People

By Michele Orecklin

PARTY ANIMUS

It's RUDY GIULIANI'S city and he'll cancel a party if he wants to--particularly if it crimps the campaign of a potential political rival. The party in question was to celebrate the launch of Talk, former New Yorker editor Tina Brown's latest magazine. Brown and Harvey Weinstein, a hefty Democratic supporter whose Miramax Films part-owns the publication, had applied to hold their August revel at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is owned by New York City. But Giuliani balked when rumors, still unsubstantiated, swirled that the magazine's first cover girl would be HILLARY CLINTON, who is likely to face the mayor in next year's Senate race. This act led to more press than even the publicity-ravenous Weinstein could consume. The Navy Yard's administrator issued a statement expressing concern that "...the party was beginning to take on a political cast and was no longer simply for the launch of a new magazine." You'd cancel too if it happened to you.

THERE SHE WAS...

On July 3, America's newest Junior Miss will be crowned. Fetching and accomplished as the young contestants are certain to be, one wonders if any can reach the bar set by 1963's winner, DIANE SAWYER (seen, at left, being congratulated by then Governor George Wallace). We've unearthed Diane's application, which clearly shows that her capacity for hard work took root early. Cheerleader, basketball queen, yearbook editor, school-calendar girl and member of the Young Republicans, Pep, Latin, Quill and Scroll clubs, Diane also managed to enjoy tennis, water skiing, bowling and "when time permit[ted] knitting." Her talent presentation sounds equally ambitious: an "original monologue and song interpretation of Civil War Days entitled 'Five Score Years Ago.'" Alas, poor Diane's stated career ambition in diplomacy never panned out, forcing her to spend all these years toiling in broadcasting.

FEUD OF THE WEEK

NAME: Bill ("Deadhead") Walton OCCUPATION: Trash-talking basketball commentator for NBC BEST PUNCH: Called Johnson's play in Game 4 of the NBA finals a "pathetic performance by this sad human being...a disgrace to the game of basketball, to the NBA"

NAME: Larry ("Hothead") Johnson OCCUPATION: Trash-talking basketball player for the NY Knicks BEST PUNCH: At a news conference, responded to Walton's jibe by asking, "That isn't the same Bill Walton who was at UCLA smoking pot and a hippie, was it?"

THE WINNER Walton: NBC already knows they'll be back at the finals again next year

TOYLAND TROUBLE

Movie cartoon characters don't have a glorious afterlife. Even The Lion King II went straight to video. STEVE JOBS, CEO of Pixar Animation, didn't want that to happen to his babies. "When we decided to do Toy Story 2, we wanted it to be as good as the best live-action sequels, as good as The Godfather II." This doesn't mean BUZZ LIGHTYEAR will swim with the rubber duckies, but WOODY does get abducted by an unsavory toy collector. When the movie hits theaters in November, new cast members JESSE THE COWGIRL, the PROSPECTOR and the evil ZURG will join the originals, who despite advances in technology, look much the same. "We stayed true to what people remembered," says director John Lasseter, "but the humans look better." Even animated actors can use a nip and tuck.