Hey, Shakira -- pass the Grey Poupon!

News flash: Bare-midriff Colombian songstress has brain, loves culture! Renee Zellweger ready to pork out (again). And why not? Manolo likes 'em plump.

Published January 21, 2003 9:00PM (EST)

Does Christina Aguilera read the Economist? Does Britney Spears fancy herself a classical music aficionado?

Probably not. But Shakira does. And she's really hoping that, in so doing, she'll show us that -- bared belly or no -- she's no average pop princess.

"I ... started reading a magazine called the Economist," the uni-named Colombian singer tells the upcoming issue of Latina magazine.

Why? It makes her feel more connected with the world around her.

"On the whole, these are historic moments we're going through, and I think it's important that I am conscious of what's going on in each of the countries that I visit," she says. "There are big anxieties in the world. You may not see it from the city that you live in, but I know these things because I come from Colombia, a country that has been in conflict for 40 years."

No former Mickey Mouse Clubber she.

What's more, she says, she's recently become a major Vivaldi fan. One listen, she says, and she "fell in love."

Next thing you know she'll be sipping brandy and smoking a pipe.

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Love is a hurtin' thing ... but you can still be polite

"He was a gentleman during the arrest, very professional."

-- Marshall Katz, the officer who arrested Lou Rawls last week for allegedly battering his companion, singing the praises of the accused to the Associated Press.

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She's back?

Get ready, get set, get fat?

After months of rumors that she's refused to pack a few spare pounds back onto her superskinny physique, Renée Zellweger says she's ready to slip back into the somewhat generous skin of Bridget Jones for a sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary."

"I'm ready, willing and able," Zellweger tells Peoplenews.com, perhaps unaware that Part 2 of the story, in which Bridget lands in a Thai jail, might actually call for a bonier look. "Bridget's a character I really identify with. I'll put the weight back on with pleasure."

Someone alert Ben and Jerry.

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So generous, so modest

"I like to see anybody, even those huge girls, in shoes that look great."

-- Manolo Blahnik, on how he's not averse to seeing fat women wearing his shoes, to British Vogue Online.

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Mouth music

They could call it the Tongue and Lips Tour.

Kiss and Aerosmith are planning to join forces and tour together this summer, according to MTV News.

The bands have played together before, of course, first teaming up more than three decades ago.

"We've known each other for 30 years," Kiss's Gene Simmons recently told USA Today.

On the other hand, maybe they should call it the Dentures and Bifocals Tour.

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Miss something? Read Friday's Nothing Personal.


By Amy Reiter

MORE FROM Amy Reiter


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