NEWS LITE : WOODY ALLEN SAYS SCANDAL IS SILLY, SAD.

Woody Allen, who's been there and done that, thinks the sex scandal involving President Clinton is silly and has made the United States a laughingstock.

``We have a good president who is being persecuted by the extreme right for having an affair with a consenting adult. Which, by the way, his wife seems to accept,'' the director said during a news conference Tuesday in Paris for the French release of ``Celebrity,'' a comedy about America's appetite for fame.

``It's made the United States the laughingstock of the world and our political atmosphere entertaining, silly and sad,''

Allen had his own sex scandal. Last year he married Soon Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of his former lover Mia Farrow. Farrow accused him of molesting a child they had adopted together. No charges were brought against Allen.

Friendlies finally receive their bonus

The ``Friends'' TV cast, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, et al., got a Christmas bonus of $200,000 each, Daily Variety reports. It was a bit of a payback by Warner Bros., which apparently displeased the sextet when their 100th episode fetched them a paperweight each. This, right after ``ER's'' first team got $1 million bonuses and Drew Carey copped a Porsche. The newspaper said Warner Bros. debated over giving the Friendlies a Range Rover each, but in the end decided cash would be the warmest remembrance.

First lady's strain a real holiday pain

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to stay off her feet this holiday season after aggravating a previously injured back muscle.

The injury, suffered last spring, flared up last week as a result of too much walking and standing during several days, Hillary Clinton's spokeswoman, Marsha Berry, said Tuesday.

``She has pulled a muscle that has made it difficult for her to stay on her feet for long,'' Berry said. ``So, she's staying off her feet.''

The first lady was moving slowly as she greeted children who came to the White House to hear President Clinton read a holiday story, but otherwise showed no discomfort.

Grid star sued for kid's cart driving

A repairman is suing Dallas Cowboys star Deion Sanders, claiming he was permanently disabled when the football player's 8-year-old daughter ran into him with her father's golf cart.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Dallas, Gordon McFadden said he was at the team's summer camp in Wichita Falls in July, repairing a recreational vehicle, when Sanders' daughter Deiondra hit him.

Deiondra was wearing in-line skates and her aunt was in the passenger seat of the Mercedes-Benz golf cart, McFadden said.

McFadden is seeking unspecified damages. He suffered a broken right leg and ankle. He was unable to work and lost his business repairing and refurbishing recreational vehicles, McFadden's lawyer said.

Sanders' lawyer, Bill Hayner, said the athlete was on the practice field when the accident happened.

Judge locks up TV detective's stalker

An Italian fashion designer got two years in prison for threatening and stalking his former girlfriend, ``NYPD Blue'' actress Andrea Thompson.

Gianluigi Assennato, who made a name for himself designing frocks for the stars, will be deported to Italy when he finishes his sentence, a Los Angeles judge ruled Monday.

Assennato, 34, pleaded guilty to stalking Thompson, 38, who plays Detective Jill Kirkendall on ABC's Emmy-winning police drama.

The two began dating after Thompson asked him to design a dress for her to wear to this year's Emmy Awards.

Prosecutors said Assennato terrorized Thompson for six months, slashing her tires and threatening her by telephone and in person.

News Lite is compiled by Karen Duffy from Daily News staff and wire reports.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

Photo: (1) NO-NO-HO-HO

Carina Orozco, 14 months old, tries to flee Santa at the Sherman Oaks Fashion Center on Tuesday afternoon.

Tina Gerson/Daily News

(2) Deiondra Sanders in dad Deion Sanders' custom golf cart.

(3) ALLEN

(4) CLINTON