NEWS LITE : `GIRL POWER' MAKES WAY INTO THESAURUS.

It's official - ``girl power'' is legit. The first new edition in 11 years of Roget's Thesaurus is out with some startling additions, including ``girl power'' as a synonym for ``feminism.''

As editor Betty Kirkpatrick noted: ``Language is a living thing. We're here to monitor its growth, not to criticize it. . . . I can imagine a lot of tabloid journalists giving thanks for the thesaurus when looking for colorful descriptions.''

Old violin falls apart

during solo

presentation

Concert mistress Elizabeth Wallfisch was within a half-minute of completing her solo concert at the Carmel Bach Festival when the unthinkable happened: Her 300-year-old baroque violin fell apart.

Wallfisch, who was still jarred by the mishap Tuesday evening, said she felt the violin's tuning drop down and thought the pegs had slipped. But the problem was far more serious.

The tail gut - a thick piece of sheep's gut that holds the instrument's tension - had unwound and broken. The front of the violin fell off, halting her Monday night performance of Bach's Sonata No. 3 in C Major.

``I was doing a sort of brain-stem reaction,'' she said. ``I held up the instrument and said, `Is there a baroque violin in the house?' ''

The rare and irreplaceable instrument will be repaired when Wallfisch returns to London after Sunday's conclusion of the three-week concert series, which draws classical music lovers from around the world.

Wallfisch, who has owned the violin for the past 25 years, said that before this week she had never even broken a string during a concert. She lay awake Monday night, she said, worrying about the audience that had been engrossed in the candlelight performance.

Pesci the gangster paroled to singing

You know he can stab a man to death with a ballpoint pen, but did you know that Joe Pesci, who specializes in brutal gangstas on screen, can sing? The actor will unleash a CD this fall in which he'll do everything from rap to sing a yule ditty as his character in the movie ``My Cousin Vinny.'' It'll be called ``Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You,'' according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

CNN gets personal with Albright aide

This weekend's power wedding stars CNN newsie Christiane Amanpour, 40, and State Department spokesman James Rubin, 38, in a castle outside Rome. His boss, Madeleine Albright, and hers, Ted Turner, are on the guest list. The couple, who will honeymoon in Africa, met last year in Bosnia when Albright went there. Living arrangements aren't fully developed, but for the moment she'll continue residing in London while he toils in D.C.

Apu's voice wins Emmy for role

The Emmy goes to actor Hank Azaria.

Azaria won television's top award for outstanding voice-over performance in the role of convenience store operator Apu on ``The Simpsons,'' the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced.

The actor, whose fiancee is actress Helen Hunt, does the voices of Apu, Moe, Chief Wiggum and Dr. Nick Riviera on the animated Fox Television series. He also starred in ``Godzilla.''

An Emmy for individual achievement in animation went to production designer Eric Radomski for his work on HBO's ``Spawn,'' the academy reported this week.

Winners of the two animation awards are determined by a panel of judges from animation executives' peer group in the academy.

The awards will be handed out at the creative-arts portion of the Emmys show Aug. 29 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The 50th anniversary Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast Sept. 13 on NBC from the Shrine Auditorium.

Ronstadt fan sent to prison over gift

A homeless man who admitted trying to stalk Linda Ronstadt says his only crime was not knowing how to approach her.

``Linda Ronstadt has touched my heart, soothed my soul and occupied part of my mind for 20-and-some years,'' Bernard A. Ortiz wrote to the judge who sentenced him Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz., to 10 months in prison.

Ortiz, a schizophrenic, had been placed on probation in June after pleading guilty to attempted stalking. He violated terms of the deal three weeks later when he sent a package to Ronstadt's relatives, saying it was for her birthday.

Deputy County Attorney Dan Nicolini said the gift package contained a watch, birthday candles and a letter.

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

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1) A real nose for the game

Guillermo Vilas keeps both eyes on the ball during the Sprint PCS Champions senior tournament.

Jim Davis/The Boston Globe

(2) Azaria

(3) Ronstadt