NEWS LITE : ACTRESS IDENTIFIES WITH DANDRIDGE.

Halle Berry can't help but compare her Hollywood experience to that of Dorothy Dandridge, the African-American movie star of the 1950s and '60s whose nomination for a Best Actress Academy Award couldn't overcome the discrimination she faced.

``Dorothy wanted to be treated like her white counterparts, and she suffered for it,'' Berry says in Sunday's New York Daily News.

She plays the late star in the coming HBO film ``Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.'' After earning an Oscar nomination for the 1954 film ``Carmen Jones,'' Dandridge died in 1965 of a prescription-drug overdose. She was 42.

Doing the film biography changed Berry's perspective on her own struggles as an African-American actress in Hollywood.

``I used to believe conditions (were) hard for black artists,'' she said. ``But if you lived Dorothy Dandridge's life for a while, you'd realize how far we've come. Dorothy didn't know that Halle would be sitting here in 1999 seeing a bright day dawning. I may not see the end of the tunnel, but someone else may.''

Artist is currently known as absent

The souvenirs went for a song at a garage sale held by the rock star formerly known as Prince.

More than 300 fans flocked to his Paisley Park Studios in suburban Minneapolis on Saturday to snap up his leftovers, including CDs, tapes, T-shirts, posters and props.

But the musician was nowhere to be seen, disappointing Kii Arens of St. Paul.

``I was hoping to come and see Prince sitting on a lawn chair, marking down prices,'' said Arens, who settled for some video props.

Arens, a member of the local band Flipp, and his friend Dave Wolf, of the local Vibro Champs, spent $300 altogether.

Trip provides shot of Charles, Camilla

Britain's Prince Charles ended his 10-day Greek island cruise Sunday, finally giving nosy photographers the shot they were looking for.

Greek television stations showed the prince seated next to his longtime love, Camilla Parker-Bowles, on a bus to the airport in Athens, ending a frantic effort by photographers to catch the couple on holiday.

Despite their decades-long relationship, the couple appeared together in public for the first time earlier this year.

Van Damme says drug problem gone

After five marriages and confessions about cocaine use, Jean-Claude Van Damme wants to remake his image.

``I have to reinvent the brand name, because I'm a brand name,'' Van Damme says in Sunday's New York Daily News. ``Arnold (Schwarzenegger) knew how to do that.''

Van Damme is back in theaters with ``Universal Soldier: The Return,'' a sequel. He says he feels ``indestructible'' after remarrying Gladys Portugues, making her wife No. 3 and No. 5, and that the drug problem he went public about last year is ``Gone. Oh yeah, gone.''

Nostalgic crowd visits Woodstock

Woodstock veterans returned to Max Yasgur's old farm near Bethel, N.Y., on Sunday, this time for a 30th anniversary show more notable for sweet nostalgia than muddy mayhem.

Nudity, rain, gate crashing and other hallmarks of the famous 1969 show that drew 400,000 people were in short supply at the concert. Instead, this was a one-day show geared toward '60s stalwarts and their families who wanted to hear the likes of Arlo Guthrie and Richie Havens. And it was a chance to rekindle a bit of Aquarian spirit that many believe was sullied by rioting crowds at the far-larger Woodstock '99 show in Rome, N.Y., last month.

``The word `Woodstock' is out. You can't use that word. It's been blasphemed,'' said Joe Turner, 43, lounging in a lawn chair and wearing a psychedelic shirt at the concert called ``Day in the Garden'' on Sunday.

Turner was one of many '69 concertgoers who returned to the grassy hill 80 miles north of New York City.

Actress points to film's message

Ellen Barkin told the Calgary Sun she wasn't a fan of the Julia Roberts-Susan Sarandon movie ``Step Mom,'' which she said was ``one of the most sexist, anti-female movies I've ever seen. The husband actually gets his ex-wife to give him her blessing to marry a younger woman. She gets death. He gets a sexy young woman and no guilt. Susan tried to call it a woman's movie. I don't think so.''

Elvis fans line up for memorial

Sporting a brand new ``Return to Sender'' tattoo just above her ``Elvis stamp'' tattoo, LaVera Chapel waited at the Graceland gates Sunday for a candlelight procession past Elvis Presley's grave.

The Candle Vigil, as it's called by the Presley faithful, is the highlight of Elvis Week, a series of memorials, dances and parties marking the anniversary of his death on Aug. 16, 1977.

Presley, who died at Graceland, his Memphis residence, is buried in a small garden beside the house's swimming pool.

``I just felt I had to come,'' said Chapel, 45. ``I want to show my patronage to Elvis for all the good times he gave me, and I'm here to represent the fans who can't be here.''

Chapel said she has traveled from her home in White Lake, Mich., 11 times for the graveside vigil, and she has an Elvis tattoo to mark each occasion.

Though her upper arms and shoulders are pretty well covered with Elvis artwork, she had no worry about running out of space for additional tattoos as the annual visits go on.

``I either get larger or they get smaller,'' she said with a laugh.

Chapel said she had been sitting in her folding chair at the gates to Graceland's long, winding driveway since 3:30 a.m. for the procession scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

News Lite is compiled from Daily News staff and wire reports.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Fans arrive Sunday at the farm near Bethel, N.Y., where the first Woodstock concert was held in '69.

(2) Arlo Guthrie, left, and another performer relax as they revisit the Woodstock concert site.

Jim McKnight/Associated Press

(3) BERRY