Martha Stewart says she's proud to be a perfectionist

Martha Stewart has a reputation as a perfectionist _ and she's proud of it.

"It's the best rap," the home entertaining icon said in the October issue of O: The Oprah Magazine.

"I have proven that being a perfectionist can be profitable and admirable when creating content across the board: in television, books, newspapers, radio, video," she said.

Although she is a perfectionist in her business life, her personal life has not always been a success: She had a bitter break-up with her former husband.

"I'm sorry that my ex-husband and I are not friends. I'm sorry that I haven't spoken to him _ or he hasn't spoken to me _ for all these years," she said.

She also shared her regrets for having only one child, a daughter, now 34.

"I like children. I get along well with them. And why I made the decision with my husband (to have only one child), I have no idea. It was the stupidest decision," she said.

Oscar winner Schell hospitalized in Latvia

Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell was hospitalized for acute inflammation of the pancreas, doctors said Saturday.

The Austrian-born Schell, 69, abruptly left Friday night's opening ceremony of the Baltijas Perle film festival, where he was to be honored with an award for best male actor of the millennium. He complained of stomach pains, festival organizer Marina Lypchenko said.

Doctors at Gailezers Hospital said the actor's diabetes has destroyed nearly half of his pancreas, a gland behind the stomach that produces insulin.

Schell is conscious and in good spirits, said his physician, Dr. Sergei Zuralov. He is in a good enough condition to leave Latvia for medical care, or if he stays could have surgery as early as Sunday, Zuralov said.

Schell has appeared in dozens of films over the past four decades, including The Judgment at Nuremberg, for which he won a best actor Academy Award in 1961.

On beach, Burt Reynolds finds he's all washed up

Onetime Cosmopolitan centerfold Burt Reynolds admits his sex appeal just isn't what it used to be.

The 64-year-old actor tells TV Guide Online that when he was on location in Miami Beach shooting his latest film, The Crew, he and co-stars Richard Dreyfuss, Seymour Cassel and Dan Hedaya got the cold shoulder from the hot bathing beauties of South Beach.

"We were all gawking, and none of these ladies knew or cared who these old guys staring at them were," he says. "And we were all thinking, "When did that happen? Just yesterday, somebody would have cared. But nobody cares now.' "

Snipes claims fearlessness on and off the screen

Wesley Snipes says playing the fearless guy in the movies is not that much of a stretch.

The actor, whose current role in Art of War puts him in precarious situations, said he doesn't really fear anything.

"I'm most afraid of being afraid of anything," he said in Saturday's Daily News.

Snipes has played a ladies' man in some movies _ but he says he hasn't had too much in the way of female affection lately.

"I go through a monk stage, and I've been in one lately," he said, although he added: "I think this stage is going to end real soon."

Fans flock to country music star's garage sale

Fans had a field day at country music star Wynonna Judd's garage sale. A steady stream of cars Friday trickled in and out of Judd's estate south of Nashville, and pickings were already getting slim after the first few hours. The sale was scheduled to run through today.

Among the items for sale were stage clothing, shoes, books, furniture, Christmas decorations, household appliances and memorabilia. A restored 1949 Ford pickup truck was priced at $35,000.

"She knows a lot of neighbors might want some of the stuff," said spokeswoman Kerry Hansen.

_ Compiled from Times wires.