Fox spec revisits Skategate scandal

GOOD MORNING: As things heat up for the Winter Olympics' bow in Nagano, Japan, Feb. 6, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding come face to face again, for the first time since the attack on Kerrigan Jan. 6, 1994. They appear Feb. 5 on Fox's "Breaking the Ice: The Women of '94 Revisited." The two met again at Vail, Colo., and were interviewed for the show by James Brown ("NFL Sunday") for Destiny Prods.' exec producers David M. Krieff and Danica Krislovich. They tell me what was not revealed was that the attack was "part of a murder plot to get Nancy." The producers spent 10 months of negotiations to accomplish the meeting, for which Olympic Silver Medal winner Kerrigan gets a "$100,000-plus fee." Harding gets less. Kerrigan was not motivated by the fee, the producers tell me, "but she just wanted to put her spin on the story. And it is riveting!" Kerrigan also skates three numbers in the special and Harding one; they skate separately, and there is no competing against one another. In the interview, Harding claims she was "mixed up with the wrong people." The producers say Nancy "is a class act -- she changed all that poison into medicine. She has a new life: married to (agent) Jerry Solomon and they have a year-old son, Matthew." The producers plan another special with her, and are prepping "Battle of the Sexes on Ice II"; the first one got the highest ratings of any skating special, they claim.

A NEW LOOK FOR LIFE magazine -- it's undergoing major creative changes ... Cinematographer-director-writer Haskell Wexler today departs Cuba, where he lensed (35 mm, not tape) the meetings of the Pope and Castro for a last scene in his movie, "Obit Man." Wexler reports, "If the media presented the Fidel/Pope meeting as if two politicians were just trying to get something out of a staged event, I think that history will prove that something much more occurred here. My filming went very well, but at this point in my life, being present at this historic event touches deep personal chords of excitement and hope" ... Congrats to Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, who cele-brated their 40th wedding anniversary Wednesday ... Sen. Edward Kennedy celebrates his 66th birthday with a fundraiser for his year 2000 campaign ($1,000 per person) at the St. Regis Roof, Feb. 17. (His real birthday is Feb. 22, same as George Washington's). Among those attending: Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks, Lauren Bacall and, of course, the Kennedy family ... Bill Clinton's look for the State of the Union speech was designed by the BevHills Hotel-h.q.'d Mr. Amir ... Whatta cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, George Clooney, Dustin Hoffman, Salma Hayek, Steve Martin, Demi Moore, Billy Zane, plus Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer and Billy Wilder. They're just a few caught on video by Michael Chow in the past coupla weeks to be shown at the 30th anni party of his eatery Feb. 13, preceded by an exhibition of Chow's personal portrait collection at Pace Wildenstein, hosted by Arne Glimcher. Also dining at Chow's were Barry Diller and Bob Wright. What could they be cooking up? ... At Georgia, Jeff Wald celebrated his birthday with (expectant) wife Deborah, Michael King and his expectant wife Jenna, new parents Irving Azoff and wife Shelli and new parents Traci (Wald) and husband Lucas Donat. Also, about-to-wed Barbra Streisand and Jim Brolin and Jordan Wald with fiancee Maru Benjamin. Appropriately also dining in this group: obstetrician Dr. Cheryl Ross and pediatrician Dr. Peter Waldstein. Plus newly separated Roseanne, Allan Stephan who is on her talkshow staff, Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife Bernadette and Golden Globe donor Ving Rhames and his wife Valerie ... .Woody Harrelson and Lara Louie were married Jan. 11 in Costa Rica. They have two daughters from their eight-year relationship.

LADY REDGRAVE, actress Rachel Kempson, underwent successful cataract surgery at the Jules Stein Eye Institute and will duet with daughter Lynn Redgrave Saturday in the Gregory Peck Reading Series at the L.A. Public Library's Mark Taper Auditorium. Among the pieces the 87-year-old Kempson will read is a speech of (14-year-old) Juliet from Shakespeare. Peck will introduce the ladies, who will give two performances. "To Kill a Mockingbird," which won an Oscar for Peck in 1962, celebrates its 35th anni Feb. 2 with a special screening at the Cecchi Gori Fine Arts. A new cassette contains interviews with Peck and other "Mockingbird" principals ... Global showbiz interest: "Blast From the Past" producer Renny Harlin escorted his homeland Finland's Consul General Maria Serenius and her husband Tapio, plus U.S. Ambassador to Finland Derek Shearer and his wife Ruth and Finnish rock star Tommy Lantanin and his companion Maria Ikonen to the set of Harlin's New Line pic, directed by Hugh Wilson ... The Royal Swedish Academy of Music will award Polar Music Prizes to Ray Charles and Ravi Shankar, to be presented by King Gustaf of Sweden, May 12 in Stockholm.