PAGE SIX
BY RICHARD JOHNSON WITH SEAN GANNON AND JEANNE MACINTOSH
Scandals Live in Comics Cavalcade
ANYONE tired of just reading about gossip bombshells now can see the
tawdry events unfold before their very eyes in comic book form.
"The Big Book of Scandal," from Paradox Press (an imprint of DC Comics),
charts the history of sleaze from Fatty Arbuckle to Chappaquiddick in graphic
detail using illustrations from 50 of the world's most talented cartoonists
and text by Jonathan Vankin.
Says editor Andy Helfer, who illustrated the cover with a newspaper
front page reminiscent of the The Post, "Reading about the exploits of
Jim and Tammy Bakker, or Heidi Fleiss or Oliver North is one thing - but
actually seeing it happen is a sleazy, sordid revelation!"
Among the lowlights:
The book includes cartoon versions of Elvis Presley watching wife Priscilla
and another woman frolic in their lingerie. The writer alleges: "Their
relationship was far from typical. Before they were married, friends said,
he directed Priscilla in several sexual videos with another woman." Elvis
also allegedly installed two-way mirrors in Graceland's guest rooms so
he could watch his friends get intimate.
A lowbrow cartoon depiction of the late producer Don Simpson, known
for hits such as "Flashdance," slumped over while sitting naked on the
toilet - where he died last year.
A comic treatment of Woody Allen taking Polaroids of naked Soon-Yi Previn
as she poses with her legs akimbo. The cartoon Woody coaxes, "Lay back
and gimme your most erotic poses! Let yourself go!"
Rob Lowe, naked, as he stands behind a tripod and camera videotaping
two half-naked women frolicking on a bed.
Defrocked preacher Jimmy Swaggart watching a paid prostitute pleasure
herself as he exclaims, "Sister (Gulp!), you are truly a lamb of God!"
Defrocked preacher Jim Bakker getting an explicit massage from another
man. The text alleges that "his frequent back rubs, some associates said,
often ended up in homosexual romps."
A bulimic Princess Diana, flanked by two soldiers standing at attention,
as she vomits into a toilet on a pedestal.
As the introduction puts it: "What's a scandal, anyway? It's when some
big shot turns out to be human after all. That's all. Big shots are like
anybody. They get greedy. They get horny. They get just plain stupid. When
they get caught, that's a scandal."
Way deep
GEN. Al Haig - a perennial on the short list of "Deep Throat" suspects
- approached former Washington Post editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee at the
50th anniversary party Thursday in D.C. for "Meet the Press," and asked,
"Is "Deep Throat' in the room?" Bradlee - the only other person besides
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who knows the identity of the Watergate
whistleblower - smiled and replied, "No comment." Besides all the parties,
there's a McGraw Hill book marking the show's half-century mark, "Meet
the Press: 50 Years of History in the Making" which tells how Sen. Joseph
McCarthy did his entire interview with a loaded gun on his lap. Plus, there's
the tale of how Edward R. Murrow, a heavy smoker, went through leg-twitching
nicotine withdrawal because host Lawrence Spivak wouldn't allow him to
light up.
Sightings
ART collecting Steve Martin lunching with painter Eric Fischl at Balthazar
... HARVEY Keitel, who was filming his new movie just outside of City Wine
& Cigar, stepping inside for a bite between takes and telling the waitstaff
that he had only 25 minutes ... SHERYL Crow, Val Kilmer, and Mark Wahlberg
closing down Chaos ... JESSICA Lange getting a cut and color at Frederic
Fekkai's salon.
We hear ..
.
THAT novelist-socialite Sugar Rautbord is in town to push her forthcoming
"A Gift of the Chameleon," about a woman who reinvents herself by communing
with Eleanor Roosevelt, Pamela Harriman and Hillary Clinton ... THAT British
designer Rifat Ozbek might blush at his birthday party at Twilo tonight
when they bring out the cake. Word is it's obscene ... THAT "Defying Gravity,"
the play about the Challenger disaster, is getting endorsements from unexpected
places. A NASA honcho was so impressed, he's invited the whole cast to
the next Shuttle launch, and Lifesavers candy - obviously spotting a marketing
op - sends a case of the fruity suckers each week for the audience.
'St.' Evander makes nice for fans
IF nice guys finish last, Evander Holyfield might be in trouble. The
heavyweight champion with the chewed-up ears has been a model of cooperation
as he prepared for tonight's bout in Las Vegas with Michael Moorer. Holyfield,
a devout Christian, did interviews, posed for pictures, signed autographs,
and even conducted a revival meeting Thursday night. "He's like a saint.
People love him," said Bill Boggs, who is covering celebrities for the
pay-per-view simulcast. On the other hand, Moorer canceled his two-hour
interview session via satellite with boxing scribes across the nation.
And Moorer, a 2.4 to 1 underdog, hasn't made any effort to make new friends
in the media. The younger challenger is right-handed, but fights out of
a left-handed stance, and destroyed Holyfield in their last fight, outjabbing
Holyfield 180-35 with a powerful right. But insiders say Holyfield had
an injured shoulder in the first fight, and never should have climbed in
the ring. Security will be tight tonight in the Thomas Mack Center. After
the Tyson ear attack, there were huge disturbances at the MGM Grand, with
gamblers stampeding from the casino fearing gunplay as brawls broke out.
Meanwhile, Boggs, who hosts a show on the Food Network, is bullish on Vegas,
which is growing by 4,000 new settlers a month. "Every 60 days, a new school
opens here," Boggs said. Plenty of new restaurants have opened too, including
the Melange at the Mirage, where the walls are graced by four orginal Picassos.
"Not a good place for a food fight," jokes Boggs. And Steve Wynn plans
to open 18 world-class restaurants next year in his new Bellagio casino-hotel.
Lunch money
ON the day of the latest 500-point Dow Jones drop, stock brokerage pioneer
Muriel Siebert had to get out of the office for a break from the continuously
ringing phones from panicking investors. She escaped to Billy's on First
Avenue for lunch, but was approached by a young waitress who said she was
new to the market and taking a beating during the free-fall two weeks ago.
Siebert sat the trembling woman down and explained it was a temporary setback,
and that the Dow would soon rebound. Two days later, our spies report,
a woman who frequents the restaurant and had overheard the conversation
walked over to Siebert and handed her a check for $5 million to open an
account.