NEWSMAKERS: Pee-wee Squeaks

By Marc Peyser

From Newsweek, vol 134 n 6, 08.09.1999

For a guy who became famous by never shutting up, Pee-wee Herman--a.k.a. Paul Reubens--sure took a long time to talk. For the first time since his 1991 indecent-exposure arrest in a Florida porn theater, Reubens is discussing the events that almost ended his career. He says he wasn't really thinking about the impish character he played on TV and in the movies--he was on leave from "Pee-wee's Playhouse" on that naughty night. But the publicity traumatized him so badly that he often turned down roles afterward. Now that he's working steadily, he's surprised the old news keeps coming up. "It doesn't really bum me out. I honestly didn't think anyone would care," he says. Reubens opens this week in Mystery Men, playing a superhero whose power is flatulence. He's also writing The Pee-wee Herman Story, a film about how Pee-wee deals with fame. "He becomes a monster," Reubens says. "It's an auto-biography of Pee-wee Herman, not me." Let's hope not.

Wedding-Bell Blues

Even the British don't have manners anymore. Former "Posh" Spice Girl Victoria Adams is miffed that guests made off with 75 silver goblets used as centerpieces at her July 4 wedding. Although Adams and hubby David Beckham got $1.6 million for their wedding photos, she's not happy about springing for the rented silver. "It's flattering that people took them as a memento, but they are valuable," she says. "Please give them back. You can keep the velvet napkin rings." Gee, thanks.

A Casual Carolyn on Camera

Unlike her husband, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy never seemed comfortable around cameras. But in 1997 she sat for Bruce Weber and a photographic journal called Joe's. In the wake of Kennedy's death, Weber brought several earthy, never-seen shots to Vanity Fair. The magazine bumped a cover story on Kim Basinger for the pictures. A Vanity Fair spokesman says Kim "was very understanding."

A Lion's Pride

Here's one for the record books: a professional athlete who doesn't care about setting records. With only 1,457 yards separating him from Walter Payton and football history, Barry Sanders would likely have become the NFL's all-time leading rusher next year. Instead, he abruptly retired. "My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain," says Sanders, 31, who spent 10 years with the Detroit Lions. "I have searched my heart and feel comfortable with this decision." Sanders was next seen pulling a suitcase through London's Gatwick Airport en route to a European vacation. "I don't know the right way to retire," Sanders says. "This is just my way of doing it." Way to go, Barry.