James Brady

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was on the phone to East Hampton, chatting with James Brady about his new novel, "Gin Lane." It's set in the Hamptons, a place he certainly knows something about, and is filled with all sorts of glamorous, real-life characters. But what I really wanted to know was Jim's secret for compressing celebrity lives into 550-word profiles in Parade magazine. The 12-year-old weekly column is called "In Step With." How does he do it?"I try to focus on the single one or two things that I hadn't known before," said Jim, 69. "And I try to get that up very close to the top of the story.

James T. Brady, former secretary of the state's Department of Business and Economic Development, has joined the board of directors at spice giant McCormick & Co. Inc. of Sparks.Brady, who resigned from his job as secretary in April, sits on numerous boards and serves as a consultant to the Johns Hopkins University."I think McCormick is a first-rate company and I enjoy being involved in strategic policy-making," Brady said. "McCormick is aggressively pursuing strategic alliances all around the world and hopefully I can be helpful in some of that strategizing."

THE LATE HARRY "Soft Shoes" McGuirk might have called him Diamond Jim in the political rough.The political ruminations of Maryland's former economic development boss, James T. Brady, remind many of 1978, when Harry R. Hughes rose from obscurity to victory by near acclamation. In the midst of a gubernatorial campaign which seems somnolent, Brady's water-testing this year is provocative.It was Senator McGuirk of the Stonewall Democratic Club in Baltimore who, in 1978, called Hughes a lost ball in tall grass.

Lalit H. Gadhia, who is under investigation for possible violation of campaign finance laws, resigned two months ago from his job at the state's economic development agency, state officials said yesterday.Mr. Gadhia resigned June 30 as assistant secretary for the international division at the former Department of Economic and Employment Development. His resignation was not unexpected.He had taken an unpaid leave from the $80,000-a-year job in May after a report in The Sun questioned whether he had broken federal laws in raising money for a political action committee that promotes the interests of Indian-Americans.

HAVRE De GRACE -- ''Merry Christmas, little Maryland!'' exclaims the pink-cheeked elf with the state police bodyguards. ''Do I have some wonderful gifts for you!'' And indeed he does. Parris Glendening is outdoing himself this year as Father Christmas. Let us open his packages.The first contains a brand-new competitiveness costume, just crafted for Maryland by the governor's very own appointees. It's an entrancing little creation made mostly of smoke and mirrors, all tied together with slogans about lower taxes and less onerous regulations.

WASHINGTON -- James Brady scanned the room with a professional eye and decided it was going to be a big day.There were 18 TV cameras set up in the House Judiciary Committee hearing room, and the number of cameras you attract in this town is one measure of your success.The last time James Brady was pushing the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act on Capitol Hill, only about eight cameras showed up.And members of the congressional leadership, who are critical for the bill's passage, were conspicuous in their absence.

WASHINGTON -- Once again, crunch time is approaching on the Brady bill, the legislation that would impose a five-day waiting period on the sale of handguns while a check is made to determine that the prospective buyer has no criminal record. And its strongest advocates are worried that once again, despite overwhelming public support, it may fall between the cracks for lack of a major push by President Clinton, who says he favors it.The bill, named for James Brady, former President Ronald Reagan's press secretary severely wounded in the 1981 attempt on Reagan's life, has been before Congress for six years.

No thoughtful television viewer can avoid wondering about the link between the medium's preoccupation with violence and the rise of violent crime in society.Sarah Brady suggests that Hollywood is therefore an appropriate target for lobbying aimed at reducing TV's gunplay.Brady is the wife of James Brady, the press secretary to President Ronald Reagan seriously wounded in a 1981 Washington assassination attempt on his boss. She spoke to a Temple Oheb Shalom audience in Baltimore last week about the gun control effort of which she has become a national champion.

LOS ANGELES -- About 15 years ago, Beau Bridges was in a coffee shop on Ventura Boulevard when a robber "put a gun between my eyes. I've never forgotten it. He went in the back, and I jumped up and sped out of the place and got the police."Mr. Bridges was lucky that day, but on March 30, 1981, James Brady was not. His life was changed forever when he stepped into the path of a bullet intended for the president of the United States.Mr. Bridges stars as Mr. Brady in "Without Warning: The James Brady Story," chronicling the true story of the former presidential press secretary, from his rise in politics to his critical injury to his triumphant recovery.

Let it be said up front: Beau Bridges' performance is simply extraordinary in "Without Warning: The James Brady Story," the high-profile world premiere cable movie about the feisty press secretary shot in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan. (The HBO film premieres at 9 p.m. tomorrow on the premium network.)Joan Allen may even be better as Mr. Brady's wife, Sarah, whose crusade for gun control recently resulted in the House of Representatives' passage of the so-called "Brady Bill" that would require a waiting period for purchasers of handguns.

JAMES BRADY, 80 Columnist specialized in celebrities James Brady, the Parade magazine celebrity columnist whose wide-ranging career also included novels, a memoir of his Korean War service and a stint as publisher of the fashion bible Women's Wear Daily, died Monday at his Manhattan home. The cause of death was not disclosed. Mr. Brady wrote the celebrity profile column "In Step With" for Parade for nearly 25 years. He also was credited with initiating the New York Post's popular Page Six gossip section when he worked for publisher Rupert Murdoch in the 1970s.

James T. Brady, former secretary of the state's Department of Business and Economic Development, has joined the board of directors at spice giant McCormick & Co. Inc. of Sparks.Brady, who resigned from his job as secretary in April, sits on numerous boards and serves as a consultant to the Johns Hopkins University."I think McCormick is a first-rate company and I enjoy being involved in strategic policy-making," Brady said. "McCormick is aggressively pursuing strategic alliances all around the world and hopefully I can be helpful in some of that strategizing."

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was on the phone to East Hampton, chatting with James Brady about his new novel, "Gin Lane." It's set in the Hamptons, a place he certainly knows something about, and is filled with all sorts of glamorous, real-life characters. But what I really wanted to know was Jim's secret for compressing celebrity lives into 550-word profiles in Parade magazine. The 12-year-old weekly column is called "In Step With." How does he do it?"I try to focus on the single one or two things that I hadn't known before," said Jim, 69. "And I try to get that up very close to the top of the story.

THE LATE HARRY "Soft Shoes" McGuirk might have called him Diamond Jim in the political rough.The political ruminations of Maryland's former economic development boss, James T. Brady, remind many of 1978, when Harry R. Hughes rose from obscurity to victory by near acclamation. In the midst of a gubernatorial campaign which seems somnolent, Brady's water-testing this year is provocative.It was Senator McGuirk of the Stonewall Democratic Club in Baltimore who, in 1978, called Hughes a lost ball in tall grass.

HAVRE De GRACE -- ''Merry Christmas, little Maryland!'' exclaims the pink-cheeked elf with the state police bodyguards. ''Do I have some wonderful gifts for you!'' And indeed he does. Parris Glendening is outdoing himself this year as Father Christmas. Let us open his packages.The first contains a brand-new competitiveness costume, just crafted for Maryland by the governor's very own appointees. It's an entrancing little creation made mostly of smoke and mirrors, all tied together with slogans about lower taxes and less onerous regulations.

Lalit H. Gadhia, who is under investigation for possible violation of campaign finance laws, resigned two months ago from his job at the state's economic development agency, state officials said yesterday.Mr. Gadhia resigned June 30 as assistant secretary for the international division at the former Department of Economic and Employment Development. His resignation was not unexpected.He had taken an unpaid leave from the $80,000-a-year job in May after a report in The Sun questioned whether he had broken federal laws in raising money for a political action committee that promotes the interests of Indian-Americans.

WASHINGTON -- Once again, crunch time is approaching on the Brady bill, the legislation that would impose a five-day waiting period on the sale of handguns while a check is made to determine that the prospective buyer has no criminal record. And its strongest advocates are worried that once again, despite overwhelming public support, it may fall between the cracks for lack of a major push by President Clinton, who says he favors it.The bill, named for James Brady, former President Ronald Reagan's press secretary severely wounded in the 1981 attempt on Reagan's life, has been before Congress for six years.

WASHINGTON -- James Brady scanned the room with a professional eye and decided it was going to be a big day.There were 18 TV cameras set up in the House Judiciary Committee hearing room, and the number of cameras you attract in this town is one measure of your success.The last time James Brady was pushing the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act on Capitol Hill, only about eight cameras showed up.And members of the congressional leadership, who are critical for the bill's passage, were conspicuous in their absence.

No thoughtful television viewer can avoid wondering about the link between the medium's preoccupation with violence and the rise of violent crime in society.Sarah Brady suggests that Hollywood is therefore an appropriate target for lobbying aimed at reducing TV's gunplay.Brady is the wife of James Brady, the press secretary to President Ronald Reagan seriously wounded in a 1981 Washington assassination attempt on his boss. She spoke to a Temple Oheb Shalom audience in Baltimore last week about the gun control effort of which she has become a national champion.

LOS ANGELES -- About 15 years ago, Beau Bridges was in a coffee shop on Ventura Boulevard when a robber "put a gun between my eyes. I've never forgotten it. He went in the back, and I jumped up and sped out of the place and got the police."Mr. Bridges was lucky that day, but on March 30, 1981, James Brady was not. His life was changed forever when he stepped into the path of a bullet intended for the president of the United States.Mr. Bridges stars as Mr. Brady in "Without Warning: The James Brady Story," chronicling the true story of the former presidential press secretary, from his rise in politics to his critical injury to his triumphant recovery.