People

GORDON LIGHTFOOT'S CONDITION IMPROVING

Award-winning singer-balladeer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has finally been moved to a private rehabilitation hospital after spending more than three months in intensive care for an internal bleeding problem. A newspaper in Hamilton, Ontario, and other Canadian media say that Lightfoot -- who had been looking pale and thin during his last performances before being hospitalized -- has been moved out of the ICU at McMaster Medical Center and is looking better. Family and friends made daily trips to be at the entertainer's bedside through the long ordeal, as doctors worked to stabilize his condition and rebuild his strength. During that time it was reported that he lapsed in and out of consciousness. Not much other information has been released. The writer and singer of many million-seller records would rank as one of the great balladeers of the past century ... even if he had only written "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

BABY BRATT BORN IN MANHATTAN

Actor Benjamin Bratt and his wife have a new baby. The girl, named Sophia, was born in New York City. Even though the birth took place more than a week ago, word has just now reached the media. The couple waited until the actor's 39th birthday to make the official announcement. Bratt is likely best-known for his portrayal of the rugged Det. Curtis on "Law and Order." The baby is the couple's first. They lead busy lives with homes on both coasts.

LESLIE STAHL SCORES ANOTHER SCOOP

The goal of every journalist is to get the story first, get it published, then wait while the rest of the journalistic world plays "catch up." Now, according to Variety, CBS reporter Leslie Stahl has scored a real scoop, being the first to find out that former Vice President Al Gore has decided not to make another run for the Oval Office ... even though he nearly won. Actually, Stahl had to sit on the information. She had conducted an interview with Gore for "60 Minutes" in which he confirmed his "no go" decision. But the interview would not be aired for about six hours. Would Gore make the announcement in the meanwhile? Would someone else get the scoop? Nope. "60 Minutes" went with it first.

LIZA TRYING TO PUT LIFE TOGETHER

We all know that it was not that many months ago that a very out-of-shape Liza Minnelli nearly died. She credited her marriage to David Gest and the prayers of many for bringing her back from the brink. But it's common knowledge that she continues to have to fight several demons. One of them is alcohol. She has been so upfront about that problem that she let a crew from MTV follow her to one of her regular AA meetings. Sadly, the planned reality series for which the footage was being shot never made it to the network. Now, according to reporter Richard Johnson, there are indications that Minnelli is again crying in her beer. There is a report that she was seen doing just that (except the "beer" was a mixed drink) at a Manhattan nightspot. The specter of her drinking and crying conjures up sad memories of her late mom, Judy Garland. But her publicist denies the allegations, saying that Minnelli was drinking Coca-Cola. The manager of the restaurant claims otherwise. No matter what happened, her fans hope that she stays as much on the wagon as is possible.

PRO-SMOKER THREATENS BOYCOTT

Just as restaurant owners in Chicago recently lobbied against proposed no-smoking regulations, saying that international travelers don't understand why they can't smoke in swank places in the States, now their counterparts in New York City are up in arms about a proposed ban in there. The New York Post says that James G. Tom, the head of a New York pro-smoking group, says that if the ban -- being pushed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- goes into effect, millions will boycott the city. The GOP National Convention won't be held there, and so on. He tells the New York Post that the ban is "against everything the Republicans are supposed to stand for." Tom has gone so far as to write letters to all New York legislators threatening to lead the GOP boycott if the ban goes into effect. At the same time, there are others (who are in the majority most everywhere) who would like to attend conventions without going to bed sick every night because of the cigarette fumes.

COUNTRY SEARCHING FOR NEW STARS

Five new faces are being added to the roster of a popular annual country event that seeks out talent needing national exposure. The yearly show, The New Faces, is reminiscent of a series of movies made in the 1930s under the "Big Broadcast" franchise. In one of them a very new face was Bob Hope. He introduced "Thanks for the Memory" in his debut. The country stars event will take place in Nashville in late February. It will be held in conjunction with the Country Radio Seminar, in which DJs and managers from around the country converge on Music City to talk shop. Among those tapped to be showcased this time around: Steve Azar, Tammy Cochran, Kellie Coffey, Emerson Drive and Joe Nichols, according to news provider CMT. All will give private shows for the attendees at the seminars.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 482

In light of the Gordon Lightfoot story, "Who is your favorite balladeer? That is, who is the entertainer whose style is more in that laid-back, long-form, moody, atmospheric genre?" Put BALLAD in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 477 (TRAVEL)

Last week we asked about thwarted travel during the holidays. From a random dip into the e-mail inbox, here are three of the best: KyleR was stranded for nearly two days at the old Stapleton International Airport in Denver. "It was an early-season storm," he says. "They ran out of food in the vending machines the first night. In the morning a bakery brought in fresh bread. It was only bread and water for a while, but I loved it." QSMendez remembers a trip home to Rockford, Ill., from Ohio, that nearly never happened. A snowstorm left the journey stalled at a Holiday Inn in Indianapolis. "Never start out on a road trip in winter without checking to see if the roads are open," was the closer in the note. Finally, BWW says that he had planned to drive 400 miles to join the family, only to find his car under a snowdrift in his driveway. NEXT: Your longest journey. GBA.