The Fame People

This unwieldly and uninspired saga of the super-rich by prolific Chaplin ( Another City ) chronicles the lives of the powerful Cavershams. Beginning in the mid-1960s, it careens along at a breakneck pace, veering out of control as it crams a vast array of exotic characters into an incredible number of unbelievable situations. Margery Caversham, British aristocrat and four-time Oscar-winning actress, still mourns her late husband, Dino de Stephano, once a poor boy from the slums of Naples, who was Vice President of the U.S. when he was assassinated. She carries on a bitterly fought vendetta against Jane Kirkland, a talented, decent, trend-setting young actress who has enraged Margery by marrying her son Alex. Margery's arrogant, sadistic daughter Kay possesses unappeasable sexual appetites that appall (and intrigue) some of the wealthiest men and women in Europe. Charlotte, Kay's sister, works in the slums of New York but quickly abandons her altruistic pursuits to chase a world-renowned conductor. The freewheeling lifestyle of the Caversham clan, breathlessly documented right down to each designer label, covers the globe and includes cameo appearances by foreign superstars, aging royalty, the Mafia and leftist terrorists. (June)