People

CORETTA SCOTT KING IS TRANSFORMED

Following a "makeover," an ebullient Coretta Scott King made a dramatic appearance on "Oprah" this week. The woman who has carried on the legacy of her late husband, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., underwent a makeover described by the Atlanta Journal and Constitution as leaving her looking "decades younger." Oprah Winfrey was so taken aback by the transformation she went into minutes of praise, acting flabbergasted. Meanwhile, producers of the hit show tell the publication getting King to appear was not easy. Just booking her on the show was termed a real victory, particularly since the appearance was not to talk about her charitable work, but to present a new image. Oprah pulled together an "all-star team" to affect the change in King's appearance.

CUSACK LOVES HIS LATEST MOVIE

Actor John Cusack says making the movie "Identity" was one of his biggest challenges, and biggest thrills. Speaking with reporter Brian Osuch, Cusack noted the film -- somewhat like Agatha Christie adventures or even the early movie "Six Keys To Bald Pate" -- brings together 10 people in an old motel during a driving rain storm. Cusack says the really neat thing about the movie are the plot twists. "Just when you think you know what's going on and who is doing what to whom, you suddenly realize you are wrong," he says. The actor says he was attracted to the role because he liked the script and was fascinated by the plot. By the way, Cusack says the scary movie is his favorite film genre.

TED TURNER BECOMING SMALLER MAGNATE

Media mogul Ted Turner continues to divest his holdings, this time selling off half of his remaining AOL stock. The Atlanta-based yachtsman-turned-mediaman says he sold off some 60 million shares on Monday. At that day's going rate, his profit was about $784 million. Earlier this year he said he would resign as vice chairman of AOL-Time Warner. A stock-tracking service noted he had sold more than 30 million shares in transactions prior to this week's big divestiture. Turner still has about 45 million shares of the communications giant.

CONSERVATIVE BENNETT COMES CLEAN

A key spokesmen for values and conservative living, Bill Bennett, says he has been grappling with a gambling problem. The former White House adviser, who has gone on to be one of the most articulate spokesmen for conservative causes and national education, tells the New York Times he has "done too much gambling" and is walking away from the table. Bennett says that it is impossible for him to set a good example with the problem hanging around his neck. Reacting to the news was the head of Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson. He's a longtime friend of Bennett. Focus on the Family has often termed gambling "a cancer" and Dobson was supportive of his old friend's decision to "walk away" from it. In an earlier report in USA Today, Bennett's wife admitted her husband had lost millions at the tables in Atlantic City, but insisted he was not addicted to gaming.

'BROWNIE LADY' VISITS FIRE HOUSES

Using the Internet to find hungry firefighters, the so-called "Brownie Lady" has now brought her goodies to over 500 firehouses. Gloria Hatcher believes in volunteerism and the advertising slogan, "Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven." Hatcher says she loves to bake and nothing thrills her more than seeing faces light up at firehouses when she arrives with plates full of aromatic brownies. She also has received a little help along the way. General Mills has pitched in with support, giving out news information about her travels and urging people to "get involved," even if it's doing something other than using its products. So far Hatcher has brought her brownies to firefighters in several states. If you want to do something sweet, check out volunteermatch.org on the Internet.

BLIND TEEN BECOMES TRACK STAR

The fact he is legally blind is not stopping a Minnesota high school boy from running track with fellow classmates. Mohamed Samaha has only 20-250 vision and has to wear dark glasses to avoid glare, but he has been out there on the track, vying for record times at Minnesota's Washburn High School. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says Samaha's running full-tilt has led to a few problems. During a warm-up jog through local streets, he ran head-first into a stop sign. The gash required a bandage and ice before he could continue. Later, after finishing a race, he was was disoriented and dizzy, partly because of the problems caused by running in constant glare. The paper says most of his teammates have forgotten he can barely see and runners on other teams assume he is wearing sunglasses for the usual reasons. He's on his way to becoming an accomplished runner but his family initially objected to his participation in sports. Now, they are coming around.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 582

Today's question is: "What is you favorite brownie or similar desert recipe?" Let us know and we'll print it here. Put UPI-SUGAR in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet. Additionally, if you have any sugar-free ideas for diabetics and dieters, let us know.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 577 (TRIP)

Last week we asked about your longest rail or bus trip. From our usual random dip into the e-mail in box here is what we found. RDM tells us: "In high school, our concert choir took a bus trip from New Jersey to Washington D.C.; it took the better part of one day. I have no stories to share from it -- just a bad case of saddle sores." Terry tells us this saga: "The longest trip I remember taking was from Flint, Mich., to Youngstown, Ohio. It was by bus in the winter. The trip took about 14 hours. We stopped at every little town. I was 18 at the time and my poor grandmother had to wait at the station for hours on end because they kept changing the arrival time because of the storm." Gonzo recently went from Fort Benning, Ga., to Las Vegas. He was nearly three days on the road on five different buses. Finally, BarryY says: "The longest trip I had was when I attended a friend's wedding in northern Australia. The trip was like a scene from "Planes, Trains and Automobiles!" I caught two flights to the nearest airport to the wedding location, then I caught the airport train to a suburban train station, then I caught another train, then I caught the bus to the hotel near the wedding location! Altogether the saga took five hours! TOMORROW: A night at the opera. GBA.