whose 1977 novel "Coma" was the first in a series of suspenseful best-sellers, is certainly living the literary high life. In addition to this 2,800-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom pied-à-terre, Cook and his wife, Jean, split their time between homes in Boston, Martha's Vineyard, New Hampshire and Naples, Fla.

"Florida is home base. I wrote the last 20 books in Florida. But I wrote my first book underwater on a submarine," Cook says.

The author, who finished his post-graduate studies in medicine at Harvard, has always had a taste for adventure, and he was greatly influenced by the art and history he witnessed during his travels throughout Europe in the 1970s.

They especially inspired Cook when it came to decorating his apartment, which he purchased about 30 years ago.

"When I wanted to decorate, I wanted an ultimate urban thing and that's what made me think of Paris and Napoleon and first-Empire French," Cook says, pointing to the elaborate gold pillars, the deep cherrywood walls and doors throughout, and the plush chairs and couches with carefully carved legs. Cook also borrows from Napoleon's interests in ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. Golden Byzantine sphinxes are perched on his mantel, and the visual theme is echoed in paintings and similar small statues throughout.

But beauty didn't come easy: Cook had to completely redo the place. "When you came in, there was a narrow corridor that turned into an equivalently narrow corridor. It was strange, like a maze. You felt like a rat," he recalls. "I wanted almost a miniature temple of Delphi."

Cook fired his construction crew after finding their measurements were off by almost 4 inches in places and did it himself, putting in walls and wainscoting in a meticulous process that took almost 11 years but resulted in stately perfection. A slightly domed ceiling and two serene statues of Greek goddesses greet guests upon entry.

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NBC-ya in the newsroom

NBC Peacock Productions is looking for a small-town community newspaper around which to build a reality show.

The production company put out a casting call, published by the National Newspaper Association (NNA), "looking to produce a documentary style reality show featuring a small-town local paper working hard to stay on top of breaking small-town news, and keep financially afloat in an ever-increasing competitive world."

NNA is assisting NBC in the production of the show.

"What's your small-town paper like? Do you work hard? Make each other laugh?" reads the casting notice.

"Is your team a real version of 'The Office' meets 'Parks and Recreation' "?

(Both of those are NBC shows, by the way.)

No word on a title, airdate or network home. —

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Flay talk show off the menu

It looks like Bobby Flay and Food Network won't be parting company any time soon.

Sources say a planned syndicated talk show hosted by Flay and Food Network colleague Giada De Laurentiis, called "Giada and Bobby," is not going forward.

Reports surfaced last year that the telegenic Food Network stars — among the network's biggest names — were in the early stages of developing a daily daytime schmoozefest along the lines of "Live with Kelly and Michael."

Sources say CBS Television Distribution was involved, but that the project was eventually shelved.

DONE: De Laurentiis, Flay

A presentation reel for the show was shot, but a full pilot was never filmed, sources say.

Insiders say Flay, 48, hoped the talk show was a way to "go mainstream" and to help break out of his TV chef role and into a more traditional talk-show format.

Flay currently hosts five Food Network shows including "Boy Meets Grill" and "Bobby's Dinner Battle." He also owns several restaurants, including 10 Bobby's Burger Palace eateries.

The Italian-born De Laurentiis, 42 — the granddaughter of famed film producer Dino De Laurentiis — hosts Food Network's "Giada at Home" and appears regularly on NBC's "Today" show. She and Flay appeared as judges together on the seventh season of Food Network's "Food Network Star."

Flay and De Laurentiis also share an agent, who did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment yesterday.

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‘Zombie’ flick back from dead

'Zombieland" is coming soon to a computer near you.

An adaptation of the 2009 movie is in the works at Amazon Studios, the entertainment division of the online retailer.

Gavin Polone, a producer of the Hollywood hit, told Broadcast Now that he is developing the film as a series, to be streamed by the Seattle-based Web site, which has its own TV studio.

Recent casting notices indicate that the series will feature many of the same characters as the movie, a mix of comedy and horror that starred Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone.

The series marks the highest-profile project yet by Amazon, which announced in 2010 that it would be producing original online programming.

ORIGINAL: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg star

Content is streamed through Amazon Instant Video, intended as a competitor to Netflix and Hulu.

The Amazon deal follows a series of twists and turns in the zombie movie's afterlife. A modestly budgeted hit at $23 million, the film grossed more than $100 million worldwide, and initially appeared destined for a sequel.

Those plans fell apart after script problems, however, and more recent reports have focused on a possible TV show that would air on a traditional network. (One rumored destination was Fox.)

Now at Amazon, the series joins a growing field of online-only competitors, including new episodes of "Arrested Development" and a drama starring Kevin Spacey on Hulu.

In addition to fans of the movie, producers hope to tap into the more recent success of "The Walking Dead," a zombie-themed thriller that has become one of the biggest hits in the history of cable network AMC.

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Bibi victorious

If Barack Obama believed before that "Israel doesn't know what its own best interests are" — a remark he's said to have repeated several times in private recently — Benjamin Netanyahu's election yesterday to a third term as prime minister will only reinforce the president's view.

Yes, Netanyahu's party lost some support, winning just 31 seats in the 120-member Israeli Knesset. The biggest surprise was a late surge of votes for a new centrist party that finished second on a platform focused almost exclusively on domestic concerns.

So it wasn't the overwhelming mandate he'd hoped for, and his coalition will have to adjust accordingly.

AP

Benjamin Netanyahu

Even so, it helps to remember the context in which Israelis went to the polls. They have just come off a Hamas-provoked war in Gaza. Iran is unbowed in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. There is a civil war in neighboring Syria. Egypt has a president who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Not to mention that Jerusalem's closest ally will likely soon have as its secretary of defense a man who has taken a soft line on almost all these issues.

We're hardly surprised to learn that President Obama believes he knows what's best for the Israelis. After all, this is a man who thinks he and his government know what's best for everyone.

Yesterday, voters in the Jewish state made clear that Israel has a very different— and, we believe, more realistic — idea of what is in "its own best interests."

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

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An absentee mayor

Bob McManus

Remember the time Mike Bloomberg jetted off to sunny Bermuda as a monster snowstorm bore down on the five boroughs? Never again, he said afterward, woefully, while the city ever-so-slowly dug itself out of the drifts.

Well, some tigers just can't change their stripes.

For there he was last week, down in Maryland giving America a firearms intervention while the United Federation of Teachers and his own crack Department of Education negotiators pulled his pants down on teacher-quality reform.

Transforming the city's public-school system into a national model for quality and effectiveness was once right at the top of Mayor Mike's personal legacy list.

AP

Busy in Baltimore: Mayor Bloomberg waiting to speak at a gun-violence summit while aides his were bungling teacher-evaluation talks back home.

But then came the third-term blahs, the departure of Joel Klein as schools chancellor, the ensuing Cathy Black debacle, the ascendancy of the thuggish United Federation of Teachers boss Mike Mulgrew — and the now-pervasive sense that Bloomberg no longer much gives a damn about the city's 1,400 schools.

Fact is, he's always been long on big ideas and short on follow-through (congestion pricing, anyone?). The schools seem to be no different.

Bloomberg won mayoral control of the Board of Education early on — a signal victory, though one built on the largely unappreciated efforts of his predecessor, Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Then came a lot of churning, but not much change.

Certainly not when it came to dealing with Albany.

He dispatched naïve deputies to the capital city to negotiate charter-school and school-closure reform with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — and wound up with laws studded with subsections designed to weaken, not strengthen, mayoral control.

And that's how it worked out.

Fast forward to last week's teacher-evaluation horror show, a repeat of what had come before: Mike delegated, his deputies dithered and the UFT carried the day

More, the union can now credibly — if dishonestly — argue that the potential loss of hundreds of millions in state and federal school aid is all Mike's fault.

The money is the carrot in a state law requiring that the city and its unions negotiate objective evaluation standards for teachers and supervisors.

This always was going to be a tough fight. Mulgrew would sooner jam hot needles in his eyes than allow even the most egregiously incompetent teachers to be dismissed.

But as negotiations closed in on last Thursday's deadline, the union had an unexpected ally at the table: Shael Polakow-Suransky, the policy factotum forced on Bloomberg by Albany as its price for allowing Cathy Black to become chancellor.

Black imploded after just weeks on the job, but Polakow-Suransky remained.

And Polakow-Suransky, it seems, is no fan of standardized testing, a key tool — if not the key tool — in any credible teacher-evaluation regimen.

"He doesn't believe in testing," says one high-ranking participant in the talks. "He negotiated it away — and when Mike [came back and] found out, he exploded."

This brought negotiations to an end in a spray of invective, with state Education Commissioner John King essentially (and not unreasonably) blaming the breakdown on Bloomberg while threatening to withhold perhaps $1 billion in education aid from the city.

But, correcting for the bad hand the mayor had dealt himself, Bloomberg is spot on: One can't objectively evaluate teachers without, well, objective evaluation metrics.

That is, without standardized tests.

Many pupils, if not most, will do fine without much testing.

Still, you can't perform an education on a child, like an appendectomy. It's a process, and many children — for reasons of class, culture, economic circumstance or personal disinclination to participate — resist it more than others.

These are the children who desperately need the readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmatic rubric that comprises the core of most test prep.

And in that sense, test performance is an entirely valid — indeed, critical — standard against which to judge teachers.

So if Polakow-Suransky doesn't like standardized testing — well, too bad about Polakow-Suransky. And no matter that such views enjoy considerable currency among the Columbia Teachers College crew that drives policy at the Department of Education; they have no legitimate presence in Bloomberg administration negotiating positions.

And they certainly shouldn't have come as such a surprise to the mayor himself.

That is, Mike should have been paying much closer attention to what was being proposed in his name.

For while education isn't as sexy as assault rifles, he started the reform fight. He really should devote what time he has remaining in City Hall to working for its successful conclusion.

rmcmanus8@gmail.com

Have a comment on this PostOpinion column? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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