Rocker And The Princess: Studies In Dire Contrast?

It seemed like such an odd pairing, Elton John and Princess Diana. Then again, maybe it wasn’t so odd a friendship after all.

“We were both bulimic for a start, and we both had marriages that failed, and we were both extremely interested in AIDS,” John told the Los Angeles Times. “You could talk about those and other issues with her in a way that you probably couldn’t with any other member of the royal family. That’s why she was such a special person.”

John sang a revised rendition of his song “Candle in the Wind” at the princess’ Sept. 6 funeral (profits go to charity). It might be the last time that he ever does sing it. “The only way I’ll ever sing it again is if the children (Princes William and Harry) ask me,” John said. “Otherwise, it would be totally inappropriate.”

Loose talk

Billionaire Ted Turner on the angst of watching over his multiple holdings (as reported by the Associated Press): “It’s like having 30 children, 100 children, and you don’t even know all their names.”

Bet her pet cockatoo can whistle that five times real fast

Brigitte Bardot turns 63 today.

Is that with, or without, the 100 people?

So, how much is Bill Gates’ new lakefront home worth? King County says more than $53 million. Gates, the richest man in America, begs to differ. He’s questioning the 1998 tax appraisal of his 40,000-square-foot mansion in the affluent Seattle suburb of Medina. Bear in mind, much of the house is underground, is set on five acres that includes a man-made trout stream and features a 60-foot pool, a theater and a reception hall for 100 people.

Then again, it’s never easy getting to second base

She’s interviewed Roosevelts, Kennedys and Lyndon Baines Johnson without blinking. But certain celebrities intimidate biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin. “It is funny how the heroes of childhood hold a special emotional meaning for you, so you become somewhat childlike when you come up against them,” she said. “I’ve had no trouble mixing with presidents, but when I met Pee Wee Reese, I could barely say hello.”

But did he ever want to SHOOT 90?

The older you get, the more you appreciate the little things. “I once asked a 90-year-old man if he ever wanted to be 90,” broadcaster Bryant Gumbel told Elle magazine. “He said, ‘Yeah, but not until I was 89.”’

And, of course, there’s always the neighborhood 7-11

He may be the industry’s hottest filmmaker, but 27-year-old Wayne M. Night isn’t letting things go to his head. His script “The Sixth Sense” just sold to Disney for $2.5 million, and he has three other films already shot and about to be released. Still, the Philadelphia native says, he ain’t moving west. “I love it here,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “My family’s here. If movies don’t work out with me working here, then I’ll write novels or do something else.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Dan Webster