Bing Crosby

Amy Grant loves Christmas music. She loves it enough to have released an album of Christmas music back in 1992, and to have done Christmas shows in Nashville every year since.The shows have done well, too. Not that Grant is in it for the money -- truth is, she donates her profits each year to charity -- but she does get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that the Christmas show she puts on with the Nashville Symphony can sell out the Nashville Arena for two nights each season.Still, her ambitions are bigger than that.

During the 1930s and 1940s, there weren't many Americans who didn't welcome George Burns and Gracie Allen into their homes each week. Their weekly radio show was a consistent hit and made them one of the most beloved husband-and-wife comedy teams of all time.In 1950, Burns and Allen made the transition to television, bringing with them their old fans while cultivating a new generation of followers. The TV show had a successful run of eight years. It probably would have lasted longer had not Gracie decided it was time for her to retire.

The bitter legal battle in which Jimi Hendrix's father last week regained control over the rock star's legacy offers an interesting sidelight: the silent but powerful role played by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen in the case.There is little doubt that the 42-year-old Seattle billionaire and Hendrix fan saved the day by lending Hendrix's father nearly $6 million, without which the cash-strapped estate could not have pursued its costly case.But questions are beginning to surface about whether Mr. Allen was acting as an altruistic benefactor or just the latest in a long line of capitalists trying to snatch up the coveted Hendrix catalog.

It's Christmas Eve, which, in TV terms, used to mean 121 showings of "It's a Wonderful Life." However, since that film no longer is in the public domain -- in other words, since stations now have to pay a fee to show it -- it's nowhere to be found. Later in the evening, though, TV retains its tradition of providing a mass of Masses. And in the afternoon, there's the last full slate of 1994 pro football.* "Countdown to Christmas" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., Channel 2) -- Leeza Gibbons "interviews" Santa.

Even with his love of medleys, Mel Torme will be able to sample only a fraction of his repertoire of about 5,000 songs when he settles into the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall for four performances starting today.One song he'll be performing, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," is the sort of mellow tune that long ago gave him his nickname of "Velvet Fog." But the crooner, 69, has a vocal range that easily takes him through just about everything the jazz and pop songbooks have to offer. Similarly, he glides with ease from crisply enunciated lyrics to Ella-fast scat singing.

So much attention was drawn to the name Crosby that Nathaniel, son of Bing, grew up realizing a preference for his own identity. The fame of an illustrious father made him proud, yet it couldn't be used as a ticket through life.An unspoiled Nathaniel handled the situation with understanding and decorum. Bing Crosby was a momentous figure in the entertainment business and an international ambassador for golf.So, with an inherited love for the same game, Nathaniel went about writing his personal numbers on the scorecard and earning the reputation as a first-rate gentleman -- self-effacing, considerate of others.