Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994                   TAG: 9402240069
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PEOPLE

The Olympic gymnast once slurped up bowls of Wheaties in television ads. Her picture appeared on millions of cereal boxes. But now she admits she wasn't a regular Wheaties eater.

Retton let the truth be known on a visit to New York to promote Naturistics, a skin care product. She insists things are different now.

"It's nice to represent something I believe in," Retton said.

Tom Cruise traded his pinstripes and dress whites for a bra and hot pink pumps as he accepted the man of the year award from Harvard University's Hasty Pudding club.

Cruise, who played Harvard-schooled lawyers in "The Firm" and "A Few Good Men," put on the pumps Tuesday night after his hosts joked about the 5-foot-9 actor's reputation for not wanting to share a stage with anyone taller.

Men in drag then ran up, kissed him and gave him a bra with a bright red satin Harvard insignia on each cup. Cruise put it on over his tuxedo.

Jimmy Carter is hawking his pictures for a good cause.

The former president is going to take bids from around the world Saturday for autographed color photos of all five former living U.S. presidents.

The 1991 shots show former presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush at the dedication of the Reagan library.

Saturday's proceeds go to the Atlanta Project, a charity Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, founded to reduce poverty and other inner-city problems. The auction is part of a ski weekend and fund-raiser.

Guests pay $2,500 for events including daily ski outings with Carter, who took up skiing after he left the White House. Last year's weekend earned $300,000 for the Atlanta Project.

Gladys Knight sounds as if she suffers from Oprah Winfrey disease - chronic betrothal. As for syndicated talk-show host Les Brown, whose largish diamond she bears, "He's now my official fiance." And marriage? "We're still trying to get it together. . . . It's tough with our schedules. . . . But we are . . . intentional about not being apart more than a week." Or together that long!