People

By Michele Orecklin

LOOK OUT, MIKE TYSON

Because cockfighting and dwarf tossing are illegal, Fox has devised another way to lure viewers: Celebrity Boxing. In a prime-time special to air March 13, Long Island Lolita AMY FISHER, above, will duke it out with former Olympic skater TONYA HARDING. It's hard to know whom to put your money on in this fight. Fisher did time for shooting ex-lover Joey Buttafuoco's wife, but Harding was once arrested for assaulting a boyfriend (not to mention that whole Nancy Kerrigan business). The two will go toe to toe in one of three taped bouts on the evening's bill. Another will pit former Partridge Family imp Danny Bonaduce against Barry Williams, a.k.a. Greg Brady. The third matchup has yet to be announced, though word is Darva Conger and Paula Jones have expressed interest. At least it's more wholesome than posing for Playboy.

WILL ABC TOPPLE KOPPEL?

DAVID LETTERMAN has often had high praise for one of his late-night rivals, ABC's Nightline anchor TED KOPPEL. But, hey, Dave, what's all this about a possible move to ABC, presumably to take Koppel's long-held time slot? When reports leaked out that ABC was negotiating with Letterman, whose CBS contract expires in six months, disgruntled ABC News staffers (are there any other kind?) hit the roof. Nightline's ratings have been sagging, and ABC is under pressure from corporate parent Disney to boost its profits. But top news execs were miffed that they hadn't been told about the possible booting of the widely respected Nightline. Both Koppel and Letterman were keeping quiet, but watch Dave's Top 10 lists.

AN UNFATHOMABLE MIND

RUSSELL CROWE is a sensitive man with literary discernment, and he's willing to pummel with his bare fists anyone who won't let him prove it. After being named Best Actor at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for his role in A Beautiful Mind, Crowe read verse from the Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh as part of his acceptance speech. In so doing, he exceeded his allotted time. When the program later aired on the BBC, the poetry recitation was cut. Learning of the slight at a postawards dinner, Crowe confronted the show's producer, Malcolm Gerrie, escorted him to a storage room and shoved him against a wall. Like the regular bloke he endlessly insists he is, Crowe offered his complaint in a plainspoken way, saying, "Who on earth had the [expletive] audacity to take out the Best Actor's poem?" Crowe later defended his actions but conceded he may have been too "passionate" in making his point.

ALICIA KEYS TAKES THE FIFTH

More daunting than deciding what to wear to the Grammys is figuring out what to say the fifth time in a single evening you have been called to collect one. Such was the plight of ALICIA KEYS, who after running through the requisite urgings to "think outside the box" and "believe in yourself" in her early speeches, admitted to being at a loss for words when accepting her final award. The success of the R.-and-B. newcomer, and the irresistible ways her name could be used in headlines (KEYS TO SUCCESS, KEYS TO VICTORY, etc.), made it easy to overlook the four awards won by U2 and the surprising five won by the sound track to O Brother, Where Art Thou. The show proved relatively staid in behavior and dress, which means we'll have to wait until the Oscars for the real excess.