People

By Michele Orecklin

FINALLY, A NONPARTISAN BATTLE

As the hearings into intelligence lapses attest, there's much to fix in Washington. Let the record show that Senator GEORGE VOINOVICH is not sitting idle. Last week the Ohio Republican took a principled stand against a Backstreet Boy. Irritated by the flood of celebrities testifying in Congress (Julia Roberts and Christie Brinkley in the past few months), Voinovich boycotted testimony by KEVIN RICHARDSON before the Environment and Public Works Committee. Kentucky native Richardson, who founded an environmental group, was asked by Democrat Joe Lieberman to speak on the dangers of mountaintop mining. Lieberman claimed that Richardson was "knowledgeable" because of flights he has taken over coalfields, but Voinovich called the appearance a "joke." Fortunately for him, the legal voting age is 18--otherwise he would surely be struggling for preteen support in his state.

UNEASY RYDER

When WINONA RYDER appeared in court last Monday for a preliminary hearing on charges of shoplifting, she adopted the look of a demure schoolgirl, donning a prim skirt and headband. When she returned three days later, she sported an accessory that made her look even more vulnerable: a cast. The latter was the result of a media shoving match that occurred upon Ryder's Monday arrival, during which she was bumped by a camera. The day's session was adjourned so the actress could seek medical attention. Alas, her broken arm did not seem to elicit the court's sympathy. Despite Ryder's plea of innocence, a Saks Fifth Avenue security guard testified that he caught her last December with a passel of stolen goods, and the judge concluded there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial.

NO SPENCER TRACY

Manhattan supreme court Judge Ira Gammerman holds a vaunted legal position, but what he really wants to do is direct--or so it seemed last week as he presided over a trial in which WOODY ALLEN is suing his former producer, Jean Doumanian, for $12 million he says he is owed for films they made together. At one point Gammerman interrupted Allen's rambling testimony, admonishing, "I'm the director here." When Allen mentioned the year he made his first movie, Gammerman jumped in with the name of the film (Take the Money and Run). Indeed, Allen's testimony would have been more plausible in a movie; he said he had hoped to remain friends with Doumanian despite the lawsuit, "like a Tracy-Hepburn movie--in court by day, friends by night." Doumanian's review was apparent to all in court; while Allen was on the stand, she wept.

Out of Rosebuds

Upon hearing the news that JENNIFER LOPEZ and CRIS JUDD, her husband of eight months, separated last week, you're probably asking yourself: What took so long? While it's possible for a wealthy, famous entertainer on the rebound from Puff Daddy to find love with her backup dancer, it hasn't happened yet. The two met on the set of one of her videos and wed in a ceremony that included metal detectors and 10,000 rosebuds. For advice on how to survive the breakup with an extremely famous singer-actress, Judd can perhaps solicit the advice of Carlos Leon, Madonna's ex-boyfriend and former trainer.