People: Jul. 15, 2002

…AND THE BAND PLAYED ON

Shortly after John Entwistle died in his sleep at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, fans began calling to book the room where the bassist for the Who spent his final night. In light of such macabre tributes, the decision by ROGER DALTREY and PETE TOWNSHEND, the band’s surviving members, to go ahead with a planned tour just days after Entwistle’s death seemed relatively tasteful. That decision was questioned by some who thought it inappropriate to strike up the band so quickly. After canceling two dates and recruiting bassist Pino Palladino, they opened at the Hollywood Bowl, where video screens played images from Entwistle’s life. That turned out to be the best way for fans to commune with him. The Hard Rock Hotel refused to give out the fateful room number.

ORDER ON THE COURT

Sibling rivalry is a concept with which many of us are all too familiar. Sibling harmony is harder to fathom and, for some in the tennis world, difficult to accept. VENUS and SERENA WILLIAMS faced each other last week at Wimbledon, the third time they have met in a Grand-Slam final this year. The formidable sister act has some rivals griping that their matches are not competitive enough. “The way they play in other matches–they really don’t play that way against each other,” says Jennifer Capriati. But the two did not seem to be holding back when Serena, left, beat Venus and nabbed her first Wimbledon singles trophy to display along with Venus’ two. Venus’ good grace at losing suggests that things will be just as harmonious at the U.S. Open.

THE SHORT WAY AROUND

Until STEVE FOSSETT, a hot-air-balloon ride seemed like a serene activity for surveying pastoral landscapes, best undertaken with foie gras and a fine wine. But the Chicago millionaire has turned ballooning into an endurance sport requiring deprivation and a ground crew. Since 1998, the adventurer has tried to complete the first solo circumnavigation of the globe by balloon. After five attempts–most of which ended abruptly in large bodies of water–he made it. But by staying far south, he shortened what would have been a nearly 25,000-mile journey at the equator to 19,428 miles. He spent 15 days in freezing cold, breathing through an oxygen mask and using a bucket as a toilet, before alighting in Queensland, Australia, where he dispensed with fine wine and guzzled a Bud Light. Even a millionaire needs endorsements.

But Will It Last?

Tabloid reporters are a canny breed. After intercepting an invitation sent by JULIA ROBERTS and cameraman DANNY MODER for what was billed as a lawn party, the paparazzi hunkered down outside her Taos, N.M., ranch and awaited a wedding. Sure enough, it took place, though details proved hard to come by, as the proceedings took place under a tent behind gates on a rain-soaked night. Tabloid reporters also being a skeptical breed, the overwhelming reaction to the marriage seemed to be speculation over how long it would last. After all, her previous marriage to singer Lyle Lovett, also planned in haste and secrecy, survived just 21 months. And marriages between wildly famous actresses and lesser-known men they meet at work rarely reach the second anniversary (see Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd, et al.). Then there’s the fact that Moder was a married man, never a promising sign, when Roberts and he met on the set of The Mexican. But, hey, we wish them the best.