etc...

LEND ME A TENOR

From New York comes word that Daniel Rodriguez soon will take a leave of absence from his job. Who? Well, his name might not sound familiar, but perhaps his voice would. He's the "singing cop" catapulted to fame because of the city's close enounter with terrorism Sept. 11. Since then, Rod-riguez has performed on TV at the Yankee Stadium memorial service, at the World Series, and at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. His first CD, featuring "God Bless America," was released last week. Next: a gig with the Washington Opera, under Placido Domingo.

OK, you're in a video rental outlet, trying to decide between a romance and a war flick. How to choose? If you were in Britain, the Blockbuster chain would be trying to influence you ... via aromatherapy. It is using scented capsules planted in the air-exchange system: rose for romance, burning gunpowder for action movies. Oh, and for comedies: ripe banana. To "create the ultimate entertainment experience," as a Blockbuster official puts it.

Spending for ads on the World Wide Web has declined so far this year - by 17.1 percent over 2000, according to CMR, a New York-based specialist in advertising and marketing communications. Its data for the first three quarters show overall Internet ad spending at $2.1 billion, with Yahoo! leading the way at $284.4 million. As for the No. 1 spender on Web advertising, the distinction goes to eBay. The 10 top Internet advertisers so far this year, and what they've spent (in millions), according to CMR:

1. eBay Inc. $35.7

2. General Motors 35.5

3. Providian Corp. 23.5

4. Amazon.com 22.9

5. Classmates Online Inc. 21.8

6. Barnes & Noble 21.6

7. AOL Time Warner 19.2

8. J.P. Morgan Chase 18.0

9. Bank One Corp. 17.3

10. Vivendi Universal 15.9

- Business Wire