NAMES IN THE NEWS : Linkletter Redefines Old Age

Remember those kids who used to tell Art Linkletter the darndest things on TV? Well, they’re older now, but Linkletter says he’s still a kid at heart.

When he isn’t pitching recliners on television, Linkletter likes to ski, surf and scuba-dive--in short, all those fun things that other young guys do.

“There is no definition for old except attitude and mobility,” the 78-year-old Linkletter said. “Attitude tells whether you are old or not. If you are curious, challenging, doing something, you are not old.”

Not that Linkletter denies that he may be getting old.

“I’ve never had a mid-life crisis, but 80 is daunting,” he said. “This is the only birthday I’ve looked at with some suspicion. Eighty sounds pretty damn old.”

But it could be that when 80 arrives, Linkletter will be too busy to notice.

The author of 23 books and the star of two of the most beloved shows in television history, “House Party” and “People Are Funny,” is involved in a new project, making a home video called “How to Be a Great Grandparent.”