Dan Webster

"Fair Game" starred Cindy Crawford and William Baldwin.

"Up Close and Personal" stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford.

With so many writers trying to write well, it may seem a bit silly to sponsor a contest devoted to writing poorly. But that's the ironic twist to the sometimes annual Bronson Alcott Bad Prose Contest. According to Whitworth English professor Laura Bloxham, contest founder and arbiter of bad taste, you have to know what good prose is to fashion it convincingly in a bad fashion. That's her theory, at any rate.

1. Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively, but "Dead Man Walking" didn't get the nod for Best Picture. 2. Nicole Kidman finally proved she can act in "To Die For" with Joaquin Phoenix, but Oscar passed her over. 2. "Sense and Sensibility" is nominated for seven awards, but director Ang Lee (pictures with Emma Thompson) won't be making a speech. Photo by Associated Press

"Pocahontas" should do well in video sales. Photo courtesy Walt Disney Co.

Swain Wolfe believed in his book "The Woman Who Lives in the Earth" enough to face the challenges and frustrations of getting it published. Photo courtesy Rocky Mountain News

Bob Barker and Adam Sandler star in "Happy Gilmore," No. 2 this week.

Sigourney Weaver stars in "Copycat."

1. An untitled marble piece by James Goss. 2. Sculptor James Goss takes a seat on his "before" pile of marble, serpentine and dolomite. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

The February edition of GMP (George & Gertie's Place) is on the stands. If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you should know that GMP is a homey (as opposed to homely) little Spokane-produced newsletter that prides itself on whimsical polemics. For example, the cover story for February reprints the contents of a humbug-sounding Christmas message sent out by Cheney resident Steve Peterson.

Faith is something you can't see. A book - the Bible, say, or a copy of the Koran - is something you can see plainly. You can also feel it, smell it and drop it on the floor to hear the resulting sound. If you're so inclined, you can even taste it. But faith is not a book. Faith is a feeling. It's an idea, a concept, a notion built on trust. Try holding trust in your hands.

When you walk through the aisles of a video superstore, you're likely to encounter a number of films that you've long heard of but never seen. Forget the rows of new releases, which mostly are just six months from their theatrical runs.

1. (Photo of Oscar) 2. Meryl Streep in her role in "The Bridges of Madison County" shouldn't be overlooked as an Oscar nominee for best actress. 3. Anthony Hopkins should be considered for best actor for his role in "Nixon," as should his co-star Joan Allen for best supporting actress. Oliver Stone's directing should also be nominated. 4. "Sense and Sensibility" fits snugly into the categories of best actress, Emma Thompson; best supporting actress, Kate Winslet; best director, Ang Lee and best film.

Fresh off his first book, the clever melding of psychology and fishing titled "Pavlov's Trout," Paul Quinnett has tackled a fascinating new topic. In "Darwin's Bass," Quinnett writes about... evolution... Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Wait, that's not fair. Sure, Quinnett says, his new book "holds together around the theme of evolutionary theory."

"When I was a a boy..."

Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore star in "The Juror," which debuted at No. 2

Michelle Pfeiffer stars in "Dangerous Minds."

There are reasons for why all those self-help-type magazines sell so well to both sexes (see next item). Confusion is one. We don't know whether we're doing things right, and so we want direction. That's why some of us, or at least our partners, like to fill out the quizzes that run in mags such as Cosmopolitan, Redbook and Men's Health.

A few years ago, Missoula writer Swain Wolfe was a self-published novelist who sold copies of his book whenever, and wherever, he could find somebody interested in it. Today, Wolf's book, "The Woman Who Lives in the Earth," is being published by a New York publishing house. And he, naturally enough, is both busy writing his second novel and mulling over how twisted is the path to big-time publication.

Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon star in "Dead Man Walking."

In Hollywood, the Mouse doesn't squeak. It roars. On the strength of both its animated features ("Beauty and the Beast," "Toy Story," etc.), and its various non-animated releases ("Dangerous Minds"), Disney has become one of the most successful studios in Hollywood. But not everything the Mouse makes is in such company. Some of the film's lesser products, in fact, are ... well, cheesy.

"Mr. Holland's Opus" stars Richard Dreyfuss.

1. (police mug shots of Susan Smith) Photo by Associated Press/Colored by A. Strudwick, staff 2. Attorney Judy Clarke was appointed to help with the defense of Susan Smith in 1995. Photo by Associated Press

Queen of the seven-letter word celebrates anniversary.