NAMES IN THE NEWS

          Yankees manager JOE TORRE and N.Y. Daily News columnist
     MIKE LUPICA "are slated to play themselves" on an upcoming
     episode of ABC's "Spin City" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/22)....
     Knicks G ALLAN HOUSTON makes his acting debut in "Black &
     White," a film starring BEN STILLER, BROOKE SHIELDS, ROBERT
     DOWNEY JR. and CLAUDIA SCHIFFER.  Houston plays Schiffer's
     boyfriend (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/22)....GRANT HILL attended
     Friday's LARRY KING Cardiac Foundation gala with his fiance,
     singer TAMIA (USA TODAY, 11/23)....Hockey HOFer BOBBY HULL
     has filed a $27M libel suit against the Moscow Times and the
     Toronto Sun for "portraying him as a racist" earlier this
     year.  Hull "was quoted" as "endorsing" Adolf Hitler and
     also made comments "disparaging black Americans."  Hull said
     the unsubstantiated remarks caused him to lose endorsements
     with Molson, Canadian Tire and SI (TORONTO STAR, 11/21).