People: Dec. 15, 1997

Q&A

SALLY QUINN is a hostess, a reporter, the wife of ex-Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and the author of The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining.

Q: How often do you go to parties?

A: We try not to go out more than two nights a week.

Q: As a medicine woman, you recommend two nights?

A: I would say if anyone goes out more than three nights a week, they’re in trouble.

Q: How do you respond to the accusation that you’re a really, really rich man’s Martha Stewart?

A: We don’t do the same thing. We are not on the same planet. She’s focusing on things, and I focus on people.

Q: Who’s Deep Throat?

A: Actually, Ben’s right here–you want me to ask him?

Q: Yeah. The whole darn office wants to know.

A: Ben, Joel wants to know who’s Deep Throat.

Bradlee: Oh, good.

POET IN THE MIDDLE

If you’ve already got street cred, the next step is to make people think you’re all cultured. So PIERCE BROSNAN and MICK JAGGER are in a bidding war over DYLAN THOMAS’ bed. Both men claim devotion to the heavy-drinking, heavy-handed wordsmith: Brosnan named his son Dylan, and Jagger is producing a biopic on Thomas. Doesn’t matter. The bed’s owner, Welsh hotelier Tommy Watts, is selling to whoever offers the most cash.

THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE SPICE GIRLS, VOL. II

There are good reasons not to curtsy before the Queen of England. Being male, for instance. But worrying that your decolletage will spill out? No way. In fact, having Geri Halliwell’s breasts pop out of her skintight dress in front of Queen Elizabeth would have been the ultimate People item: royalty, nudity and a Spice Girl. But Ginger Spice felt differently, and after an unsettling performance at the Royal Variety Show, she decided not to risk any movement whatsoever in front of H.R.H., going instead for an etiquette-breaching handshake. There’s always next time, right? And maybe Michael Jackson will be there. We can dream.

DI-PLOITATION WATCH

Harrods, the department store owned by Dodi’s dad Mohamed al Fayed, is selling a Princess Diana wedding doll.

FEUD OF THE WEEK

JULIE (“CATWOMAN”) NEWMAR Age: 62 Height: 5 ft. 10 in. Weight: Formerly 39-23-39 Occupation: Ex-vixen Best Punch: Formed ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) with other Los Angeles celebrities to stop people from using leaf blowers

L.A. (“BRING IN DA NOISE”) GARDENERS Age: Varies Height: Varies Weight: Thin and healthy Occupation: Gardeners Best Punch: Adrian Alvarez, leader of the Association of Latin American Gardeners, fights the proposed leaf-blower ban

THE WINNER Gardeners–cops say they won’t enforce the ban and blow them away