Man of Auction
At a charity event, Ted bids big for time at Jane's ranch

Focus

Taking the stage at an Atlanta charity auction for teen pregnancy prevention on Oct. 12, Jane Fonda donned, one last time, the breathtaking champagne satin Vera Wang that caused a stir at the 2000 Academy Awards. For Fonda, 63, the gala's emcee, donating the gown was a signal that times had changed. "I'm not married to Ted anymore," declared the activist actress, whose marriage to AOL Time Warner (People's parent company) vice chairman Ted Turner, 62, ended in divorce last May. "And I don't need long dresses like this."

It looked like closure. Sounded like closure. That is, until Turner—who told friends the day before that he has been on antidepressants post Sept. 11 and that his net worth is half of what it once was—swept into the ballroom. Flanked by his girlfriend Frederique D'Arragon, 51, and his daughters Jenny, 32, and Laura, 40, Turner took a front-row seat by the runway. Upon spying him, Fonda exclaimed, "My favorite ex-husband is here!" She then bent down and kissed him. The plot thickened when a three-night ski trip to Fonda's Forked Lightning Ranch in New Mexico—promising "a unique outdoor hot tub experience and exceptional massages"—went on the block. The taker? An exuberant Turner, with a winning bid of $12,000. Whatever Fonda and Turner's relationship, their families know how they feel. When Fonda's Oscar dress went up for bid, Turner's son Beau, 33, paid $6,000 for it. "Truth is," says Beau's wife, Gannon, "we'd do anything for Jane."

Dylan to Guards: It Is Me, Babe
Bob Dylan now knows how it feels to be on his own, with no direction home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone. Three security guards at his Oct. 9 concert in Medford, Ore., acting on strict orders from Dylan's security chief to deny entry to anyone without credentials, barred the 60-year-old rock legend from going backstage at his own show. According to the Medford Mail Tribune, one of the guards—all women in their 30s—put her hands up to hold the singer back. They were later "relocated" at Dylan's request, says venue manager Chris Borovansky. Didn't they realize whom they were stopping? "If it was George Strait," Borovansky said, "they probably would have recognized him."

Even Sean Penn Needs Friends
Picturing Sean Penn curled up in front of the tube every Thursday night eagerly awaiting the first notes of the perky Friends theme song is hard enough. Yet the mercurial actor-director, 41, who has long railed against the Hollywood mainstream, is now plunging straight into its fuzzy, laugh-tracked heart. A fan of the long-running sitcom, Penn will guest star in a Halloween-themed episode that is scheduled to air Nov. 1. His character—a second-grade teacher who is engaged to Phoebe's twin sister Ursula (also played by Lisa Kudrow)—will return for at least one more episode this season. Either way, says a Friends insider, "Sean just seemed happy to be there."

As are TV fans. In a much-anticipated Oct. 11 showdown, NBC's Friends handily trounced its principal competitor, CBS's Survivor: Africa, by about 5 million viewers. How? With its chicken-soup-and-wooly-socks appeal, says entertainment industry expert Jack Myers: "In trying times like these, people watch the familiar, the tried-and-true. They want to smile and laugh." And, of course, find out that...Ross is the father of Rachel's baby! Pass it on!

Mickey and Minnie?
Less than two weeks after Minnie Driver broke off her engagement to Josh Brolin, there were press reports that the 31-year-old British actress had been seen canoodling with rocker Mick Jagger, 58, at a Los Angeles restaurant. "Not true, not true," says Jagger's London-based publicist Bernard Docherty. "Underline twice." Docherty did, however, confirm that the stars had recently enjoyed dinner together. So if the reason wasn't romance, what's up? "Mick is putting together his next film project," says Docherty, who declined to elaborate on the plot. "He's casting around." A suggestion: Think Disney.

Vieira's Daytime Drama
"I have a real acting bug," says The View's Meredith Vieira. Which helps explain how the former newswoman turned talk show host wound up playing a bungling wedding coordinator on the venerable daytime soap All My Children (it airs Nov. 12). One highlight: Vieira, 47, gets a vase hurled at her by temperamental bride Laura du Pres (played by Laura Allen). "I love that part!" says Vieira. Even though her legs "felt like jelly" prior to taping, Vieira delivered her lines pretty much flub-free. "She did great," says AMC veteran Julia Barr. "And her hair was fabulous, which, you know, is the most important aspect of this business." Fellow talk show host and AMC star Kelly Ripa gave Vieira pointers beforehand. "I'm glad you're here," Ripa said, "but don't get any big ideas." Too late. Vieira, who acted in high school and college, says she would love a recurring role. "If they don't give me a part," she says, "I'll just hang out in the halls. I can be extremely annoying."

Heeere's Johnny's Stuff!
In the midst of planning a permanent exhibit to honor hometown hero Johnny Carson, Sheryl Schmeckpeper of the Elkhorn Valley Museum and Research Center in Norfolk, Neb., opted for the personal touch. "Hoping to get a donation of one or two items from him, I wrote him," says Schmeckpeper. The result? A memorabilia mother lode: Emmys, his Kennedy Center medallion and an assortment of magazine covers will be shipped to the museum. Perhaps a sign that the late-night liege is looking for a little immortality? Not at all, says his rep: "He simply has no place to keep them."

Soft Lights, Soft Music and Julio
It's a story that's just so Julio. Following a concert performance last week, Julio Iglesias breezed into Al Biernat's, a ritzy Dallas eatery, accompanied by "four of the most beautiful women I've ever seen," says the restaurant's owner and namesake. When Biernat commented on Iglesias's good fortune, the 58-year-old singer replied, "I always have beautiful women around me." He then requested that the lights be dimmed throughout the house in favor of candlelight and asked for "soft Latin music." Biernat played a CD by romantic Brazilian balladeer Roberto Carlos, to which Iglesias serenaded his four companions—dancers and singers from his show—to the delight of nearby diners. Upon finishing his meal, Iglesias graciously thanked Biernat and left a $500 tip.

POP QUIZ
with John Walsh

America's Most Wanted host John Walsh had but one word to give for his country when the White House called to ask if he would report on the 22 terrorists the FBI was about to put on a new Most Wanted list. "Absolutely," said Walsh, 55, whose FOX show has helped generate tips leading to the arrest of 683 suspects in nearly 14 years.

What was your first reaction to the White House call?

I thought they were kidding. They said, "This is the White House." I thought, "Yeah, sure."

The President is a fan?

We caught the Texas 7 [a gang of prison escapees who killed a police officer] this year. George Bush is from Texas. He knows we nailed them.

So what did the White House want?

They were trying to think of ways of catching these guys. They had come to the conclusion that these terrorists had been in the country and nobody knew who they were, what they looked like. Once you're on America's Most Wanted, the public knows what you look like.

Think the show worked?

We received a record number of tips in a short amount of time—a thousand in about three hours.

Think bin Laden cares?

America's Most Wanted has been very popular over the years in the Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. I've heard bin Laden watches Saudi TV in Afghanistan. I sent a real message that this is a cowardly act by a low-life coward. I hope he gets that message.

Are you worried about your own safety?

That comes with the turf. But I believe that you have to fight back. We're bent, not broken. I've got increased security, and we will arm guards at the studio.

Will we see results?

It may take a while. Justice delayed is not justice denied.

Is it appropriate for an entertainment show to become part of a war campaign?

These are extraordinary times and they are dangerous times. This White House is using any tool it can to catch these people before they hurt any more Americans.

ON THE BLOCK

A LITTLE SALE IN LITTLE ROCK

Exteriors of this historic mansion in Little Rock, Ark., served as the office for TV's Designing Women from 1986 to 1993—even though the series was set in Atlanta. Built 120 years ago, the house features four bedrooms, one bath and two formal parlors. The owners, a local preservation group, had been renting the 3,900-sq.-ft. building for weddings and parties. Recently they put the Victorian-style residence on the market, considering bids from $400,000 and up, but there's a catch. Any new owner—even a stylish design firm like Sugarbaker & Associates—must keep the place looking pretty much like it did back in 1881.

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