Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Headline Article Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 15:30:30 EST Message-ID: \SE E;LIFE;MERRIE-GO-ROUND \BY Merrie Morris \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES THE BIG TIME: WJLA Channel 7 evening news anchor Renee Poussaint is moving to prime time - specifically ABC News' "Primetime Live" program. Effective Dec. 1, Renee will be a correspondent for the 3-year-old news magazine co-anchored by Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson. Renee joined WJLA in 1978, and before that was here in Washington as a corrspondent for CBS. Highly visible and seemingly always willing to help out at charity events, she's won seven local Emmys and been awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Georgetown University. SHORT AND SWEET: Two months from today, in front of an expected 250,000 people, Mr. Clinton will take the oath of office. Maybe Hillary, whom he apparently listens to, better remind him to keep his inaugural address short. The fates don't look kindly on those who drone on - and on and on. President William Henry Harrison gave the longest inaugural address ever - two hours in rain and sleet. He caught cold and was dead a month later. Cardinal Cushing gave the invocation at John F. Kennedy's inaugural - praying on and on until the lectern caught fire. "Some wags said it was a sign from God to shut up," says Andrew Cosentino, curator of the Library of Congress' exhibit on presidential inaugurals. The exhibit, in the Madison Building foyer through Feb. 21, gives inaugural planners a chance to drop by and see what can go wrong - and right. Inaugurals always have been solemn affairs, Mr. Cosentino says, and surprisingly little ever goes awry other than the occasional overlong speech. It's only when a president has to be sworn in unexpectedly that the ceremony is less than smooth. After James Garfield's death, Chester A. Arthur took the oath of office at his lavish home in New York. The ceremony was so rushed, no one had time to find a Bible for him to rest his hand on. LOBBYIST ALERT: Those hoping to peddle influence to the Clinton administration might just stop by Bice restaurant Monday night. They don't serve catfish - yet - but they're having a little party for the Clinton transition team. The big names aren't expected; this one's for the worker bees. DISCOUNT "SEX": Madonna's book, "Sex," has been removed from two Austin, Texas, public libraries. Not because of content but because of wear and tear. In spite of the Mylar bag and $49.95 price tag, the book's spiral binders just don't hold up. Should the librarians decide to replace the worn picture books, they probably can get the new ones at a discount. Just about everyone else can. Locally, supplies are plentiful - enough to satisfy the Christmas demand, says Waldenbooks - and "Sex" can be bought for far less than the cover price. Crown Books discounts it to $30 and keeps a copy behind the register for free peeks. (The catch: You have to be 18 in Virginia and 21 in Washington to see it, though you don't have to be that old to work for Crown.) Nearly every place carrying the book - including Waldenbooks and Tower Records - has marked it down by at least $10 or $15, standard for best sellers. And "Sex" remains No. 1 in nonfiction this week, Publishers Weekly reports. Even the Book of the Month Club offers "Sex" in select areas. "I can tell you we didn't send it to our customers in the Bible Belt," club spokeswoman Colleen Murphy says. THE SHOW MUST GO ON: Elizabeth Taylor is still following doctor's orders to take it easy. She was forced to cancel appearances through this year to fight off another attack of pneumonia, which nearly killed her two years ago. But Liz still intends to supply the voice for little Maggie when "The Simpsons' " baby says her first words on the Dec. 3 show. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM