People in the News for February 27, 1998

Friday, Feb. 27, 1998 | 10:02 a.m.

Today is a day to look celebrity gossip straight in the eye and declare, "Eh, whatever." In other words, it's Ambivalence Day here at People in the News, although we're not necessarily committed to that. Are we just wishy or merely washy? At times like these we long for the clear-cut certitude, the steely, damn-the-torpedoes-and-issue-the-press-releases decisiveness of a satirical talk-show host like John Henson. The man who reads the funny scripts for E! Entertainment Television's "Talk Soup," Henson knew what he wanted -- Dustin Hoffman to appear on his show -- and he knew exactly how to get it -- a hunger strike. If such a tactic can produce results for Gandhi or, better yet, generate oodles of publicity for IRA operatives held in British jails, why, Henson figured, it just might work for him. And it did! Hoffman appeared on the show this week, ending Henson's allegedly foodless holdout after nine days. "I knew if I held off on the Twinkies just one more day, Dustin would feel my pain and end my misery," said Henson, speaking from a hospital bed parked on his set. Hoffman, feigning concern about being dogged by the wag, served Henson a mock restraining order instructing the "Soup" nutsy to stay away from him and end his hunger strike. "My kids can't go to school," Hoffman said in what can only be described as a joke. "You've ruined their lives." Compelling commentary on celebrity culture or just a goofy TV moment? Eh, whatever.

Fried Rice

When discussing Jerry Rice's presence at a Mountain View, Calif., spa visited by police the other day -- a spa with a history of prostitution -- one is tempted to employ certain football terminology to amusing double-entendre-rish effect. Normally, of course, we're not above snickering references to "wide receivers," "tight ends" and "going deep," but today, eh, whatever. Perhaps it's enough to say that when police served papers at the spa -- something about a business-permit snafu -- Rice emerged from the bathroom, saying he was just leaving. He'd come in search of a deep-tissue massage and knew nothing of the spa's reputation for prostitution, although he quickly figured it out. "I was there five minutes," Rice said. "It didn't take me long to put two and two together."

Tommy's problems

It's unlikely there's enough Eh, whatever in the universe to express our ambivalence toward the fate of Motley Crueman and alleged Pamela Anderson Lee batterer Tommy Lee. He was led into a Malibu, Calif., court in chains Thursday, where he was charged not only with abusing his wife, but also of their 7-week-old son. Meanwhile, Anderson Lee -- having taken only several years to put two and two together -- filed for divorce the same day. Lee is being held on $1 million bail, which he hadn't posted at presstime. And so ends another perhaps wishy, possibly washy day here at People in the News, not with a bang or even a whimper but with a shrug.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets