People

By Julie Rawe

ET TU, JOHNNY

It wasn't too long ago that JOHN MCENROE was dubbed "Superbrat" for throwing tantrums and insults on the tennis court, but last week the senior player, coach and commentator slammed the Williams sisters for not properly respecting their peers. A London newspaper published McEnroe's diatribe, sans irony, which accused Venus and Serena of being too "cocky" and aloof. McEnroe, still flabbergasted by Serena's comment last year that she would like to play in a men's tournament, restated his belief that many male college players and members of the seniors' tour could defeat the sisters. "Do women golfers say they could go out and beat Tiger Woods?" he asked. "Where's their humility?" Venus, the 20-year-old U.S. Open champ, declined to return the volley. "I'm always honest," she said, "and the fact is that I'm a good player."

BUNNIES A LA MODE

Nearly upstaging the parade of reed-thin runway models at New York City's fashion week were 29 fully curved Playboy Bunnies recruited by designer BETSEY JOHNSON to flaunt her spring line of bikinis and bustiers. The whimsical designer matched the models' outfits to the months they so proudly represented in the magazine, dressing Miss June as a bride in a white swimsuit and cutaway train and giving Miss April a transparent mini-raincoat. The Bunnies were instructed to be themselves on the catwalk, leading some to pinch each other, while others flashed the audience. Ava Fabian, a former Miss August, blew kisses and snapped her faux mink stole like a whip. The voluptuous brunet noted a key difference between prepping for a fashion show and a centerfold shoot: "Backstage, you were stripped from head to toe," she says. "But they had you dressed again in 30 seconds."

A SOUL TO KEEP

What's an eternal soul fetching these days? The one belonging to electronica artist MOBY went for a paltry $41 when it was auctioned last week on eBay by a former longtime friend. Indie-film director Paul Yates claims Moby has been selling out: all 18 songs on his platinum album, Play, have been licensed for use in commercials and TV shows ranging from Nissan ads to Dawson's Creek. Yates also alleges that Moby is trying to doctor his image: the musician is now distancing himself from Yates' upcoming comedy, Porno, which includes a scene of Moby playing guitar with two sex toys strapped to his head. As executive producer, Moby no longer agrees with the film creatively, his manager says. And if the film never makes it to theaters, perhaps copies will pop up on eBay.

DOES THIS HERALD A TREND?

One month after the much chronicled breakup of Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche, Hollywood's other high-profile lesbian couple announced they too are moving to Splitsville. Director JULIE CYPHER and singer MELISSA ETHERIDGE, whose family pictures made the cover of Rolling Stone in January, when they revealed rocker David Crosby had fathered their two children, are ending the 12-year relationship amicably. The pair, seen dancing together last week at a White House dinner, have purchased adjacent homes in L.A., where they will share custody of their kids. The tabloids are speculating on whether or not Cypher and Heche, both of whom previously dated men, will revert to old habits. If this sounds like the stuff books are made of, publishing houses agree. Etheridge is writing her memoir, and last week Heche signed a deal to pen her life story as well.