People in the News for May 16, 1997

Friday, May 16, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Thank God it's Friday? Some weeks we're glad to make it to Wednesday with our skins intact. Thank God we're not Frank Gifford -- he may not make it past this weekend. The Globe says its next issue will carry photos of Frank in a sexy New York hotel romp with a woman identified as a married ex-stewardess. The New York Post ran an image of the Globe cover today: It has a blurry picture of a man and woman embracing, apparently lifted from a videotape, taken, the Globe says, at the Regency Hotel April 30 and May 1. Ten sizzling photos in all! the tab vows. Watch your back, Frank! Hell hath no fury like an overly perky talk show hostess scorned. Or, more to the point, watch your front; remember Lorena! The Giffords don't dispute the authenticity of the pix, but have made a plea for privacy. "This experience has been as painful for us as it would be for any other couple. However, we will get through this together," they said in a statement. The Globe, naturally, didn't want to publish the tawdry photos. They would have rather kept them demurely under wraps, possible circulation gains be damned! But the Giffords, see, made them do it. "Our hand was forced," Editor Tony Frost says. "They (the Giffords) called the story a 'complete fabrication."'

Oprah undecided

This experience may be painful for you, but we'll get through it together: Oprah is thinking about quitting! "It gets harder every day," she says of the rigors of talking to people for an entire hour. And, darn it, there just aren't enough pregnant lesbian strippers to go around. "When you've done it for 12 years, you've covered every topic," she says. Wait, have you done Aging Football Stars Fleeing Their Ditzy Wives for the Love of a Good Former Flight Attendant? Winfrey plans to tape another 200 shows by next spring, but is unsure whether to do another 200, enough to take her through the year 2000. "Do we really have 400 more shows?" As long as you can gain and lose weight, Oprah, there is always another show.

Barry good gesture

After wallowing in the marital discord and melodramatic career deliberations of fabulous celebrities, perhaps we should end on an up note. And what could be peppier than the feathered boas and canary-yellow jumpsuits of Barry Manilow? Our fingers are snappin' already! Always ready to lend a perfectly manicured hand to the needy, Manilow has dropped the ticket prices for his upcoming concert in flood-ravaged North Dakota. Everything you own may be under eight feet of wet sludge, but at least you can hear "I Write the Songs" live for $10 instead of $40. It's his way of saying, This experience has been painful, but we will get through this together. He's also declared the performance a benefit for flood victims. "Ever since he heard about the flood, Barry wanted to do something with the show," a spokesman says. So far, only 5,000 tickets have been sold, but Fargo's Fargodome can be expanded from 9,000 seats to 12,000 just in case.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets