People: Aug. 26, 2002

AND LET'S NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT THEIR TEETH

Did someone touch a nerve? GWYNETH PALTROW, who was enthusiastically embraced by the British press after her recent performance on the London stage, is now being pilloried. Her crime: suggesting that Englishmen lack a certain vigor when it comes to the opposite sex. In an interview with Now magazine, she revealed that she had been asked out only twice during her London stay. "British people don't seem to ask each other out on dates," she said. "If someone asked you out, they're really going out on a limb, whereas in America it happens all the time." On behalf of their compatriots, male journalists are fighting back in a touchingly macho display. "It might surprise you to know that Englishmen don't tend to find American 'gals' that tantalising," sniffed the Mirror. Spat the Times of London: "Only a certain sort of man would be attracted to a woman whose greatest qualities are her thinness and her ability to blub on cue." And the Daily Mail suggested that Paltrow is suffering from a bruised ego now that ex-boyfriend Ben Affleck is dating Jennifer Lopez. Well, at least she figured out a way to get their testosterone pumping.

CLOTHING FIT FOR A PRINCE

Why is it that famous people are not content to keep doing what it is that made them famous? Models want to be actresses, actors want to be rock stars, and now, rather than build on his success as a polo-playing figurehead, PRINCE CHARLES has decided to produce a line of clothing. The move is an effort to help England's struggling rural economy. Described as "country casual," the line's scarves, sweaters and tweed suits will be made from the wool of British sheep, with proceeds going to charity. Considering that Ralph Lauren has made a fortune for years offering ersatz copies of the prince's wardrobe, it's about time Charles reclaimed his closet.

NEXT, THE WEST WING

Despite speculation that Bill Clinton would move to Hollywood when he left politics, it is another Southerner who seems likely to make the leap when his time in Washington comes to a close. Republican Senator FRED THOMPSON of Tennessee is said to be negotiating for the role of the as-yet-unnamed district attorney on the NBC show Law & Order. Thompson, who is retiring from the Senate at the end of his term in January, had begun an acting career before moving to Washington, appearing in such films as The Hunt for Red October and In the Line of Fire. He became a Senator in 1994 to fill out Al Gore's term and was re-elected in 1996. The move would no doubt result in a pay raise and make him more familiar to the American public than he could ever dream of being as a Senator. If Thompson does well as a D.A., perhaps he'll run against President Bartlet.

ONE WAY TO HONOR ELVIS' ANNIVERSARY

Her first husband was a musician with a humble background; her second, a fabulously famous pop star who became a freakish recluse. Now she has married an actor who has made two movies in Las Vegas. LISA MARIE PRESLEY seems to be assembling a nuptial collage of her late father Elvis. After her marriages to Danny Keough and Michael Jackson, Presley walked down an aisle in Hawaii with NICOLAS CAGE last week, the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death. The groom, a fan of Elvis memorabilia, got to add the King's daughter to his collection.