Notebook

By Ian Judson, Daniel S. Levy, Lina Lofaro, Belinda Luscombe, Barbara Maddux and Michele Orecklin

WINNERS & LOSERS

[WINNERS]

PRUDENCE BUSHNELL Ambassador to Kenya warned of poor security, wins points for poise during bombing and later fallout

PRINCE WILLIAM New book says youngster pushed royals to react with more heart to his mother's death

AL D'AMATO Election-year role in Swiss-bank deal impresses key constituency. Nice work, Fonzie

[& LOSERS]

THE AVENGERS Remake of hip '60s series sinks. Middle-aged men with Mrs. Peel fixations suffer fantasy interruptus

GARTH DRABINSKY Broadway Impresario + Suspect Accounting = Dismissal. Could a creative type do all that math?

BILL GATES Judge orders he be deposed in public. At last: a World Wrestling Federation bout for geeks

TOPPING 40: CAN POP ICONS AGE GRACEFULLY?

Michael Jackson and Madonna turn 40 this month. We evaluated how far they've come in life.

Madonna Michael Jackson

MARITAL STATUS Divorced Married

CHILDREN? One, out of wedlock Two, in dubious wedlock

COMPANY SHE/ Fashion designers, Michu, World's Smallest Man HE KEEPS club impresarios

HOW WELL IS BODY Yoga seems to do Plastic surgery, HOLDING UP? the trick like most 40-year-olds

RECENT LYRICS: "When I was very "There's a ghost down in CLUES TO MINDSET? young/Nothing really the hall...a ghoul under mattered to me/But the bed/There's something making myself in the walls/There's blood happy...Now that I up on the stairs." am grown/Everything's changed."

INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE Own record label Amusement park in Poland

LIKELY RETIREMENT COMMUNITY Miami Amusement park in Poland

COMEBACK

RETURN OF AN ICON As fads go, the Rubik's Cube is passe. In Hollywood, however, the colorful puzzle is just the bomb, having landed a supporting role in three films this year. In The Wedding Singer, left, Christine Taylor gets frustrated by the box and chucks it. But in There's Something About Mary and Armageddon, Mary's slow-witted brother and the unpolished Rockhound show their brain power by swiftly twisting the maddening thing into shape.

CHARTBUSTERS

THE WHO? New bands are formed every year and new albums put out. Here are some upcoming releases. Which is the album, and which is the band?

1. Mysteries of Life Come Clean

2. White Trash Heroes Archers of Loaf

3. Sunny Day Real Estate How It Feels to Be Something On

4. First Love, Last Rites Shudder to Think

5. Cowboy Mouth Mercyland

6. Pink Papaya

7. Bare Jr Bootay

8. As one aflame laid bare by desire black tape for a blue girl

9. Noise Therapy Myton Lowrider

10. Black Superman Ill Frum Tha Soul

(Answer: Odd numbers = band first; even numbers = album first)

NUMBERS

$2 million Amount the Clinton defense fund raised in the past six months.

$1.3 million Amount raised in the previous 3 1/2 years.

$10,000 Amount Monica Lewinsky's defense fund has almost raised.

$200,000 Estimated cost of the video conference for Clinton's grand jury deposition.

$600 Cost to bus the grand jury to the White House.

$500,000 Estimated value of the Lewinsky "love dress," should it figure in a Clinton impeachment.

$2,000 For a J. Peterman knockoff of the slinky cat suit worn by Uma Thurman in The Avengers.

5,901 Average attendance at the games of the NBA's 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, whose .110 winning percentage is pro basketball's lowest.

15,722 Average attendance through last Friday of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, whose winning percentage was .111

Sources: New York Times, Burden of Proof, New York Daily News, Statistical Yearbook

NEWS QUIZ

1) August is known as a slow news month. Which events took place in August?

A. The communists' attempted coup against Gorbachev B. The bombing of Hiroshima C. The death of Princess Diana D. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait E. All of the above

2) An article on Microsoft jargon reports that the term touch skin means roughly the same as which other term?

A. Open the kimono B. Stroke the Buddha C. Face mail D. Slap me five

3) Math problem: Westlake (Ohio) high school student Sean O'Brien insulted a teacher on his Web page, was suspended, sued the school district, and received $30,000 in damages. How many teachers will he have to insult to purchase the album John Lennon autographed for Mark David Chapman, which was put up for sale last week?

A. 15 B. 38 C. 60 D. 107.2

4) What are we to conclude after looking at the ad at left?

A. We should lower the age requirement for the presidency. B. Paula Jones' plastic surgery went well, but Monica's--wow! C. Tommy Hilfiger is making a lame joke about a national crisis.

Answers: 1) E. 2) C. They both mean to meet or talk in person. 3) C. The album is going for $1.8 million. 4) C.