People

By Rebecca Winters Keegan

ANGIE TAKES ON MADGE

It's easy to imagine MADONNA and ANGELINA JOLIE as gal pals--arranging intercontinental playdates for the kids, venting about their pretty-boy partners, discussing Third World debt. So when France's Gala magazine quoted Jolie as saying of the Material Girl's adoption of a 1-year-old from Malawi last year, "It's a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption. Personally, I prefer to stay on the right side of the law," it sounded like the makings of an A-list mama brawl. But Jolie, whose adopted children Maddox, 5, and Zahara, 2, are from Cambodia and Ethiopia, later issued a statement saying her words had been taken out of context: "I feel we must encourage everyone to be supportive so that every child can adjust nicely to their new home." Offer up Brad to baby sit, Angie, and this whole thing may just blow over.

THE BEST COUNTRY-CLUB GOSSIP EVER

This story nearly knocked the alligator off our shirt. Retired golfer GREG NORMAN, 51, and retired tennis champ CHRIS EVERT, 52, have left their longtime spouses in the past year and begun dating. Norman, known as the Great White Shark, reportedly started circling Evert when she signed on to create tennis academies in his resorts. Now the twosome are sharing romantic meals in Sydney, Australia, and Norman has told Golf magazine, "We enjoy each other's company immensely." Apparently, jocks are more civilized than you or I: Evert's ex, skier Andy Mill, says he wishes the couple happiness.

Q&A JAMES CAMERON

In April, nearly 10 years after Titanic made its box-office splash, director James Cameron starts filming his next feature, the sci-fi film Avatar

You wouldn't think the guy with the highest-grossing film of all time would take 10 years to get his next green light.

I couldn't make this when I wrote it, which was before Titanic. It wasn't technically possible. At a certain point I said, the technology may not be 100% mature, but it's time.

Why work in 3-D?

It wraps the movie around you. If people are going to get out of their homes and go to the cinema, the cinema better show them something it hasn't in the past.

Do you feel pressure to duplicate Titanic's success?

I've been off doing documentaries, and now I'm back to play in the league I left years ago, so there's gonna be expectation--can he still make a movie? I don't think I'll beat Titanic's record, and I don't think anyone else will for a while.

How did you cast your lead?

The character is a former Marine. The actor Sam [Worthington] is one of these young Australian guys who's gonna be the next Mel Gibson or Russell Crowe. It was about being able to stand up and lead men in battle. A lot of these up-and-coming guys don't have that strength.

Is this a political film? War and the consequences to the soldier is a theme in my movies. Terminator has a scarred soldier character.

Did you vote for the Governator?

I'm Canadian, so I can't vote, but I did support him. He's only a Republican in California. In Oklahoma, he'd be seen as a pinko.

Do you still feel like King of the World?

I've got five kids. I feel like King of the World in my house.

IF BEN FRANKLIN WERE ON E! It turns out famous folks invent more than their images. Thanks to a new patent search engine on Google, you can now unearth the unsung Thomas Edisons of the entertainment world:

MICHAEL JACKSON

Antigravity illusion: To duplicate onstage an effect from his 1988 Smooth Criminal video, the singer created shoes that pitch the wearer forward 45-o. Guess someone else got the patent on that whole one-glove thing first.

NIGELLA LAWSON

Mod cookery: The Food Network siren has patented a citrus press, nesting bowls and six other items. Our request: a tool for keeping sexily tossed hair out of the soup.

MARLON BRANDO

Drum-tensioning device: Two years before he died, Brando filed for a patent on a way of adjusting the tuning on a drum. He coulda been an inventor!

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY

Educational toy: How many models does it take to patent a tool for helping kids learn their letters? Just one, actually. Brinkley did it in 1991, when her daughter with Billy Joel was 5 years old. Heidi Klum, perhaps you could tackle learning colors?