People

By Michele Orecklin

SHE COULDN'T EVEN WIN THE LAWSUIT COMPETITION

A civil war in the South has been averted, and a Miss America pageant once divided is now strong. After weeks in which two women claimed to be Miss North Carolina, MISTY CLYMER, right, has been named the sole bearer of the title. Clymer had been battling REBEKAH REVELS, who won the state contest but resigned--she says under pressure--when her ex-boyfriend alleged he had topless pictures of her. After the sash passed to first runner-up Clymer, Revels sued to get the title back. Before a decision was made, both women went to Atlantic City, N.J., for prepageant activities, which apparently included many opportunities for frolicking on the beach. A federal judge ruled that the Miss America organization did not have to recognize Revels' claim to the tiara, and added he hoped his decision would preserve the reputation of the pageant, which he called "a significant part of Americana."

DID JAWS END UP LIKE THIS?

It would appear KEIKO has a problem with his own kind. After starring in three Free Willy films as a youth, the photogenic killer whale lived in aquatic parks, where he became accustomed to humans. Worldwide protests against his captivity led his handlers to release him off the coast of Iceland in July. Now, however, he has turned up in Norway, seeking adoration and herring from Homo sapiens, around whom he seems most comfortable. Some Norwegian salmon fishers complained that Keiko was scaring off their catch, and one scientist suggested he be killed for his own good. Norwegian officials offered last week to give Keiko his own fjord, where he can help lure tourists and retire in peace--thereby avoiding the self-destructive path often taken by child stars.

ZERO GRAVITY HASN'T HURT HIS AIM

Bart Sibrel is a familiar breed around Los Angeles: a filmmaker bitter that his work remains overlooked by the public. He spent years on his self-produced documentary A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon, in which he contends that nasa staged the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing in the Nevada desert. He sought recognition last week from BUZZ ALDRIN, who flew on the Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin arrived at a Beverly Hills, Calif., hotel expecting to be interviewed for Japanese TV. Instead, he encountered Sibrel brandishing a Bible and demanding that Aldrin swear he had walked on the moon. Aldrin, 72, punched Sibrel in the face. The astronaut says he was defending himself, but Sibrel has vowed to press charges. All of this probably won't help Sibrel get an agent.

Back to the Headlocks

In a move that could shatter the otherwise unassailable credibility of professional wrestling, two wrestlers who had claimed to be gay revealed that they are, in fact, bona fide skirt-chasing heterosexuals. BILLY and CHUCK, who perform as a tag team for World Wrestling Entertainment, flirted shamelessly for months, rubbing oil on each other before matches and generally enjoying a good skirmish on the mat. Two weeks ago, Chuck proposed to Billy, and after registering at Pottery Barn, the couple planned their commitment ceremony. Oddly, the story line was meant to goose ratings with an audience not generally known for its appreciation of alternative lifestyles. But fans seemed to embrace the duo's tender feelings for each other. Then, before saying their I dos on the season premiere of the WWE show Smackdown, they confessed the relationship was merely a publicity stunt. The approving cheers of the crowd suggested that wrestling fans don't mind watching preening, scantily clad men roll around on the floor together, as long as they go home with women.