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For some, nobody will ever fill Emma Peel's leather bodysuit like Dame Diana Rigg. Still, UMA THURMAN is doing a creditable job. The Suit--a staple of the '60s British show The Avengers--is back again now that the show is being made into a feature film (a movie of a TV show! Why didn't anyone think of this before?!), with Thurman, RALPH FIENNES and Sean Connery. As for the old Avengers, they're perfectly happy. "Actors complain that their TV shows have not been good for them, but The Avengers has been great to me," says Patrick Macnee, 75, the original Steed, who has a cameo in the film and a 2.5% stake in the show. "And, thank goodness, Steed still carries an umbrella instead of a gun."
MADONNA DOES MEDICI
Between them, these two women have executed more image makeovers than many beauticians will in a lifetime. All on themselves--and all in the name of their art, of course. MADONNA, whose latest incarnation is Mother (and who has come under fire recently for, of all things, not having childproof window guards in her apartment), is the sole sponsor of an exhibition of works by CINDY SHERMAN, "Untitled Film Stills," which opens this week at New York City's Museum of Modern Art. Sherman photographs herself in a variety of guises, many of which evoke old Hollywood B-movies. No wonder Madonna is a fan. The two changelings met for the first time at a private reception at the museum. Both were in their really-happy-to-meet-you mode.
NEXT: NIKE SIGNS BABIES!
For many, getting any kind of job after high school is one of life's stiffest challenges. But for TRACY MCGRADY, 18, who finished school just a few days ago, that won't be a problem. Not only is he expected to be a first-round draft pick for the N.B.A.--he has already worked out for 10 teams--but Adidas, the athletics company that clearly has much more cash than patience, just signed him to an endorsement deal that could be worth $12 million over six years. All this before he has spent even one second in the N.B.A., let alone distinguished himself on the court. For the money, the 6-ft. 8-in. teenager will be expected to perform at a high level on the court as well as make TV commercials and store appearances. Still, it beats sweeping up at the local pizza joint.
SEEN & HEARD
Tom Lehrer, the laureate of light-hearted lyrics, has a new record out. Actually, it's an old record. He hasn't written any songs to record since 1965, he says, "because I didn't think of any funny ideas." When Rhino Records asked him if it could re-release his work, "I said, 'Hey, it's your money.'" He found the original tapes in an unopened box marked "1967" in his cellar. And will the part-time mathematics professor tour? "Why?" he asks. "Did hell freeze over?"
In a tale to gladden the hearts of all who fossick through local art fairs looking for forgotten gems, a work that Boston businessman Edward Puhl bought more than 30 years ago turned out to be Little Regatta, by Paul Klee. The bad news was that it had been stolen. Puhl, who discovered both facts while estate planning, returned it to its owner, the Phillips Collection in D.C.