People

By Michele Orecklin

MONEY DEAREST

JAID BARRYMORE has shed her clothes for Playboy, written a book of sex tips and appeared nude in the film 54, but she's still best known for being DREW BARRYMORE's mother. This may explain why last week she put several of her daughter's belongings up for auction on the Internet. Perhaps not the best strategy for rectifying a relationship that by her admission is a "bit estranged," but one nevertheless that may fetch her some extra cash. Among the items Jaid is offering are baby clothes, including an undershirt decorated with baby chicks and ducks, a Christmas card sent by Jack Nicholson and the red cowboy hat Drew wore in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The last item has an asking price of $45,000. In explaining the raid on her attic, Jaid said, "Drew is such a special, amazing, magical person. I decided to put some of her things up on the website to allow people to be a part of Drew's life." Couldn't she just suggest they see some of Drew's movies instead?

DOES HOWARD STERN READ BOOKS?

Great moments in the history of the Don Imus Book Awards:

OCT. 1998: Angered by the "elitism" of the National Book Awards, Imus announces he will found his own, better endowed, awards

JAN. 1999: Imus announces the finalists for his first book awards

FEB. 1999: Imus announces the winners of his first book awards

NOV. 1999: Imus announces that the awards process was too much work and terminates them

SORRY, SON, IT'S BACK TO THE SUGAR-CANE FIELDS FOR YOU

It can't be a good feeling when FIDEL CASTRO pulls you out of the game. The Cuban President, expanding his authoritative duties to include team manager, fiddled repeatedly with the lineup in a friendly baseball game against Venezuela last week following a summit between the two countries. Ever the prankster, Castro slowly replaced his starting team of retired players with ringers from the country's championship Pan Am Games squad. Venezuela's team was led by President Hugo Chavez, 45, a fellow revolutionary who took office in February after having spent time in prison following a failed 1992 military coup. Acting as starting pitcher, Chavez walked two batters and gave up three runs in the first inning; he finished the game at first base. A former ball player, Castro, 73, proved his instincts remain intact on the field, helping his team to a 5-4 victory.

FEUD OF THE WEEK

NAME: Kevin ("Silent Bob") Smith OCCUPATION: Sanctimonious director BEST PUNCH: To promote Dogma, Smith's new film, which some Catholics have alleged satirizes religion, the movie's distributor ran ads with the slogan "Get Touched by an Angel."

NAME: Touched by an Angel OCCUPATION: Sanctimonious TV series BEST PUNCH: Angel network CBS complained the ads suggested a link between the series and the "irreverent movie that apparently belittles every religious tenet embraced by our show."

WINNER: Smith. Though the ads were pulled, he managed to garner yet more publicity