NEWS LITE : BRITS GROWLING OVER PUB'S NEW NAME.

A missing bear has sent fur flying in Thirsk, the English market town that James Herriot called ``Darrowby'' in his best-selling adventures of a Yorkshire veterinarian.

The 200-year-old Red Bear pub is changing its name to The Darrowby Inne, and traditionalists say the move cheapens the town and the memory of James Alfred Wight, the popular veterinarian who used Herriot as his pen name.

``We do not want to become some sort of Yorkshire theme park,'' Mayor Jan Marshall said. She turned down an invitation to preside at the reopening of the pub after a $300,000 makeover.

``Thirsk was very protective of Alf Wight's privacy, and it's to their credit that they didn't trade on his name,'' the mayor said.

The pub's owner, Vaux Brewers, says the new name is a tribute to Wight, a Scot who came to Thirsk in the 1930s and practiced as a vet there until 1990.

Copperfield turns self into `clam'

Trouble in paradise? David Copperfield, recently Down Under for a Sydney performance, made it clear to interviewers that the one thing they couldn't ask him about was Claudia Schiffer. Asked anyway, the illusionist clammed up. When his people were asked in the states about a possible breakup, they gave only the dreaded ``no comment.''

Wynonna graced with baby girl

Wynonna is a mama again.

The 32-year-old country singer gave birth to a girl in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday. Wynonna and her husband, Arch B. Kelley III, also have a 1-1/2-year-old son.

The 9-pound, 4-ounce girl was named Pauline Grace.

Wynonna, formerly teamed with her mother as The Judds, has had solo hits with ``Tell Me Why'' and ``No One Else on Earth.''

From `dream team' to big screen The O.J. Simpson trial always had a Hollywood aura, and now two of its principal lawyers have decided to become movie producers.

According to Variety, the show business trade paper, attorney Robert Shapiro and prosecutor Christopher Darden have movie deals in the works at Paramount Pictures.

Shapiro will be executive producer of the movie, ``Evil Empire,'' a saga of the Russian mafia being billed as a Russian ``Godfather.'' The movie is being written by blue chip screen writer Joe Eszterhas, whose previous films have included ``Basic Instinct,'' ``Showgirls'' and ``Jade.''

His total fee of $4.5 million will set a record for a screenplay, Variety said.

Darden is co-producing the movie of his best-selling book on the Simpson trial, ``In Contempt.''

Darden and co-producer Steve Tisch have signed Oscar-winning writer Abby Mann to adapt the script. Mann recently won Emmy awards for his HBO TV film, ``Indictment: The McMartin Trial.''

Shapiro, author of his own book on the Simpson case, plans to take an active role in production of the Russian mafia epic, according to Eszterhas and producer Mario Kassar. Both plan to travel to Moscow and Europe to meet with crime bosses.

``I will rely on his creativity, street smarts and his negotiating expertise as we deal with Russian officials and crime figures,'' Eszterhas said of Shapiro.

Variety, known for its catchy headlines, gave a tongue-in-cheek spin to the story with: ``Shapiro Consigliere to `Evil.' ''

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Photo: (1-3) Impromptu support

After dashing onto the st age, 25-year union member Gloria Caoile does a little dance and then hugs President Clinton before he continues a speech Friday at a national convention for a government workers union in Chicago.

Associated Press