VICTOR NOT VICTORIOUS

No one would expect the woman who played Mary Poppins to throw a hissy fit. But when she was the only one in her Broadway hit Victor/Victoria to be nominated for a Tony award, for Best Actress in a Musical, JULIE ANDREWS, 60, put her foot down. In front of an adoring audience, she announced that she was bowing out of the Tonys. "I have searched my conscience and my heart and I find that I cannot accept this nomination--and prefer to stand with the egregiously overlooked," said the British actress. But Andrews' name remains on the ballot, and it may still be called when the Tonys are presented on June 2. Moreover, the dispute seemed to bring even greater ticket sales for Victor/Victoria--proving once again that there are no unhappy endings on Broadway.

OUT OF FASHION

For once, Italian designer GIORGIO ARMANI failed to set a trend. At the start of a corruption trial targeting the fashion world, Armani agreed to a plea bargain, while the other big names--including Gianfranco Ferre and Gianni Versace's brother Santo--chose a court battle. Maintaining his innocence, Armani, 61, pleaded guilty to bribing tax inspectors and received a suspended sentence and a $64,000 fine. Wanna bet next season's fad won't be prison stripes?

A SPRING SIGHTING

After nearly a decade of unanswered requests, Japan is getting a rare glimpse of EMPRESS DOWAGER NAGAKO, the mother of Emperor Akihito, in official photos from the imperial palace. Nagako, 93, has been in seclusion for eight years--she did not even attend the 1989 funeral of her husband, Emperor Hirohito--so photographers have resorted to aiming at the windows of the bus she uses on trips from her Tokyo residence. But then the Empress's staff closed the bus curtains. The palace finally arranged for new photos in response to popular demand. Welcome back to the light.

SEEN & HEARD

The thrill is gone. Princess Diana has been dropped from Harpers & Queen's list of the world's 50 most alluring women. The British magazine argued that Diana, whose divorce talks with Charles are stalled, has lost her aura of mystery because her life plays itself out in the press. Days later, the tabloids provided Exhibit A: excerpts from a TV interview with James Hewitt, Diana's onetime paramour, that will air this week. "Diana's love is all-encompassing and fulfilling," he gushes. Then, in a bald attempt to rehabilitate his caddish image, the Gulf War veteran describes how hurt he was when Di dumped him. "If I'd been killed in battle, that would have solved an awful lot of problems," he whimpers. Well, he said it.