Elton John and Furnish go on Venice honeymoon

hJohn and Furnishgo on Venice honeymoon
VENICE, Italy -- Sir Elton John and David Furnish are honeymooning in Venice after tying the knot in a civil union ceremony in Britain last week, Italian news reports said.
The couple took a water taxi to St. Mark's Square, lunched at Harry's Bar and shopped in the romantic canal city, the ANSA news agency and the Venice daily The New Venice and Mestre reported Saturday.
ANSA said John and Furnish arrived Thursday and were staying at John's home on Giudecca, one of the islands of Venice's lagoon.
The English pop star and Canadian filmmaker, together for 12 years, exchanged vows and diamond wedding bands Wednesday during the first week of legalized civil unions in the United Kingdom.
Humorous Clinton videonow available on DVD
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- One of the most popular attractions at the Clinton Presidential Library is available to anyone who wants to see the former president poke fun at himself.
Excerpts from President Clinton's appearances at the White House Correspondents Association dinners and other lighter speeches are part of the 22-minute video "A Time to Laugh" that has played at the library since it opened last year. The video is now available on DVD.
"It causes what we call a traffic jam upstairs," library foundation chairman Skip Rutherford said. "We've had thousands of requests for copies."
The library's video attracts the most visitors after the replica of Clinton's Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, Rutherford said.
The DVD now available in the museum store and online includes "The Final Days," a short video produced for Clinton's appearance at the 2000 White House Correspondents dinner.
The segment shows Clinton mowing the White House lawn, washing the presidential limousine, and watching his clothes dry -- activities to keep busy while his wife campaigned for the Senate and the vice president campaigned for president.
Cole Porter's first homeundergoes renovations
PERU, Ind. -- The birthplace of composer Cole Porter is getting a winter makeover.
The 1860s-era house, which has about 21 rooms, had fallen into disrepair over the years. It had been split into several apartments, and police found a methamphetamine lab in one of the apartments two years ago.
The renovations will include repairing the foundation, rebuilding four porches, replacing wiring and plumbing and installing heat and air conditioning.
The new owners, the Ole Olsen Memorial Theatre group, plan to open the home as a museum and bed and breakfast when the work is done. Nearly $52,000 has been donated toward the renovations, which organizers say will cost about $105,000.
The museum plans to sell fudge made with recipes from the now-closed Arnold's Candies of Peru. At his shows, Porter gave away boxes of the candy as presents.
"It's really important this historical landmark be saved," said Mildred Kopis, curator of the Miami County Museum where much of Porter's memorabilia is displayed. "It's an honor to have his birthplace [here] and we should promote it."
Porter was born in 1891 and lived in the house until he was 10. The town of Peru is about midway between South Bend and Indianapolis.
Porter, who died in 1964, wrote more than 1,500 songs for stage, movies and television, including such standards as "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Night and Day" and "Anything Goes," and his life was portrayed in the 2004 film "De-Lovely."
Today's Birthdays
Actor Richard Widmark is 91. Actor Donald Moffat is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Abdul "Duke" Fakir (The Four Tops) is 70. Record producer Phil Spector is 65. "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh is 60. Country musician Bob Carpenter (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 59. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 58. Former baseball player Chris Chambliss is 57. Rock musician James Kottak (The Scorpions) is 43. Country musician Brian Westrum (Sons of the Desert) is 43. Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 42. Actress Nadia Dajani is 40. Rock musician J is 38. Country singer Audrey Wiggins is 38. Rock musician Peter Klett (Candlebox) is 36. Actor Jared Leto is 34.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.