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A Hairy Prince

Anybody as devoted to grooming as Prince should probably have known that you don't go sleeveless without shaving those arm pits. Tufts of hair were noticeable on when he raised his arms in thanks to the "Ellen" audience last week. You say that guys don't shave their pits? Well, different rules apply to men who wear makeup and feminine coifs. Even if you missed Symbolina's manly display of body hair, his time on Ellen Degeneres' show was jarring. Who was this formerly reclusive, aloof musician pulling people out of the audience to come dance on stage with him? Jillian Alexander, a Twin Cities household engineer, called the Strib to ask whether I was looking at a TV. "This is so humorous. It's like he flipped a switch. Is this his happy twin? Did he find Prozac?" Long ago, Alexander had Princely encounters at Paisley Park and defunct nightclubs. "I saw him at Glam Slam, upstairs, and he wouldn't talk to you at all. You had to go through his bodyguard," she said. "If he didn't deem you presentable or good enough, he wouldn't talk to you." According to the March 1 Us Weekly, his new wife, Manuela Mani Testolini, has helped him blossom into a more normal human being in public. Testolini "worked as an assistant at his studio before his divorce from Mayte," writes Us, which also claims that Mani and Prince had a "Hawaiian wedding on New Year's Eve 2001." I thought he ended his marriage to Mayte because he didn't like contracts, which is what marriage is? "He's definitely in a happy space now. Mani is a really stable support system," a source told Us. We're happier to hear that than Prince may be to read what David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote. Browne didn't care for our aging rock stars' much-praised Grammy turn with Beyonce. "Best Performance by an Ex-Star Trying to Reignite His Career," wrote Browne, adding that Prince turned himself into an instant nostalgia item, "Purple Rain," purple suit, purple guitar, during the duet. BAM! I think "Condescension" is a better name for Prince's family-friendly 2004 tour being called "Musicology." As he told Jay Leno - with an "aren't I deep?" _expression on his face - this tour is about "Music before the ology." So he has decided that old music is the real thing, since he can't seem to come up with any radio-worthy new stuff. No matter. He's got a 20-year fan base that'll pay to watch Symbolina breathe. Good thing, too, since I can't image Prince would be so interested in touring and talk show talking if he didn't need the dough.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. Please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count -- if you expect her to read your e-mail; attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.