Trends, Las Vegas Sun, Dec. 30, 2002

Trends for Dec. 30, 2002 Lisa Ferguson Monday, Dec. 30, 2002 | 9:05 a.m. Sucking it up So, what are your plans for the remaining days of 2002? If you hosted company at your humble abode over the holidays, chances are there's a bit of cleanup work to be done on the sofa and carpets, courtesy of clumsy guests. Take comfort in knowing you're not alone: Vacuum-maker the Kirby Company recently polled exactly 734 of its customers about the type of holiday remnants they'll likely suck up with their vacuums. No big surprises here: Pine needles from bone-dry Christmas trees top the list, followed by glitter (we're guessing they don't mean regifted copies of Mariah Carey's box-office bomb of the same name), baking messes and broken tree ornaments. Shredded wrapping paper rounds out the top five items. The bottom half of the list is a bit more interesting: In sixth place is "Santa's leftover cookie crumbs" (who knew someone so jolly could be such a slob?); then it's fake-snow flocking; Styrofoam peanuts and other packing material; Christmas tree icicles; and, finally, fireplace ashes. Lay of the landmarks Maybe you'll hit the highway this week. Ah, thought you'd wait a week to travel, in hopes of missing the bulk of the holiday traffic that last week created nationwide yuletide bottlenecks. Wherever you're headed, Hampton hotels has a some suggestions for pit stops to make along the way and, surprisingly, none of them are the lodging company's inns. Since 1999 Hampton has been refurbishing roadside attractions throughout the country. This year the company compiled a list of a few of its wackiest examples worth taking a look at during winter road trips. Among them: Other landmarks spruced up by Hampton's volunteer labor staff include a 70-year-old gas station on the Illinois leg of Route 66, and bell markers at old California missions. Meanwhile, if you're on the road and happen to spot an attraction in serious need of some TLC, you can nominate it for Hampton's Save-A-Landmark program by visiting hamptoninn.com. For their efforts, nominators have the chance to win a pair of children's toys. Wheeling 'em in If you do hit the road, especially after imbibing in honor of the new year, be sure to rely on a designated driver to get you and others home safe and sound. Say you could choose a celebrity to drive you home on New Year's Eve. To which screen star would you gladly hand over the keys to your ride? That was the question posed to more than 1,000 adults in a recent survey sponsored by of all companies beer maker Anheuser-Busch. Actor/racing enthusiast/pasta-sauce king Paul Newman was the pick for 36 percent of those surveyed. He was tailgated in the results by "Two Weeks Notice" star Sandra Bullock, who nabbed 34 percent of the votes (hey, if she could handle the "Speed" bus, an AMC Pacer should be piece of cake). Funny man Eddie Murphy got the green light from 19 percent of respondents, followed by Tom Cruise (15 percent), Jennifer Lopez (17 percent) and Jennifer Aniston (17 percent). "Friends," it seems really don't let friends drive drunk. Lisa Ferguson's Trends column appears Mondays in the Sun. Reach her at lmsferguson@yahoo.com. archive