IN THE COUNTRY: Several country music stars...

IN THE COUNTRY: Several country music stars objected loudly to working with a scantily clad female dance troupe employed by a Disney production team for an upcoming TV special, “Best of Country ‘92,� taped in Nashville last week. The staunchest protest came from Mary-Chapin Carpenter, who, according to eyewitness reports, at first refused to participate in the show after catching a glimpse of the Bad Girl Dancers. Carpenter relented after a tense war of words that included threats of a lawsuit against her for breach of contract.

But later, Garth Brooks also balked at allowing the dancers to perform while he sang. He agreed to perform only if the dancers--originally clad in leather bikini tops and fringed short-shorts--changed into denim and Western shirts. A quick run to a local jeans store took care of that, and the show went on.