On Sunday, Charlie Sheen was in Australia. On Monday, he was in L.A. and San Antonio. On Tuesday, it was Dallas and Minneapolis. On Wednesday, he landed in Chicago for a news conference to hype his new film, “The Arrival,” before leaving for New York and Atlanta gigs later in the day. With that kind of schedule, he might as well be a pro basketball player. And when we caught up with him at Planet Hollywood to talk about his sci-fi thriller opening this weekend, hoops is what he wanted to discuss. (Which sure beats talking about his tryst tab with Heidi Fleiss or five-month marriages.)
“I’ve never seen an athlete like Michael Jordan,” said Sheen, one of Planet Hollywood’s celeb owners. “I mean, on the very day he’s named the league MVP, he goes out and proves it again. I’m sure the Bulls will play Seattle. They’ll be some nice matchups, but I don’t think Seattle can match their bench. It could go six games, but I think it’ll be over sooner.”
Bittersweet: Education Secretary Richard Riley and MacArthur Foundation President Adele Simmons may be the commencement speakers at Governors State University’s graduation Sunday, but expect the most poignant moment to belong to Helene Perkins. She’s the daughter of ValuJet crash victim Laurese Perkins and will accept her mom’s master’s degree in addiction-training studies.
Sen. Scrooge: One of our annual laughs–Sen. Paul Simon’s squeaky-clean financial disclosure–just arrived. Let’s get right to some of the things Simon, who’ll never be confused with Donald Trump, lists on his forms:
– Eight shares of United M & M valued at–and we are not making this up–$1.
– A Discover card cash-back bonus of $7.28.
– Flowers, valued at “less than $250,” from Phil Corboy and Mary Dempsey as well as Nancy and William Chen.
– An SIU Credit Union refund of 12 cents.
– A book on the history of Macomb, Ill., valued at $35 from Don Spencer.
– Total net worth for the senator and Jeanne Simon: $444,857.56.
P.S.: Sen. Simon’s indulgence? How about the 100 shares he purchased last year of Livent, the Garth Drabinsky entertainment conglomerate that is planning to remodel the Oriental Theatre.
Striking twice: Not too long ago, lightning hit Gov. Jim Edgar’s airplane. Now comes word the district office of state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who used to be Edgar’s chief of staff, got hit by a bolt the other night in the western suburbs, knocking out phones and power.
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Star tracks: David Schwimmer stopped in at Second City on Monday for more than laughs–he was scouting up-and-coming talent for the movie he’s directing here for Miramax.
Passages: Thursday birthdays: Ludwina Androff, 101; Lisa Kudrow, 33; Meredith MacRae, 52; Ted McGinley, 38; Michael J. Pollard, 57; Rae Reitman, 100; Gale Sayers, 53. . . . INC. erred. That Playboy party for James Carville is June 13, not this Thursday, at Bub City.
Sleaze patrol: The tabs take on the Bulls this week. The National Enquirer–with a frumped-out Liz Taylor doing cover girl duty–gives Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman a two-page spread and a cover tease promising “The Untold Story.” (Don’t count on it–we read it.) . . . The Star, meanwhile, offers “Red-Hot Sex Secrets of NBA Super Hunks” (Ditto the nothing-new factor) with Rodman and Scottie Pippen among the hoopsters mentioned.
EAVESDROPPING
“They don’t call me the Thurmon-ator for nothing!”
Strom Thurmond on campaigning for re-election to the Senate at the age of 93.