People in the News for February 18, 1998

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 1998 | 9:24 a.m.

Viewers of CNN's "Larry King Live," tuning in the other night for a dose of the usual King hardball -- sample question: "I just loved your movie" -- must have gaped in suspendered disbelief at beholding Dan Rather behind the desk instead. Eek, a newsman! Eek, indeed. Rather filled in for a vacationing King the other night, conducting an hour's worth of Iraq yak. Although the CBS anchor has co-hosted King's show before, this was his first time filling the big suspenders by himself. Nominally, of course, CBS and CNN are competitors; imagine the Denver Broncos lending John Elway to the Green Bay Packers or the Chicago Bulls allowing Michael Jordan to play for the New York Knicks a game or two. This is nothing like that! It's only TV news! In fact, Rathers' bosses are taking a very TV view of the situation: It's good publicity for the big lug. "Dan's No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 priorities are the 'CBS Evening News,"' says one vice president. "He's never going to do anything that is contrary to the best interests of the broadcast." Apparently he's forgotten Rather's sweater period. CBS News' largesse notwithstanding, such anchor swaps are still rare; ABC and NBC have policies against it.

A fish called Kevin

This is what it means to be Kevin Kline: You'll wear the bra and the wig, but you won't eat the fish. "This fish looks diseased," he said Tuesday night as the whelps of Harvard's Hasty Pudding drama club tried to get him to swallow it, a la "A Fish Called Wanda." The club named Kline its Man of the Year, allegedly for his versatility on screen and on stage, but more likely because he was the biggest name who would agree to the silly collegiate high jinks -- donning a curly red wig and fish-shaped bra -- this event calls for. "I'm truly honored and touched in ways too indescribable to tell you."

Minutes of media fun!

Eek, a newswoman! Barbara Walters' latest coup airs Friday on "20/ 20": an interview with Bernard Lewinsky, father of White House minx Monica."He just feels there are things he really wants to speak about," Walters says. It's a scoopish exclusive that has the rest of the media pack eating her stardust, reduced to playing silly collegiate pranks on each other. "60 Minutes" man Mike Wallace was recently lunching with Monica's lawyer, William Ginsburg, hoping to get to the Lewinsky family through him, when Ginsburg's beeper went off: Call ABC's Diane Sawyer. So, as a very funny joke -- the journalism equivalent of donning the wig and fish bra -- Wallace phoned Sawyer, and, in that distinctive voice, said, "Please hold for William Ginsburg," letting her know he was where she wanted to be. Ho ho! Of course, the joke was on both of them, as Walters scored the interview. We're sure you're touched in ways that are indescribable.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets