Ladies Daze
In what may have been Oscar’s finest 1993 moment, best supporting actor nominee Jaye Davidson of “The Crying Game” made an incorrect (and rather public) decision heading for the washroom at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The movies’ most famous cross-dresser (Oh, for Pete’s sake. If you don’t know by now, you don’t care.) walked into the ladies room-and out just five seconds later with two women pushing him out the door.
Presidential dress
Folks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received a phone call Monday from the White House ordering three 1993 Oscar T-shirts for the First Family. One was a size XL.
Wrong time, wrong place
The Sony “Family”-Sony, Columbia and Tri-Star-held a private and pricey Sunday evening bash at the BelAir Hotel to honor its Oscar nominees in all categories. (Howards End” and “A Few Good Men” were the company’s big nominees.) Just about everyone involved with the Oscar-nominated properties was there at the “dress casual” affair: Emma Thompson in not-so-casual sequins, Ishmael Merchant in a sari, and Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Rob Reiner-but not Demi Moore-from “Men.” Her absence was noted, but after the party it was magnified when Sony head Peter Guber and his party of six arrived at Hollywood’s Ivy Restaurant and were seated at a large, round table right next to Moore and her party of six girlfriends.
Picture this
People magazine’s poolside picture of a bathrobed Sharon Stone was given some airbrushing attention for family viewing. A European publication used the same picture unretouched, giving readers the same charming view that Stone revealed in the famous interrogation scene in “Basic Instinct.”
Politics, Chicago-style
After Ald. Jim Laski reported getting obscene phone calls from U.S. Rep. Bill Lipinski’s office, Lipinski received three harassing calls Tuesday morning. But the congressman strongly suspects his caller was none other than his old buddy, Ald. Dick Mell, who likes to tweak Lipinski about his problems with the maverick Laski.
McLaughlin Group
TV talk ringmaster John McLaughlin was sighted at Swifty Lazar’s Oscar party with Sports Illustrated swimsuit star Stacey Williams. But earlier he was seen at the Oscar ceremony with taste czarina Martha Stewart. Last weekend, busy John was spotted at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington trying to cozy up to Barbra Streisand. Or, as one observer phrased it, “stuck to her side like pollen to a bee.”
Blotto lotto
News executives at WMAQ-TV and WLS-TV, whose newscasts promise state lottery numbers as soon after the drawing as possible, were unhappy last week when basketball pre-empted Friday’s live drawing at 10:21 p.m. on WBBM-TV. Ch. 2, which owns the rights to broadcast the drawing, didn’t display the numbers until 10:31 p.m., leaving competitors to make excuses because lottery officials didn’t fax them the winners. Officials say it must have been a “one-time glitch.”
Art imitates art imitates life
When Jerry Seinfeld’s TV character on “Seinfeld” begins starring in a TV-show-within-a-TV show called “Jerry,” his TV show friends Elaine, George and Kramer will be played by lookalike actors whose characters will be given the names Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards.
That’s entertainment
Peter Riegert of “Crazy for You” will co-star with Bette Midler in a three-hour CBS-TV version of the Broadway classic “Gypsy.” The Midler role was most recently played on Broadway by Tyne Daly, who also co-starred in CBS-TV’s “Cagney and Lacey,” but who is suffering from the Julie Andrews/Carol Channing Syndrome, i.e., if you’re not a household name, the role you played on Broadway goes to someone who is.
INC.lings
Wednesday’s birthdays: Herb Alpert, 58; Richard Chamberlain, 58; Cesar Chavez, 66; Liz Claiborne, 64; William Daniels, 66; Vice President Al Gore, 45; Shirley Jones, 59; Richard Kiley, 71; Gabe Kaplan, 48; Ed Marinaro, 42; Rhea Perlmann, 45; Dean Richards, 39; Orion Samuelson, 59; Christopher Walken, 50; Angus Young, 34.. . . Backstage at the Academy Awards: Tom Hanks was thrilled when Federico Fellini, the legendary Italian director, recognized him and said: “You’re not big; you still look young.”
