It was a dream come true for Kolya Vasin, who was raised on bootleg rock in a country where even rolls are in short supply. Vasin, 44, who was granted a Soviet visa for the sole purpose of visiting the home of his idol, finally toured Elvis Presley`s Graceland mansion in Memphis. ”All my life, I say:
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`Thank you, America. Thank you, Elvis. Thank you, rock `n` roll,` ” said the satisfied fan, who wore blue suede shoes and a black Elvis T-shirt for the occasion.
NORIEGA`S PEN PAL LEAVES At age 11, Sarah York has made her mark on American diplomacy. But after a controversial vacation in Panama, she may find admirers scarce in Michigan`s Upper Peninsula. ”If it was my daughter . . . ,” began Negaunee City Councilwoman Virginia Paulson, joining a chorus of UP politicians who felt that Sarah`s pen-pal friendship with Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega should have been chilled by her father, Mitchell, a prison guard who accompanied his daughter. During her 9-day sojourn, Sarah was photographed alongside Noriega, who lauded her as a ”meritorious daughter” of Panama City and an example of ”the truth of the United States, purity not hatred.” In return, Sarah again expressed her support of Noriega, whom she described as ”very nice”
despite ”the bad things newspapers in the U.S. say about him.” She is scheduled to return Tuesday to Negaunee, a mining town of about 5,000 people near Marquette.
A DELAY FOR ZSA ZSA The day of reckoning for Zsa Zsa Gabor has been put off a week by a Los Angeles judge. The suddenly quiet Gabor won a one-week delay in sentencing until Oct. 24 after her new attorney argued she wasn`t properly defended during her recent trial. Earlier, Los Angeles` chief prosecutor, Ira Reiner, finally stepped into the limelight. Announcing that he`ll recommend 30 days in jail when Gabor is sentenced for slapping a cop in Beverly Hills, Reiner underscored his irritation over the 15-day jury trial, which turned into a national soap opera. ”She created this situation with her celebrated mouth. She made her bed and she can lie on it-in a women`s jail,” said Reiner.
”This is not some befuddled old lady. . . . she is as streetwise as anybody else.” Gabor`s new attorney, Harrison Bull, won the sentencing delay when he argued in a hearing Monday that attorney William Graysen mishandled the case and violated canons of ethics.
SHE`S NO TIN LIZZIE How rich is Britain`s richest person? According to a new book on royal wealth, Queen Elizabeth`s private cache of jewels fills a palace basement
”the size of an ice rink.” Indeed, there`s a secret storeroom 40 feet beneath Buckingham Palace containing ”a veritable zoo of exquisitely carved Faberge animals,” added the Daily Mail, taking note of all the ice-notably diamonds-kept under plastic sheets on wood shelves. Valued in excess of $57 million, the queen`s treasure represents just a fraction of her real wealth, which is in the billions. It also doesn`t include Britain`s crown jewels, which are held in the Tower of London for use by the royal family.
SCOUTS DROP CAMPFIRES, AX A Boy Scout must adapt. Hence the new Official Boy Scout Handbook, which for the first time discourages campfires and advises scouts to cook on stoves. It`s a good Scout`s way of adjusting to population pressures on wilderness areas. They call it ”No Trace” camping. ”In the old days, you could go pitch a camp anywhere and chop down trees . . . and nobody would care,”
observed handbook editor J.D. Owen. ”These days they do care. High-impact techniques are not suitable anymore.” The Official Boy Scout Handbook, a revered guide to camping since 1910, notches new territory in other respects: For the first time, there`s no Official Boy Scout hand ax.
MY PARKING SPOT OR YOURS? Italian stripper Ilona Staller, whose irreverent tenure as a national legislator occasionally proves, er, revealing, apparently has a soft spot in her heart for amore a la Ferrari. She has introduced a bill in Italy`s parliament to create reserved, guarded parking spots for automobile lovers working on some night moves. Said Staller: Without car security, there would be too many sudden stops.