People talk 04/01/03

McCartney may turn down volume in RomeLONDON -- Paul McCartney may turn down the volume to avoid disturbing the pope when he plays to an expected 300,000 fans outside Rome's Coliseum in May.

Organizers of the free concert said Monday that the former Beatle may drop some of his louder rock numbers, including "Back In the U.S.S.R." and "Live And Let Die," so the concert won't disturb the 82-year-old pontiff at his quarters in the Vatican nearby.

"We have been advised by Italian contacts that the show could keep His Holiness the Pope up all night," said tour promoter Barrie Marshall.

"Obviously, we do not want to cause any offense or sleeplessness to His Holiness and, because of the closeness of the Vatican to the show at the Coliseum, we are now considering our position on performing loud rock songs."

A spokesman for McCartney said, "We don't want to tone down the rock and roll element in the set -- we reckon the pope may actually enjoy a boogie. But we don't want problems with the neighbors."

Former president Carter soon to be authorNEW YORK -- He's a former president of the United States, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Now add something new to Jimmy Carter's resume: novelist.

"The Hornet's Nest," a historical novel set in the South during the Revolutionary War, is scheduled to be published by Simon & Schuster this fall.

"This book teaches us much about what people in the colonies of that region endured during the Revolutionary War, and because it's a novel, Carter is free to recreate their feelings and imagine their pain and joy," Alice E. Mayhew, editorial director of Simon & Schuster, said Monday.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Carter is believed to be the first president to publish a novel, although there have been rumors that former President Clinton was considering one. Carter is author of several works of nonfiction, including the memoir "An Hour Before Daylight," a finalist for the Pulitzer last year.

Longtime bachelor Grant ready to settle down

NEW YORK -- After years as a bachelor, Hugh Grant said he wants to take some time off from making movies to concentrate on his romantic life.

"I'm ready, baby," he tells Vanity Fair for its May issue. "I need to get married and have children. Put it this way: If I went to a party tonight and bumped into a fantastic girl -- whereas three years ago it might have led to a short-term relationship, now I definitely keep my thoughts open to the idea of settling down and breeding. Definitely."

Grant, 42, spent 13 years with model Elizabeth Hurley, with whom he shares a production company, but the two never married.

He said he also wants to take a break from acting because it's something he's never loved, even though it's made him famous and wealthy.

Chris Rock's mom returns to radio show

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Rose Rock, mother of comedian Chris Rock, is back on the radio, taking calls and giving advice.

Rock, a Georgetown resident, resumed her show on WWXM-FM Sunday after taking time off to recover from triple bypass surgery.

"The Mom Show" mixes music from the station's regular Top 40 rotation with Rock taking phone calls. Rock eventually hopes to make it all-talk.

Past topics have included the Confederate flag, sex, dating and peer pressure. She said she expects the war to be a hot topic.

Cosby speaks to children on Indian reservationHANKINSON, N.D. -- Bill Cosby told a group of about 200 children that education is the key to success.

Children from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Indian Reservation gathered in the convention center of the Dakota Magic Casino on Sunday, an hour before Cosby performed the first of two shows. He agreed to speak to the children after a request by tribal leaders.

When some of the students said they didn't like school because of the work, Cosby playfully wrestled with them.

"Do you have a father?" Cosby asked. "What's he do? He works. Why does he go to work? To get money. For who? Who's begging all the time?"

Cosby, who met with local school officials before talking to the children, joked that he had "cut a deal" with the teachers.

"I have been talking to the people who have been running the school system here, and they are going to bear down even harder on you," the 65-year-old said. "And guess what? The harder you work, the longer the recess."

Cher no fan of Jacko's parenting lifestyle

RADNOR, Pa. -- Cher is no longer a Michael Jackson fan.

"I don't really care what he does to his face. He could just erase it as far as I'm concerned," Cher told TV Guide for its April 5 issue. "But I don't like him anymore. And it's because of his children. I cannot imagine putting my children through what he put his children through," Cher says.

Though she once considered Jackson a "great artist," she said she has been turned off by all the negative reports about him. She said she also was disappointed by his behavior last year at American Bandstand's 50th anniversary show, in which she also appeared.

"He had this child rolled up in a blanket, and I was thinking, 'What kind of life is this?'" the 56-year-old singer said.

"Then I saw the recent documentary on him, and I thought, 'This guy is nuts. He shouldn't have these children,'" Cher said. "As an artist, I can't fault his art because he was brilliant ... I wouldn't buy anything now."-- From wire reports