WALLACE Stegner, the the writer who celebrated the spirit of the American West and won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Angle of Repose is dead at 84. Stegner was seriously injured last month in a traffic accident in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had gone to give a speech. He had been in hospital since the accident. He also wrote The Spectator Bird and The Big Rock Candy Mountain.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL Janet Reno got lots of looks when she walked into the Justice Department cafeteria with, yes, Don Johnson. The actor said he was at the department ''having a pleasant chat with a former fellow Miamian'' and that he was introduced to Ms Reno by a mutual friend. But Ms Reno, who was a Florida state attorney for 15 years, said she did not get to see much of Johnson's old TV show Miami Vice.
RICHARD Gere followed up his recent controversial Oscar appearance with an article on the opinion page of the New York Times. The Buddhist actor continued his pitch to get the US Government to pressure the Chinese into abandoning their 40-year repression of Tibet. As for not being invited back to the Oscars: ''So be it,'' Gere wrote.
DIRECTOR Spike Lee says Hollywood has a double standard when it comes to black films - but he says it doesn't make any difference. He told an audience at the University of Texas-Arlington that although his controversial Malcolm X was nominated for two Oscars and won none, it would be remembered longer than the winners.
ACTRESS Lisa Bonet, a former Cosby kid, has finally filed for divorce from rocker Lenny Kravitz. The couple tied the knot in 1987 but went their separate ways in 1990 due to irreconcilable differences. Their four-year-old daughter, Zoe, lives with Ms Bonet.
KIRSTIE Alley, the actress who replaced Shelley Long on Cheers, was quoted as saying at the People's Choice Awards: ''I just want to thank Shelley Long for this six-year gig, and ask her: 'What were you thinking? You're stupid'.''