Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NEWS FLASH Attention, news buffs: if you've always dreamed of seeing your local TV news anchor naked, have we got a flash for you. This Friday, iN Demand pay-per-view television premieres Naked News TV, featuring an all-nude female cast who report on both the serious and lighter sides of the news -- just like a regular TV newscast, only while wearing no clothes. Advertisement "We are confident that the show will be a hit, judging by the success of its progenitor, NakedNews.com, which draws over 6 million unique monthly visitors with its winning combination of nudity and news content. Our guess is that come Monday morning, Naked News TV! will be the buzz at offices around the country," said Kathy Pinckert, Vice President of the Toronto-based eGalaxy Multimedia Inc. Each edition of Naked News TV will begin with lead news anchor Devon Calwell, who gradually disrobes as she reads the news. She is followed by the Naked News team of women who report, in the nude, on national news, life and leisure topics, technology, sports and Hollywood gossip. Advertisement (Web site: NakedNews.com) HE LIKES THE LADIES Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., turned 99 years old Wednesday and celebrated in typical fashion -- by complimenting the younger women around him. The longest serving member of the Senate -- famous for his insistence on sharing candy, hugs and kisses with women members and staff -- was honored in a break from voting by the Senate, including short speeches thanking him for his service to the nation by both Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Republican Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. In his remarks, instead of reflecting on his seven decades of public service, experience landing as a paratrooper in Normandy in his 40's, or how he set the record for longest Senate filibuster in a vain attempt regarding civil rights legislation, Thurmond stuck to his favorite subject -- pretty girls. "Thank you all very much," he said. "I want to thank all of you. I appreciate every one of you -- especially you ladies. You are good looking. God bless you." Thurmond earlier had declared, "I love all you men, but you ladies even more." First elected to the South Carolina House as a Democrat in 1932, Thurmond was elected governor in 1946, ran for president in 1948 as a "Dixiecrat" and won 39 electoral votes. He was elected to the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate in 1954. By 1996, he had become the oldest person to serve in Congress at the age of 93. Advertisement Thurmond's term expires in 2002 and he has indicated he will not run for re-election. ARE THERE ANY BIN LADEN LOOK-ALIKES IN YOUR CRÈCHE? It's the time of year when many Christians put out creches -- Nativity scenes. Over the years in many areas, it's been commonplace for some of the figurines to disappear. Check the police logs for Christmases past and you'll see quite a few "Nativity thefts." Now David Casstevens, writing in the Arizona Republic, reports there may be more thefts this year because some of the statues of the Wise Men, in the minds of some, look like Osama bin Laden. He says one night several years ago an entire Nativity scene -- lights, extension cords and all -- disappeared from a home in Oregon. Casstevens says the only way to buck the trend is to have a live Nativity scene. Many churches have staged live scenes for years, complete with animals. Of course, in cold weather areas, there's lot of warm clothing on underneath the desert garb. The only mannequin that is used is usually a representation of the Baby Jesus. It could be interesting, according to the reporter, to see if any scenes are stripped of any Wise Men who may look a little too much like the elusive terrorist. Advertisement (Thanks to UPI Feature Reporter Dennis Daily) REASONS TO CELEBRATE TODAY: THURSDAY: Today is National Pawnbrokers' Day. This is St. Nicholas Day, celebrating the life of the fourth century Christian bishop on whom Santa Claus is based. Belgium's traditional Lover's Fair is held today in Arlon. It's the Day of Quito in Ecuador, celebrating the city's founding in 1534. Finland celebrates its Independence Day today. It achieved independence from Russia in 1917. And this is Constitution Day in Spain. (Thanks to Chase's 2001 Calendar of Events) BY THE WAY... Who snapped that famed photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square at the end of World War II? Alfred Eisenstaedt, born on this date in 1898, took the picture.
