People in the News for May 11, 1998

Monday, May 11, 1998 | 9:11 a.m.

We here at People in the News are trailblazers, defiers of convention, breakers from the pack, goers of our own way. Not for us the faddish obsession with "Seinfeld's" last episode; we'll focus instead on a topic of our own choosing: "Seinfeld's" second-to-last episode. Apparently, some Hispanic leaders are upset at depictions of Puerto Ricans in the penultimate show, in which Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer, on the way home from a Mets game, got tangled in a Puerto Rican Day parade. Kramer (played by Michael Richards) managed to set the Puerto Rican flag on fire, then tried to stomp it out; in the ensuing mob scene, Jerry's empty car was thrown down a stairwell. "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico," Kramer says. How do you yelp "Yikes!" in Spanish? Said Manuel Mirabal, president of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, "The flag is a symbol of a proud people and a standard of honor. ... It is nothing to laugh about or disrespect." NBC President Robert Wright statemented, "Our appreciation of the broad comedy of 'Seinfeld' does not in any way take away from the respect we have for the Puerto Rican flag." Of course, the show could just as easily have targeted the Irish or Italians, but, explained a spokesman for "Seinfeld's" production company, St. Patrick's Day and Columbus Day parades don't occur during baseball season. Said Mirabal: "Obviously they are on another planet to believe no one would be offended." The lesson here is clear: Puerto Rico does have a flag!

The gorilla my dreams

Hollywood starlets and lower primates are an unpredictable combination, as Liz Taylor's last failed marriage amply demonstrated. The filming of a exciting scientific PBS documentary -- "In the Wild: Orangutans With Julia Roberts" -- recently required the star to spend a day in the jungle among wild monkeys. It was both cutesy and frightening. Cutesy: A baby orangutan spent most of the day hanging onto her neck. Altogether now, Awwww. Frightening: A 400-pound male pulled her in for a hug and wouldn't to let go. Having dated Keifer Sutherland, Roberts didn't panic. "My head was spinning and my heart -- my microphone was in my bra -- you can hear my heart going faster and faster. It was sort of sensory overload." The lesson here is clear: Being sound man on a PBS documentary crew has its moments.

Did she dial 10-321?

Her head is spinning, her heart is beating faster and faster -- yes, Cher must be talking to Sonny again. Death is apparently no obstacle to chats with your ex. Cher says she's been communicating with Sonny Bono via spiritual medium James Van Praagh. "He told me things only Sonny could have known," she says. It remains unclear if Van Praagh charges Cher only for the time she actually talks to Sonny or if he rounds it up to the next minute. The lesson here is obvious: Despite 'Seinfeld" and Julia Roberts-wild-monkey documentaries, TV isn't the only spiritual medium worth our attention.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets