People

By Michele Orecklin

YOU MAY ALREADY BE A COLLECTOR

Among the distinctions that painters covet--gallery shows, a high price for their work at auction, placement in a museum, a patron--being cited by the Guinness Book of World Records is not a must-have. But JANE WOOSTER SCOTT received that honor recently when she was named the "Most Reproduced Artist in America." "I heard I was closing in on the title; for a while I was running neck and neck with Picasso," says Wooster Scott, whose work appears on jigsaw puzzles, Christmas cards and calendars. "I still can't believe I beat him." (Pablo's heirs can take comfort: he still holds the worldwide title.) Though her idealized portraits of rural New England may never receive the acclaim of Guernica, they are irresistible to greeting-card companies and the aesthetes who work in the lottery business: 11 states have featured her work on their lottery tickets.

THE RETIREMENT OF ANOTHER CHAMPION

Last week MICHAEL JORDAN--the Michael Jordan of product endorsements--announced he is phasing out his career as a pitchman to focus on off-camera business pursuits. "I don't want my name just used," he told the Chicago Sun Times. "I want to understand the business itself, see the value in something other than just endorsing." Jordan, who will honor all his outstanding contracts, earns roughly $35 million a year from hawking products, down about $15 million since he left basketball. Oddly, news of this retirement did not spark endless televised commentary on his greatest commercials or reruns of his pioneering pitches for underwear, sports drinks, batteries and hot dogs.

NAME DROPPING

Although having a baby is a highly personal endeavor, those whose fame requires them to announce their pregnancy in a press release have got to expect some interference. MADONNA, who disclosed last week that she is pregnant with her second child, has already been the subject of public debate on whether she should marry the baby's father, British director GUY RITCHIE. And while a London paper has speculated that a baby boy will be named after Rupert Everett, Madonna's co-star in The Next Best Thing, there are other obvious choices. Since her first child, Lourdes, shares a name with the French town famous for a sighting of the Virgin Mary, perhaps Ms. Ciccone should consider some names where other apparitions have been reported. Among the possibilities: Blangy, Pellevoisin, Gietrzwald, Knock and Cincinnati. Of course, there's always On a Potato.

FEUD OF THE WEEK

NAME: Alex ("In the form of a question") Trebek OCCUPATION: Host of really challenging game show BEST PUNCH: Ridiculed questions on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as too easy, saying they rarely rise above the level of "What's the usual color of Post-its?"

NAME: Regis ("Is that your final answer?") Philbin OCCUPATION: Host of really successful game show BEST PUNCH: Challenged Trebek to be a celebrity contestant, taunting, "We'll put you in the hot seat and see if you can remember what color Post-its are."

Winner: Philbin. Trebek declined his offer, freeing up a spot for an actual celebrity