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Recently in Salon People

People Feature
Bernie Brillstein: Alive and dishing
A key figure in the careers of John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Lorne Michaels talks about being a Jew in Nashville, the girl who got away and bad-mouthing Michael Ovitz.

By Jon B. Rhine
[12/01/99]

People Feature
What dreams may bomb
For years, Richard Simmons has made people earn their dreams the hard way. Now he can't give them away.

By Matt Himes
[12/01/99]

Nothing Personal
Love, Washington style
D.C. insiders in love! Mush and spin from the other Olson twins; Portman keeps her pants on; and Michael Jackson won't stop till he gets enough ... babies.

By Amy Reiter
[11/30/99]

Brilliant Careers
David Cronenberg
For more than three decades, his films have been taking you to the weirdest of worlds. Lucky for you, you can always walk out -- unless you're too terrified to move.

By Steve Burgess
[11/30/99]

Nothing Personal
My runny-nosed valentine
Matt Damon to keep day job; kids ask the darndest things of presidential candidates; and is that a rock on Jennifer Aniston's finger, or is she just getting ready to punch someone out?

Amy Reiter
[11/29/99]

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Reiter

When toilet seats attack
When you get caught between the seat and New York City, you know it's painful, so you sue. Plus: All aboard Affleck!

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By Amy Reiter

Dec. 1, 1999 | And you thought burning your tongue on your latte was bad ...

A Canadian named Edward Skwarek is suing Starbucks Corp. for $1.5 million, claiming that his penis was crushed by a loose toilet seat at a New York Starbucks.

Skwarek's lawyer, Richard Robbins, told Reuters his client "was in a seated position on the toilet when he turned to retrieve the toilet paper in back of the seat when the seat shifted causing his penis to be caught and crushed between the seat and the bowl."

Alleged result of said seat shifting? According to the suit, "crushed penis, Peyronie's disease, retrograde ejaculation with consequent substantial reduction in sperm count, infertility, severe bruising to his penis and sexual function impairment."

Double grande bummer ... frappé.

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Another Sally Field moment

"John Travolta was my [style] hero. Actually, I had no heroes. I never had any style. Someone else dresses me. I haven't got a clue."

-- Sally Field on life's sartorial challenges, in Allure.

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Wonk in training

Is Ben Affleck making U.S. transportation policy?

In the December issue of GQ, Matt Damon recalls a 1998 visit to Camp David with his old buddy Affleck. Damon was making conversation with Madeleine Albright, he says, when he looked up and saw Affleck haranguing President Clinton about privatizing Amtrak.




Amy Reiter

Amy Reiter's column appears daily on the People site, Monday through Friday.

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Got a hot tip? Tell Amy!



"Ben's arms are moving around," Damon says. "And I know from his expression that he's talking about Amtrak."

A couple of weeks later, Damon picked up the New York Times to find a front-page story "about Amtrak looking into privatization," he says. "The phone rings, and it's Ben going, 'I'm not saying it was me, but ...'"

And he invented the Internet, too, right?

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There are no small parts ...

"I'm looking forward to meeting the lovely lady who bids on the date. I know there is a woman out there who is looking for a true gentleman like myself."

-- Diminutive "Diff'rent Strokes" star Gary Coleman on the "all-expense-paid" date with him that's up for auction on ugo.com.

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That's entertainment?

"When I lost my temper, it was not a surprise to me. I could see that people wanted me to wack out, so I gave them what they wanted. It was always meant to be entertaining."

-- Aging enfant terrible John McEnroe in the London Telegraph.

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Juicy bits

Don McLean's singing "bye-bye" to Americanpie.com. The graphic design firm using that domain name, American Pie Design, is suing him for temporarily shutting it down. The firm's owner, Desirae Pierce, claims she's violating no trademarks in using the name -- and that McLean's "malicious" move has cost her business. What's more, she says "'American pie' is part of the vernacular. When you hear it, you don't think instantly of Don McLean." Well, maybe you don't.

It makes Brandi Chastain's triumphant sport-bra flash look like child's play. The Australian women's soccer team, the Matildas, has released a nude calendar featuring 12 of its players. "For me, taking my clothes off was no big deal. Having been in Europe for so long made me very comfortable with the concept," team member Alison Forman told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's all about boosting the profile of the team and our sport." Interesting choice of words.

Who knew Shaun Cassidy had so many fans left? A bevy of readers have informed me that Cassidy was the '70s icon who belted out "Da Doo Ron Ron." Leif Garrett's big hit was "Runaround Sue." Now how could I have confused those two?
salon.com | Dec. 1, 1999

 

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About the writer
Amy Reiter is a staff writer for Salon People. For more columns by Amy Reiter, visit her column archive.

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