International commerce

OK, so Thursday night I walked up and down Times Square looking for a vendor of DVD ripoffs, hoping to find one of those awful shot-in-the-movie theater copies of "Live Free or Die Hard" and "Transformers."

I wanted to send David copies, especially the "Transformer" movie because he had said he was really looking forward to seeing it. (This film is a grown-up version of young males' inner-8-year-olds' fantasy, making their playtime come to life.) A good mother wants to give her son what he wants, even if she has to violate the law -- a little.

No luck. I saw plenty of street artists, ready to draw a five-minute sketch of tourist's face for $20, and what seemed like millions of tourists, but no street vendors spreading their DVDs on top of blankets on the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for cops.

And there were a lot of cops out, so maybe the vendors were keeping a low profile.

So Saturday, I tried my tried-and-true spot for very recent DVDs, the transition walkway in the Lexington Avenue/53rd Avenue subway station between the E train and the 4-5-6 lines. Nearly everytime I've hurried by to catch a train, at least one vendor has been out and about.

But again, no luck.

On Sunday, I confessed my failure to David on the phone.

"No problem," he says. "My sergeant already got the 'Die Hard' movie here and he'll probably find the 'Transformers' movie soon."

So much for a mother's sacrifice.