BITS AND PIECES 02/11
Billie
--In the most jaws-dropping story of the year, man-eating sharks will be
serenaded by Barry White records in an effort to get them to mate. The kooky
experiment, to be launched on Valentine's Day, was dreamed up after biologists
found lobsters reproduced more rapidly when the soul legend's hits were piped
into an aquarium. "Research shows fish process music in a similar way to humans
and can even appreciate different tunes and melodies," said Josie Sutherland of
the National Sea Life Center in Birmingham, England. "We've already experienced
fantastic success with breeding many species at the center." The discovery that
sea creatures react to music came at the Rowland Institute for Science in
Cambridge, Mass., where scientists found fish can appreciate different types of
melodies. One lobster named Ginger was dubbed the "rock lobster" after it was
found she was more active when listening to rock music.
NY POST/MICHAEL STARR...
--ABC News is donating 42 original color sketches by noted courtroom artist
Freida Reiter to the Museum of Television and Radio - which will display the
sketches, on "permanent loan," in its New York and Los Angeles homes. Reiter
was the first artist permitted to sketch the Supreme Court when then-Chief
Justice Warren Burger, impressed with her sketches, allowed Reiter into the
courtroom. That kicked off a long career in which Reiter covered the Senate and
House of Representatives, the Watergate trials, the trial of John Hinckley and
CBS's libel trial with General William Westmoreland. "Freida Reiter was an
enterprising and keen observer who pushed the horizons of television coverage
with her artistry," says ABC News president David Westin.
--On today's "Maury: The amazing story of Mark Tatum, who had most of his face
removed after suffering a rare fungal infection. "Maury" cameras follow him as
he gets fitted for a prosthetic face, which is held in place by titanium
plates.
NY POST/PAGE SIX....
--RON Perelman angrily and loudly dressing down his wife, Ellen Barkin, as they
walked quickly down Madison Avenue . . .
--SOUTH African President Thabo Mbeki and his wife and several friends dining
at the Water Club under the watchful eyes of Secret Service agents . . .
--DEREK Jeter at Suite 16 with blonde galpal Harper.
--John Quinlan Kelly - who helped win a $33.5 million judgment against O.J.
Simpson for the family of Nicole Brown Simpson (of which $1 million has so far
been collected) - just won a $28 million award for the wrongful death of a
Philadelphia businessman killed in a car crash .
--THE lawsuit that the estate of British painter Francis Bacon brought against
Marlborough Galleries is over. But now the lawyers are bickering over who won.
Bacon died in 1992 leaving everything to John Edwards, an illiterate cockney
who now lives in Thailand. Lawyers for the estate sued Marlborough two years
ago, claiming the gallery cheated Bacon by buying his canvases below market
value and reselling them for huge profits. The case was just settled with
Marlborough turning over its archive of Bacon documents to the estate. "But it
really wasn't settled, it was dropped," said Marlborough's lawyer, Stanley
Bergman, who said the documents are worthless. "They had no case. They had to
drop it." Bergman said estate lawyer John Eastman, brother of the late Linda
McCartney, sued for publicity. "When I went to see John Eastman before the suit
was filed, he said, 'I don't want to talk settlement. I want to go to trial.'
He said, 'This case is going to make me famous.' " Eastman's son, Lee Eastman,
denied Bergman's allegations, saying, "The case is over. We're not interested
in name-calling."
--PRESIDENTIAL niece Lauren Bush has formed an unholy alliance with
hell-raising hotel heiress Paris Hilton. Lauren, 17, the Elite model daughter
of President Bush's brother Neil Bush, hit it off with Paris at an L.A. party a
few months back. Now Paris has invited Lauren to her 21st birthday bash at the
Bellagio in Las Vegas on Wednedsay. Lauren has yet to RSVP, but we can't
picture her indulging in Hiltonesque hi-jinks like dancing on tables and
preening for paparazzi. The party is expected to draw droves of past and future
E! "True Hollywood Story" subjects, including Bijou Phillips, Corey Feldman and
Robin Leach.
--SOMEONE has finally offered Kate Moss a part in a movie. Moss has lobbied
forever for a screen role, though her readings have proven less than stellar.
But the producers of the British period comedy "The Shakespeare Papers" think
she'd be perfect for the part of a wealthy merchant's ditzy daughter. The flick
is set against the backdrop of forgery, deceit and romance in Georgian England
- not unlike the fashion world Moss knows so well.
NY POST/NEAL TRAVIS...
--HE was once the sports king of Los Angeles, but then Bruce McNall ran afoul
of the law and went to prison on fraud charges. Now he's out of jail and
looking at the rest of his life. I understand Bruce is about to announce the
formation of a new film production company, Argo. (He produced a couple of
films back in his boom days.) I wouldn't be surprised to see Wayne Gretzky at
the press conference. The Great One was a business partner of McNall, and stuck
with him through bad times, regularly visiting him in the pokey.
--EVEN as the bodies of five more Port Authority policemen were pulled from the
ruins of the Trade Center yesterday, families of lost officers were preparing
for an uplifting evening of ballet at Lincoln Center tonight. Cop-turned-movie
producer Bob Debrino will host a party of PA police families at the "Stars of
the 21st Century" performance being staged by Solomon Tencer and his son,
Robert. After the ballet, the special guests will get to mingle at dinner with
the likes of Queen Noor of Jordan, Oscar de la Renta and the Henry Kissingers.
--LOOKING relaxed despite the explosive world situation, Secretary of State
Colin Powell and wife, Alma, spent the weekend at the Olympics in Salt Lake
City. The Powells, who went through the same stringent security checks as did
all spectators, mingled in the NBC hospitality tent, where newsies had to
restrain themselves from quizzing Colin about the increasing likelihood that he
will replace Dick Cheney as Dubya's vice president.
NY POST/LIZ SMITH...
--‘I ALWAYS think that interviewers have their thesis already, when they walk
in to meet an actor - their one kind of catchy thing they’ve constructed; and
they have to fulfill that so as not to lose it. So it kind of really doesn’t
matter what you do half the time. I’m actually trying to cultivate a Jack
Nicholson thing," says Julia Roberts. W magazine notes that Nicholson is famous
for not doing interviews. Julia smiles, "Hellooo - that’s what I’m looking
at."
--THE RAREFIED Carly Simon, of whom we never see or hear enough, is in L.A.
recording a new album. Willie Nelson stopped in to duet with her on his popular
standard, "Pretty Ribbons of Blue." Carly has had fabulous duet blockbusters:
with Frank Sinatra, when they sang "Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," and
with her former husband, James Taylor, on "Mockingbird." So now, she and Willie
are making beautiful music together. . . .
--YOU REMEMBER actor Brian Cox, who won the Emmy for outstanding supporting
actor in "Nuremberg"? This hard-working guy has five movies coming out this
year, including "The Bourne Identity." He and wife Nicole Ansari welcomed a
baby boy in L.A. last week. . . .
--IF YOU think Linda Eder was great singing a version of her new CD "Gold" at
the opening of the Olympics, you can hear her sing it over and over on her new
Atlantic release. She also sings many of her favorites, like George
Harrison’s "Here Comes the Sun," which takes on new meaning since his death.
--I LIKE A STAR who’ll literally give you the clothes off her back. That’s
what Jane Seymour, the ubiquitous TV heroine of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"
fame, did the other eve in L.A. at a fund-raiser for City Hearts, which helps
inner-city youth at risk. Well, we could say that Jane "auctioned" the clothes
off her back at a party in her Malibu house with hubby James Keach in
attendance. Jane, in partnership with MontBlanc, is the chair for this charity,
which raises money via high-profile intimate dinners in the homes of the
famous. (Sharon Lawrence, TV actress and "Chicago’s" Velma on Broadway last
year, was so impressed by City Hearts that she volunteered on the spot to teach
needy children how to dance.) They raised $105,000, and Jane auctioned off some
of her own Crossing Pointe designs. Her scarves, for instance, are truly
beautiful: She paints them herself. Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, "ER"
member Ming-Na, Bruce Davidson, jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, Joey Lawrence, Josie
Bisset and Daphne Zuniga were among the bidders. Lawrence, of the former TV
sitcom "Blossom," and Michelle Vella announced at this party that they are
planning to get married. So that was the scoop du jour.
ASSOCIATED PRESS...
--Actor Christopher Reeve, paralyzed in a 1995 horse-riding accident, stressed
the importance of improving the quality of life for people with disabilities
during a surprise visit here. Reeve, who played the man of steel in "Superman,"
spoke at an American Business Clubs banquet on Saturday. He has been active in
urging neuroscientists to conquer diseases of the brain and central nervous
system. "While we look for a cure, we really want to help people living in the
here and now," he said. "It's really our responsibility to think, `What if it
was me in that wheelchair, wouldn't I want the best?'" He also spoke about
fighting with insurance companies for coverage, saying few people battle when
claims are denied. "Thirty percent fight back, 70 percent roll over," he said.
"I believe that we're on the verge of being able to convince insurance
companies that it is in their best interest to give us proactive care." Reeve's
movies also include "Somewhere in Time," which was shot on Mackinac Island.
--Folk singer Dave Van Ronk, a respected figure on the early 1960s New York
music scene and an early mentor of Bob Dylan, died Sunday after a battle with
colon cancer, his record company said. He was 65.
--Supermodel Naomi Campbell is due to swap the catwalk for the courtroom today
when she gives evidence at London's High Court in her legal battle with the
Mirror. Campbell is suing the newspaper for alleged breach of confidence or
unlawful invasion of privacy. It could set out new guidelines on privacy laws
following the publication by the Mirror of a photograph of the catwalk queen
leaving a meeting of Narcotics Anonymous. The story accompanying the photograph
said that she had been fighting to beat addition to drink and drugs. Naomi is
taking on MGN, which publishes the Mirror, in a case scheduled to last five
days. Mirror editor Piers Morgan has pledged to fight the claim vigorously and
has already said that if the paper loses he would consider taking the case to
appeal and possibly the European Court of Human Rights.
NY DAILY NEWS/RUSH AND MOLLOY...
--She's no pop tart, but at 41, Sarah Brightman is showing some skin on her
latest CD, "Classics." "People ask, 'Why are you naked?'" Brightman told The
News' Ruth Bashinsky. "I took it from Botticelli's Venus. … I wasn't trying
to shock anyone, but to be more of myself." Brightman will be fully clothed
tonight on her WLIW special from her London home and from the homes of Mozart
and Beethoven.
--Paul Newman has reunited with Robert Redford — this time they're defending
Alaska's wilderness. Newman has joined his "Butch Cassidy" co-star on the board
of Environmental Defense. "The most effective way to achieve greater security
is to use less oil, period," Newman tells U.S. News and World Report…
--Danielle Field, 23-year-old daughter of Interscope Entertainment titan Ted
Field, is sometimes "horrified" when she runs into her dad, who is single now,
in clubs. "I'd be out with my friends," she tells W magazine, "and [he'd be]
hitting on girls who were my age. I was completely weirded out by it"…
--Artist Damien Hirst, who's made his fortune exhibiting cut-up animals in
formaldehyde, says he draws inspiration from Mr. Potter's Museum of Curiosity
in his hometown of Devon, England. Exhibits range from a mummified human hand
to a wedding of stuffed cats. "It reeks of death," Hirst gushes to photographer
Sante D'Orazio in the new issue of Gotham…
--Paul McCartney stopped by the Hospital For Special Surgery last week. Elbow
problem…
--Jocks on Broadway: Lennox Lewis went to "Aida." New England Patriot Super
Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri checked out "The Lion King"…
--Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and Paula Zahn, who defected from Fox to CNN,
kept their distance at party at Nirvana for Court TV anchors Lisa Bloom and
James Curtis…
--Alec Baldwin loved the free car coat Weatherproof Garment Co. sent him. It
looks like shearling but it's not. Hold your spray paint, animal activists…
--Billy Crystal and Nathan Lane chowed at Plumeri in Tribeca…
--Barry Manilow celebrated his sold-out Radio City gig at Ian Schrager's Hudson
Hotel…
--Robert De Niro, Drea De Matteo and Chuck Knoblauch tucked into some steaks at
Palm One…
"STUPIDITY IS NOT A HANDICAP. Park elsewhere!"
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