People

FAMILY FIGHTS OVER AGING ACTOR'S ESTATE

Some time ago New York Post writer Cindy Adams reported that rough-and-tough, gravely voiced actor Charles Bronson was entering the fog of Alzheimer's disease. Now she says that some of the actor's children have begun to fight over his estate, even while he's still among the living. Adams says that the crux of the concern among his offspring seems to center on concerns that he might leave the bulk of his holdings to his young beautiful current wife Kim. He married her after the death of long-time wife Jill Ireland. There are even fears within the family that a "diminished" Bronson may somehow be convinced to change his will. The infighting seems to be the kind of stuff of which Hollywood movies are made, only in this case the action is not on the street with guns and cars, it's in the offices of lawyers ... and possibly in a courtroom in the future. By the way, since her original assessment of Bronson's condition, Adams says she has sent a ton of letters and notes to the star, acting as a conduit for mail. Bronson has been around longer than many of us realize. He is now 81 and was a major Hollywood action star for decades and was a staple in live TV drama in the '50s.

WARINER HONORED FOR GOOD WORKS

Steve Wariner has won the 2002 Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award. He learned of the committee's choice during a recent Grand Ole Opry performance when last year's winner, Kathy Mattea, called him to the stage and gave him the news. The announcement could not have come at a more propitious time. The Opry was celebrating it's 4000th consecutive weekend performance and was staging a special tribute to the late comedienne for whom the award is named. You may remember that in announcing the Pearl tribute we had reported that Wariner had been asked to be there in order to sing the late funnywoman's favorite song -- "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" The invitation was a ruse. The choice of Wariner is a good one. CMT says that he is widely known in Nashville as a tireless worker for a variety of charitable causes, including the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, Dream Makers of Middle Tennessee, Second Harvest Food Bank, Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and numerous school project.

OHIO ATHLETE HONORED BY LEGION

The American Legion has announced its Player of the Year. This year's choice is Ty Charles Henkaline of Minster, Ohio. The Legion tells United Press International that Henkaline will receive a $2,000 scholarship (courtesy of Gatorade) and will be invited to the induction ceremonies for the Baseball Hall of Fame next year. He will also be honored at the induction with a plaque. Not only was Henkaline a standout baseball player for his American Legion post in Ohio while in high school, he managed to rack up a nearly perfect academic record and now is studying psychology at Ball State University in Indiana. Add to that three years playing basketball in high school, earning the rank of captain on his bowling team and spending hundreds of hours volunteering in a soup kitchen ... he's been down right busy. The annual Legion award is presented in the memory of George W. Rulon, who ran the Legion's national baseball programs for 25 years. The program is now in its 77th year. Many of today's stars played for Legion posts in their youth, including Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Chipper Jones.

COUNTRY STARS LEAVING SONY

When the contracts of several leading country stars came up for renewal at Sony Music many opted to jump ship. It began some months ago when, according to country.com, Collin Raye decided to end his relationship with the label. Now Joe Diffie, Ty Herndon, Deryl Dodd and Jack Ingram are looking for other companies to print their music. Diffie first hit the charts in 1990 with a meteoric rise to the No. 1 spot with his huge seller "Home." Two of Diffie's subsequent CDs went platinum (meaning one million copies were shipped to stores), "Honky Tonk Attitude" and "Third Rock From the Sun." Herndon, also with a No.1 record under his belt, is best known for his 1995 debut album, "What Mattered Most." Both, according to the news provider, have been "stalwarts" at Sony.

'NASTY' JUDGE TO APPEAR AGAIN IN 2003

Why is it that so many people who watch TV love to see others act so nasty on screen? Some revel when dysfunctional families bring out their dirty laundry on one of a countless number of TV shows, seeking their 15 minutes of fame no matter what they have to do to earn it. During this year's run of "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar," one of the judges has earned a reputation of asking such frank questions and giving such damning assessments that no one would want to even know this guy. Certainly no one would want him as a boss or even a next door neighbor. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox has decided to ask this "I've got a huge chip on my shoulder and can't wait to tell you about it" guy back for a second season. British music executive Simon Cowell has signed for the series' next season. The expected paycheck for Cowell will likely be in excess of $1 million. The publication says there is no word on whether any of the other panelists will re-join the cast. Where's Bennett Cerf when you need him?

BRITAIN IS HEADED TO NYC FOR SEPT. 11

The new Archbishop of Canterbury and a huge contingent of British notables will converge on New York City next week to honor this country on the first anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. According to the New York Post, the archbishop will conduct a special Evensong service at St. Thomas Church, at 53rd and Fifth Avenue. On that same day, at Trinity Church, the Lord Mayor of London will dedicate a special bell in honor of American victims. The bell was donated by the City of London. Over at St. Michael's Episcopal Church at 99th and Amsterdam Avenue the Cambridge University choir will perform. Additionally, the pipe band from the First Battalion Scots Guards will perform at three locations during the day -- no doubt ending their concerts with a gut-wrenching performance of "Amazing Grace." Finally, at Strawberry Fields live performances of Beatles hits will be sung and a memorial service conducted. In London, Prince Charles will attend special services. In Liverpool that city's mayor has arranged for a nighttime service with two huge columns of light splaying into the air. It should be quite a day, not to mention the million other remembrances across the nation and around the world.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 409

Today we are asking: "What was your favorite Disney movie of all time? What do you remember about it?" Put DISNEY in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 404 (BROTHER)

Last week we asked about the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Here are some of your comments, randomly drawn from the e-mail box: A frequent contributor, SJ, who lives in the South, says that everyone below the Mason-Dixon Line saw the movie and loved it. Some went back again and again and again. CWR comments on something that we've mentioned here a lot, that the music in the movie revitalized an interest in "roots" and bluegrass music in this country. It also produced some million-selling records for a variety of artists and brought venerable Ralph Stanley back into the national spotlight. Peggy says that her husband got it as a gift on his 50th birthday. "It's funny and the music is terrific," she notes. By the way, none of the responses I checked had anything negative to say about the movie. The least complimentary was from BobW. He noted that, from his viewpoint, the film was too long. TOMORROW: A free-for-all. GBA.