Entertainment

Consumer Reports for February no doubt will catch eyes with a teaser on the cover, "CR tests condoms: 2 to avoid." Condoms remain the only method of contraception that also can help prevent sexually transmitted diseases, so this is not a choice to make lightly.

Admit it. You've always secretly wanted someone to read your mind. Or a kindred spirit to notice that look in your eye and ask all the right questions until they discover what's weighing on you. If only your spouse/friend/general practitioner could hone that skill! And good luck with that. Worthy pursuit. In the meantime, there's 20Q, a handheld game that's rising from its modest roots to cause quite a stir. Retailing for $9.99 at Target, Wal-Mart and various toy stores, the device uses artificial intelligence to guess what you're thinking by way of 20 yes-or-no questions.

A woman I work with has an annual so-bad-it's-fun movie night, and I can't wait to tell her this year's stinker should be "Alone in the Dark." The unintentional hilarity begins with boob-flashing party girl Tara Reid, cast as a brilliant archaeologist.

Q: I'm a 24-year-old male who is shy when it comes to asking a female for a date. Could you guys give advice on how to break the ice? Steve: Forget the date. First get to know her. Have casual conversation. Do some research. Google her. Find out her interests. After you get to know each other, it will be easy to ask her out.

What can be said about Clint Eastwood that hasn't been said before? That he's American film's last and best classicist, a 74-year-old director who's aged better than a "Sideways" pinot noir? That his increasingly fearless and idiosyncratic choice of material has made him more of an independent filmmaker than half the people at Sundance? That he continues to find ways to surprise audiences yet remain inescapably himself? It's all true, and never more so than in Eastwood's latest, "Million Dollar Baby."

What it is: Part of the larger RinkWorks.com entertainment Web site, Book-A-Minute ( www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute) is dedicated to condensing works of fiction into the smallest (and most irreverent) format possible. What it's all about: With three major sections – Classics, Science Fiction and Bedtime Stories – Book-A-Minute offers an impressive selection of ultra-condensed novels, ranging from "Jane Eyre" to "Ender's Game" to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." (The synopsis for that one reads, in its entirety: "Once there was a caterpillar who ate holes in stuff and turned into a butterfly. THE END.") These aren't Cliffs Notes – you won't be able to write a term paper after reading these speedy summaries, but you will get a few laughs.

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. head honcho Matt Rose apparently couldn't find time to reply to my letter asking what his personal pledge to protect our aquifer means now that the railroad's diesel refueling facility has sprung a leak on Idaho's Rathdrum Prairie. Rose directed Mark Stehly to address my concerns, and had BNSF flack Gus Melonas deliver the letter. We were eager to print a response from Rose, but the note from his assistant VP didn't smell so sweet. You can read the full text online at spokane7.com/hard7, but I'll just hit the low points here:

Mustn't say which Stephen King novel and movie "Hide and Seek" rips off, because that would give too much away. And really, the scares are rare enough in this ho-hum, little-girl- and-her-ghost thriller. No sense ruining any of them with a silly old movie review.

Otep is a one-word woman, first-class whiner and champion of the oppressed. "I think a lot of what I write embraces the truth about life, in that life is difficult and life is hard," said Otep, who fronts the band of the same name. "Embracing the void and embracing that pain is important."

Let's face it: 2004 was just an odd year for video games, a fact driven home by a joint report from the Entertainment Software Association and industry analysts' NPD Funworld last week. Until October, sales of video games were down in 2004 compared with the same point in 2003. Then two console titles made it the second-best year in the industry's history – "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" on PlayStation 2 and "Halo 2" on Xbox.

One night in the mid-'80s, I was having a particularly hard time at the Magic Lantern Cinemas. The film was out of focus, the sound was fuzzy, the seat I had chosen was uncomfortable and the sight lines sucked. To make matters worse, a train went by, causing the building to shake and drowning out the dialogue with what I distinctly remember as choo-choo sounds.

We all know the journey can be a long one, but it's safe to say when you get there, a toilet will be inside. The big moving day into my new place was set for this past weekend. I showed up with great anticipation to marvel at the changes my landlord had mentioned a few weeks before. It's a quaint, little duplex that was badly in need of a makeover. I suppose back in the 1970s, its burnt orange, shag carpet and "no words to describe" vinyl floor (my landlord joked that it's what you'd see in one of Saddam Hussein's brothels) offered quite the interior haven.

Age: 23

Imagination is a director's most important asset, and director John Carpenter squandered his fast. At first, there were the straightforward shocks of "Halloween" and the pulp pleasures of "Escape from New York." But since then he's been content to either repeat himself (remember "Escape from L.A."?) or copy others ("Village of the Damned," "The Thing").

Breezy Brown, aka Tony Brown, has a modest collection of about 300 records – 300 of about the funkiest jazz and soul albums you've never heard. About 100 of the vinyl diamonds are worth $200. These are the timeless songs Breezy Brown hunts for daily through trading at his shop, Unified Groove Merchants, 2607 N. Monroe St., and stores around the world.

I CE CUBE and Cedric the Entertainer did "Barbershop" and "Barbershop 2" together.

Nelly and Tim McGraw have proven that rap and country music can peacefully co-exist. But hip-hop and classical music?

Born as a corporate attempt to capitalize on the "everything disco" movement of the late '70s, the Village People became one of the most identifiable bands of the 20th century. Aside from moving millions of albums and singles, perhaps the Village People's greatest accomplishment is that the band still is working. In addition to a string of dates on Cher's "Farewell Never Can Say Goodbye" tour, which includes a 7 p.m. show on Sunday at the Spokane Arena, the Village People have been on the road constantly for the past two years – far more than can be said for most disco-era hit-makers.