OK, guys, clear those throats. If there`s a human application to a horny frog study by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Texas, low notes make a fellow happy. Researchers studying mating habits of Panamanian jungle frogs learned that, for no apparent reason, females choose deep-voiced lovers. Moreover, male frogs are evolving to satisfy female whims-by deepening their mating calls. Said neurobiologist Walter Wilczynski: ”They are not getting larger or stronger. They are just developing thicker vocal chords.”
To satisfy their bass desires, of course.
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KNOW WHEN TO FOLD `EM . . . Kenny Rogers evidently doesn`t think his voice is enough. The 51-year-old singer is recovering from stomach liposuction-his second time around the handle-to help shed 25 pounds. ”He looks terrific,” said Rogers` flack, who knows where his bread is buttered: About midway.
LOSE POUNDS FAST; $$$ TOO Speaking of land-blubbers: Nick Russo wants to stop throwing his weight around, so he`s offering money instead. A conspicuous eater in Jupiter, Fla., the 298-pound real-estate broker is offering $25,000 to the favorite charity of anyone who catches him eating out. Eager bounty hunters, carrying reward posters depicting Russo with rolls of fat spilling over his side, figure they`re on to a sure thing. ”No matter where I go now, people follow,” said Russo, 55, who has dropped 30 pounds from his 5-foot, 7-inch frame. In a restaurant two weeks ago, ”I went to use the bathroom . . . and two cops watched me from the window. I guess they thought I was going to cheat.”
A SWORDED PLAY ON WORDS? It must be that Dolly Parton invites comparisons with overwhelming numbers. At a Manhattan movie theater featuring Parton in her latest flick, an usher repeatedly annnounced, ”Ticket holders over here for `Steel Mongolians.` ”
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW Now hear this, now hear this: The mutiny over nature`s bounty on the Queen Mary is over. First Officer John Magness has walked the plank. Ending a monthlong standoff for refusing to shave off his mustache of 40 years, Magness was fired by Disney Co., which insists upon clean-shaven employees on all its tourist attractions. The 65-year-old officer, who had served in a similar capacity before the luxury liner was dry-docked in Long Beach, Calif., sought refuge in a marine tradition of mustaches. Then he reminded his employers of founder Walt Disney`s tuft beneath the nose. Unimpressed, the corporation`s bottom-liner execs gave Magness the heave-ho. Good thing these Disney fellows aren`t into baseball, too.
OHHHHH, DONNA . . . Could it be that Washington`s wagging tongues missed the mark by sinking Donna Rice over the Monkey Business? Perhaps so, suggests the Washington Times. Despite her image as a gold-digging partygoer, Rice has maintained a deeply private, quietly religious and largely charitable focus since that notorious 1987 photo aboard the yacht Monkey Business chased Gary Hart from the presidential race. Rice, 32, still attends high-profile social events with ”conservative friends,” said the Times. But she lives with a female friend in northern Virginia and spends most of her time doing good deeds.
”. . . Rice lives a fairly simple and largely private life,” said the Times. ”She does not have a full-time paying job, but friends say she keeps busy, shuttling neighborhood children to school, grocery shopping for her host family, attending charity events and getting involved-quietly-in charitable work.” The newspaper noted that Rice refused to capitalize on her notoriety. THAT CHECKERED PAST Richard Nixon is too reclusive to attend hometown birthday celebrations in his honor Tuesday in Yorba Linda, Calif., but folks there are gearing up for the ex-president`s 77th B-day in classic Tricky Dick style: secretly. Asked about her plans on the official city holiday, a librarian at Yorba Buena Library said she is ”not allowed to answer any questions.” A woman in public works replied, ”You`ll really have to talk with someone in administration.” Indeed, only the dog catcher was absolutely crystal-clear about his plans-but he works for the county and doesn`t get the day off. As for Mr. Pardon Me?
Well, he`s excused this time, too.