Now: May 2009

tue, may 19
Salivate
ALL CANDY EXPO
Chicago

Could a spoonful of sugar help anxiety go down? The prices of three main candy ingredients -- corn (syrup), sugar, and cocoa -- hit record highs last year, yet the $28 billion U.S. confectionary industry still managed to expand by 2.2%, with candy purchases soaring in dollar stores, warehouse clubs, pharmacies, and convenience stores. At the nation's largest confectionary-and-snack trade show, 12,000 execs will scout emerging trends to keep us on our sugar highs, including exotic flavors (expect Himalayan sea salt and ancho chili peppers to be big), superhigh cocoa content, and single-origin choco-lates. Sweet! -- KR

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sat, may 23
Grow
WORLD BEARD AND MOUSTACHE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Anchorage, Alaska

Ever seen a bearded man work a runway? Here's your chance: The biennial beard-and-moustache championships are coming to America. This will not bring an olympic economic boom. No new venues are needed to accommodate the estimated 500 attendees. (That's spectators and contestants, including Franz "Schani" Mitterhauser of Austria, above left, who placed second for sideburns freestyle in the 2007 championships and fifth for partial-beard freestyle in 2005.) The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is helping to promote the event, expects total tourism revenue of $487,080. That's pennies compared with, say, the $1.8 billion spent in the United States each year on shaving and hair-removal products. But who's going to say no to money? And who wouldn't welcome a team called the Australian Bushrangers? They travel with their own band, the Beards, which plays "songs about beards, for people with beards." Their biggest hit (9,672 plays on MySpace): "No Beard No Good." -- ACL

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mon, may 25
Grow
INTERNATIONAL GREEN ROOF CONGRESS
Nürtingen, Germany

If these experts have their way, you'll soon be raising the roof and putting down roots, all at once. Hundreds of the world's green-roof specialists, architects, and designers will convene in Germany to admire what has already been built (we're loving Copenhagen's Mountain Dwellings, a cascading collection of 80 apartments, each with its own green-roof terrace) and to talk about what's in store. Given the rapid progress in green-roof tech, the grass, we think, may be getting greener on the upper side. -- AB

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tue, may 26
S-p-e-l-l
SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Washington, D.C.

Could the wheezing fate of America's newspapers crush even the hearts of young children? You bet! The National Spelling Bee, which famously felled contestant Ben Bernanke in 1965 -- the word he couldn't handle was "edelweiss" -- has inspired books, movies, and even a Broadway musical in recent years, and some 5 million viewers tuned in to catch the final rounds on ABC in 2008. But youngsters vie for a modest $37,600 in cash and savings bonds only after winning regional competitions mostly sponsored by local newspapers. Small daily rags and even a few big-city ones have been folding fast -- several dozen so far in 2009, including Denver's Rocky Mountain News, which has produced seven champions over the years. So some communities are grumbling that Scripps needs a new competition model. Mr. President, we want a bee b-a-i-l-o-u-t. -- KR

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wed, may 27
Ante
40TH WORLD SERIES OF POKER
Las Vegas, Nevada

Though Las Vegas casinos are taking a beating -- gaming revenue is down this year by double digits -- one segment of the gambling industry remains evergreen: high-stakes poker. The WSOP is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament, surely intended for the recession-proof ... or soon-to-be broke. Last year, 58,720 entrants competed for a record $180 million in prize money, and 22-year-old Danish player Peter Eastgate won the main event (buy in: $10,000) and $9 million, becoming the youngest person ever to win the WSOP. Looking to emulate Eastgate but can't quite come up with the cash? Try the "stimulus special" event on Saturday, May 30th -- buy-in is a measly one grand. -- KB

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fri, may 29
Go Nuts
WORLD NUT AND DRIED FRUIT CONGRESS
Monte Carlo, Monaco

For this year's Golden Nut Award, the Oscar of the nut-and-dried-fruit world and the highlight of this three-day congress, we nominate Dr. Atkins. High-protein diets have helped boost nut consumption in the United States by almost 50% over the past decade, with almonds tightening their hold on the No. 1 spot. Why the International Nut and Dried Fruit Foundation doesn't give out a more inclusive Trail Mix Award, we don't know. But for the record, the most popular dried fruit in the U.S. is the raisin; the average American noshes 7.3 pounds each year. -- KR

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fri, may 29
Watch
JAY LENO'S LAST TONIGHT SHOW

After some 3,800 episodes, Jay Leno will relinquish his 11:35 p.m. slot to Conan O'Brien. (Jimmy Fallon, above, with Leno, is already in O'Brien's old slot.) Here's our take on Leno's last monologue: * After 17 years, Jay Leno is stepping down as Tonight Show host. That's a long time in one job. How long? When Leno started, there was no Internet, O.J. Simpson was respected, and the economy was merely George H.W. stupid.

You excited about summer vacation? It officially started this week. Or, as Jay Leno calls it, "temporary unemployment."
• Leno says he's never touched any of the salary he's earned as host. In a related story, CEO Jeff Immelt today asked Leno to bail out GE.
• NBC wanted to break it gently to Jay that his last day would be May 29. I don't know if having Donald Trump make the call was such a good idea. -- DL