Inside Track: Vaness Williams Dating Boy Toy Rick Fox

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

The Inside Ttrack is the Boston Herald's renowned gossip column.

              Vanessa to
              Fox-trot into Hub
              for dance fest
              by Gayle Fee and
              Laura Raposa

              10/30/98

              Voluptuous
              Vanessa Williams
              will be in town
              next week but she
              won't be bringing
              her current
              boy-toy,
              ex-Celtic Rick
              Fox. But don't
              worry, Fox fans,
              because we hear
              the "Dance With
              Me" star and the
              L.A. Laker are
              still making all
              the right moves.

              "We're as serious
              as two friends
              can be three
              months into a
              relationship,"
              Fox told the
              Track. "We're
              still getting to
              know each other."

              The two have been
              ever-so-close in
              the Big Apple
              this week where
              Rick, a players'
              rep, is trying to
              negotiate an end
              to the NBA
              lockout.

              "New York's not a
              bad city if you
              have someone to
              show you around,"
              Fox said.

              And, well,
              Vanessa is one
              attractive tour
              guide! The two
              met through
              supermodel Tyra
              Banks, whom Fox
              dated briefly
              after he
              literally fell
              into her lap
              during a Lakers
              game.

              "The first time I
              dove for a loose
              ball in five
              years," Fox
              joked. "I landed
              in her lap, then,
              later, someone
              hooked us up."

              One thing about
              moving to L.A. --
              the quality of
              Rick's dates has
              taken a quantum
              leap!

              Fox and Banks
              went out a couple
              of times, and,
              "the bottom line
              is we became
              friends," Rick
              said.

              Through Tyra,
              Rick met Vanessa.

              "I had always
              been an admirer
              of Vanessa for
              many reasons, and
              spending time
              with her only
              validated it," he
              said. "We only
              communicated by
              phone for a
              number of months
              and friendship
              developed. The
              lockout has given
              me more time.
              It's like an
              extended summer
              season."

              And, ergo, an
              extended summer
              romance!

              Luckily, Rick has
              a second job --
              you don't think
              Vanessa hangs out
              with the
              unemployed, do
              you??? He just
              finished filming
              "The Collectors,"
              with Casper Van
              Dien of "Starship
              Troopers" fame.

              Meanwhile, on
              Thursday, Vanessa
              will dance into
              Boston for the
              International
              DanceSport
              Championship II
              at Northeastern
              University's
              Matthews Arena.
              Then she'll
              hot-foot it back
              to the Big Apple
              to be with her
              man!

              File under: Foxy
              Lady.