People

By Josh Tyrangiel

REALLY, PUFFY WAS NOWHERE IN SIGHT

It was all so easy when rap wars were organized by geography: East Coast vs. West Coast and so on. The apparent beef between tiny sex kittens LIL' KIM and FOXY BROWN is more confusing than the Balkans. New York City police surmise that a shootout last week involving 20 people and five guns occurred after Lil' Kim, left, and her entourage ran into rapper Capone and his entourage outside hip-hop radio station Hot 97. Capone, part of the duo Capone-N-Noreaga, is allied with Foxy Brown, inset, who proved you can rhyme "bitch" with "bitch" on a none too complimentary rap about Lil' Kim that appears on Capone-N-Noreaga's recent The Reunion album. All the rappers released statements denying involvement in the shooting, which sent one man to the hospital with a back wound. But police sources say they have a videotape of the scene that shows two suspects escaping in Lil' Kim's limousine. In her defense, Lil' Kim frequently raps about bringing home more than just two men.

AMERICA'S DIRTIEST HOME VIDEO

In a pioneering effort to eliminate the emptiness one feels listening to a gangsta-rap album without the accompanying visual stimulus of hard-core pornography, rapper SNOOP DOGG has teamed up with Hustler founder Larry Flynt to produce the first ever XXX movie with a completely original rap score. Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle features 11 original Snoop tracks and six new Snoop music videos, which serve as preludes to the rompin' sex scenes. Inexplicably, Snoop decided not to participate in those. He did, however, have a hand in casting the talent, which includes such notables as India, Obsession and Tony Eveready, and he graciously allowed the crew to film the actors as they copulated their way through his rural California mansion. Doggystyle was directed by Michael Martin, who oversaw Snoop's Still a G Thang video and Master P's Make em Say Uhh, both of which are more imaginative porn titles than Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle.

JONI MITCHELL, BUT HOTTER

Buoyed by the successful comedy career of Rick Rockwell, the VJ stylings of Eric Nies and the just-waiting-to-juggernaut acting career of Survivor Colleen Haskell, MANDY LAUDERDALE, redheaded devil woman and breakout star of Temptation Island, is fielding offers to capitalize on her fame. So far, she's been surprisingly fastidious. She told Howard Stern that she turned down a $1.5 million Playboy offer to pose nude, though a Playboy representative said the figure was much lower. The tragic loss to greasy-palmed men is a victory for the arts, as Lauderdale plans to focus on a singing career. But again, she's doing it her way, nixing, she says, a contract with Capitol Records because they wanted her to be too Britney. "It's one of those things when they say you have all creative control," said Mandy, "and you find out your music's all changed around, and it's pop-y." Totally.

Young, Irresponsible and Connected

A couple hours in the pokey following a night of youthful indiscretion is nothing to be all that ashamed of. Calling your alleged girlfriend's Secret Service agents to come get you, however, is pretty weak. After being picked up following a rowdy fraternity party last weekend near the Fort Worth, Texas, campus of Texas Christian University, where he is a freshman, WILLIAM BRIDGES, 18, was polite but "very intoxicated," according to police. He was also "very vocal" in saying he was JENNA BUSH's boyfriend. Officers didn't believe him until after he was allowed to make a phone call; minutes later, a black Chevrolet Suburban with Virginia plates pulled up, and Bridges was released. Police were reportedly told that Jenna, the President's 19-year-old daughter, was in the car. White House officials refused to comment on the incident, though Bridges' father clarified for the nation that, at least to his knowledge, his son and the First Daughter were "just friends." Thanks, Dad.