Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Fri, May 1 1992 Date: Fri, 1 May 92 05:15:09 EDT Message-ID: 05-01 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update May 1-3, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MOVIE SPARKS DOG RUN: Hollywood's dog du jour these days is the St. Bernard, thanks to the movie "Beethoven." In fact, the owner and trainer of the dog who plays Beethoven for most of the flick says he's been inundated with requests for "paw-tographs." Interview requests have come from as far away as the Netherlands and Austria. At pet shops, many across the USA say they have started St. Bernard waiting lists. JAZZ-POP IS FOR GROWN-UPS: Lately the jazz-pop music scene seems to bear a sign, "For Adults Only." The phenomenal success of Natalie Cole and Harry Connick Jr. has ushered in a new wave of retro standards-bearers, performers who specialize in music for grown-ups. Out now are debuts that record labels hope could be the next Connick, including crooners Mary Cleere Haran and Holly Cole with small combos. COUNTRY RATINGS CLIMB: First-quarter ratings for Gaylord Entertainment Company's two cable networks, The Nashville Network and Country Music Television, are evidence of country's increasing popularity. TNN saw a 20% jump in prime-time viewing households in the first quarter over last year's first quarter. CMT, a video network, outpaced MTV and VH-1 in time spent watching by viewers on the total day basis. ENTRY-LEVEL MARKET SPARSE: About this time last year, desperation set in among college students as companies continued to cut back on hiring. Now this year looks worse than last. Experts say they haven't seen a job market this bad for college graduates in more than 30 years. Some students are retreating to graduate or law school, entering the Peace Corps or giving up altogether. `NEVER SEEN A TOUGHER MARKET': College placement directors urge exiting students to try even harder to find work in bad times, but they can't blame them for feeling overwhelmed. "I've never seen a tougher market for college grads," says Northwestern University's Victor Lindquist, a 34-year veteran. Northwestern's annual survey of hiring trends for college graduates shows hiring is down at least 30% from 1989. OUTPATIENT SURGERY SOARS: Outpatient surgeries outnumbered inpatient procedures at community hospitals for the first time in 1990, says a report from the American Hospital Association. Of 22 million surgeries, more than 11 million were same-day outpatient procedures, up dramatically from 3 million in 1980. The increase is driven by better technology and health insurers attracted to the lower cost. PRACTICE LEAVES THE HOSPITAL: Increasingly popular outpatient care - up to 11 million surgeries in 1990 from 3 million a decade before - has gone even farther from the hospital into separate doctor's offices. A recent federal report found that 30 million simple surgeries are done in clinics, which may need only a business license. APPLE LEADS THE WAY: At the Consumer Electronics Show later this month, Apple Computer will show off its latest advance in computers, a one-pound, 6-by-8-inch, hand-held device that easily recognizes handwriting. Analysts who have seen "Newton" say it's the biggest advance in computers in years, mainly because of price and weight. BROKERS TURN TO INCENTIVES: Would-be homebuyers may just be able to get such extras as a free trip or gold coins just for looking. Real-estate agents these days need buyers more than anything else. The industry has all he other ingredients for a terrific season: Plenty of houses on the market, mortgage rates below 9% and an economy that's growing stronger every day. CABLE INDUSTRY AIMS FOR VIEWERS: The cable television industry will unveil a host of new lures designed to hook viewers - like a 24-hour Game Channel and take-along caddy for remote controls - at its annual convention starting Sunday in Dallas. Spread throughout the convention gathering will be talk of congressional efforts to hold down viewers' cable rates and to make the industry pay for local TV signals. COSMETICS ARE COPIED: The knockoff business marches on, according to the May issue of allure magazine. The latest field: Cosmetics. Skin Research Laboratories takes popular skin-care products such as The Body Shop's Peppermint Foot Lotion - and copies them. Most product formulas aren't copyright and those that are can be gotten around by substituting the same chemical by a different manufacturer. LIPS LIGHTEN UP: Startlingly red lipcolor has been the color of choice for several seasons, but the industry appears to be shifting to a more natural look with a light beige-pink. The effect is meant to be sexily bare. One such color: Revlon's Naturally Nude. Trends & Marketing Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM