'TIME'S UP NEW YORK'

By KEITH J. KELLY

MEDIA INK

THE Native Americans are mad, and a chief is gone.

Officially, the two have nothing to do with each other.

At Time Out New York yesterday, Editor-in-Chief Joe Angio resigned. He cited the demands of marketing his indie film about Melvin Van Peebles, the man behind the 1971 flick "Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song," who is considered the father of blaxploitation films.

Coincidentally, his resignation comes only days after the weekly magazine was hit with an avalanche of criticism from Native Americans over its headline choice on feature flick "The New World" about princess Pocahontas, starring Q'Orianka Kilcher and Colin Farrell.

The Native Americans apparently did not like the headline "Squaw talent" on the favorable review that ran in last week's year-end issue of TONY.

More than 100 angry e-mails streamed into the mag, claiming the term "squaw" is derogatory and racist.

Time Out New York said it never knew — and is hastening to apologize.

The story by Stephen Garrett has been pulled from the Web site, and when it returns it will be with a new headline and an apology, Time Out New York President Alison Tocci tells Media Ink.

She also said an apology will run in the Jan. 5 print edition. Late yesterday, when we attempted to log on to the story, all we got was: "The requested file was not found on the server."

"It was completely innocent," said Tocci of the headline that inflamed the Native Americans. "We had no idea it was offensive."

Once the story was removed from the Web site, the angry e-mails stopped, Tocci said, adding that there were no canceled subscriptions. In fact, none of the messages came from New York State.

"We were getting e-mails from Oklahoma, Michigan, Missouri — apparently we got linked on some kind of list that goes to Native Americans," Tocci said.

Angio called the timing of the controversy and his resignation a "bizzare convergence."

"I'm stepping down, but it has nothing to do with the 'squaw' controversy," said Angio yesterday.