New ‘Girl’ on top

Linda Stasi

TV REVIEW

"Girls"
Sunday night at 9 on HBO (if you're 26 and live in Brooklyn)

There is something both revolting and compelling about HBO's breakout, cult hit "Girls," which returns for a second season Sunday night.

When it premiered last season, "Girls" grabbed the cover of magazines such as New York — which hailed it as "like nothing else on TV."

And there isn't. And probably with good reason.

"Girls" is sort of like "Sex and the City" — if "Sex and the City" had featured unsuccessful women, having a huge amount of bad and sad sex who live in the city — but not Manhattan.

"Girls'" star/writer/producer, 26-year-old Lena Dunham, a pathological exhibitionist, has given new meaning to "I am woman, hear me roar."

It's not every day in the TV world of anorexic actresses with fake boobs that a woman with giant thighs, a sloppy backside and small breasts is compelled to show it all.

It's a boon for the out-of-shape, and perhaps a giant economic loss for high-end gyms, especially in Brooklyn.

The series, in case you missed it last season, revolves around Hannah (Dunham) and her friends: the beauty, Marnie (Allison Williams); the virginal (not anymore) Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet); and British, bohemian Jessa (Jemima Kirke).

Last season, Hannah had a dead-end relationship with never-working "actor" Adam (Adam Driver), with whom she had painful, afternoon anal sex. It was ugly to watch and uglier to remember that it always took place in his ugly, dirty apartment on sheets that look like they were last changed during the Clinton administration. She should have put paper down before she got down!

"Girls" may not be something you ever want to see if you're not a 20-something-year-old woman living on the edge of disaster at all times. But if it is — and you are, too — you'll be happy to know that it still raw.

This season, Hannah has grown a pair, sort of, and is no longer the sex slave of the slob slacker. In fact, Adam as well as another man are now obsessed with her and can't get enough of her blobby body.

It's the "Nurse Jackie" school of love.

Anyway, Hannah now lives with her gay roommate, while sleeping with one guy and tending to Adam's broken leg in her off hours, which is most of the time.

To that end, Hannah goes to his filthy apartment and holds a kitchen bowl while he pees into it, often missing completely and peeing on the floor. I mean, seriously?

Interestingly, the gorgeous Marnie is the one who is now totally unlucky in love. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be smart, breathtakingly beautiful, nice and kind. Not when there are blobbies who are willing to take their clothes off in public constantly — even when they aren't in character.

So what's to love? I don't know.

Maybe the grittiness, maybe it's the reality, and maybe the knowledge that I'm not that young or that broke. Anymore.

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Redskins win scores big

NBC is savoring a welcome gift: a holiday week ratings victory powered by Sunday night football.

According to Nielsen figures released earlier this week, more than 30 million viewers tuned in to NBC on Dec. 30 to watch the Washington Redskins defeat the Dallas Cowboys.

The Redskins claimed their first division title in 13 years that night.

NBC said the NFL contest drew the biggest audience in 16 years for a regular-season prime-time game, second to a 1996 Packers-Cowboy contest.

For the final week of 2012, a rebounding NBC was No. 1 in total viewers and among the advertiser-favored young-adult demographic.

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New ‘Girl’ on top

Linda Stasi

TV REVIEW

"Girls"
Sunday night at 9 on HBO (if you're 26 and live in Brooklyn)

There is something both revolting and compelling about HBO's breakout, cult hit "Girls," which returns for a second season Sunday night.

When it premiered last season, "Girls" grabbed the cover of magazines such as New York — which hailed it as "like nothing else on TV."

And there isn't. And probably with good reason.

"Girls" is sort of like "Sex and the City" — if "Sex and the City" had featured unsuccessful women, having a huge amount of bad and sad sex who live in the city — but not Manhattan.

"Girls'" star/writer/producer, 26-year-old Lena Dunham, a pathological exhibitionist, has given new meaning to "I am woman, hear me roar."

RUFF LIFE: Hannah (Lena Dunham) and Jessa (Jemima Kirke) are back and just as crude as they were in Season 1 of "Girls."

It's not every day in the TV world of anorexic actresses with fake boobs that a woman with giant thighs, a sloppy backside and small breasts is compelled to show it all.

It's a boon for the out-of-shape, and perhaps a giant economic loss for high-end gyms, especially in Brooklyn.

The series, in case you missed it last season, revolves around Hannah (Dunham) and her friends: the beauty, Marnie (Allison Williams); the virginal (not anymore) Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet); and British, bohemian Jessa (Jemima Kirke).

Last season, Hannah had a dead-end relationship with never-working "actor" Adam (Adam Driver), with whom she had painful, afternoon anal sex. It was ugly to watch and uglier to remember that it always took place in his ugly, dirty apartment on sheets that look like they were last changed during the Clinton administration. She should have put paper down before she got down!

"Girls" may not be something you ever want to see if you're not a 20-something-year-old woman living on the edge of disaster at all times. But if it is — and you are, too — you'll be happy to know that it still raw.

This season, Hannah has grown a pair, sort of, and is no longer the sex slave of the slob slacker. In fact, Adam as well as another man are now obsessed with her and can't get enough of her blobby body.

It's the "Nurse Jackie" school of love.

Anyway, Hannah now lives with her gay roommate, while sleeping with one guy and tending to Adam's broken leg in her off hours, which is most of the time.

To that end, Hannah goes to his filthy apartment and holds a kitchen bowl while he pees into it, often missing completely and peeing on the floor. I mean, seriously?

Interestingly, the gorgeous Marnie is the one who is now totally unlucky in love. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be smart, breathtakingly beautiful, nice and kind. Not when there are blobbies who are willing to take their clothes off in public constantly — even when they aren't in character.

So what's to love? I don't know.

Maybe the grittiness, maybe it's the reality, and maybe the knowledge that I'm not that young or that broke. Anymore.

How can we miss you if you never leave? ALena Dunham timeline

June 17

"Girls" Season 1 finale

Aug. 13

Writes short story about first love for New Yorker

Sept. 8

Cuts hair short

Sept. 23

Appears nude in Emmy opening

Sept. 29

Makes headlines for wearing short dress on red carpet

Oct. 8

Signs book deal with Random House for $3.7 million

Oct. 25

Appears in Obama ad about her "first time" (voting)

Dec. 7

Gawker publishes leaked Dunham book proposal

Dec. 10

Kisses boyfriend, singer Jack Antonoff, in public

Dec. 11

Threatens to sue Gawker, they remove book proposal from site

Dec. 17

Creates nail polish line inspired by "Girls"

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Even more Abe

Another Lincoln is moving in at the Gettysburg address.

Billy Campbell (of "The Killing" and "Once and Again") plays the 16th president in "Killing Lincoln," the TV movie of Fox News Channel anchor Bill O'Reilly's best seller airing next month on the National Geographic Channel.

Nat Geo, which has never attempted a scripted movie until now, yesterday said it has also given the go-ahead for a movie of O'Reilly's follow-up book, "Killing Kennedy," to air next year.

It may be an easier task than trying to get viewers to forget Daniel Day-Lewis' Oscar-bait portrayal of Lincoln in the Steven Spielberg movie that came out last month.

National Geographic Channels

FAMILIAR: Billy Campbell plays Lincoln on TV and Daniel Day-Lewis plays him in the movie.

Daniel Day-Lewis

The TV movie centers on Lincoln and the assassin, John Wilkes Booth (played by newcomer Jesse Johnson), in the days before the murder.

Tom Hanks — himself a distant relative of Lincoln — narrates the movie.

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White hot

'this is my little bit of Toscana," chef Michael White says from his nearly 2,000-square-foot roof deck atop the Upper West Side condo he shares with his wife, Giovanna, and their 9-year-old daughter, Francesca.

The lemon-yellow walls bordering the outdoor space could be right out of a villa in Imola, Italy, where the Midwestern-born White met Giovanna and lived and worked for seven years — immersing himself in the history, culture and technique of the Italian food that would make him one of New York's most lauded chefs.

The roof deck is where White, 41, has a mini-garden. "This is where I grow my tomatoes," he says, pointing to a corner where he has heirloom plants. "This dirt is from Dan Barber of Stone Barns. We grow Sun Gold tomatoes."

Michael Sofronski(2)

When Michael White isn't working on his Altamarea Group restaurant empire, with seven eateries and counting, he kicks back in his 2,000-square-foot penthouse. The pad has a big roof deck (below).

THEY MET IN ITALY: Michael White and his wife, Giovanna, purchased their two-bedroom penthouse perch in 2009.

Downstairs, the couple's spacious two-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouse pad, also measuring around 2,000 square feet, features a large open kitchen that looks onto an oversized living and dining room. A long hallway leads to an alcove that's part exercise room, part den.

"My wife uses it a lot more than I do," White quips of the gym-strength elliptical machine that occupies one corner of the space.

The master bedroom is sparely decorated, but the real indulgence for White is in the adjoining bathroom. "This is the Michael White hammam over here," the chef proudly says of his steam shower, which was a major selling point for him when they bought the condo in September 2009. "It gets up to about 130 degrees in here."

Other sources of joy at home are similarly soothing. "After 12 hours on your feet and on the phone, it's nice to sit down and relax," White says. The living room includes a prized Ligne Roset Pluriel chair ("Sit in it," he urges) and an oversized leather couch. There's also a sleek entertainment system (with surround-sound speakers discreetly built into the walls) that was designed and installed by Clareo Networks, which also worked on White's flagship restaurant, Marea.

"Truffles and blue jeans" is how White describes the comfortably high-end atmosphere of that seafood-focused Italian eatery. White, who grew up in Wisconsin, attributes the friendly service to Midwestern hospitality. The concept of the restaurant and the way White conceives of dishes came from his time abroad.

"Italian food is not only a cuisine, but a thought process as well. The simplicity. If Italians had okra, they would use it. It's whatever is around them," says the chef, whose NYC restaurants also include Ai Fiori, Osteria Morini and Nicoletta. This locavore idea drives Marea's seasonal fish dishes and is central to the chef's upcoming cookbook, of which he just turned in 200 pages to his publisher.

When it comes to dining at home, simplicity is key. White's go-to place for take-out is the small Thai chain Wondee Siam — "It's fantastic," he says — and his Nespresso Lattissima Plus effortlessly delivers a perfect espresso via prepackaged servings. "You don't get coffee culture until you go to a place like Italy," he explains of his acquired love of the tiny caffeinated drink. "It's kind of a ceremonious thing where you do it three, four, five times a day."

Also acquired in Italy: an original Warhol print, "Ladies and Gentlemen," which the artist made when he was in Mantua for an exhibition in 1975. "It's part of a group of eight and signed by Warhol. There are 150 prints, and I was lucky enough to get one," White says.

It hangs in the living room near pieces by Imola artist Germano Sartelli, whose work evokes Robert Rauschenberg's collage style — even though he paints secluded in the countryside. "It's really interesting to think that somebody out in the middle of nowhere who doesn't know who Rauschenberg was, he's doing this intuitively," White says.

The living room is filled with sculptures purchased during White's travels to places as far as Bali and Istanbul, but some of his favorites come from his native state: sculptures by Wisconsin artist Verne Shaffer, including one on the windowsill of two swans coming together.

Midwestern pride hasn't diminished White's global ambitions. He's the co-owner of Altamarea Group, with seven restaurants worldwide and plans to open at least two more in New York this year. Two years ago he expanded his restaurant "empire" — "I don't say empire, you guys say that," he jokes — to Asia with the Hong Kong opening of Al Molo.

"I'm extremely passionate about the Asian travel I've done so far, from Malaysia to the hawker food of Singapore. America makes up just about 5 percent of the world's population," he points out. "Think of all that there is to see."

Still, White can't imagine living anywhere but New York: "Why would anyone leave here?"

MICHAEL WHITE'S

FAVORITE THINGS

* The Nespresso Lattissima Plus espresso maker

* The Ligne Roset Pluriel chair

* His Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Camilla

* The Viking six-burner range and convection oven

* The original Warhol print

* Sculptures by Wisconsin artist Verne Shaffer

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For deposit only

I moved out of my old apartment six months ago, but still haven't gotten back my security deposit. My former landlord isn't returning my phone calls or e-mails. Can I go directly to the bank where the escrow is being held? — Peter D., Tudor City

Is it safe to presume you didn't leave your place looking like the Mark hotel's presidential suite did after Johnny Depp and Kate Moss wrecked it in 1994? (They blamed the $10,000 in damage on a nowhere-to-be-found armadillo.) New York state law stipulates that your refund (or a statement of damages) should be sent within a "reasonable" amount of time; vague, yes, but generally understood to be anywhere from 30 to 90 days. Since it's been far longer than that, you need to take action . . . but not with the bank. The landlord is the bank's customer, and the financial institution cannot deal with you directly. Instead, you should contact the New York state attorney general's office, says banker Ed Coudriet, an industry pro who regularly deals with escrow matters.

I'm worried that the managing agent in my building is getting kickbacks from the vendors she recommends. What's the best way for the co-op board to approach her? —Patricia H., Kips Bay

Tread very, very carefully here. This is not the sort of accusation to be made lightly. If you have amassed incontrovertible evidence, I'd start interviewing new managing agents pronto. (You don't want to fire the current agent and leave the building un-managed.) Until you have a new agent in place, review all vendor proposals with a fine-tooth comb, and be sure the building has gotten multiple bids. When you are ready to cut the agent loose, I'd keep the conversation professional, but do highlight your findings. Perhaps things will be different for the next building she manages.

The co-op board where I'll be buying my new home is notoriously snooty. What should I do to impress them during my interview? — Michael K., Chelsea

Treat this like an interview for the job of your dreams . . . get a haircut, put on your best suit and tie, shine your shoes and arrive on time with all your paperwork in neat order. Look each board member in the eye and offer a firm handshake and a smile as you're introduced around the room. Remember (and use) each board member's name at least once during the interview. Be friendly, but not gushingly chatty. Answer their questions politely, and come prepared with some queries of your own. Know the co-op's history and compliment the board on its successful stewardship of the building. Flattery (in moderation) will get you everywhere.

Next column: What to do when a neighbor's pet becomes a building nuisance. Got a question? Drop me a line at testingthemarketnyc@gmail.com or tweet me @MisterManners.

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The NYPD’s killer stats

The Issue: Whether the NYPD's controversial stop-and-frisk policy has contributed to lower murder rates.

***

The murder statistics for New York City show that stop-and-frisk is the most effective policy in the nation for reducing murder by handguns ("Fruits of Stop-and-Frisk," Editorial, Dec. 28).

The NYPD's targeting of high-crime communities is the only logical assessment to be made.

Taking race out of the picture benefits those in communities with high crime rates.

It's hard to imagine anyone in this city opposing this procedure with false claims of profiling. Reducing violent crime is the priority. How can anyone argue with success?

Kudos to Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and the men and women who protect and serve our city.

Theodore Miraldi

The Bronx

Even the American Civil Liberties Union must feel safer knowing that the police use their experience to identify and question those they suspect of carrying guns. Only criminals and the naive would want officers to take a wait-and-see attitude with gun-toting suspects.

Let's put this issue to rest. Should officers not be trained to identify who is concealing a weapon?

And if an officer suspects a student is carrying a gun in a crowded auditorium, should his or her instincts be ignored?David Bergstein

Manhattan

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Putin’s adoption revenge: punishing tots for US deeds

The Issue: Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent ban on American adoptions of Russian children.

***

If there was ever any doubt, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated that he is an extraordinarily heartless, cruel and dangerous man ("And the Kids Suffer," Naomi Schaefer Riley, PostOpinion, Jan. 2).

Putin has banned the adoption of Russian children by Americans. In doing so, he no doubt will condemn a legion of children to be orphans.

Why is Putin cutting off his nose to spite his face, using Russian children as pawns? Because he is enraged by American efforts to crack down on Russian human-rights abuses.

Vladimir Putin

Putin's foolish and juvenile actions have created a backlash not only throughout the civilized world, but within the political hierarchy of his own nation.

It is obvious that any American leader attempting to deal with the Russian dictator will have his hands full.

Putin is a reckless bully who prefers that children in need of responsible parents remain without a permanent home.

Oren Spiegler

Upper Saint Clair, Pa.

Putin is stopping Americans from adopting Russian children, depriving them of loving homes here.

President Obama should tell Putin that if he doesn't allow Russian children who are living in orphanages to be adopted by Americans, he can keep everyone else there too who wants to come to America and live the American dream, which includes Medicaid, food stamps, housing and all the other amenities we give them.

Gustav Abbaheusan

Queens

One of the most horrible stories of the year is Putin's denying any more American adoptions of Russian children.

The innocent always suffer. Russia has 700,000 orphans, many pending adoptions.

In March, Obama told outoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he'd have more flexibility after re-election. We desperately needed a president with the common sense to know who our allies and enemies are. Obama always mixes them up.

An American president has to be feared.

J.R. Cummings

Manhattan

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Say goodnight, Lisa

Good news: Environmental Protection Agency boss Lisa Jackson announced her resignation last week.

Bad news: Whoever replaces her might be worse, particularly in an area of prime concern to New Yorkers — fracking.

Jackson joined Team Obama at the outset in 2009, eager to roll out a far-reaching, radical, anti-global-warming agenda.

So radical, in fact, that parts of it met resistance from not only Senate Democrats, but even pro-enviro Obama folks.

And, notably, Jackson's departure comes just as probes are heating up into her potential misuse of private e-mails to evade federal transparency rules.

AP

Lisa Jackson

A pillar of Jackson's agenda was the so-called cap-and-trade bill, meant to curb greenhouse emissions. The bill died in 2010 when even Senate Democrats realized the damage it would do to the economy.

Alas, Jackson had a Plan B: She'd impose regulations by fiat — and to hell with Congress. Under her guidance, EPA devised the first-ever greenhouse-gas standards for vehicles and set onerous emissions rules for factories and power plants, particularly those that burned coal.

Coal-producing states like Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania understandably began to sweat, believing the entire industry was doomed — as were thousands of its jobs.

As it turned out, a federal court blocked her power-plant rule. And her most ambitious gambit, smog regulation, was scuttled by a re-election-focused President Obama, who feared that, in a weak economy, the plan would send precisely the wrong message to the nation's job-producers.

Feeling "blindsided," she almost quit.

Yet, there was a bright spot in Jackson's record: She was an unabashed supporter of fracking, the controversial method of extracting gas and oil from rock formations deep below the surface.

Indeed, she blessed it as both safe and economically invaluable.

That was good news for New Yorkers, who've been waiting years for Albany to OK the process here and jolt the economy upstate.

But who knows if Jackson's replacement will be as supportive of fracking?

Or as radical on other issues. (On these, admittedly, it will be hard to top Jackson.)

A great deal — for New York and the nation — now hangs in the balance.

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

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An ugly deal

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was a model of understatement yesterday when he declared: "This shouldn't be the model for how to do things around here."

No kidding.

With a pre-dawn vote yesterday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a compromise package that undoes the Bush tax cuts for individuals making $400,000 a year and families making $450,000, raises several other taxes and limits personal exemptions.

But the deal was far from done late yesterday: In the House, conservative Republicans had serious misgivings with its terms, and while the expectation was that it ultimately will pass, there were no guarantees.

AP

Mitch McConnell

So, barring a GOP revolt, the so-called "fiscal cliff" has been avoided: there will be no automatic tax-rate hike for all Americans instead of just the wealthiest. But, as Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) noted, the cliffhanger has been traded in for "a journey over the fiscal mountains."

That's because the last-minute deal simply postponed dealing with spending cuts, entitlement reform and trimming the national debt for another two months.

Indeed, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the package raises taxes by $620 billion while cutting spending by only $15 billion — a 41-1 ratio. Plus it adds $329 billion to the federal deficit in 2013, increasing it by $3.9 trillion over 10 years.

That means an even bigger battle soon. And, almost certainly, an even bigger political drama than the one America just witnessed.

This time, however, Obama will be without his biggest rhetorical weapon: his insistence on what he so misleadingly called "tax fairness." Which, Republicans hope, means he'll have to give more ground, provided they hold firm.

Because the fiscal-cliff package does next to nothing on the national debt and the budget deficit, at the risk of damaging the economy as it struggles to move forward.

In fact, the president's chief goal throughout the talks was blatantly political, to portray the GOP as eager to sacrifice the middle class in order to protect the rich. (How ironic that most Democrats once vehemently opposed what they're now staunchly defending as "tax cuts for the middle class.")

Yet Obama — whose only contribution to the negotiations was creating ill will on both sides — made it clear that he hasn't finished hiking taxes: Even before the House vote, the White House said that "continuing to ask the wealthy to do a little bit more" — i.e., pay even more taxes — "will be part of a balanced approach."

In other words, he's going to play the class-warfare card for everything it's worth.

But the fiscal-cliff compromise actually brings in $200 billion less in tax revenue than did House Speaker John Boehner's Plan B, which the president opposed (as, embarrassingly for Boehner, did House Republicans).

The whole idea of the "fiscal cliff" was to create a situation so precarious that Washington would have no choice but to reach a comprehensive solution.

But congressional fecklessness and presidential arrogance combined to once again avoid the unpleasant — but necessary — business of restoring the nation's economic stability.

For all the back-patting now under way on Capitol Hill, the road ahead is sown with mines.

Take 10, America. It ain't over.

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

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