LYNDA Carter says she’s never used the Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth on her two children, now teens. “I don’t think it would work on them. But,” referring to President Bush, the talkative actress adds, “I’ve often thought how nice it would be during this administration if it worked.”
Carter and her family live in Washington, D.C., where you can’t help getting political. “I don’t really care who the president has sex with. But I do care about being lied to about important things,” she says. “Lie to me about sex – everyone lies about who they have sex with. It’s not about war and killing people.”
Over a lunch of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich (which she insists on sharing), Carter talks about being in town to get ready for her New York cabaret debut tomorrow night at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency.
There’s no theme to her show. “I hate themes,” she says, mentioning some of the songs she’ll sing: ” ‘Deed I Do,” “God Bless the Child,” “Put the Blame on Mame,” plus some James Taylor and Willie Nelson. And a whole lot of stories – talking, which she does well.
Political talk spills out – she’s a big Hillary supporter.
“I am on my high horse,” she declares. “And here I am talking to a reporter, and my husband – who’s been around politics all his life – would say, ‘Oh my God. You didn’t say that.’ ”
But her husband, Washington lawyer Robert Altman, can’t complain. Carter stood by her man when he was arrested and tried on charges related to the BCCI banking scandal. He was acquitted.
She beams over her kids – her 19-year-old son is in college, and she’s preparing to head to the Midwest for parents weekend; her daughter is 17 and “would rather be caught dead” than ever dress as Wonder Woman for Halloween.
But Carter doesn’t mind talking about the defining role she played on TV from 1975 to 1979, and that star-spangled, form-fitting, tiara-topped costume that made her every American boy’s dream girl.
She’s 56, and it’s still easy to see why the 5-foot-9 Carter was declared the most beautiful woman in the world by the International Academy of Beauty and the British Press Organization in 1978.
“I was a pioneer,” Carter laughs, demurely dressed in a Valentino shirt sweater, Loro Piana pants, Escada cashmere jacket and Chanel shoes.
She still has the costume but refuses to reveal its whereabouts. “It’s in a secret vault, and it’s circling overhead in an invisible plane,” she says.
“The last time I took the Wonder Woman costume out was for each of my children’s career day show-and-tell.”
It didn’t mean a thing to her young kids, but the others were entranced.
“One of them asked my son, ‘God, what’s it’s like to have your mom be this famous actress?’ And my son kind of looks up at me, and he goes, ‘Well, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.’ ”
Since she quit fighting the bad guys on TV, Carter has taken up rowing to keep in shape. You can see her sculling on the Potomac.
Imagine that: Wonder Woman, on the water in Washington, keeping in shape and trying to keep the ship of state from foundering.
Lynda Carter sings tomorrow through Saturday at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, Park Avenue at 61st Street; (212) 339-4095.