Trends for April 29, 2002

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, April 29, 2002 | 8:37 a.m.

Tiny bubbles

Las Vegas didn't see much in the way of those fabled April showers this month. But that wasn't enough to stop the folks at bubble-bath maker Calgon from playing off the tired, old cliche about soggy weather when presenting the results of its latest survey.

The company queried visitors to its website, takemeaway.com, and more than 4,000 college-age spring breakers in Panama City, Fla., this year about which celebrity is most in need of a shower.

And the loser, er, winner is ... Kid Rock. The future Mr. Pamela Anderson was given the nod by 89 percent of college students polled. For his efforts (or lack of them), the rocker will be awarded a Calgon gift pack featuring shower gel and body lotion.

Other celebs in need of some scrubbing bubbles, according to respondents, are rock 'n' roll bad girl Courtney Love, comedian (and Drew Barrymore's ex) Tom Green and "Training Day" co-star Ethan Hawke.

Another question posed in the survey was whether Americans would rather shower with a celebrity or their own significant other. Surprise 72 percent said they'd rather lather up with their mate.

Of course, if they had to choose a hottie with whom to share a shower, 44 percent of women would grab a bar of soap and head into the stall with Brad Pitt, followed by "Pearl Harbor" co-star Josh Hartnett (35 percent) and music heartthrobs Enrique Iglesias (11 percent) and Justin Timberlake (10 percent).

Forty-six percent of men, meanwhile, want to bathe with Britney Spears, followed by "Dawson's Creek" co-star Katie Holmes (25 percent), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar (16 percent) and "Dark Angel" temptress Jessica Alba (13 percent).

Spicing things up

We've already established that April didn't produce much wet stuff. But, if some California farmers have it their way, consumers will be drowning their food next month with a certain condiment: pimientos.

May, it seems, has been deemed the first annual Pimiento Month by the Golden State's governor's office, after growers of the peppers asked for the proclamation.

A Tennessee company called Dunbar's is the largest grower of pimientos in the nation and has been selling pimiento products since 1933. In honor of the month, the company is offering some trivia about the red bell pepper's mild cousin:

Apparently Christopher Columbus discovered the pimiento during his travels to the New World and toted it with him back to Spain. (Makes sense, then, that "pimiento" is the Spanish word for pepper.)

While you often see pimientos chopped into little bits, sliced in dishes or stuffed into green olives, it actually grows to about the same size as a standard bell pepper. How to tell the difference: look for the heart-shaped point on the bottom of a pimiento.

Bet you didn't know (and who would?) that there's more vitamin C in a fresh pimiento than in two oranges, and that they're rich in antioxidants.

Dunbar's is also sponsoring the "Taste of Home Sweet Discovery Pimiento Recipe Contest."

If you think you've got a smashing recipe for an appetizer, side or main dish featuring pimientos (especially using those brands packaged by Dunbar's Dromedary, O-sage or Sunshine, and not plucked from the center of olives) you could be the winner of $3,000.

To obtain an entry form (due by June 10), write in care of the contest to Susan Saylor of Creative Energy, 300 E. Main St. Suite 400, Johnson City, TN 37601.