People talk 1/7/02

Fashion great expected to announce retirement

PARIS -- French fashion great Yves Saint Laurent, whose name has been synonymous with haute couture for decades, is expected to announce his retirement today, newspaper reports said.

Saint Laurent, 65, called a news conference for today. The daily newspaper Le Monde and the weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche said he will announce the end of his 44-year career as a fashion designer.

The Associated Press called his Paris office seeking confirmation of the report. A man answering the telephone declined comment and said all questions would have to wait until the following day.

Saint Laurent rose to prominence in the fashion world in 1958.

Chelsea Clinton reported to be hitting the town

NEW YORK -- Chelsea Clinton has turned heads at some of New York City's hot spots while home for the holidays.

Clinton, who turns 22 next month, has been spotted dining with friends at Sushi Samba 7, partying at Eugene and dancing at Suite 16, the Daily News reported Sunday.

"She's down to earth. She was very genuine. I didn't expect that," said Matthew Johnson, co-owner of Sushi Samba, where Clinton and her friends ordered spicy tuna rolls, yellowtail and ceviche.

"Everyone in the restaurant wanted to take a look at Chelsea," Johnson told the Daily News. "We get a lot of celebrities -- Kevin Spacey was here the night before, but she got the most notice."

Clinton was home on break from her studies in Oxford, England.

Filmmaker hopes Twain biography brings respect

PASADENA, Calif. -- Documentarian Ken Burns hopes his upcoming biography of Mark Twain will mean a little more respect for the 19th century American author.

At a lecture Saturday at the California Institute of Technology, Burns said Twain was one of the country's greatest writers and a profound thinker who was not given his due because he used humor to make his points.

The biography will air on public television Jan. 14 and 15.

-- From wire reports