People in the News for December 31, 1997

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 1997 | 9:29 a.m.

It's New Year's Eve, time at last to strap 1997 into a straitjacket, lock it in a trunk, heave it into the sea, and, as "Auld Lang Syne" rises in the background, bid it a fond farewell: Let's see you get outta that, sucker! In other words, to the question, "Should auld acquaintance be forgot?" we can only answer, "As fast as humanly possible." But that's just cynical old us. It's different in the decidedly uncynical southern heartland, where folks remember their auld acquaintances, at least those who have been People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. So, when when Brad Pitt visited his hometown, Springfield, Mo., recently, well, by golly, people recognized him. "(Pitt) sat right down in the front booth," reports a restaurant owner, still trying to catch his breath. He may never wipe down that table again! "He shook my hand and said, 'Hi, I'm Brad."' Later, Pitt ended up at a cigar bar, where the door had to be locked against schmooze-minded Springfielders. "He tried to hide himself, but it's impossible," the bar's owner says, explaining the dilemma with that simple heartland clarity and wisdom: "Because you look at him and you say, 'There's Brad Pitt."' So that's it! If only you looked at him and said, There's Don Knotts, he could go nightclubbing in peace. Alas, says the bar owner, "He looks exactly like the way he does in his movies."

Briefly

Whereas Brit lads dream of one day being real knights, just like Elton John and Paul McCartney, American boys grow up dreaming of our culture's equivalent: lucrative product endorsements. In that sense, Louie Anderson's dream has become reality -- thanks to the soup nancies at the Campbell company, a new line of pasta in tomato goop will have Louie, Louie, Louie on the label, label, label. His joy at receiving this great new honor is immeasurable, not to mention tinged with irony. See, he used to eat Campbell's soup -- and now he's flacking it! "It's weird," he says. So true, and the perfect note on which to wring out the old and ring in the new. See ya, 1997!

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets