Entertainment

Can Stripes, a little lost zebra raised on a Kentucky farm, live out his dream of being a champion racehorse? Can Channing, the overprotected teen who loves him, convince her father to let her turn jockey? Can you believe how contrived kids movies can get?

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. continues to endanger our aquifer by operating its North Idaho diesel refueling station with an inadequate and compromised system for handling emergency spills. Every day that passes without a shutdown reminds me of a letter BNSF President & CEO Matthew K. Rose sent to the Kootenai County commissioners in 2000. He wrote, "I pledge to you personally that we will construct and operate our facility in an exemplary manner, ever mindful of the importance of the ground water resources." I drafted a letter of my own this week, asking Rose to make good on his personal pledge. Here's the text: Dear Mr. Rose,

Lance Sinnema Age: 28

Once again, people are seeing dead people. In "White Noise," Michael Keaton plays an architect who becomes convinced that his murdered wife is trying to communicate with him. Sometimes her efforts are clear, but more often they're fuzzy.

What it is: If you're one of the teeming millions who occasionally overindulge – and wake up the next morning paying dearly for it – you'll appreciate www.HangoverReview.com, an informational Web site that compares dozens of the various hangover remedies currently on the market. What it's all about: Products purportedly designed to cure or prevent the morning-after wobblies have been on the market for nearly a decade, but in the past few years, there has been an explosion in the availability of hangover remedies. Magazine ads, Web sites and television commercials tout the headache and nausea-busting properties of pills with names such as Chaser, RU-21, Drinkers Champion and – our favorite of the lot – Uncle Rummie's Hangover Helper. But do they work? And if so, how? These are the questions that HangoverReview.com sets out to answer, with reviews of 35 over-the-counter remedies, a handy comparative price chart of all the products and a list of tips to prevent hangovers without any fancy-shmancy herbal concoctions (think aspirin and lots of water).

For Years Blue squeaked by the competition nearly a year ago to win the RAWK Final Four band battle. Now the Lewis and Clark quartet is headlining the prelude to the 2005 RAWK Final Four, which kicks off Jan. 15.

Do the Crüe Rock stars go through the funniest phases when they hit middle age.

Strange, miraculous and clear-eyed about how grief and hope intertwine, "Birth" is hypnotic. I mean that almost literally. The movie got under my skin and stayed there to the extent that, after I saw it, it woke me in the middle of the night and I couldn't get back to sleep because so many of its ideas were racing through my brain.

Q: I have a strange request: I need to improve my social skills. I'm not very good at conversation, especially with girls. I'm 36 and divorced for three years with a 9-year-old daughter. I go out to bars on the weekends with friends and we have a good time, but when it comes to approaching the opposite sex, I kind of get stuck. I'm a decent-looking guy and I can tell if a girl is interested in me, but I can't approach them. I freeze. Please give me some tips to be more social and more outgoing. Mia: I would try to meet women outside of bars; it might relax you more. Maybe you could join a book club, go to a wine-tasting or sign up for Spanish lessons – anything where you could meet women socially. And that way, you'll have something to talk about.

It's been just a few days since another set of New Year's resolutions kicked in, along with renewed motivation and rededication to make positive changes in our lives. That also means it's just a few weeks before another set of New Year's resolutions circles the drain, washing away that motivation and rededication for another year.

A whole lot of you bought video game consoles and software for the holidays, according to sales statistics and those painful hardware shortages. So chances are, you or someone you know has a new machine – or a new title – sitting in the remains of gift wrap, waiting to be used. What now?

How much do you know about Leonardo DiCaprio, star of "The Aviator"? 1. Leonardo DiCaprio made his film debut in which movie?

You'd think that joining a team or fitness group as a seasoned adult would be much less nerve wracking than it was when you were a kid, but that's not the case at all. When I showed up last week to join Nike's Run Hit Wonder training camp, I felt like I had a big "L" on my forehead – that's "Loser," for those of you keeping score at home. All of the runners' eyes seemed to be focused on me when I entered the pizza joint, which was the meeting place for the 3 mile run/walk. The event was one of many training sessions, leading up to the final race next month.

Q: My wife and I are thinking about having a baby. She recently read an article saying that it's better for men to wear boxers than briefs because the "equipment" has more room to breathe. I've been wearing briefs since I was a kid and I don't want to stop . Should I bow to her wishes or tell her to get out of my underwear drawer? Steve: Ah, the question for the ages: Boxers or briefs? A man either prefers the freedom of the former or the comfort and security of the latter. Unless your wife is having trouble getting pregnant, it's a non-issue. I suggest a joint sit-down with your obstetrician.

It was a contrary year marked by underwhelming epics, dull entertainments and untrustworthy documentaries. Usually dependable directors couldn't deliver. The Coen brothers gave us the unfunny "The Ladykillers." Steven Spielberg gave us the boring "The Terminal." Oliver Stone gave us the nearly unwatchable "Alexander." But if you entered movie theaters with an open mind and a slightly charitable disposition, there were good movies to be found, and some brilliant performances on display, often in pictures ("Ray," "Being Julia," "Birth") that didn't really deserve them.

Nothing screams injustice like a thong emblazoned, "Free Martha." Across America, Martha Stewart followers are showing their support for their homemaking heroine by donning "Martha is My Hero" camisoles and "Camp Cupcake Bad Girl" aprons, and even dressing their children in "Martha Is Not the Enemy" bibs. It's all thanks to a California-based Web site called The Martha Prison Gift Shop (themarthaprisongiftshop.com).