Notebook

By Harriet Barovick, Tam Gray, Lina Lofaro, Michele Orecklin, David Spitz, Joel Stein, Flora Tartakovsky, Chris Taylor

WINNERS & LOSERS

[WINNERS]

THE PONTIFF This guy has connections. Rocks St. Louis, gets death sentence commuted and meets McGwire

BETTY CURRIE Doesn't have to show up for that boring trial. That gives her more time to shop for V-day presents

LATRELL SPREWELL Gets mad cash, great game and more applause than Ewing. Ah, New York culture

[& LOSERS]

WEBB HUBBELL Like the fat kid at school, he's always getting picked on. Get ready for more Ken Starr

J. PETERMAN Seinfeld ends, his firm goes under. Who's stuck hearing those exotic tales? Poor Mrs. Peterman

SCARY SPICE Dentists say tongue piercing is bad. Wait til the A.M.A. releases its singing-off-key study

THEN & NOW

Think it's too early to tell what history will make of the spectacle in the Senate? Think again. The 1868 impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson gives us all the yardsticks we need:

JOURNALIST DU JOUR Then: Mark Twain (1), who later abandoned the trial out of boredom Now: Dominick Dunne (2), trial-hardened by O.J. Simpson

FAMILY CONNECTIONS ON THE JURY Then: Senator David Patterson, Johnson's son-in-law Now: Senator Barbara Boxer, mother of Hillary's sister-in-law

COMMENTATOR'S VERDICT Then: "It was like going to a bad ballgame." --Senate historian Richard Baker Now: "One sat watching awestruck--or rather, dumbstruck. And then finally just sleep-struck." --the Washington Post

FASHION STATEMENTS Then: A new color, "impeachment blue" Now: Monica's oft-pictured Kate Spade tote (3)

DUBIOUS LEGAL TACTICS Then: House managers hired spies to go through the garbage at the defense team's hotel Now: House managers had pre-deposition confab with Monica at the Renaissance Hotel

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ADMITTED AT ONE TIME Then: 600 (4) Now: 50 (5)

MOST MAVERICK SENATOR Then: Edmund Ross (6) of Kansas, whose vote to acquit was the trial breaker Now: Russ Feingold (7) of Wisconsin, only Democrat to break ranks in early votes

COLORFUL MEDICAL ALLUSION Then: "The Lord had sent plagues, he had sent more than lice, he had afflicted the country with Andrew Johnson." --Representative Thaddeus Stevens Now: Clinton's actions "will cause a cancer in our society." --Representative Jim Sensenbrenner

LENGTH OF THE TRIAL Then: 10 weeks, with 10 days of witnesses Now: Four weeks and counting

DEPARTMENT OF SILVER LININGS

NOT SO FAST: Hard to believe, but there are people who may not want the impeachment trial to end. Sidney Blumenthal, for one, doesn't seem all that unhappy about being a witness. Others who are getting a rare stint in the spotlight:

PLAYER R. Scott Bates (1) Legislative Clerk

JOB DESCRIPTION Reads aloud lists and resolutions

CLAIM TO FAME Delivers roll call with gusto

FUN FACT Attended college in Arkansas

[PLAYER] Reporter of Debate (2) (Seven in all)

[JOB DESCRIPTION] Transcribes proceedings

[CLAIM TO FAME] Strapped to a 20-lb. stenograph all day

[FUN FACT] Their machines have only 18 keys

[PLAYER] Lloyd John Ogilvie (3) Senate Chaplain

[JOB DESCRIPTION] Delivers morning prayer

[CLAIM TO FAME] Good voice, nice looking, great skin

[FUN FACT] Past host of radio and TV program Let God Love You

[PLAYER] James W. Ziglar (4) Sergeant at Arms

[JOB DESCRIPTION] Enforces rules of law and protocol

[CLAIM TO FAME] Says, "Hear, ye! Hear, ye! All persons are commanded to keep silent on pain of imprisonment" a lot

[FUN FACT] Rumored to be part of Trent Lott's "Mississippi Mafia"

GATEFOLD

VIDEO STAR Last week a court ruled that the full video of Bill Gates' deposition for the antitrust suit against Microsoft will be made public. Curiously, he's not the only Bill Gates coming to the small screen:

--On ABC, Judge Reinhold plays a Gatesian character in NetForce, airing this week.

--In Pirates of Silicon Valley, on TNT in May, Gates is portrayed by Anthony Michael Hall, who's built a career playing social outcasts.

--Two weeks ago, a man who called himself Bill Gates appeared on Martha Stewart Living, but he seemed too cuddly to be the real thing.

NUMBERS

385 Number of years that the Catholic Church's rites of exorcism, revised last week, had gone unmodified

1% Proportion of people seeking exorcism who are truly possessed by the devil, according to official exorcists

1 Number of exorcisms John Paul II has reportedly performed during his papacy

$53,333 Approximate cost of 1 sec. of advertising during Super Bowl XXXIII

23% Increase in advertising costs over last year's Super Bowl

7% Proportion of the Super Bowl audience that tune in just to see the commercials

$150 million Fox's anticipated earnings from this year's Super Bowl

5.6% Growth of the U.S. economy during 1998's last quarter

4.8% Increase in consumer spending in 1998--largest in 14 years

1% Last year's rate of inflation--lowest in 40 years

Sources: The New York Times, TIME Rome bureau, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Eisner & Associates, Advertising Age, AP

HERE & THERE

TWO WORLDS Was it fate or poignant coincidence? Last week, hours apart, two unforgettable images flashed around the world: victims of rebels in Sierra Leone who had their hands chopped off and the first successful hand-transplant operation in America.

JESSEWATCH

GOVERNOR RENEGADE More highlights from the first 100 days of the Ventura administration:

DAY 16: Jesse's department of natural resources head, Alan Horner, resigns after reporters discover he has violated fishing and gaming rules.

DAY 24: A spokesman confirms that Jesse has been granted a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

DAY 25: Jesse proposes eliminating state funding for public radio and TV. Aides say they don't know the level of state funding.