NEWS LITE : DANES' MOUTH GETS HER IN TROUBLE.

In a case of loose lips sinking flicks, Manila, the Philippine capital, might ban all of Hollywood actress Claire Danes' movies because of some nasty remarks she allegedly made about the city to U.S. magazines.

First, she set tongues wagging when she reportedly told Vogue magazine in April that Manila is a ``ghastly and weird city.'' That was dismissed as ``mere irresponsible statements of youth.''

But then she said in a recent interview with Premiere magazine that the city ``smelled of cockroaches, with rats all over and . . . there is no sewerage system and the people do not have anything - no arms, no legs, no eyes,'' said Councilor Kim Atienza. Well!

``Those are irresponsible, bigoted and sweeping statements that we cannot accept,'' said Atienza, the son of Manila's mayor. The Manila City Council is considering a resolution sponsored by Atienza to ban Danes' movies when it meets Tuesday.

Danes, who appeared in ``Romeo and Juliet,'' was in Manila early this year to shoot scenes for ``Brokedown Palace.''

Simpson nemesis Goldman fills in on radio talk show

Fred Goldman, whose son was slain with Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994, took to the airwaves in Phoenix for two hours as an ``activist for justice.''

Substituting for a local radio talk-show host on KFYI, the new Scottsdale resident spoke Tuesday with Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., and Arizona's attorney general about crime. He also talked with a local politician about a proposed tax for new jails.

He fielded calls from listeners about scandals involving President Clinton.

``I want to use the media to make a change, to shine light on issues that should be addressed,'' said Goldman, who earlier this year tried out for a slot as a radio host in Texas but didn't get the job.

Goldman has said the justice system failed him when O.J. Simpson was acquitted in the slayings of his son, Ronald, and Simpson's former wife. He said he moved from California to find some privacy.

Star power; Celebs issue appeal for Clinton support

Film stars and writers from around the world gathered Wednesday in Paris to launch an international appeal in support of President Clinton, calling him the victim of a ``fanatical prosecutor with unlimited power.''

Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall and Gerard Depardieu were among those who signed the petition. Others included Nobel Prize winners Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Desmond Tutu.

The appeal, excerpts of which appeared in the Le Monde daily newspaper, accused Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr of endangering democracy by upsetting the balance of power and by his ``flagrant intrusions'' into private life.

The signatories of the appeal said Clinton has been subjected to ``inquisitorial harassment by a fanatical prosecutor with unlimited power.''

``A statesman has only to account for his public actions before the public or the judicial system. All the rest is a matter of his conscience,'' the appeal stated.

Other prominent figures who signed the appeal included Clinton friend and author William Styron and German writer Gunter Grass, as well as actresses Vanessa Redgrave and Liv Ullmann.

Kidman red hot in `Blue Room'

Hollywood star Nicole Kidman, playing five characters in her London stage debut, won rave reviews Wednesday in David Hare's new play, ``The Blue Room.''

One minute she is opposite co-star Iain Glen playing a politician's wife trapped in a loveless marriage, the next she's a scantily clad prostitute whose clients include a taxi driver and an aristocrat, both played by Glen.

``The night is above all a personal triumph for Miss Kidman, an actress who, if you ask me, is totally wasted in movies,'' Christopher Tookey wrote in The Daily Mail.

The actress' superstar husband, Tom Cruise, watched from backstage Tuesday night as Kidman undertook half the roles in Hare's free adaptation of the Austrian play ``Reigen'' - better known as ``La Ronde'' - at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden.

The two-actor play is directed by Sam Mendes, whose current Broadway production of ``Cabaret'' won four Tony Awards in June. ``The Blue Room'' is expected to follow ``Cabaret'' to New York later this season, especially now that Kidman has received such positive reviews.

In other hands, Kidman's lineup of roles could seem self-conscious and a shade coy - and it was lost on no one that she bares considerably less of her body during the 100-minute play than her lesser-known Scottish colleague, Glen.

But the star of the movies ``To Die For'' and ``Batman Forever'' won over the opening night crowd with an unforced display of versatility.

Robert Gore-Langton, writing in The Daily Express, called Kidman ``not only lovely to look at but a talent to watch.''

Bodyguard suing in Princess Di crash

The sole survivor of the car crash that killed Princess Diana filed suit Wednesday against the Ritz Hotel and a car service, claiming they endangered the lives of others by failing to provide a licensed chauffeur.

Former bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones claims in his lawsuit that the management of the Ritz and Etoile-Limousine failed to provide a licensed driver for the 280S Mercedes-Benz sedan in which the princess was riding.

The driver of the car, Henri Paul, did not have the type of license required by law to drive the Mercedes, which Etoile-Limousine had provided to the Ritz.

Give the director old picture shows

Peter Bogdanovich longs for the days when actors were stars and the great directors left their mark on every film they made.

Bogdanovich, director of ``The Last Picture Show,'' said he thinks too many forgettable movies are made these days. Among the few ``old-fashioned stars'' left, he said, is Clint Eastwood.

``Most actors today are versatile, but they don't have that particular star quality that makes them unique,'' he told an audience Tuesday in Toledo, Ohio.

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

CAPTION(S):

7 photos

PHOTO (1 -- 4) Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Gerard Depardieu and Desmond Tutu were among the notables who met in Paris to appeal for support for President Clinton.

(5) Claire Danes

Films may be banned in Manila

(6) Rees-Jones

(7) Kidman