People talk 3/28/02

Activist earns praise fromformer president

NEW YORK -- Former President Clinton praised the efforts of gun control activist Sarah Brady at a party in Manhattan to celebrate publication of her new book, "A Good Fight."

Clinton said Tuesday that Brady's 20-year campaign to keep guns out of the hands of criminals has "given the gift of life to countless thousands and thousands of Americans."

Brady's husband, former White House press secretary James Brady, was wounded in the attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981. During James Brady's long recovery, the couple began a public campaign for legislation that would place restrictions on the purchase of handguns.

Their efforts culminated a decade later during the Clinton administration with the signing of the Brady Law, which requires background checks on gun buyers.

"This is pretty incredible. I guess it's like my life," Sarah Brady said. "This life I've had, with ups and downs, has been wonderful."

Brady said the Court TV network has contacted her about making a movie based on the book. She said the Brady legislation might never have been passed without Clinton's support.

"We would never have reduced gun violence in this country, we would never be where we are today without the support of Bill Clinton," she said. "He's always fought for what he believes in, and for that we have a safer world today."

Spears no-show blamed on security concerns

LONDON -- One day after fans booed Britney Spears at the London premiere of her film, her spokeswoman blamed the brief appearance on security concerns.

About 3,000 fans had waited outside the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square to see Spears on Monday night, some of them for hours.

When Spears finally turned up an hour late, she went inside after waving to the crowd for only a few minutes. The 20-year-old singer was quickly whisked into the theater and did not sign autographs.

British tabloids made a big deal of the snub Tuesday, quoting young fans who had been bitterly disappointed by their idol.

Spears briefly appeared later on the theater's balcony before the screening of "Crossroads." But that didn't appease many of the fans, who were standing behind barriers below.

A spokeswoman for Spears' film company, Momentum Pictures, said Tuesday that the singer had wanted to meet her fans but was advised against it to prevent "security" problems.

"It was deemed a security risk by all involved for her to venture too far into the crowds," the spokeswoman said. "Safety has to be paramount, not just for Britney but for her fans."

Jane Willis, 35, of Essex, had waited five hours with her 11-year-old daughter, Gemma, to see the star.

"Gemma's crying her eyes out because she couldn't see a thing," Wills said. "How does Britney expect people to go and see her film if she can't be bothered to say hello to her fans?"

Fran Handley, 16, said she waited for nearly six hours, hoping to get an autograph.

"All I saw was a flash of sequin and that was it. It wasn't worth my time," she said.

Filmmaker ponders New York's skyline

LOS ANGELES -- Woody Allen has definite ideas about how to film New York City without the World Trade Center as part of the skyline.

"I'm one person who feels that one has to treat this realistically," he said, referring to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Allen made a rare appearance at Sunday's Oscars ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to introduce a montage of film clips shot in New York City. The tribute, by filmmaker Nora Ephron, included clips from Allen's "Manhattan" and other films.

"I didn't write it out but I thought about it in my shower," Allen, who lives in New York City, told reporters.

"For over two weeks I kind of put it together in my mind and then I started to get the panicky feeling that without hot water coming down on my back I was not going to be able to do it," he said with a laugh.-- From wire reports

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NEW YORK -- CNN's Aaron Brown says his competitor on Fox News Channel, Greta Van Susteren, came back from her recent eye surgery looking like "a 25-year-old cheerleader."

Van Susteren, who left CNN earlier this year for a new show at Fox, had an eye lift during her time off. Both she and Brown are the hosts of news shows that air at 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday on their respective networks.

"She went off the air (on CNN) looking great," Brown told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "She came on the air looking like a 25-year-old cheerleader."

While he said Van Susteren looks terrific, he said, "Like most things in life, I would like to think if I did it, I'd shut up about it."

Brown said he didn't mind losing in the ratings earlier this month when Van Susteren had Tonya Harding as a guest because "it's stupid. If I'm going to lose, I want to lose to stupid."

He said maybe Fox News Channel should change its motto to "fair, balanced and sometimes silly."

On Tuesday, Irena Steffen, Fox News Channel spokeswoman, responded: "Coming from a self-described news anchor that has on wine tasters and hypes Liza Minnelli's wedding, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. He seems to have become a legend in his own mind."

-- From wire reports