She Knows That Beauty Is More Than Thin Deep

Sat., Feb. 8, 1997

Compiled By Staff Writer Rick Bo

FOR THE RECORD: 2-8-97 Actress Lana Turner died in 1995. An item in today’s People column in the IN Life section erroneously states otherwise.

So what tipped the scales in Miss Hawaii Brook Lee’s favor when she won the Miss USA crown in Shreveport, La., the other night?

It was her answer to co-host George Hamilton’s question: “Miss Universe has recently been the subject of a lot of press attention about her weight. If this happened to you, how would you handle it?”

Replied Lee, a 26-year-old dancer and model: “I think I would take a good hard look at myself, and I’d look from the inside out, and I would know that I’m the same girl that won the crown that day and it wouldn’t really matter what I look like on the outside because I won.”

Lee’s response was worth more than $170,000 in cash and prizes, and a spot in the Miss Universe pageant in May.

Loose talk

Jane Fonda, on whether she can still do her “Workout Challenge” video moves (in Living Fit magazine): “I wouldn’t want to … I’m 59 years old. I’d probably get hurt.”

This native knew Wallace well before she peaked

Lana Turner turns 77 today.

They never had so much fun studying geography

Despite her much-maligned plumpness, Miss Universe Alicia Machado left male admirers weak in the knees during a stop at a Shreveport elementary school when she was in town for the Miss USA pageant. “I felt like I would faint,” one 10-year-old boy said. “After I talked with her, I lost my voice.”

We thought they had less latitude down there

Suzanne Somers, discussing the sucess of her signature exercise equipment: “The ButtMaster is not as successful as the ThighMaster, but it has gone crazy in South America, places like Brazil. They think of the butt as a beauty spot; you know, you see pictures of women on the beach in thong bikinis.”

Melting her, however, requires global warming

And speaking of the equatorially challenged, People magazine reports Roseanne is negotiating to play the Wicked Witch of the West in a “Wizard of Oz” stage production starting in May.

It’s a pretty costly way to get your ashes hauled

In otherworldly news, seven grams’ worth of LSD guru Timothy Leary’s cremated remains - along with those of 23 others, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry - will be rocketed into outer space from Spain next month. The service costs $4,800 apiece, and each family gets a video of the launch.

Guess you could say O.J. is still quite the cutup

The day after O.J. Simpson was found liable by a jury in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, he got in 18 holes at suburban Los Angeles course. The Juice jokingly asked fellow golfers: “Hey, buddy, can you spare $8.5 million?”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Rick Bonino

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