People

By Guy D. Garcia

All hawks can fly. This one can do a heart-stopping double somersault in midair and then land on a tiny, moving plank of wood. But ask Tony Hawk, 18, what it takes to pull off an inimitable skateboard stunt and he blithely answers, "You just get the courage up and do it." That combination of aggressive athleticism and laid-back languor--lassitude with attitude--has propelled the lanky 6-ft. blond from Carlsbad, Calif., to the front of the professional skateboarding pack. Hawk (his real name) has won all three of the National Skateboard Association titles previously awarded and is expected to roll past the competition for a fourth this weekend at the N.S.A. championships in Anaheim, Calif. Hawk turned pro three years ago, and since then his aerobatic antics have appeared in a Mountain Dew commercial, Italian and Japanese TV shows about him, and the films Thrashin and Police Academy IV. His income is soaring toward six figures, and a skateboard and a line of sports clothing bear his name. What does he like to do with his downtime? Well, a little surfing, and "I really like just going out and skating alone," he says. "It's my favorite thing to do." Totally rad, dude.

His driving, hard-edged drumming for the Rolling Stones has made him rock's premier percussionist, but it may surprise some fans to learn that Charlie Watts was stomping at the Savoy long before he ever got his ya-yas out. Watts, 45, who grew up in England listening to the gospel-tinged music of Cannonball Adderley and Art Blakey, had always dreamed of organizing an old-style jazz orchestra, but it was not until last year that the idea came together in a big 34-piece way. Last March in London, the soft-spoken stickman and his new group (including two other drummers) recorded an album, The Charlie Watts Orchestra: Live at Fulham Town Hall. Last week Watts plus 33 took off on a nine-day, five-city tour of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada to mark the record's release. So what do Charlie's rock-'n'-roll mates think of his swinging sideline? "Keith [Richard] and Mick [Jagger] love it," he reports. "There's no real difference between rock and jazz. We don't analyze the music; we just play it."

As they spat and spark, so does Moonlighting shine. But even when the TV cameras are not shooting Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis, the atmosphere on the set of the ABC hit series is getting, well, just a wee bit volatile. Stories of temper tantrums and jealousy between the stars are making the rounds in Hollywood. Perhaps to get away from it all, Shepherd and Willis have stepped up the moonlighting they do when they are not doing Moonlighting. Willis, who has been known to croon a note or two on the series, will be making like the New Jersey Bruce on an album to be released next month, tentatively titled The Return of Bruno; an HBO special of the same name follows in February. As for his acting career, his first starring film role is in Blind Date, due next spring.

Shepherd has not exactly been idle either. She is preparing to do a movie during the 1987 hiatus between Moonlighting seasons and is planning a new record album. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Shepherd attended the 20th anniversary party for the National Organization for Women in Los Angeles last week. She posed coyly on a piano and then delivered a speech noting the virtually unlimited career opportunities for women in the 1980s. Maddie would certainly approve. But what about David?