Man
of the Year: Jeff Bezos - "Amazon.com founder Jeff
Bezos, the young entrepreneur whose vision of a giant Internet
bookstore helped pioneer the global online shopping revolution, was
named on Sunday as Time magazine's Man of the Year..."
Kia
Ora! (Hello!) - So you think the millennium hype's getting
unbearable in the old U.S. of A., do you? Empire State building
parties, San Francisco Bay cruises, all-night street parties in New
Orleans...
This
Is It - We're in New Zealand, anxiously awaiting the dawn of
the New Millennium. There is the big question, of course, that is on
everyone's mind here… How do you go about cramming 2,000 years of
history into 3 hours of theater on a 200-foot stage?
First
Night 2000, and Beyond - Can you celebrate New Year's Eve
1999/2000 without drinking yourself silly? Can you take the kids
out, maybe even grandma, for a couple of hours before you drink
yourself silly? Can you do either of these if you're in New Zealand,
land of the shrinking drinking age and rare-but-existent 24-hour
bars?
Charles
Schulz Retires - "It's the end of
an era: Charles Schulz, creator of the world-famous Peanuts comic
strip, is retiring. The 77-year-old cartoonist, who was recently
diagnosed with colon cancer, issued a statement on Tuesday saying he
wants to focus on his health and his family. For nearly five
decades, Schulz drew the escapades of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy
and a host of other lovable and quirky characters. Peanuts debuted
on October 2, 1950, and now appears in more than 2,600 newspapers
around the world. Schulz has drawn enough strips to last until
mid-February..." (in
Real Audio)
Silent
Movies Return to Hollywood - Silent movies have not been at the
cutting edge of filmmaking for quite some time, but Hollywood has
not forgotten them. The Silent Movie Theater has reopened in Los
Angeles, thanks to a young entrepreneur's discovery of his passion
for silent film stars. The theater first opened in 1942, when silent
films were already classics. The aging stars would come to watch.
For nearly 50 years, the theater was a force in preserving and
presenting silent movies. It changed hands once, and closed about
three years ago after the murder of the manager. Now, the 250-seat
theater has new, gold-velvet walls and plush upholstery. But one
thing hasn't changed: The set of movie buffs eager for some
Hollywood history. Hear more as NPR's Robert Smith reports for All
Things Considered. (in
Real Audio) 
CELEBS
STOCK UP BY TOUTING .COMS - "It's the latest must-have
among the celebrity set: the exclusive sponsorship deal with an
emerging Internet company. William Shatner got things going when he
signed on to do ads for Priceline.com, and today it's hard to find
an Internet company that doesn't have a celebrity hawking its
products and services..."
