People

SIR PAUL TYING THE KNOT ... SECRETLY

In order to prevent what would be best described as a massive "media circus," Sir Paul McCartney and his bride-to-be, Heather Mills, are keeping their wedding plans under wraps. But, as far as the media is concerned, the nuptials are a "go" and rumors are flying. Questions remain: Where? When? CNN reports that many are speculating that the ceremonies could take place in one of three places: New York, Scotland or in an Irish castle. Meanwhile, a German published what it calls the official wedding invitation. It tells recipients to meet at London's Heathrow Airport with passports in hand. Among those who think they have the inside track is the New York Post's Cindy Adams. She says that a castle in Ireland will be the site and the ceremonies will take place next Tuesday. Additionally, many radio stations are cashing in on the event, some promising to play McCartney music over the weekend. An oldies station in Las Vegas, noting that a lot of woman would love to be in Heather's place, will present an "always a bridesmaid, never a bride weekend," playing songs that got to the No. 2 position on the charts but never made it to the top spot.

PARTON ANNOUNCES LATEST TOUR PLANS

Dolly Parton has announced an ambitious summer tour, with some major stops along the way. According to her Web site, she will begin her 2002 tour with a concert at the Irving Plaza in New York. Additionally, she'll play a major concert date at the venerable Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She'll also appear at several House of Blues locations ... New Orleans, Las Vegas and Chicago. Parton tells the news provider country.com that her office had been receiving "thousands of calls a day" asking if the singer was going on the road in the wake of the release of "Halos & Horns." That CD is due out on July 9. The tour will begin the following day.

MAHONY TAKES TOUGH STAND ON ABUSE

The Cardinal-Archbishop of Los Angeles, Roger Mahony, is letting it be known in no uncertain terms that he is doing everything he can to make sure that there are no cases of abuse by priests in the future in the sprawling Los Angeles archdiocese. To make his point, a spokesman from Mahony's office tells media a professional public relations firm has been brought in to help him reassure parishioners that he means business. The prelate's official statement will appear this week in the three largest newspapers in Los Angeles, in a full-page paid ad. In the ads Mahony will restate his long-standing assertion that there is a zero-tolerance policy in force and that priests who do not "walk the line" will be dismissed. Meanwhile, American bishops are petitioning the Vatican to set up a procedure to defrock any priests found guilty of abuse.

WOMACK TAPS HOLLYWOOD FOR VIDEO

When Lee Ann Womack put together her latest music video she went to the experts for help. The first video from her latest album was done under the tutelage of no fewer than three Hollywood biggies. Country Music Times says that Womack enlisted the help of Thomas Kloss as director of the project. He's best known for his photographic work in "Moulin Rouge" and "Wild, Wild West." Hair Stylist Kevin Mancuso was called in to do the coifing. He's Britney Spears' favorite 'do doer. And makeup artist Mally Roncal, applier of paint to such stars as Angelina Jolie and Celine Dion, added his talents to the project. The video was filmed at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and debuts on CMT this week.

NADER CALLS FOR SPORTS REFEREE REFORM

After what can only be termed "controversial calling" by referees in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in the National Basketball Association, consumer advocate Ralph Nader has sent a letter asking for a total review of the game and officiating in general. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Nader and the League of Fans -- a sports-industry watchdog group -- sent the letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern noting that the "public's confidence is shaken" by what happened during the contest. At issue seems to be the way the refs did and did not call fouls in the final minutes of the contest. Many fans said that there seemed to be obvious physical contact that went on with impunity. In one case a Kobe Bryant elbow to the nose of player Mike Bibby went "unnoticed" by the officials. Nader's letter says that the credibility of the refereeing process is put under a special light when questions arise about a game that is pivotal in a series.

LOOK FOR THE PUNS TO FLOW IN HOUSTON

Fans of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club may be about to be flooded with puns following the renaming of their ballpark. There's no question that local media and not a few stand-up comedians will be working overtime to squeeze all the humor they can out of the fact that the sports venue has been called Minute Maid Park. The Houston Chronicle says that the team struck the deal with Coca-Cola, owners of the Minute Maid brand. Recently called Astros Field -- after the Enron sign was taken down, following the collapse of that Houston-based former energy giant -- the ballpark will now sport the orange-colored logo for the juice company. The $100 million deal is similar to the one struck with Enron. It's also a 28-year commitment. So get ready. Does this deal have a peel? Are fans "juiced" over it? Couldn't the team have squeezed more money from Minute Maid? Wow, and if O.J. Simpson ever attends a ballgame ... !

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 348

On Monday we changed the e-mail address for this column to [email protected] on the Internet. There were several reasons for the change. One of them was to expand the scope of the questions and allow you more of an open forum. So today I thought we'd have some fun, suggested by the renaming of the Astros Field to Minute Maid Park. So, let your imagination run wild: Suggest other sponsorships for ballparks and teams and events that either seem odd or would provoke a smile. Put PARK in the subject line and sent to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 343 (ERA)

Last week we asked during what era of civilization would you have like to have lived. From a sampling of the inbox, here are some of the responses: One of the most interesting comes from huggiepoo. She says as an African-American woman she would loved to have lived both during the era of slavery and during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. RTM would love to have been born in the '30s so he would have been a teenager during the '50s, that great time of peace (except for our building of fallout shelters). And keke says she would have loved to have been a flapper in the 1920s ... despite the Great Depression. AEB is among those who want to live in the future. The year 3000 would be her choice. Tish says she would love to have lived in the Garden of Eden -- just after Adam and Eve were given the boot. Would have been a beautiful place. PO says the time of Marie Antoinette would be a hoot. DJD would like to have lived in the Little House on the Prairie. Many picked the 1800s, particularly because of the fun of the Industrial Revolution and the coming of new inventions. Finally, Deb says she wants to go to an era where chubby girls are in vogue. TOMORROW: Your love of restaurants. GBA.