People in the News for November 17, 1997

Monday, Nov. 17, 1997 | 2:25 a.m.

Want to keep Brooke Shields happy? Try macaroni and sauce. Or Ben & Jerry's ice cream if she's depressed. "I love food!" she said. "And I have no patience with people who see food as a source of evil. Nothing satisfies me more than a plate of macaroni and sauce." Whoa! Is that a backhand slap at hubby Andre Agassi? No, apparently the two use food to get in the mood. Brooke said she and Andre made pasta dinners or burritos with grilled chicken before they got married earlier this year. Such rituals are rare now because she tapes her show in Los Angeles and he is back on the tennis circuit. "These days, we live on bags of Cheerios," she told Parade magazine, which focused on food in its Sunday edition. Perhaps Agassi, a Las Vegan who's fallen from the ranks of the top players in the world, should be eating his Wheaties instead. For her moody moments, Shields said she relies on ice cream. "I mean, there's nothing bad about ice cream," she said. "Generally I like things that are good for me. But I've found that if you listen to your body, moderation is usually what you come up with.' Game, set, match.

Barbie makeover

Barbie has an appointment with the plastic surgeon for a top-to-bottom makeover, and it may cost her some of her famous curves. Mattel Inc. plans to give Barbie new, more realistic proportions and a less made-up face, The Wall Street Journal reported today. The doll's new look -- including a wider waist, slimmer hips and a smaller bustline -- won't immediately replace the current Barbie, the newspaper said. After its official unveiling at the toy industry's annual trade fair in January, Barbie's new body will be phased in beginning next year, the Journal reported. The new face will appear on several 1998 models. The most noticeable change may be a reduction in Barbie's generous (and sometimes controversial) bustline. "Her profile will be less graduated," was all McKenzie would say. Perhaps they could make it easier and just feed the dolls ice cream, in moderation, of course.

Charles in charge?

Queen Elizabeth II will never abdicate in favor of her heir, Prince Charles, but has decreed he will not be passed over in favor of his son, according to a senior royal aide in London. Simon Gimson, a former assistant to the queen's private secretary, Sir Robert Fellowes, said in a BBC documentary to be televised today that she plans to modernize the monarchy while retaining the traditional line of succession. The reforms were given new impetus by the death of Princess Diana in a Paris car wreck on Aug. 31, said Gimson in a transcript of the program released Sunday. "I think that the palace is looking very carefully at specific changes, at radical changes, at gentle changes. It's looking at the whole array," he said.

Compiled by SUN staff