I have about 1000 items in my bulk items folder in my mail box. I need to delete all of them at once? How do I do this? Also, can I reset the time when they will be deleted automatically and if so, how?

I’m sending out a mass email to past customers but I dont want everyone’s email revealed so I’m using the BCC option. How do I make everyone’s first name appear in the beginning of the email. Do I use some kind of HTML? I want to personalize the email as much as possible, thanks.