BACK IN PURPLE

Out of the blue, the Purple One called Wendy Melvoin, his old nemesis in Prince and the Revolution, and invited her to come to a rehearsal in L.A. for a benefit, which turned out to be TV's "The Tavis Smiley Show." After years of estrangement, she hung out with Prince and his current band for two hours, and practiced "Reflection," a new tune. "The next day, it was just him and me [on TV], and he was gorgeous," Wendy told I.W. "He was the guy I knew when I first met him." (J.B.)