BOLDFACE NAMES

Break a Leg

By JOYCE WADLER

Gee, it was hot at ANN RICHARDS's book party on Tuesday night. The party at Jean-Luc, a bistro on the Upper West Side, was given by the production company Tex in the City, so the room was filled with tanned and smiling aspiring actors, many of whom wore stickers that said things like "Meredith, Wichita Falls." The heat was so intense that a bottle of sparkling wine popped its cork.

This, we were pleased to see, did not hamper the gallantry of the owner, JEAN-LUC. (Born ED KLEEFIELD in Manhattan, but the middle name is Jean-Luc, and if you want a table that's what you better call him.) He himself rushed about to make sure the guest of honor had a drink, though when he was introduced to us there was an apprehensive "Uh-Oh."

Why the Uh-Oh?

"Oh, the recent notoriety, you know."

No, we don't.

"Well, since my restaurant in the Hamptons was raided."

Really?

"It was just for overcrowding. No big deal. That certainly won't happen here."

Ms. Richards's new book, which was written with DR. RICHARD LEVINE, is "I'm Not Slowing Down: Winning My Battle With Osteoporosis."

We would say more about it, but service items are not what this column is about. Oh, all right, because the subject is so serious, just this once, we'll do a service item: The name of the restaurant that got raided is Jean-Luc East.

Ms. Richards - looking very smart in a peach jacket, peach blouse and black pants - was surrounded by photographers. As we waited, we noticed a tall, thin woman in an orange dress: TINA LOUISE, a star of the 1960's TV show "Gilligan's Island."

What's she up to these days?

"There's going to be a new slot machine where you can earn $1 million. I recorded about 80 lines of dialogue."

For the slot machines? Could she give us an example?

"I'm not allowed to tell you any of the lines. But I'm very flirtatious. I'm trying to entice them not to leave me."

Hey, there's an opening in the crowd near Ms. Richards.

She loves being in New York, she says, it's "such a friendly town to old people." (Hey, readers, let's have a "Network" moment. Everybody open your window and holler, "Ann, you kidder, you know you possess - how would Jean-Luc Kleefield put this - the esprit de jeunesse such that you shall never be old! Your pal LIZ SMITH, that's another story.")

But to politics.

Is Ms. Richards, formerly governor of Texas, going to run for governor of California?

"Can you believe that?" she said with a hearty laugh. "If only I had a clown hat, I would."

When you were on LARRY KING everyone who called in wanted you to run for office. What would it take to get you to do that?

"Nothing. I am not STROM THURMOND. I firmly believe you gotta get out of the way and let young people come up."