Celebrities

BOB HOPE, the ski-nosed Santa Claus who saves all of his goodies for American troops serving in the war zones, "tooled up" his sleigh and began winging across the sky yesterday on his way to Southeast Asia.

Baseball in the United States has little chance of being toppled from its "national pastime" status and the major leagues can stand by for World Series-type competition from abroad, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio said here Thursday.

If the spectacular musical performance of The New Power Generation music group is any indication of what to expect from concerts for 1996, hold on to your hats for a refreshing and heart rocking year.

Muppeteer Jim Henson, whose fantasy-world characters changed the face of television, says it could stand more change and should stop using violence as a crutch to prop up viewer interest.

Television personality Hugh Downs went to the roof of a Tokyo department store Saturday to do one of the last shows on his nine-year "Today" program, firmly denying that he is giving up the video screen for good.

Was this a millionaire entertainer, music publisher and landowner? Where were the dark glasses, the Italian silk suit, the loose handshake and the flashy, backslapping demeanor?