People in the News for July 15, 1997

Tuesday, July 15, 1997 | 9:29 a.m.

Bottom-feeding in Lake Media: Somewhere in the shrill blur of last month's tabloid headlines was this screamer in the National Enquirer: "Lisa Marie's Suicide Drama." It was typical hyperventilating tab journalism -- she had reportedly been "found crumpled on a bathroom floor at her home, sobbing hysterically after scrawling 'Nobody loves me -- I'm ugly' all over her arms." She allegedly spent five days in the hospital. Frankly, that wouldn't surprise us; after being both Elvis' daughter and Michael Jackson's wife, we're surprised she's not a jellyfish. But that's just us; Lisa Marie is taking it a little more seriously. She says it didn't happen and is suing the paper for an undisclosed amount. She "isn't interested in the money," says her lawyer. "She just wants to put a stop to the stories being made up about her." Well, as you can imagine, the tabloid isn't going to stand still for that! "The Enquirer gathered its information from trusted and reliable sources and stands by its story," says Editor Steve Coz, pointing out that the Enquirer broke the story about the Presley-Jackson marriage, "despite public denials." Maybe, but one good apple doesn't unspoil the whole bunch.

Bye bye Di?

Some day Lisa Marie Presley and Princess Diana simply must get together and compare tabloid scars. Diana's latest scrape involves her rumored plans to emigrate from Britain. The bloody hell you say? It started during a recent vacation in France, when Diana confronted the pack of free-range paparazzi that follows her every move. They claim she said her sons, Princes William and Harry, were tired of the constant attention and wanted her to move abroad, out of the public eye. She allegedly promised a "big surprise with the next thing I do." It's a very short leap of tabloid logic from that off-the-cuff remark to "New life for Diana" headlines. The princess now denies she's preparing a "big surprise"; she's simply suffering spotlight sickness. "There is an obsessive interest in me and the children," she statemented. "William ... can get freaked out by all the attention." Stop the presses, she wants to get off.

The naked truth

There's apparently an obsessive interest in Brad Pitt and his penis, and he's getting freaked out by all the attention. Playgirl magazine's latest issue features nude photos of the incredible hunk, shot two years ago during his West Indies vacation with then gal pal Gwenyth Paltrow. Pitt sued to stop distribution and Monday won a partial victory: Playgirl must refrain from shipping out any more copies. It wasn't a full-frontal triumph, however; Playgirl doesn't have to recall copies already shipped to subscribers and newsstands. Pitt claims the photographer trespassed on private property to get the shots. The magazine notes that the photos have already been widely circulated on the Internet and in European magazines. Meanwhile, the manager of a Hollywood newsstand reports big sales: "Since this morning, we've sold around 20," he says. Inquiring minds want to know.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets