People

By Michele Orecklin

Taking the Glove Off

All these years, we thought MICHAEL JACKSON was beyond race, beyond gender, beyond defeat. Now we learn he loves to trumpet his ethnicity and is willing to admit he can fail. The problem is, he's having trouble accepting responsibility for that failure. Angry that his last album, Invincible, sold only 2 million copies in the U.S., Jackson is blaming his record label, Sony, for not promoting the CD with ads on his TV special, among other things. So the dethroned King of Pop rented a bus and, clutching a picture of Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola sporting demonic horns, led fans to protest outside Sony's Manhattan headquarters, where he called Mottola a racist. A few days later, at a conference to combat racism in the music industry, Jackson charged that "they" had sabotaged his career after he outsold white artists like Elvis and the Beatles. "Overnight, they called me a freak, a homosexual, a child molester. It's a conspiracy." He also declared, "I know I'm black." His newfound self-awareness failed to generate compassion in the music world, where most people believe his true concern is not black but green--that he is trying to get financial concessions from Sony. Even one of his advisers says Jackson has serious "cash-flow issues...He spends multiples of what's available, and it comes out of his royalties." The poor little rich boy may not be so rich after all. --Reported by Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles

GIULIANI PAYS A STEEP SUM TO BECOME A FREE AGENT

Most New Yorkers benefited from RUDY GIULIANI'S performance after Sept. 11 in a spiritual way. His ex-wife DONNA HANOVER will reap something else: cold, hard cash. As mayor of New York City, Giuliani made $195,000 a year. Now that he is out of office, his vaunted status will enable him to earn $8 million in speaking fees this year alone. The windfall has resulted in Hanover's securing a divorce settlement more favorable than most ex-wives of public servants. Last week Giuliani agreed to pay Hanover $6.8 million, plus her legal fees and child support for their two children. Had the deal not been struck, there would have been a public trial, in which Giuliani's current girlfriend Judith Nathan was scheduled to be called as a witness. Hizzoner has saved his girlfriend's honor.

CALM BEFORE THE CALM

Perhaps you failed to notice the angry townspeople with pitchforks, the burnings in effigy, the heated debate on talk radio. Or perhaps you merely failed to enter the fantasy life of singer GEORGE MICHAEL, where these images reside. The British singer said last week that he is afraid to return to the home he shares with his partner in the U.S. because of controversy generated by his newest single, Shoot the Dog. The song calls on British Prime Minister Tony Blair to stand up to the militarism of George Bush's war on terror, while the animated video portrays Blair as Bush's lapdog. Despite Michael's best efforts to gin up controversy through numerous interviews and press releases defending himself against nonexistent charges of anti-Americanism, U.S. umbrage has been largely undetectable. What Michael should really fear about coming to the U.S. is the violent indifference that will greet him.

WHAT NOT TO DO IN THE OFF SEASON

After an arrest warrant was issued for Philadelphia 76ers star ALLEN IVERSON last week, coach Larry Brown said the player was still "family." Brown may want to rethink his words, considering how Iverson treats his kin. Iverson's brush with the law started when he forcibly ejected his wife TAWANNA, who was naked, from their Philadelphia mansion. Later he went looking for her at the apartment of his cousin, taking along his uncle and a pistol tucked into his waistband. Finding his cousin's roommate and another man instead, he allegedly threatened the two by displaying the gun. The men called police, and now Iverson, the NBA's 2001 MVP, has been charged with four felonies and 10 misdemeanors. He is expected to turn himself in on Tuesday. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 54 years, though most experts say he is unlikely to serve any jail time.

Top Heavy

A hat can protect you from the rain, the sun, prying eyes. And during couture week in Paris, it can threaten your center of gravity. At the shows for Givenchy (designed by Julien Macdonald), left, Christian Dior (designed by John Galliano), below, and Jean Paul Gaultier, bottom, designers seemed dizzy with the vertical possibilities of headwear. And, remember, what you spend on the headdress, you save on the haircut.

RENO GETS INTO THE GROOVE

Apparently, orchestrating the return to Cuba of Elian Gonzalez and appointing Ken Starr independent counsel did not reflect the true nature of former Attorney General JANET RENO'S fun-loving personality. As she launches a bid to become the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida, she is seeking to recast her stern image. In January 2001, Reno made a cameo appearance in a Saturday Night Live skit in which she was portrayed by SNL cast member Will Ferrell as the awkward hostess of a dance party. Because of the popularity of that appearance (her campaign manager says it comes up frequently on the campaign trail), Reno plans to stage a Janet Reno Dance Party fund raiser this week at a Miami club, with $25 admission. Current Governor Jeb Bush's spokesman said, "I'll pay $25 to go myself if she can dance around a disco half as well as she can dance around the issues." Those politicians, they sure keep us laughing.

With reporting by Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles