Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, July 17, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, July 17, 2000 | 9:06 a.m.

Happy birthday

Oh, 2000 is turning out to be a special year indeed.

Just when you thought the start of the 21st century couldn't get any more exciting, we're here to inform you that it's also the 35th anniversary of one of the tackiest of all American icons -- the Lava lamp.

Haggerty Enterprises, Inc., which produces the cheesy-but-wildly popular lamps, is celebrating. The company, based in Chicago, has complied a list of "random facts" about the oozing Lava-brand lights:

* More Lava lamps were sold in the 1990s than were sold during the '60s, '70s and '80s combined.

* Lava lamps can be seen most every night on prime-time television.

* There are more than 100 styles and color combinations of Lava lamps.

* The largest Lava lamp on the market is the "Giant" model, which stands 27 inches tall.

* Employees of Haggerty Enterprises, Inc., take an oath of secrecy upon being hired, so that the inner workings of Lava lamps remain a mystery.

For more Lava lamp information, check out the company's website, www.lavaworld.com.

The write stuff

So, you think it's easy cranking out one of these Trends columns each week, huh? That the witty one-liners flow effortlessly from my fingertips and onto the page you're manhandling right now?

OK, maybe you don't think that, but apparently author Monica McCabe Cardoza does. The former New York Times Syndicate editor has penned the book "You Can Write a Column" (F&W Publications, $12.99).

Among her nuggets of knowledge: "Certainly, columns are only as strong as their writer's ideas -- and columnists need a lot of ideas." (You don't say?)

In the book she offers up exercises to "expand your range of topics and ideas" (as though any columnist has either of those just hanging around). Need a headline? "Puns work well." She suggests titling a column about art thieves "Raiders of the Lost Art."

We suggest actually writing the column before fretting over the headline. But what do we know?

Not for a million dollars

Still attempting to win the "fastest-finger challenge" on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"? Soon, at least, you'll have the game show's soundtrack to listen to while you're trying.

"Who Wants to Be A Millionaire: The Album!" hits store shelves Aug. 1 and will feature a dozen tunes "inspired" by the show, including "I Want to Be a Millionaire," penned by Grammy Award-winning songwriter David Foster, "Goldfinger" (Shirley Bassey), "You Got It" (Roy Orbison), "For the Love of Money" (O'Jays), "Money (That's What I Want)" (Barrett Strong) and "Call Me" by Blondie (think "life lines").

Host Regis Philbin's "final answer"? His 1968 cover of "Pennies From Heaven."