Pizza mogul Tom Monaghan has put his 1,800-acre resort on Drummond Island in Michigan`s Upper Peninsula on the market for $8 million. Once used as a perk for Domino`s employees, the resort has been a drain, even with nearly full occupancy during summer. This winter, the place was closed because of slow business and its 45 employees were laid off. ”Like a lot of companies these days, we`re looking to sell things we really don`t need,” says Tom Minick, a vice president of Domino`s Pizza Inc. Monaghan spent $20 million on the lodge on Potagannissing Bay, adding an 18-hole golf course, bowling alley, two restaurants and swimming and tennis facilities.
RIVERS, WAITRESS IN JOB SWAP Television talk show host Joan Rivers will dish out the grits on the graveyard shift at a Denny`s restaurant at West Palm Beach, Fla., and waitress Rhonda Denton will scoop up the gossip when the two trade jobs March 4.
”Everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, but I get an hour,” says Denton, 30, who beat out 1,600-plus entries and their two-minute videos to win
”Lifeswap.” Rivers` dog, Spike, is credited with picking her from among four finalists.
LEARNING A TRADE In nearby Michigan, U.S. and state authorities are probing whether several teachers used a suburban Detroit high school shop class to make machine guns being sold on the street for $500 apiece.
SCHWARZENEGGER SCOOP FOR SPY Spy magazine`s March issue will have a nude photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger. While doing a story about the actor`s attempts to control media coverage, an unsolicited print of the photo showed up, says Publisher Kurt Andersen. The magazine, he says, opted to print the photo after getting a call from Schwarzenegger`s publicist, Charlotte Parker, who called to complain about the publication having the photo and to ask why Spy was doing a story on him without involving her. Parker`s husband and partner, Joel Parker, disagrees. ”We learned they had the photo when the person who sent it to them called and told us. When we realized they were doing a story on Arnold, Charlotte called them. She was just trying to be helpful.”
MORE OLYMPICS Top 10 list of alternative Winter Olympic sports rejected by the Olympic committee:
10. Ice sculpturing (too ethereal).
9. Nude bungee-jumping (many objections to this, least of which is frostbite).
8. Skating on thin ice (Only Jamaica and Cuba have a chance for a medal). 7. Polar bear teasing (The record holder is dead).
6. Reindeer polo (Finland should sweep this event).
5. Icicle hockey (natural, but hard to follow).
4. Luge-biathlon: You stop your sled and fire at your opponent. (Few medal winners want to repeat this event).
3. Short track ice derby (The object is not to win but to be the last competitor alive).
2. Bobsled jumping (Some huge distances were recorded, but there were major problems with the landing).
1. Speed skate-lacing (Demonstration event won by Bigfoot, who unfortunately left before the awards ceremony)-From Marty `Nanook` Adelstein, New York Times News Service
