The Diva Duo of Tennis Joins the Style Racket

Could tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, considered controversial by some because of their outspokenness, be the next fashion icons?

The sisters make their modeling debut on the cover of Elle magazine’s January issue, with a sexy spring fashion spread photographed by Gilles Bensimon and an article in which they talk about their personal style.

In addition, the pair, who won the doubles gold medal at the Sydney Olympics, signed a three-year deal last week with Avon Products Inc. to appear in the cosmetics company’s print and TV advertising campaigns.

The value of the contract--the first the Williams sisters have signed for cosmetics--was not disclosed.

Venus, 20, reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, singles Olympic gold-medal winner and the older of the two, recently signed an agreement with Wilsons Leather to create her own line of apparel. A spokesperson for the company would not divulge the dollar value of the three-year deal but said it was “seven figures.” The Venus Collection should appear in stores by next fall.

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Seems like Madonna isn’t the only one rumored to be marrying across the pond. British tabloids are reporting that Jennifer Lopez and Sean “Puffy” Combs are looking for places there to wed. Combs’ New York-based spokesperson, Natalie Moar, would not comment about the wedding reports.

Meanwhile, Combs is scheduled to stand trial in New York on Jan. 2 for alleged gun possession and bribery.

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Of course it’s hard to be sure about any indie projects, but this one, if it actually gets made, sounds like it could be hilarious. In the “documentary” style of “The Blair Witch Project,” a fledgling L.A. filmmaker is embarking on a nationwide search for Santa, departing on Christmas Day.

Christopher Morrison, 30, a visual effects producer who has worked with director Hype Williams (“Belly”) for two years, is self-financing the project. On his first road trip, which begins from Los Angeles, Morrison plans to interview eccentric Santa-like characters from Las Vegas to Seattle to North Pole, Alaska.

The trip will be the first of several he will make for the film, which he expects to complete by the end of 2001. Morrison said he plans to shoot footage at a Santa Claus college run by a department store in Sacramento, and in North Pole. The town’s Web site claims “live reindeer and Santa Claus himself are available for photographs year round.”

Morrison has been collecting anecdotes, newspaper clippings and TV news cassettes about Santa-like characters since he was in college. He said, “This film is about gathering information about the human spirit of America.”

“It’ll be a mix of ‘Blair Witch’ and ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ ” said Chris Bailey, 32, who is also working on the project.

You can follow their adventures online at https://www.santasearchers.com.

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Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.