People

IS THERE TOO MUCH JENNIFER LOPEZ OUT THERE?

Is singer-actress Jennifer Lopez about to drown her career under a ton of too much publicity? That's what some media pundits are beginning to wonder. According to the New York Times, it just may be possible that the personality's handlers are overdoing it, making her so omnipresent that fans may soon start to yawn. The publication points that New York City's billboards are full of ads for her latest movie, "Maid in Manhattan." And, of course, with the media replete with news of her engagement and eventual marriage to actor Ben Affleck, there's no escaping her name and face. Another concern being voiced is whether her attempts to shirk her hip-hop musical image by attempting to branch out into other genres of music may not serve her well. It could only dilute her image and fuzzy her goals. In any case she remains a major star ... overexposed as that star might be.

KIDMAN MAY RETURN TO LONDON STAGE

It was four years ago when Nicole Kidman proved that she was indeed more than just a Hollywood star who was working in an industry where you could keep re-doing a scene until you got it right. She lit up London's West End, starring in a play in which she displayed not only a great deal of theatrical talent but a huge amount of skin. Now, according to published reports in the British capital, the Australian native may be planning to return there to be in another play. This time around there is talk she would star in a revival of Henrik Ibsen's "The Lady From the Sea." Although the theater where rumors have it the play could be staged will say nothing official, a spokesman admits that there have been talks with Kidman about doing that specific play. Her 1998 appearance was in "The Blue Room."

TIM MCGRAW'S LATEST BOOK HITS STORES

Country mega-star Tim McGraw's new book, "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors: This is Ours," has hit bookstores around the nation ... just in time for holiday gift-giving plans. And, according to sales-watching list compilers at the New York Times, the book debuted at No. 19. If the title sounds familiar, it should. "Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors" is the title of the singer's latest CD. It's riding high on the country charts at the current time. The book chronicles the preparations for the album and the recording sessions. It includes over 100 photos of McGraw and the group that have never been seen before. Author Martin Huxley co-wrote the book. By the way, the news provider country.com says that McGraw has another book in the wings. Due to be released sometime next year, it's about his father.

SPEAKING OF DADS ...

Paul R. Dillon may be best known to a lot of people as the father of two popular actors ... Matt and Kevin Dillon. But, according to the New York Post, he's also gaining quite a reputation as a golfer. For years the elder Dillon, now 67, has been the head coach of the golfing program at Fordham University. And he's just been elected president of the Metropolitan Golf Association. The announcement was made at the group's annual meeting, held at the posh Westchester Country Club. And, not just being content to play and teach, Dillon expresses his love of the game through his paintings. Over the years he's done dozens of major works that are portraits of regional and national golfing figures. Some are on display at the United States Golf Association museum.

SINGER PAYS TRIBUTE TO HER 'INSPIRATION'

Many years ago a very young Carolyn Dawn Johnson was brought to her first live concert. It was in Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada. The headliner that night was venerable singer Charley Pride. Now, very much grown up and a star in her own right, Johnson performed a "thank you" duet with Pride over the weekend at the Grand Ole Opry. She told the audience that she still has the autograph that Pride signed for her that first night she went to see him. She tells Country Music Television that she remembers "as a child ... I was wowed by his warm, rich voice. One of my favorite songs was 'The Snakes Crawl at Night' and I'd sing it all the time." At the time, she noted, she was too young to understand that the lyrics told about cheating in a relationship.

ARLEDGE MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE A GUY

When a person dies there is usually an instant flood of tributes pouring in. That was certainly the case when ABC announced the death, recently, of Roone Arledge. He had taken ABC sports to the pinnacle with "Monday Night Football," had been the driving force behind the network's weekend sports show, showing us "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," and then was tapped to lead the network's full news division. Now, as time permits, other tributes are being published, some slow retrospective accounts of lesser-known aspects of his life. As an example, columnist Liz Smith says that Arledge was quite a guy and tells of an encounter with him. She says he turned out to be "smart, shy, human and down-to-earth." Additionally, he was a near-gourmet cook and had a keen eye for the ladies. "He initiated a friendship with me that I haven't gotten over yet," she writes. By the way, Joanna Bistany, one of Arledge's top assistants, also died late last week.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 476

Today we are asking: "Are you much of a decorator when it comes to the holidays ... tree (real or artificial), lights, and all that?" Put TREE in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 471 (SHOP)

Last week we asked how much of your holiday shopping you did on line and how much in real stores. From a random check of the e-mail inbox here are the results: Several, including ToAnyPassingFad (great nickname), noted that they did zero percent of shopping via the Internet. "I like to be able to see and touch what I'm buying -- I don't like any surprises," was the comment. At the other extreme is AnneN. She reports that she has done all of her shopping on line. She notes that she's older and has a hard time getting to the malls and the Internet has opened up new possibilities for her. She still grocery shops in person, though. Teeches83 does about 80 percent in cyberspace. Collectively, the total from our survey was about 50/50. TOMORROW: What are you buying for yourself?

THANKS FOR THE REPLIES ...

We have gotten many responses in our attempts to use the Twelve Days of Christmas to honor real heroes or great people you know. Send your nomination to us. If you want the person's name used we'll have to have a contact number for them. Put HONOR in the subject line and send to [email protected]. GBA.