People

By Belinda Luscombe

THE PRICE OF FAME

After a rough decade in the '80s, the man who wrote the Theme from Shaft! has been rediscovered as Chef! ISAAC HAYES has found a whole new group of fans as the voice of the world's smoothest school-canteen worker on the cartoon South Park. But along with that newfound popularity comes attention from those Hayes might not want to encourage. A court in Georgia has ordered that Hayes pay an old debt of nearly $90,000, plus interest. The order was originally obtained in 1989, but the creditor knew Hayes' career was in a slump and didn't pursue it. (Hayes was jailed that year for nonpayment of child support, which he has since paid.) Now that Hayes is famous again, the order has been revived. But how far can a chef's salary go?

FILLING THE VOID You Didn't Know Existed

In the '70s, cops had tight pants, snappy boots and great teeth. Well, they did on CHiPs. And they will again in November when ERIK ESTRADA and Larry Wilcox star in a CHiPs TV movie. B.Y.O. tube top.

TURNING THE OTHER CHECK

Revenge, perhaps, is a dish best served sweet. Last week YOKO ONO donated $100,000 to Victim Services, a New York City organization that assists victims of domestic violence. Ono does not normally publicize her acts of charity, but these alms came armed with a statement. "I am making this donation in sisterhood with and in memory of Linda McCartney," she said, adding that she hoped the donation would bring attention to the charity's work. Her reason for the gift is startling, given that Ono was not invited to the memorial service Paul McCartney held for Linda in New York City last month. Paul and Yoko were never close, but detente was declared when Free as a Bird was released in 1995. Then last year Ono told the BBC that Paul was Salieri to her late spouse John Lennon's Mozart. This brought on a new frost in relations and led to Ono's being snubbed when Linda died. Could this be Ono's return volley?

WELL, HELLO, BROLIN!

Planning a wedding can be a huge headache, so planning a wedding when the media want to be all over it and you've got a thing about control must be nightmarish. Yet from all reports, the BARBRA STREISAND-JAMES BROLIN nuptials seemed to be merry enough. The most anticipated vows since J.F.K. Jr. first clamped eyes on Carolyn Bessette took place in the formal living room of the humble home the bride maintains in Malibu. The media were kept at bay with a phalanx of security guards, tents and enormous speakers that first blasted rain-forest noises so they couldn't hear the ceremony, followed by heavy-metal music (White Zombie did the honors) to get rid of them. The bride's son gave her away, and one of the bridegroom's sons was best man. The pool was strewn with lilies and candles, and Marvin Hamlisch and a 16-piece orchestra played the processionals. As evening fell, in a final romantic touch, the couple's publicists released a joint statement.

WHADDYA MEAN, HIGH-STRUNG?!!

Around the press, actors are usually about as unguarded as Fort Knox. And directors are diplomatic. But actors who direct, now there's a thin-skinned breed. VINCENT GALLO, whose Buffalo '66 opened last week to mixed reviews, had a very unstarlike response to them. He called New York Post critic Thelma Adams twice. The first time he accused her of being "amateur," "insignificant" and "sophomoric." The second message was more pointed and included the phrase "You are so ugly." Over at Long Island's Newsday, movie critic Jack Mathews also took a Gallo call. "It got personal," said Mathews. "O.K., I was a little hotheaded," says Gallo, who felt the reviews took the low road, and he followed suit. "Do you know the pain and agony it takes to make a film? How can you expect me not to be emotional about it?" He took particular exception to the fact that Adams had called him a "skanky Calvin Klein model," ignoring his achievements in the worlds of art and music. "I'm extremely vindictive," he says. "But vengeance can be productive."