Flashes: August 27, 1993

IF SHE WERE A CARPENTER: Add matchmaker to Grammy winner Mary-Chapin Carpenter's list of credits. Last year Linda Pruitt, 40, a divorced single mom and a dead ringer for Carpenter, placed a personal ad in the Seattle Weekly that used the titles of Carpenter's songs. ''I feel lucky,'' read the ad. ''Mary-Chapin Carpenter look-alike looking for you...Come on.'' Says Pruitt, ''I decided to plagiarize her songs because people stop me on the street to say, 'Do you know who you look like?''' The ad attracted the attention of Jim Soules, 50, director of a nonprofit organization and a Carpenter fan. After a six-month courtship, the couple became engaged and celebrated backstage at Carpenter's recent Seattle concert. ''I told her how we'd met,'' says Pruitt, ''and she said, 'Oh, God, that's a great idea! Maybe I should've tried that myself!''' The couple will marry Aug. 29, and plans to use another of Carpenter's songs, ''I Take My Chances,'' among others, during the reception.
— Tim Appelo

ROCKY ROAD: If you like Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, then you'll love Peanut Butter and Pearl Jam ice cream, which Dankens, a Seattle-based ice cream maker, wants to put on the market. Last spring, Dankens whipped up 3,800 pints of the frozen concoction — without the band's permission — and sold out faster than Eddie Vedder and company's last Seattle concert. Since then, Dankens founder Dan Samson has been trying to persuade the group to let him make more. ''They have a problem with ice cream,'' says Samson, who would contribute 10 percent of the profits to charity. While Pearl Jam decides whether it wants to be a just dessert, Samson may be forced to concoct other alternative flavors, like Mudhoney Fudge Crunch and Pralines in Chains. Predicts Samson, ''I'll bet Nirvanilla will make it eventually.''
— TA

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: When Lollapalooza left Houston, it was the show's security guards — not Alice — who were in chains. Three guards working the festival were charged with assault for roughing up reporters at the July 31 concert. If convicted, they face fines of up to $2,000. According to Connie Campbell-Gott, a camerawoman for the local ABC affiliate, the crews were preparing to do a live broadcast when guards climbed aboard the TV trucks, shoved camerapeople and reporters aside, and unplugged one station's equipment, causing the live broadcast to go to black. ''There was no explanation. It was completely unprovoked,'' says Campbell-Gott. Lollapalooza officials say that because the tour just ended and staff members are scattered, they can't immediately address the complaints. ''There are various people involved,'' says Cathy Watson, a Lollapalooza representative. ''We'll be looking into it.''
— Jessica Shaw

DOING IT THEIR WAY: Although Sean Penn is reportedly annoyed that the trailer for Carlito's Way features too little Penn and too much Al Pacino, the two high-strung actors worked well together on the set of the gangster chronicle. ''They're not that different,'' says producer Michael Bregman. ''They're both very intense.'' Surprisingly, Bregman says that when it comes to Method, Penn may be the real master. ''Al is Al,'' says Bregman, ''but Sean would come to the set early, go into his dressing room, and come out completely in character. This was definitely not the time to ask whether he wanted veal or pasta for lunch.''
— Cindy Pearlman

SHOP TALK: Being a star has its advantages — especially when an airline loses your luggage. After Sharon Stone's bags were misplaced on an evening flight from Los Angeles to Chicago last month, Stone had to quickly find herself some threads for the Planet Hollywood premiere party that she was scheduled to attend that same evening. ''At 8:30 on Sunday night, we got this emergency call,'' says a saleswoman at Boogies Diner of Aspen, a clothing store in Chicago's Gold Coast. ''Our staff was asked if we could possibly pick out a couple of things for Sharon Stone. I thought it was a prank.'' Assured it was the real thing, the salespeople selected three pairs of Levi's (a slim 28'' waist, 34'' inseam), which Stone later paired with a black tank top. What happened to the lost luggage? ''I'm still not sure if it was found,'' says Stone's publicist.
— CP