Giovanni Di Stefano

In a bizarre development, one of the nation's most notorious financiers of the 1970s, Bernard Cornfeld, says he is teaming up with an Italian businessman on a $500-million cash offer for the famed MGM studio. The bid, which Cornfeld says will be made Friday, comes after his partner, Giovanni Di Stefano, boasted in Milan last week that he plans to buy MGM from the French bank Credit Lyonnais, which took control of the studio after former owner Giancarlo Parretti defaulted on his loans.

Just in time to fill the Christmas stocking comes "Evander Holyfield's 'Real Deal Boxing' " from Sega of America. The video game for the Sega Genesis system hit the stores in August, and is being promoted by toy stores as a Christmas gift. Only problem is Holyfield lost boxing's heavyweight championship a little more than a week ago to Riddick Bowe. Now, Holyfield is even talking about retirement. This isn't the first ill-timed boxing game released by Sega.

Just in time to fill the Christmas stocking comes "Evander Holyfield's 'Real Deal Boxing' " from Sega of America. The video game for the Sega Genesis system hit the stores in August, and is being promoted by toy stores as a Christmas gift. Only problem is Holyfield lost boxing's heavyweight championship a little more than a week ago to Riddick Bowe. Now, Holyfield is even talking about retirement. This isn't the first ill-timed boxing game released by Sega.

Some weeks ago, self-proclaimed financier John Di Stefano of Beverly Hills landed in faraway Auckland, New Zealand, and told reporters he had $50 million or so to invest in local businesses. To make his point, Di Stefano quickly cut deals to buy a shopping mall and a pair of motels. A dazzled New Zealand Herald told how the newcomer's Interpart Mergers & Acquisitions USA planned to build multiplex cinemas in Auckland and went on to quote his optimistic wisdom.

A British tabloid Saturday published more surreptitious photographs of Saddam Hussein in U.S. custody, a day after it ran a front-page picture of the former Iraqi leader in his underwear. The Red Cross, which is responsible for monitoring prisoners of war and detainees, said the photos violated Hussein's right to privacy. The U.S. military has condemned the publication and ordered an investigation of how the pictures had been leaked.

A recent poll by the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press found that only 50% of Americans correctly named Boris Yeltsin as Russia's president. That was better than the 13% who knew that Boutros Boutros-Ghali is the United Nations secretary general and the 40% who knew that the Palestinians are the people with whom Israel reached a peace accord. So who are Americans familiar with?

It's no secret that gossip is endemic to the entertainment business. Without it, many conversations would consist of "Nice to meet you" and "Goodby." But even hardened rumormongers have been awed by the amount of babble that has burbled up around Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists this week. Close to a dozen possible buyers and managers have been linked to the studios, which are said to be on the brink of being sold or restructured.

In a bizarre development, one of the nation's most notorious financiers of the 1970s, Bernard Cornfeld, says he is teaming up with an Italian businessman on a $500-million cash offer for the famed MGM studio. The bid, which Cornfeld says will be made Friday, comes after his partner, Giovanni Di Stefano, boasted in Milan last week that he plans to buy MGM from the French bank Credit Lyonnais, which took control of the studio after former owner Giancarlo Parretti defaulted on his loans.

Some weeks ago, self-proclaimed financier John Di Stefano of Beverly Hills landed in faraway Auckland, New Zealand, and told reporters he had $50 million or so to invest in local businesses. To make his point, Di Stefano quickly cut deals to buy a shopping mall and a pair of motels. A dazzled New Zealand Herald told how the newcomer's Interpart Mergers & Acquisitions USA planned to build multiplex cinemas in Auckland and went on to quote his optimistic wisdom.

Saddam Hussein, once rarely portrayed in anything but crisp military uniforms or elegant business suits, appeared on the cover of two tabloid newspapers Friday clad only in white briefs. The Pentagon was not amused. Nor were many Iraqis who viewed the images on television after returning home from Sabbath prayers. U.S. military officials expressed concern that the photographs may have violated the former Iraqi president's rights under Geneva Convention rules on the treatment of prisoners.

The Iraqi Special Tribunal in charge of trying Saddam Hussein for alleged war crimes announced Sunday that it had completed its investigation into the first case to be brought against the former Iraqi leader after reviewing piles of documents and interviewing numerous witnesses. Raid Juhi, the tribunal's chief judge, said the panel had referred the case to court for trial. If found guilty, Hussein could be sentenced to death.