BURNED BY THE ITT BATTLE?

Remember the Greek mythological figure Icarus who flew too close to the sun on wings of wax? The modern-day version is Barry Sternlicht, the highflying CEO of Starwood Lodging Trust, which is in a vicious proxy contest this week with Hilton Hotels for control of ITT Corp. By topping Hilton's offer with a $10.2 billion bid for ITT, Sternlicht has thrust himself into what had been a very personal battle between Hilton CEO Stephen Bollenbach and ITT boss Rand Araskog--and thus into the public spotlight. Sternlicht is a Wall Street darling. His stock, including dividends, has soared 86% in the past...