People in the News for April 21, 1998

Tuesday, April 21, 1998 | 9 a.m.

"Iceberg, dead ahead! No, wait ... it's Rosie O'Donnell!" Yes, the celebrity-coddling talk-show queen is going toe to prow with "Titanic," or, more precisely, the men sitting atop the $1.2 billion pile of cash the film has made. It seems O'Donnell tried to arrange a donation from 20th Century Fox for a Maryland woman who needs a bone marrow transplant. Why involve the "Titanic" studio? In exchange, a friend of the woman was offering a real Titanic postcard, signed by a survivor. Always looking for a little ratings boost ... er, way to help people, O'Donnell offered to intervene on behalf of the mother of five. Alas, Fox declined, and not just because Rupert Murdoch is cheap; the studio was put off by Rosie's charity unction. "Each year, Fox donates millions of dollars to charitable causes," the studio statemented. "However, we would never allow these philanthropic activities to be used for purposes of exploitation or to drive ratings, which in this case is exactly what we were asked to do." Cut to shocked look on O'Donnell's face: "Who, moi?" Because we here at People in the News are rank sentimentalists, we're pleased that this story has a happyish ending: O'Donnell prodded backers of the Broadway musical "Titanic" to donate $60,000 to aid the woman's marrow escape.

Miscellany

There are many ways to define "needy." Sure, it's easy to think only of hungry children or homeless families, but what about Paula Abdul? By having needs, isn't she therefore "needy"? Of course! Abdul is just one of the beneficiaries of money raised by the Michael Bolton Foundation. According to records, less than 15 percent of the $2.6 million raised in 1995 (the latest figures available) went to the women and children the foundation says it helps; the rest was used to pay for celebrity-studded fund-raisers starring Abdul, Ray Charles and others. Bolton, of course, is shocked at these figures and has hired a law firm to straighten everything out. He "will take any corrective action that may be necessary," the foundation says.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets