You can say the world is shallow and vain these days, what with our fake tans and breast implants, but the truth is, we've always been that way.

In fact, when you see the lengths to which people used to go to make themselves look or smell a little better, it makes Botox look downright rational.

Comedian Bob Hope, whose career took him from stage to screen and to war zones, will remain in the hospital for at least a week while doctors perform tests and monitor his condition. Hope, 97, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Thursday for gastrointestinal bleeding, a condition common in elderly people and not considered life-threatening, according to spokesmen at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

One of the few glitches I heard of was someone returning a video rental a day late and the computer said the late fee was $92,000 and change. Heck, they could make "The Blair Witch Project" sequel for that and still have plenty left over. Comedian Chris Rock's take on Blair Witch: "They say they made that film for $59,000. Well, someone's out there walking around with $58,000 in his pocket." The most expensive props, other than having to buy the tent, was paying some crafts group to make those stick figures they found hanging in the woods.

Charles Schulz will retire Jan. 4 after nearly 50 years of drawing his Peanuts comic strip, his wife has confirmed.
The final strip will run on Jan. 3, 2000, according to United Media, the syndicate that distributes his strip. Schulz, 77, recently spent two weeks in a Santa Rosa hospital where he was diagnosed with colon cancer.