Sharon Improving
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's doctors say his condition continues to improve after suffering a massive stroke last week. But he'll have to get much better before they let him co-host ABC's New Year's Rocking Eve with Dick Clark later this year.

Cabbie's New Home
A former New York cab driver who earned a fortune in Russian oil has bought a Fifth Avenue mansion for $40 million. The home will feature solid gold air freshener trees in every room.

Clemency Request
A 75 year-old California man on death row is asking for clemency saying that he's too old and sick to be executed. Yeah, you'd hate to go to all that trouble of arranging an execution and then have him die on you.

Opened Mail
The Customs Department now admits that U.S. officials do open personal mail arriving from abroad as part of the fight against terrorism, drugs, and the trafficking of bad vacation pictures.

New Singing Show
Fox is producing a new reality series from Simon Cowell called "Duets," where celebrities who can't sing will be teamed with professional singers. But there already is a show that does that every year, it's called "The Oscars."

Cough Syrup Warning
A medical group is advising people that over-the-counter cough syrups do nothing to cure coughs. And a patients' group is advising those doctors that people actually just use cough syrup for the buzz.

Belafonte Accusation
While visiting Venezuela this weekend, singer Harry Belafonte called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world." It's not clear now who's angrier at Belafonte, President Bush or Osama bin Laden.

NFL Nixes Levitra
The NFL won't renew its sponsorship deal with Levitra or other erectile-enhancing products, saying it fears the commercials may someday get too graphic for young viewers. Yeah, you never want to have sexy scenes getting in the way of kids seeing guys knocking each others heads in.

Black Hole Journey
Astronomers now say that the one-way journey from the heart of a galaxy into the oblivion of a black hole probably takes about 200,000 years. Really? I thought the flight from New York to Detroit was just two hours.