FROM SIR, WITH LOVE
He has been everything from a longshoreman to a film director and has played everyone from Thurgood Marshall to Simon of Cyrene, so SIDNEY POITIER's new role shouldn't be that much of a stretch. The actor has been named the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. Poitier has dual American-Bahamian citizenship (his parents were Bahamian tomato farmers who sold their produce in Florida, where he was born). The job does not come with an embassy in Tokyo, and Poitier will practice his diplomacy from the comfort of his own home. But he did pay a visit to Emperor Akihito to present his credentials, and he will get diplomatic immunity while in Japan, so he need never worry about parking tickets. His appointment could spark a new game in Tokyo diplomatic circles: Guess which ambassador is coming to dinner?
THE DAUGHTER ALSO RISES
At 25, her dad was sending girls into fits of hysteria. At 25, her mum was photographing celebrities. At the same tender age, STELLA MCCARTNEY, daughter of Paul and Linda, is taking over from Karl Lagerfeld at the House of Chloe. McCartney had her own fledgling biz, but will work exclusively for the French label. It's not just her famous surname that got her the job. She studied fashion at London's Central St. Martin's College, which is where John Galliano (Christian Dior) and Alexander McQueen (Givenchy) learned their stripes.
SEEN & HEARD
Fame is a fickle dame. Nick Matzorkis, who helped discover the bodies of the Heaven's Gate cult members and finagled that into a TV development deal with ABC, now has to cope with her nastier side. Matzorkis was jailed last week for an alleged probation violation for auto theft in Cleveland. Ohio authorities recognized him on TV. His publicist told the Los Angeles Times that the TV deal would not be affected.
Kindheartedness isn't the most renowned idiosyncrasy of New York City cabdrivers, but Placido Domingo lucked out when he left his briefcase in the back of a Gotham taxi. Driver Kobina Wood turned in the case, which contained family pictures, copies of the prayers Domingo says before each performance and the score of the show he's currently performing. The tenor sent the cabby tickets. Another opera fan is born.
BOLTON'S SECRET VICES REVEALED!
Exactly how badass and hard-rocking a dude is MICHAEL BOLTON? After a sweaty, gut-wrenching, hair-flinging concert, what does he like to knock back? A Red Zinger or Lemon Zinger tea, apparently. Or Cherry 7-Up and Raspberry Ginger Ale. And when he gets a hankering for something harder, he pops peanut M&Ms. We know this courtesy of Australian concert promoter Michael Coppel, who's suing Bolton for allegedly backing out of a deal to tour that country for $1.2 million, and who thoughtfully included a list of Bolton's backstage demands in his court papers. "His management said, 'The dates that you're doing aren't going to sell out, and we can't deal with him playing less than sold-out shows. His ego is too hard to handle,'" says Coppel. Bolton's management denies this and says the lawsuit is "frivolous and has no merit, and will be dismissed by the court." But this cloud might have a silver, New Agey-type lining. According to his publicist, the makers of Bolton's preferred brew, Celestial Seasonings, have already inquired about an endorsement deal.
THIS WEEK IN...CELEBRITY DIVORCES!