• November 24, 1997
• Vol. 48
• No. 21

The Insider

By Mitchell Fink

John F. Kennedy Jr. was eager to introduce me to his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, at Manhattan's hot new restaurant Asia de Cuba, where he hosted a party Nov. 5 to celebrate the second anniversary of his magazine George. "Carolyn," he called out, "this is the guy who said you were 6-feet tall in PEOPLE." I explained that it wasn't actually me, but yes, the magazine did include Bessette Kennedy in its Nov. 3 story Attack of the 6 ft. Women, featuring her with such glamazons as Suddenly Susan's Brooke Shields and 3rd Rock's Kristen Johnston. "You can't imagine how thrilled I was to be included," said Kennedy's bride of 14 months, confiding that she's actually 5'10", "but 6 feet in stiletto heels." Height has been an issue, she told me, "ever since one of John's relatives [she wouldn't name names] asked him whether I was 5'6"." The very suggestion stuck in her craw, she said, "until PEOPLE validated me." Bessette Kennedy also revealed playfully that height is an issue with her husband. She recalled the day in October when he had hand surgery at a New York City hospital. "The attendant was taking his vitals," Carolyn said. "And when she got to his height, she said, 'You're 5-what?' You should have seen the look on his face." Kennedy, for the record, says he is 6'1", "and 191 pounds."...

The Kennedy party brought out an eclectic array of guests, including Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, ABC political commentator George Stephanopoulos, Rev. Al Sharpton and singer Sheryl Crow, who arrived with Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche. Keep an eye out for Heche in an upcoming episode of her girlfriend's ABC sitcom, Ellen, as a patron in a coffeehouse who refuses Ellen's request for Sweet'n Low. "Don't call it a cameo," Heche told me. "I was an extra, and I didn't even get paid." One awkward moment at the party occurred when Maria Maples arrived just as her estranged husband, Donald Trump, was leaving. Maples, who seemed to freeze momentarily as Trump kissed her on the cheek, later described their chance meeting as "civil."...

Jim Carry must want to keep his boyish figure welltoned after his recent appearance at the VH1 Fashion Awards, for which he wore a larger-than-average fig leaf. The Manhattan-based Gym Source subsequently shipped a six-piece state-of-the-art workout system to Carrey's home in Los Angeles. The gear cost him in excess of $20,000....

In the year and a half that Rosie O'Donnell has had her own TV talk show, she has campaigned long and hard for Barbra Streisand to appear. Well, Rosie's tenacity will pay off on Nov. 21, when Streisand drops in for what I'm told will be the entire hour. According to Streisand's rep, her decision to do the show was made in part "after a number of Web sites indicated that Barbra's fans wanted her to do it." Streisand herself says O'Donnell "has been very kind and supportive of me, and I really appreciate that. But don't make me out to be a saint. I'm promoting my album." (Higher Ground, a collection of inspirational and love songs, was released last week.) Rosie, who is understandably excited, tells me she's "trying to lose 20 pounds" and hasn't been able to sleep since Streisand agreed to appear.

• Contributors:
• Hugh McCarten.