Trends for February 25, 2002

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Feb. 25, 2002 | 8:20 a.m.

Presley-ing issues

The holiday has passed, but still more Valentine's Day-themed items keep finding their way to the Trends desk. And, for the most part, they're too goofy to ignore.

The latest: Elvis underwear.

Calhoun Sportswear out of St. Catharines, Ontario, recently introduced its Elvis Valentine Wear line, featuring boxer shorts as well as tank tops (for women), T-shirts and key lanyards emblazoned with images of the King, and lines from his most recognizable tunes.

The bright yellow "Burning Love" boxers (that's what's printed across the elastic waistband) have flames on the legs, while the "Love Me Tender" shorts are speckled with lipstick kisses, similar to the "Can't Help Falling in Love" undies (which also come in solid black and sport a silhouetted Elvis in a pink heart very manly).

A handful of other styles are also available, and the Elvis gear can be ordered by calling (905) 688-6100 Ext. 228, or by visiting calhounsportswear.com.

Giving it up

OK, so we're willing to buy that Elvis unmentionables are enough to put some die-hard fans in a romantic mood. But would they abandon the Presley underpants for love?

What we're getting at here, folks, is the question recently posed to 1,000 Americans by the makers of, uh, personal lubricant K-Y Brand Liquid: What are you willing to give up for great sex?

The findings are pretty pathetic: Twenty-five percent of those polled "would give up a perfect body in exchange for eternally ground-moving sex." Meanwhile 11 percent would sacrifice a kidney "for the promise of flawless lovemaking."

The desperation parade marches on. Four percent of Americans would "relinquish their homes, a successful career and money."

Other results of the poll are less surprising. Eighteen percent of men want to have sex with "Vanilla Sky" co-star Cameron Diaz, followed by "I Am Sam's" Michelle Pfieffer (14 percent) and Tom Cruise's gal pal Penelope Cruz (11 percent).

Women, in case you were wondering, are still lusting after "ER"-ex George Clooney (19 percent), with "Pearl Harbor" hunk Josh Hartnett and Julia Roberts' former flame, Benjamin Bratt, tied for second place (9 percent), and "Ali" star Will Smith (7 percent) rounding out the list.

Nothing to fear?

Time to get our minds out of the gutter and into the skies. If only the latter was as pleasant a place to be these days.

It's no secret that scores of people are grappling with severe anxiety when it comes to flying the not-so-friendly skies in the wake of Sept. 11.

Protocol Communications, a company that offers marketing services, recently conducted an Internet survey of folks flying for business and pleasure purposes, to examine the impact of the attacks on their flight concerns and what could be done to quell travelers' fears.

Hijack prevention and baggage screening topped the list of fliers' safety concerns, and securing cockpit doors is the No. 1 source of reassurance for them, outweighing the option of "turning pilots into air marshals and having them carry guns."

While 35 percent of business travelers polled said the attacks "extremely" affected their business travel, 46 percent reported they are now frequently resorting to e-mail, conference calls (39 percent) and the Internet (38 percent) to get their work done rather than get on a plane.