baltimoresun.com lifestyle blogs

On the trail of the Wizard of Oz [Read Street]

2009-07-10T03:02:02-07:00

Fred Trust grew up in the former Soviet republic of Azerbajian, but was no stranger to the story of the Wizard of Oz. He was captivated by the tale, and after coming to the U.S., became a collector of Oz books. The Owings Mills resident loaned about 50 of his books to the Geppi Entertainment Museum for its Wizard of Oz exhibit, which also includes games, dolls and toys; it runs through January. We asked Fred to tell us about his passion. Here's his guest post:

The Wizard of the Emerald City is one of the favorite children's book titles in the former Soviet Union. However, very few people are aware of its real author and origin. The Russian writer Alexander Volkov translated L. Frank Baum's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and also changed the names of most characters, removed some elements of Baum's novel, and added some new ones. The story was a favorite of mine as well as of many other children growing up in the former Soviet republics.

When my own children were born and I was looking for good children's books to read to them, I decided to find out if by any chance The Wizard of the Emerald City was translated from Russian to English. To my surprise I discovered that the book was initiated and originally published in this country in 1899! Although at the time I obtained an inexpensive replica of the book to read to my kids, I set myself a goal to obtain the earlier copy of the Wizard of Oz.

Through my research I quickly learned that obtaining the first edition of Wonderful Wizard of Oz would be a challenge since this title was selling for over $10,000 at that time. Diving deeply into

the process of collecting books, particularly Oz books, I learned how complicated is the process of identifying Oz book series. My biggest problem was associated with ascertaining the Oz books' true publishing year because almost every Oz title only has one original copyright year! Over the years, I purchased many copies that were printed in 1950s and 1960s, thinking they were first editions and I got great deals, only to learn later about the true first edition copies. I also learned, among many other things, that later editions never had color illustrations because those were eliminated to reduce cost of printing. Through my research I also realized that the Wizard of Oz books in general are the most valuable children’s book series from the collector's standpoint. So I decided to take a plunge and began collecting Oz books. I now have over 500 books and built a website RareOzBooks.com which became a great educational tool for many people all over the country and which also enables me to both sell and buy RARE Oz books.

In 2009, there has been a resurgence of interest in the Wizard of Oz. For example: Andrew Lloyd Webber plans to produce the Wizard of Oz play on Broadway; two animated Wizard of Oz movies are in works; MGM and Sony Pictures announced a remake of The Wizard of Oz; and Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway has signed on to star in the Weinstein Company’s biography of famous singer and actress Judy Garland.

The Wizard of Oz story is so deeply imbedded in American culture that almost on a weekly basis I find some ties to it through the media. For example, in conjunction with death of Michael Jackson, it was indicated repeatedly that he played a Scarecrow in the movie "The Wiz" in 1978. The best-selling author Michael Connelly in his most recent book "The Scarecrow" uses various facts from the Oz series, such as Denslow Associates (William Denslow illustrated the Wizard of Oz title), Fred Stone (appeared in the first Broadway musical in 1902), references to a character Dorothy from Kansas, etc.

Currently, the Geppi Museum through its exhibit celebrates the 70th anniversary of 1939 Wizard of Oz movie and I was honored to lend a number of my books to that exhibit. All 40 famous Oz titles that can be seen on the display in this exhibit are around 100 years old, rare and very hard to find in this pristine condition. It should also be noted that L. Frank Baum wrote over 70 other books outside of Oz series and many of them can also be seen in the museum.

Fun on the computer at 2:48 a.m. [Dining@Large]

2009-07-10T00:48:48-07:00

Here I am, up when I shouldn't be, reading comments. And for the second night in a row someone has posted this very flattering comment:

I visited this blog first time and found it very interesting and informative.. Keep up the good work thanks..

And guess what? His name is Van Leasing and he kindly included his URL, which I didn't click on. Because I don't need any vans.

'Big Brother 11': What did you think of the premiere? [Reality Check]

2009-07-09T20:12:20-07:00

Oh, Big Brother. How I love/loathe thee. It's such summer trash, and yet, I can't turn away.

I'm not sure how I feel about this summer's theme, high school, which has the cast broken up into cliques (popular, athletic, brainy and offbeat). I am sure that I am not glad that insufferable Jesse from last season is back this year.

What did you think of the theme and the contestants thus far? Anybody watching the live feeds?

'So You Think You Can Dance': Who's in the Top 10? [Reality Check]

2009-07-09T20:06:44-07:00

Hmm, I might have been hard on Tabitha and Napoleon last night, but their group dance that opens tonight's So You Think You Can Dance -- to White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" -- is great.

After announcing that it is Nigel's 60th birthday, host Cat Deeley asks Nigel about the rumors of a Michael Jackson tribute special. Unfortunately, the music permissions didn't come through, so it's a no. (Though I can't help but think that they are going public with that to try to make someone change their mind!)

Then Cat points out that after this week, the judges don't have a say; viewer votes will determine who goes home.

Then the results begin. The first two couples to hit the stage are Annapolis' Caitlin Kinney and her partner Jason and Brandon and Janette. I can't help but think that this means that Caitlin and Jason are in danger because Brandon and Janette had that show-stopper at the end of last night's show. And .... that's a yes. Caitlin and Jason are in the bottom three, and Brandon and Janette are in the Top 10.

The next two couples called to the stage are Randi and Evan and Jeanine and Phillip. Randi and Evan are safe; Phillip and Jeanine have to get ready for their solos.

Last up are Melissa and Ade and Kayla and Kupono. Kayla and Kupono are safe -- and totally shocked. So that leaves Melissa and Ade joining the others in the bottom three couples.

While the bottom three couples get a change to ready for their solos, we get a preview of the fall season of SYTYCD.

Then, solo time. Caitlin goes cutesy but still showing of a lot of technique, and hopefully some personality too. Speaking of technique, Jason shows some off, too. Last week, they said that Jeanine's solo was the strongest, and she still is pretty strong. Phillip seems much less manic and more controlled than last week's solo. Melissa goes all sporty ballerina on us. Ade's solo is to a song called "Windowdipper" that samples Windows noises (which really freaks me out for a minute). Tyce told him to bring it, and bring it he did.

Mary doesn't want to go try to figure out who is going home.

Kelly Rowland performs, but I fast-forward through most of it. Sorry, Kelly, that's not why I'm here.

I'm here for the results, and here they are.

Nigel says everyone is a good dancer, but they need a Top 10 who are stars. They call Caitlin forward and tell her she is cut. Awww, she cries even before her highlight reel. For the guys, they call Phillip forward and tell him he is unique in what he does, but they've been somewhat disappointed with him in the other styles. He is out, but, Nigel says, "I have secured with the producers that you -- and Caitlin -- will be on the tour." Well, that is some consolation for our local dancer, at least.

What do you think of the results? I didn't envy the judges their duty tonight.

Concert review: Wilco at Wolf Trap last night [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-09T14:20:00-07:00

Baltimore Sun social networking guru Mary Hartney was at last night's Wilco show at Wolf Trap in Virginia. Here are her thoughts:

My favorite band (Wilco) at my favorite venue (Wolf Trap) on a gorgeous summer night: What could possibly go wrong?

Traffic and lawn seats, that's what.

We arrived at Wolf Trap about an hour before the show, which Conor Oberst opened, and the lawn was blanket-to-blanket packed. We wound up sitting on the farthest, highest hill, with no view of the stage.

But that's my problem, not yours, right? I can at least tell you how Wilco sounded. In a word: Incredible. ...

Richard reviews Piv's Pub, plus my Top Chef story [Dining@Large]

2009-07-09T12:59:26-07:00

As usual on Thursdays I like to link to Other Reviewer Richard's review. This time he went to Piv's Pub in Cockeysville.

While I'm linking, I might as well link to my Top Chef story. It was interesting to report, because I was only allowed to speak to one chef yesterday afternoon, Bryan Voltaggio. Someone from Bravo has to listen in to all media interviews -- I guess in case someone forgets him- or herself and says, "I won! I won!" ...

Update on Thing 3, the foster...he imitates coyote [Mutts]

2009-07-09T12:04:25-07:00

So well into the week with the foster pup, who I've decided to call Teddy (short for Teddy Bean) ("bean" as in little black bean), he's not only enjoying his time out of the carrier, he's taken it upon himself to complain if he's in the carrier too long. Funny, coming from a puppy mill dog who, as I understand it, spent his entire life up to now in a wire cage that's certainly less pleasant that the blanket-lined pet carrier he's upset about. But, eh, I guess he's learning about creature comforts. That's good!

(In case you're just tuning in now, I'm taking care of a foster dog, a sweet, scared poodle that was rescued last week from a Pennsylvania puppy mill. Catch the first installment here. And other chapters here and here.)

Anyway, so Tuesday, after leaving him in the carrier all day when I went to work, as the shelter told me to do, and then putting him back in the carrier when I was ready for bed, at about 2:30 a.m. I was woken up by a howling, a mournful coyote noise that could only be coming from Teddy. Uh-oh. I went downstairs and let him out of the carrier, thinking he might be having a bathroom situation.

No more private school [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-09T11:39:51-07:00

In tough economic times like this, parents look for anything they can trim from the budget without making their kids suffer. Once they've done that, there's a big-ticket item that looms large in some households: private school. Some families are making the hard decision to take kids out of the private schools they've been attending and sending them to public schools instead. The New York Times had a piece several months ago. Now we at the Sun are looking into the local angle. If you're in this situation and would be willing to talk with a reporter about your decision to switch schools, please e-mail Arin Gencer.

Book It [Read Street]

2009-07-09T11:26:12-07:00

Who doesn't enjoy a love story? OK, besides you. But I bet you love a good war story, right? Hmm. How about both? Local author Vincent Gisriel Jr. will be at Greetings & Readings Saturday to sign and discuss his book, Hearts Away, Bombs Away, based on his father's experiences in World War II and the correspondance between Gisriel Sr. and the woman who would become his wife.

Also Saturday, Elissa Brent Weissman, a past guest blogger here at Read Street, will be at Red Canoe to sign copies of her new book, The Trouble with Mark Hopper. If you enjoyed Standing for Socks, you won't want to miss this story of a young boy and his doppelganger. And Elissa is just an extremely sweet individual, so you should go introduce yourself and grab a few of Red Canoe's yummy snacks, while you're at it.

Minas Boutique hosts Second Sunday Poetry again this month, with Alan Barysh, Ron Williams, Suzanne X, Rabbi Liz Bolton, Julie Fisher, Miriam Botwinik and Marcus Colasurdo. Oh, and you, if you're in the mood for some open mic action. Your $3 donation and/or nonperishable food item will go toward Hearts Place Shelter.

Finally, on Tuesday, Marnie Colton begins her six-week course on poetry to be taught at Red Emma's Free School. The classes focus on contemporary poetry by young women.

As always, look for more events on our Read Street calendar, or let us know about any we haven't included!

Video: Monkee Micky Dolenz performs at the Dundalk Heritage Fair [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-09T11:00:00-07:00

Micky Dolenz of the Monkees was in the area recently for a show at the Dundalk Hertiage Fair. Ring Posts blogger Kevin Eck was right -- Mick's voice is still really strong. Check out this medly of tunes from the show, courtesy of Kevin's friend Chris ...

Food super powers [Dining@Large]

2009-07-09T09:53:30-07:00

Guest poster Owl Meat has come up with a new game for this week's excellent Funtastic Thursday. I would play but I'm still trying to get past the concept of Owlie watching Gilligan's Island. EL

There was an episode of Gilligan's Island where radioactive seeds washed up on the island. Each vegetable gave one of the castaways a cliché super-power. Gilligan ate spinach and had great strength. Maryanne ate carrots and had super vision. Mrs. Howell ate sugar beets and became a full-on hard-tweakin' crank-head.

Here's a new game. You pick the food and the superpower it would give you or wish it would. It can be any kind of food or beverage. It doesn't have to have any traditional association.

I'll go first: ...

Big Kidz Sports Bar [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-09T09:27:00-07:00

You've already heard about Fumbles: The Sports Bar for Losers. Now, witness my latest wickedly awesome bar concept: Big Kidz Sports Bar.

It's like Dave and Busters. But not lame. Or, maybe, awesomely lame -- like, lame dipped in chocolate.

Basically this bar would take everything we enjoyed as kids (and possibly early teens*) and bring them into a bar setting.

I'm talking about a giant indoor dodgeball court. A swing set. Those springy things (pictured). Monkey bars. A big slide (wax paper costs $.50 a sheet). An Activity Zone. Possibly mini-golf. Possibly.

There would be a sandbox, complete with miniature John Deere tractors and an adult-sized, semi-mechanized digger (like this).

And then of course, standard games like corn hole, beer pong, shuffleboard and the like.

Babies on skates -- and investing [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-09T09:06:08-07:00

The search term "babies on skates" is tearing it up on Google Trends right now as a result of this might-be-amusing, might-seem-creepy ad:

I must say I found myself laughing at the computer-generated skater tots, just as I crack up at the E*trade commercials with this jaded "baby":

Why it's funny to me, I don't know. I'm in no hurry for babies to grow up; since mine are now 6 and 8, I'm already missing their infant selves.

Varying adoption fees for dogs -- what's the deal? [Mutts]

2009-07-09T08:35:40-07:00

With a dog suddenly in my life, one from a puppy mill whose job is breeding dogs to make $$$, I was curious to find out how much dogs go for. From reputable breeders. From various rescue organizations.

I know that shelters like BARCS and the MDSPCA have standard fees that apply to all dogs -- no matter what type. You'll pay the same about the adopt a scruffy mutt as you would a Labradoodle, should a Labradoodle happen to be at the shelter.

Anyway, I was kind of disturbed to see that some non-profit groups -- I won't name names -- ask for "minimum donations" to adopt dogs. And the "minimum donations" clearly depends on the type of dog. In other words, you'll pay more for a Labradoodle puppy than for an older Shih Tsu. It just seemed somehow wrong. Though these are rescue groups, and seemingly a good place to adopt a dog, by doing this aren't they perpetuating the idea that certain dogs are worth more -- and thereby giving places like puppy mills reasons to endure? Or maybe I'm off-base. Maybe they just want to get money for their cause where they know they can....

Curious about what you guys think. Please weigh in.....

**NOTE ADDED A BIT LATER AFTER PEOPLE STARTED COMMENTING: Hey, just want to be clear. It's not only paying more for a puppy than a senior dog. It's paying more for a Shih Tsu than a Pit bull. Or paying more for a Labradoodle than a Shih Tsu -- even if they're all the same age. -- Jill.

Photo of Labradoodle pup in an Amazon shipping box courtesy of Estoril's photostream on Flickr.

Author Larry Doyle on stage and screen [Read Street]

2009-07-09T08:09:51-07:00

Nouveau Baltimorean Larry Doyle will have his novel, I Love You, Beth Cooper, spread across the big screen when the movie adaptation opens nationwide Friday. Doyle, who moved to Baltimore four years ago, will also appear tonight in Baltimoored: Summer in the City, A Live Radio Show. Today in The Baltimore Sun, Michael Sragow profiled Doyle. An excerpt:

Larry Doyle's wife says he's funny only when he's talking to someone other than herself.

Luckily, he should be talking to hundreds of theatergoers at Center Stage Thursday for Stoop Storytelling, the popular stage series featuring Baltimoreans relating their own tales of Charm City.

Doyle, author of the Thurber Prize-winning novel I Love You, Beth Cooper [shown here accepting the award]... has also written the screenplay and served as an executive producer for the movie version of his novel, which opens nationwide Friday; the director is Chris Columbus, who made the first two Harry Potter pictures.

It should be a heady time even for a 50-year-old, formerly L.A.-based veteran who has won two Emmy awards and one Annie for his work on The Simpsons.

In fact, it should be a heady time even for a writer who has had two solo credits on produced original scripts, Duplex and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, in an era when solo writing credits are rare for potential franchises like Looney Tunes -- and original scripts tend to be regarded as anathema.

But over the phone from a hotel lobby in Tribeca (he planned to attend a "special screening" of Beth Cooper in New York Tuesday night), he remained refreshingly down-to-earth and dry. "That's Vincent D'Onofrio walking by," he interrupts himself to say, "looking ... kind of ... fat."

Beer Belly: It's the genes not just the beer [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-09T08:08:29-07:00

Drinking a lot of beer can lead to a weight gain, but it won't necessarily give you a beer belly. That is what research published recently in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found.

German and Swedish researchers looked at some 20,000 men and women, studying among other things, the relationship between the change in their beer consumption and the change in their waist circumference.

They concluded that heavy beer consumption leads to weight gain, but that not everybody who drank beer and gained weight, developed a beer belly.

Where that weigh showed up had more to do with the "natural variation in fat patterning." Our genetic makeup, I guess.

I read an abstract of this research, not the full article. It was written in technical language. Here, for example, is the phrasing of one of its beer belly conclusions. "This study does not support the common belief of a site-specific effect of beer on the abdomen, the beer belly."

This seems to contradict common sense. If you gain weight because you drink a lot of beer, where does the weight gain show up on your body?

In your feet?

There are, however, people who drink a lot of beer and never get fat. What, I wonder, is their secret?

Why do some of us spread out like Fat Albert, and others remain bean-pole thin?

Why does this happen. Any ideas?

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Richard Gere: Dog is his co-star [Mutts]

2009-07-09T07:15:24-07:00

Richard Gere stars in a Hollywood remake of Japan's long-cherished story of Hachiko, a faithful dog that died at a train station waiting for its master. But "Hachi: A Dog's Story" is more about the dog than about Gere, the 59-year-old actor told The Associated Press Wednesday.

"On this movie, I was definitely second-class," he told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.

The story of Hachiko is a legend among Japanese, a pet-loving nation that honors self-sacrificing loyalty.

Hachiko, the story goes, always used to wait at Shibuya train station for its master, a professor at the University of Tokyo.

Even after the professor died, the dog waited every day at the station for a decade, until it died in 1935.

People were so moved they built a statue of Hachiko at the station, which remains a popular rendezvous spot for Japanese today.

The story of Hachiko was made into a 1987 Japanese movie. Gere's version transports that story to a station in Rhode Island.

The movie premiered in the U.S. at the Seattle International Film Festival in June, and opens in Japan in August.

Gere said the Japanese breed of dogs called Akita used in the movie are close to wild dogs and very difficult to train. In the beginning, Gere was instructed not to even look at the three dogs that played Hachi.

"They only do something because they want to. You can't really buy them with food," said Gere.

Where's Bo? Obamas meet Russian kitty [Mutts]

2009-07-09T07:11:28-07:00

With Bo Obama at home back in the U.S.A., President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle are mixing it up with a cat during a visit to the presidential residence outside Moscow in Gorki on July 6. It's unclear if the kitty has a name. Great tail on that cat though! Russia's Dmitry Medvedev and Obama were meeting to discuss Afghanistan and cutting their nuclear arsenals. MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/AFP/Getty Images.

The recipe for Romulan Ale, a la Landmark Theatres [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-09T05:30:00-07:00

One of the best parts about the fancy new(ish) Landmark Theatres Harbor East is its liquor license.

Not only can you order a drink (wine, beer, liquor) at the lobby bar, you can actually take the drink into the theater with you.

Yesterday, the paper had a great piece by John-John Williams IV about the bar's snazzy mixed drink menu, which is updated as the movies change. We're talking a drink for each of the four main characters of Sex and the City. We're talking James Bond martinis.

And, most importantly, we're talking Romulan Ale. Yes, the theater did make its own (legal) version of the highly illegal liquor featured on the Star Trek movie series. Set phasers to stun ...

More snakes than people in Beirut apartment [Mutts]

2009-07-09T05:08:52-07:00

A couple that live in a closet-sized Beirut apartment has happily decorated it with 13 snakes -- that they allow to roam free.

According to this little story, Pierre Rizk and his wife Sapna have the pythons, including one named after former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a less-than 500 square foot apartment.

"I really admire her for her leadership," Rizk told a reporter. "She has so much intelligence, responsibility, and energy -- just like the energy of snakes."

Is that a compliment?

At top, Lebanese snake hobbyist Pierre Rizk poses with one of his pet snakes. In the other picture, below, the snake hobbiest and his wife, Sapa (which means "Snake" in English) watch television with two of their Indian Python snakes in their flat in Dekwaneh, which is east of Beirut on July 6. Rizk and his wife have no children but are happily living with 13 pet snakes. JOSEPH BARRAK/AFP/Getty Images.

What is Maryland fried chicken, anyway? [Dining@Large]

2009-07-09T05:08:04-07:00

I was doing a little housekeeping on the blog last evening when I came upon the following e-mail, which I had stuck in an unused entry form to write a post about in the future.

I'm a little late with it; Bill sent it last July. But his question is still relevant.

While I'm at it, I'm going to ask what makes fried chicken Maryland-style? You never hear other states getting credited for fried chicken -- except, of course, Kentucky, and that's just a fast food gimmick, isn't it? ...

Family fun this weekend [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-09T03:40:35-07:00

If Fourth of July went by too quickly for you and yours, check out the free tour for kids at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Museum on Saturday. Here's more to do with the family from intern Kayla Cross: Thursday, July 9: Chesapeake Bay Critters: Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay’s animals with Richard Anderson, of the Snyder Foundation for Animals, at the Taneytown branch of the Carroll County Public Library. Get a chance to view preserved animals up close. This event is free, and starts at 1:30 p.m. It is open to ages 6 and up. Children must be registered to participate. Go to library.carr.org or call 410-386-4488. Duct Tape Flip-Flops: Break out the creative juices and make unique summer shoes at the Savage branch of the Howard County Library. Bring your own duct tape! This event is for ages 11-17 and they must be registered ahead of time. It is free and lasts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Go to hclibrary.org or call 410-880-5975 to register. National Summer Learning Day: There are events taking place throughout Maryland this Thursday, in honor of National Summer Learning Day. Check summerlearning.org/summerlearningday for more information on local events. Friday, July 10: Disc Golf: Head out to Patapsco Valley State Park for a disc golf clinic, and learn more about the sport. Children, ages 9 and up, are welcome to come to the McKeldin area of the park and participate. Bring good walking shoes and water. This event is free and lasts from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. To sign up, call 410-984-7020. Caribbean Carnival Festival: Celebrate the Caribbean heritage in a festival this weekend, through July 12, in Druid Hill Park The festival will feature a colorful parade on Saturday, as well as Caribbean food and crafts throughout the weekend. General admission is $10, and children under 12 get in for free.The event will last from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the weekend has more: Saturday, July 11: Fifteen Stars, Fifteen Stripes, Fifteen and Under Free!: The second Saturday of every month the Star Spangled Banner Flag House lets children, ages 15 and under, tour the museum for free. The museum is located at the site of Mary Pickersgill’s house, where the first American flag was made. The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Teddy Bear Picnic: Kids can bring their teddy bears to this event at Port Discovery. The day will be full of activities, such as face painting and Moonbounce adventures. Tickets to the museum are required; $12.95 for ages 2 and up. The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m and is recommended for ages 5 and under. Howard County Pow-Wow/American Indian Show & Festival: Honor the American Indian heritage in this two-day event at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship. The festival features American Indian dance, food and crafts. Tickets are $6-$8 and the event lasts from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Star-Gazing: Hercules’ Mighty Armpit Returns: Enjoy a star-filled night with the Westminster Astronomy Club at Soldiers Delight of Patapsco Valley State Park. This event is free, open to all ages and lasts from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. To sign up, call 410-549-3026. Sunday, July 12: Second Sundays at Leakin Park: Come out for fun for all ages at Leakin Park. Children can ride miniature trains from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and adults can go hiking at 1 p.m. or tour the grounds from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The events are free. Summer Fun Day: Step on up to the fun and games at Steppingstone Museum in Havre de Grace. Admission is $5 and includes lawn mower racing, face painting, frog jumping and more. The event lasts from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Living history performers at a Flag House Museum festival, 2007. Colby Ware/Special to the Baltimore Sun.

Kindle price drops to $299 [Read Street]

2009-07-08T20:35:41-07:00

Good news for Nancy and the other Kindle-ites: Amazon cut the e-reader's price to $299 on Wednesday.

The new price is $60 below the pricetag the Kindle has had since its 2007 debut. Spokeswoman Cinthia Portugal said the price cut is not just a short-term promotion. "We've been able to increase the volume of Kindles we're manufacturing and decrease the cost of doing so," she said, according to the Associated Press.

Amazon has not disclosed Kindle sales figures, and the publishing industry has said e-books account for less than 1 percent of book sales, the AP said. But it is a fast-growing segment. Amazon's larger Kindle DX, which is geared toward textbooks and periodicals, still has its original price of $489.

I think the price cut will make the Kindle2 attractive to more consumers. But until the price drops much more significantly -- to $99.99 or lower -- I don't think it will become a mass market item. It will still appeal mainly to (a) travelers who hate lugging suitcases full of books; (b) time-starved parents; (c) heavy, heavy readers; (d) library-phobes; and (e) those who are all of the above. So, what price would attract you?

'So You Think Can Dance': Top 12 perform [Reality Check]

2009-07-08T20:14:12-07:00

This week on So You Think You Can Dance, the couples take on two dances per week for the first time. Well, two competition dances, since they always have to learn a group dance and they prep a solo, too.

The big question around here, though, is whether Annapolis dancer and Baltimore School for the Arts grad Caitlin Kinney will make the Top 10. Here's hoping!

The first couple is Melissa and Ade, doing disco with Doriana Sanchez. OK, first of all, those are some crazy sparkle-pants Ade's got on. Second, this is fast, and has so many spins that it's a wonder they stay on their feet. Um, well, they do until the very end, when their final move gives way somehow and Melissa stumbles. (Does Ade drop? Is her footing off? It's hard to tell.) But it's fun and energetic, for sure. Nigel Lythgoe says it was exciting and had some "tremendous stuff" in it. In the replay, it looks like both of their feet slipped, causing the fall, by the way. Mary Murphy, reference Doriana's line about praying to the disco gods: "Can I get an amen?" She adds that it was well-executed and that they were both "letting it go." Tyce DiOrio: "That was friggin' great! I mean, I want to say, I adore you, and no one would think that a ballet dancer could do that, so that's growth." He says that Ade embodied it well.

Kayla and Kupono take on a Mia Michaels contemporary routine that is about addiction. In a more revealing and emotional introductory segment than usual, Kupono discusses that he had a close friend who was almost destroyed by a drug addiction that had repercussions in his family, too, and that he almost doesn't want to portray the character of the addiction. "I just sucks having to be in it for that minute-thirty or just those two counts." Then he cries. It's pretty powerful, though there is a part toward the end where he is supposed to be guiding the addicted Kayla through some moves, and it seems like he just isn't exactly where he is supposed to be, which makes it look a little funky. Still, though, a nice piece. Nigel says it's a powerful piece for anyone who has dealt with addiction. He said that Kayla was superb as the addict and that Kupono was powerful in his role as well. Mary says Kupono stayed in character with intensity through the whole performance and that Kayla was flawless. "You guys are staying on the train; don't worry about it." Tyce says with Mia, you add a level to yourself and become an actor. He adds that Kupono could use a little more power in his body, but his acting was great. Kayla he just calls "a beast."

As a side note, can I just say, as someone with hardly any pigment, how refreshing it is to see that the stylists or whoever on this show let the pale girls be pale without feeling the need to fake-tan (or worse, real tan) them into orange oblivion? (*cough* Dancing With the Stars *cough)

A close encounter of the odd kind [Dining@Large]

2009-07-08T15:07:41-07:00

I had a surprising thing happen today. When I went to the gym and held out my card to have the bar code scanned, the person behind the desk -- someone I had never seen before -- looked at my information on the computer screen and said, "Hi, EL. I'm Piano Rob." ...

Pa. man faces 230 charges in puppy mill abuse [Mutts]

2009-07-08T14:58:42-07:00

The man authorities allege is responsible for the gross neglect and abuse discovered when officials raided his eastern Pennsylvania puppy mill a week ago has been fined more than $150,000 and is facing over 230 charges for allegedly violating the state's dog laws.

Eighteen of Derbe Eckhart's dogs from the Almost Heaven Kennel were sent to shelters in Baltimore, which Unleashed wrote about. My foster dog, Teddy, is another victim of the Emmaus mill.

According to the Associated Press, Eckhart has 15 days to appeal the $152,900 fine from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

John reviews Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace [Dining@Large]

2009-07-08T14:24:30-07:00

Our Shallow Thought guru and guest poster John Lindner continues his series of tavern reviews. One of these days he's going to order rare duck breast on a bed of frisee, and I'm going to have a heart attack. Here's John. EL

Among the things the Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace gets right is its view.

You can sit outside under an expansive umbrella, marvel at the trains clattering along a delicate bridge high above the Susquehanna, wonder what creature just thrashed the surface of the water, pretend to count ducks and geese in their shoreline promenade as you surreptitiously people watch; and you can gauge the state of civilization based on how many times the hostess fails to hold open the patio door for the patrons she is ushering to table.*

90-second review: The Demon's Lexicon [Read Street]

2009-07-08T11:43:53-07:00

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Synopsis: Set in modern-day England, the story begins with 16-year-old Nick Ryves and his brother, Alan. Their family's been torn apart by the demons they run from, but now two teens are are asking them to fight back to save one who's been marked for possession.

Review: Nick is quite the head case, and you can't really blame him: After all, his day-to-day life running from magicians and demons would drive anyone a little crazy.

The intense loyalty of his brother, whose love he guards jealously from any woman who stumbles into their lives (including his own mother), is just about the only bright spot in their fugitive existance. That, and the huge honking sword he carries at all times.

The characters and their world are portrayed consistently and realistically, which is always the most important aspect in the fantasy genre, and sometimes overlooked by less saavy writers. And the great big whooper of a family secret in the plot ensures that it's not just all magic, all the time.

I'm looking forward to the next installment in this new series, and many more books from first-time author Brennan.

If you liked: Holly Black (Tithe), Garth Nix (Shade's Children, Keys to the Kingdom series) or Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson series) you'll enjoy this. Nick's character provides a likewise strong voice, but there's plenty of development to be had.

You should avoid this if: The supernatural just doesn't do it for you. While there is some violence, it never gets too graphic, and the young love angle is kept at a minimum, so if you're looking for a hot sex scene, move on.

Owner: Iguana Cantina will reopen as upscale rum bar [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-08T11:29:00-07:00

Iguana Cantina isn't going away -- it's just getting a facelift, according to owner Tim Bennett.

Bennett, who closed the large club at 124 Market Place this week, said he plans to turn it into an upscale rum bar in the next three to four months.

Tentatively called Mojito's Rum Bar, the 10,000-square foot building would be split into two spaces, which would give it a more intimate feel. Right now, a crowd smaller than 500 people makes the place look empty, Bennett said.

Five years ago, when Bennett opened Iguana Cantina in the space formerly occupied by the Culture Club, crowds flocked to the spot. But business has died off in the past four to six months, Bennett said. ...

Three Maryland contestants on Top Chef [Dining@Large]

2009-07-08T10:30:24-07:00

If you remember, in an earlier post I wrote about the rumor that Jesse Sandlin, executive chef of Abacrombie, would be a contestant on Bravo's Top Chef. The chefs competing in Season Six, which starts August 26, have just been announced; and indeed she is one of the 17.

What I hadn't heard was that a Maryland restaurant has a second contestant, Bryan Voltaggio of Volt in Frederick. His brother Michael, originally from Frederick and last chef de cuisine at Jose Andres's Bazaar in Los Angeles, is the third Marylander on the show.

Iguana Cantina is closed [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-08T10:20:00-07:00

Iguana Cantina, the giant club at 124 Market Place, is closed, according to security coordinator Dave Adams.

Adams said the party zone will be shut down for the next couple months to reorganize and reconcept the place.

"It's been five years and a good run," Adams told Sun reporter Justin Fenton.

Adams said the closing was not violence-related.

(Baltimore Sun archive photo of patrons standing outside Iguana Cantina)

New 'Top Chef' cast includes several Marylanders [Reality Check]

2009-07-08T10:09:49-07:00

Bravo just announced the cast of the next season of Top Chef, and how about that -- it includes several Marylanders.

One is Jesse Sandlin, the chef at Abacrombie, who Elizabeth Large had already speculated might be in the cast.

There's also brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, both from Frederick. Bryan is the chef and owner of Volt on Market Street in Frederick. Michael lives in L.A. now and is the Chef de Cuisine at Bazaar by Jose Andres.

I'll get some more details as soon as I can, but in the meantime, here's the full cast list for Top Chef: Las Vegas, which premieres on Aug. 26:

Task force to try to prevent another Phoenix [Mutts]

2009-07-08T10:04:12-07:00

In the wake of a spate of highly publicized cases of gruesome animal cruelty, Baltimore has created a task force to curb such crimes.

Mayor Sheila Dixon announced on Tuesday the creation of the Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force, a group including representatives from city offices, the police, the states attorney’s office, animal welfare organizations and city residents.

Over the course of a year, the task force will assess the effectiveness of Baltimore’s cruelty laws and brainstorm ways to raise awareness of animal abuse. They’ll also consider ways city agencies and animal advocates can better coordinate their efforts.

The task force will issue recommendations to the mayor.

“The protection and safety of animals in this city is an important concern,” Dixon said. “It’s imperative we treat this issue with the upmost importance.”

The first meeting will be at 6 p.m. July 15 at City Hall — though it won’t be open to the public. Task force chairwoman Caroline Griffin, an attorney who’s on the board of Baltimore’s Humane Society, said the public will, however, be welcome at some future meetings.

Meanwhile, Dixon is asking anyone who sees suspected animal abuse to call 311.

JHU Press' Kathleen Keane gets honor [Read Street]

2009-07-08T09:22:59-07:00

Congratulations to Kathleen Keane, who recently began a one-year term as president of the Association of American University Presses, a group with 134 member presses.

"I am honored to accept this position, and I am proud of the AAUP's on-going efforts to advance scholarly publishing and serve the very accomplished and collegial community of member presses," Keane, director of the Johns Hopkins University Press, said in a statement.

Keane joined the Hopkins press in 2002 as director of finance and operations. In 2004, she became director of the organization, which is America's oldest university press, and its staff of 140. According to the Hopkins press, it publishes 200 new titles annually, manages the publication of 70 scholarly periodicals, runs an online collection of 450 scholarly journals and handles customer services operation for 16 presses.

Words of wisdom from a Zen master, part three [Dining@Large]

2009-07-08T08:27:25-07:00

Over breakfast my husband said out of the blue, "Your next Top 10 falls on Bastille Day."

Since I'm never sure he even reads my blog, that was startling. It's also a bit awkward because I've already announced I was doing Tex-Mex restaurants. It would be one thing if I were listing, say, summer treats; but a specific cuisine seems like a slap in the face of francophiles. ...

Ah, the small dogs of Hollywood... [Mutts]

2009-07-08T07:04:26-07:00

From left: Stars Keana Texeira, Cassie Scerbo and Ashley Rickards arrives with their dogs for the grand opening of Artist Knox Luxury Grooming Pet Salon on June 27 in Hollywood. Something about this screams "accessory."

The mark of death for new bars and clubs [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-08T06:41:00-07:00

When a new bar or club opens in this city, the worst way they can advertise themselves is with this catchphrase:

"We're bringing Miami/D.C./New York/L.A. to Baltimore!"

I don't know about you, but when I go out to a bar or club, the last thing I think is, 'Gee, this place could use a little Miami.' ...

Dogs ponder: Does size matter? [Mutts]

2009-07-08T06:07:42-07:00

A chihuahua named Maggie, that's the itty bitty one on the right, and an Irish wolfhound named Merlin, the mega-dog to the left, took part in a dog show in the northern German city of Hamburg on June 28. It looks as if Merlin might consider Maggie a dog treat. Merlin's nose is the size of Maggie's whole head. ROLAND MAGUNIA/AFP/Getty Images.

Free books online from Hachette publishing [Read Street]

2009-07-08T06:04:31-07:00

To generate buzz about its books and authors, Hachette Book Group has begun to post the complete contents of selected books on its website. FOR FREE!

The selection of the OpenAccess program isn't huge right now, but it does include several books that have garnered impressive reviews, including Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith and The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. There's also Gossip Girl.

A number of publishers have similar programs to promote new authors or a new series -- or to simply to spread the word about interesting books. It's not a bad strategy. Folks who read online are still a minority, but their recommendations can drive sales of printed books. So the publisher and readers can benefit.

Call me a caveman, but I'm not big on reading e-books and still like the feel of paper (did cavemen have books?). I guess I could print out these freebies, but that would be cruel to Mother Earth. So this offer may be lost on me, but hey, enjoy!

Taking beer rather than wine to a dinner party [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-08T05:32:54-07:00

Recently my wife and I got invited to the home of one of her Hopkins colleagues for dinner. Rather toting the usual bottle of wine, I instead took two 750-milliliter bottles of beer.

The beers I carried were two from Dogfish Head, Squall IPA and Sah'tea.

Shortly after we got in door, the host popped the lids and poured the five of us some small servings of beer.

The Squall IPA was hit. Unfiltered and bottle conditioned it went well with a lime-infused guacamole. It was pungent yet smooth, and hid its 9 percent ABV. The tasting notes describe it as a brew to enjoyed at a sunset bonfire on the beach. It was pretty good company in a Mount Washington kitchen as well.

The Sah' tea was a bolder beer and received less of a welcome. This beer, the tasting notes said, was an update of a ninth-century Finnish brew. The wort was caramelized by dropping hot suana rocks in it. A German Weizen yeast was used. Juniper berries from Finland andblack tea and spices were added for flavor. It was quite a brewing adventure as the above video shows.

The brew's tea flavor and the lingering aftertaste were not well received by my fellow diners. Too harsh, one said.

Nonetheless the beer tasting prelude to dinner was a happy experience. As we sipped, we shared stories of our favorite beers. One fellow, a university administrator, said a friend was "educating" him by bringing him various Belgian beers to sample Friday nights after work.

I had been reluctant to tote beer rather than wine to this gathering. But I think I will do it again.

Anyone else carry beer to the host and hostess?

What was the reaction?

The Sah' tea might have been a little far out, perhaps I should have stuck to more straight-forward beers. But these folks were world travelers and appreciated sampling something different, even if they didn't love it.

What are some good beers to present a host and hostess?

Texting at the table [Dining@Large]

2009-07-08T05:32:26-07:00

Last night as Gailor and I were walking through a restaurant to our table, we passed a couple texting, each on his and her own phone. It looked very odd.

I don't mind people texting at other tables in restaurants -- in fact, I much prefer it to their talking on a cell phone -- but I wouldn't want anyone to be doing it at the same table where I'm eating. ...

Owner reunited with lost kitty -- after 6 years [Mutts]

2009-07-08T04:58:31-07:00

Even though they're using it as an advertisement for a service, this is a really touching story of a long lost kitty -- and I mean REALLY long lost -- being reunited with his person.

When her cat, Dopey disappeared six years ago, Donna Lane-Mills gave up hope her beloved family cat would ever be found. But thanks to AKC Companion Animal Recovery, the kitty's back.

Because of a microchip, he was found at a shelter 20 miles from Lane-Mills' home in Sacramento, Calif.

Dopey had somehow found his way to another town 40 miles away and was adopted by an elderly woman. When she recently passed away, the cat was brought to the local shelter, where personnel there decided to scan the now 9-year-old cat, because due to his age, he would most likely be euthanized.

“When I checked my voicemail at work I received the most unexpected message,” Lane-Mills said, in a release prepared by the Kennel Club. “They let me know that Dopey had been turned in to a shelter. I had to listen to the message twice. I thought there is no way, Dopey’s been missing for six years.”

Pork over greens [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-08T02:59:47-07:00

For the second installment of our Dinner Together mini-series on super-easy family grilling, we're departing from usual practice and using a bottled marinade. Sometimes you just gotta go there.

In this case, we used half the bottle of marinade as a marinade, and the half that hadn't touched uncooked pork became a sort of salad dressing.

The kids were not interested in the greens, but they liked the pork. (The marinade sounds spicy, but by the time it had cooked with the pork, it was mild enough for them.)

Here's how you make it:

Grilled Pork Over Greens
Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2-2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 bottle of KC Masterpiece Spiced Caribbean Jerk Marinade
3-4 cups arugula, stemmed and roughly chopped

Place pork in a baking pan and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal grill for indirect cooking, heaping the coals on one side of the grill.
Place pork on the cool side of the grill, brushing with a bit of the marinade. Cover the grill, leaving vents open, and cook until pork reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove from grill, cover with foil, and rest meat about 10 minutes. Discard any marinade that was in the pan with the pork.
Slice pork into medallions and serve over arugula. If you like, use the rest of the bottle of marinade (the part which has not touched uncooked pork) as a sauce for the salad on the side.

Per serving (based on 6 servings, not including sauce on side): 230 calories, 25 grams protein, 11 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 3 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 352 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.

(Photo by me)

Task force to be born in wake of Phoenix [Mutts]

2009-07-07T16:59:59-07:00

In the wake of Phoenix, a puppy doused with gasoline and set on fire, and two cats tortured to death, Baltimore City seems prepared to take a step to fight animal cruelty.

Mayor Sheila Dixon, together with the ASPCA, have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning to talk about the formation of a anti-animal cruelty task force.

I plan to attend and will have more details for you here and on The Baltimore Sun's news pages.

Anyone have any ideas what this task force should try to take on and who should serve on it?

Next week's Top 10: Tex-Mex [Dining@Large]

2009-07-07T14:54:06-07:00

Over a year ago I promised I'd do a Top 10 list of the best Tex-Mex. I started to, and then it turned into restaurants that were authentically Mexican.

Suggestions are welcome, and also some thoughts on what makes a great Tex-Mex restaurant. Is it the beer list? We're not looking for subtlety here, right?

Is there one dish on a menu that tells you this is Tex-Mex and not purely Mexican?

(Karl Merton Ferron/Sun photographer)

Michael Jackson memorial service at the Pratt [Read Street]

2009-07-07T14:08:26-07:00

The Baltimore Sun's Mary McCauley, a regular contributor on Read Street, stopped by the Enoch Pratt library, where folks could watch the Michael Jackson memorial service on a large screen. Her report: There were about 50 people at the Pratt, watching a video projected onto a large screen. Initially, there were only about 20 chairs, but as the crowd grew, workers put out more. A few people apparently were attending the funeral on their lunch break, and snacked from styrofoam containers. Others chatted with their neighbors and formed new friendships.

"I came to the Pratt because I wanted to be surrounded by llike-minded people who really care about Michael Jackson," said Tiffany McDonald, 36, of Baltimore, who attended the event with her 12-year-old daughter, Nyah. "His music expressed his compassion and love for people."

Members of the crowd swayed in time to such songs as "I'll Be There" and to a musical tribute called "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" written for the occasion by Stevie Wonder. Spectators wiped away tears -- and not just the women.

Regina Penton, 50, from Baltimore, was on the phone with her sister when she heard the news of of Jackson's death. "I dropped the phone," she recalled. "I couldn't believe it. My sister was like, 'Girl, are you O.K.? Are you O.K.?' I cried. I couldn't sleep."

So she made it a priority to come to the Pratt to watch the funeral. "Michael Jackson brought a lot of people together," she said.

Baltimore Sun staff photo by Tasha Treadwell

At least the Blue Hill Tavern has one good server [Dining@Large]

2009-07-07T13:11:28-07:00

OK, this may be the strangest e-mail of all the 10,000 that I'm reading today. (I get a little behind when I go on vacation; and Outlook won't let me send out any e-mails until I get under the mailbox size limit.) I'm taking out the names of the server and the restaurant to protect the innocent, namely me so I won't get sued. EL

My name is [deleted], and you have referred to me in two of your articles now - from [deleted]. First off, I would like to thank you for commending my service. It is not too often we, as servers, recieive compliments - particularly of that magnitude - in this industry. Without your comments i am not sure i would have been hired at the new restaurant that i am currently working at: Blue Hill Tavern in Brewers Hill. I left [deleted] because the head cook and the owner assaulted me on the way into work one morning, leaving me with a concussion. The best part of the story is that it was about a Cobb salad two nights previous - such a triviality. Well, anyway, i mainly wanted to thank you for your recognition, as it helped me get my current job. You have a strangely powerful - if not prophetic at times! - voice in the world of Baltimore dining, and it is an honor to have been included. On another note, i encourage you to check out Blue Hill Tavern - it is absolutely beautiful, and the food is phenomenal.

The Lost Symbol covers released [Read Street]

2009-07-07T12:52:38-07:00

Conspiracy theorists, ready, set, go! Publishers in the United States and Great Britain today released the covers for Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, which goes on sale Sept. 15. The U.S. version (on left) shows the Capitol surrounded by mystical symbols and a red seal that features a double-headed eagle, the number 33 and the a Latin phrase meaning "order from chaos." It looks genuinely creepy, but no less so than the dollar bill's Great Seal, an eyeball hovering over a pyramid. Brown decoders have noted the similarities to emblems of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, which has a headquarters in Washington.

The U.K. version (on right) seems more straightforward. The Capitol is more prominent, presumably to emphasize to folks in the Mother Country that Washington is the mystery's setting. It also features a key with a square and compass, an age-old symbol of architecture and Freemasonry.

You can keep following the mystery on The Lost Symbol's Twitter page, where puzzles are regularly posted. Or you can get creative, deciphering this intriguing map of Washington, which has the square and compass image superimposed to link key buildings. Or take Read Street's Dan Brown quiz. (Answers here.)

The Lego lunch meeting [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-07T12:23:38-07:00

Our family got back last night from a holiday weekend road trip, and today we're easing back into the weekday routine. My son was happy to go back to camp, but for a surprising reason.

"We might have our Lego lunch meeting," he said.

Silly me, I asked what happens at the Lego lunch meeting. It sounded very serious.

"We have lunch and we talk about Legos," he said.

How do you know if you're going to have a Lego lunch meeting, I asked?

"My friend tells me if we're going to have one," my son replied.

I told him that I hoped it was productive. He nodded solemnly.

(Photo by Baltimore Sun photographer Doug Kapustin)

Recap: Michael Jackson dance party at Bourbon Street [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-07T11:56:00-07:00

Last week, Bourbon Street hosted a Michael Jackson tribute dance party.

When general manager Sam Chaney sent me a recap of the night, he didn't think I would publish it. He just wanted me to know how the night went. But I think Chaney's account of the night is well-written and worth reading. Check it out:

At first, I was worried that the night wouldn't be what I had hoped for. The staff had fun with it and wore gloves, hats, mirrored sun glasses, sequenced pants & socks.

But the vibe was off for the first half of the night.

Not many customers wore the glove, my dancers weren't there and we didn't play a lot of Michael (I had never met most of the dancers and didn't know what they planned to dance to so I didn't want to replay music) ...

Bay advocates point finger at Fido [Mutts]

2009-07-07T11:01:00-07:00

My colleagues over at the Sun's green blog, B'More Green, just posted something dog owners will no doubt find troubling. Advocates for the Chesapeake Bay say our pets, specifically dogs, are bigtime polluters.

Tim Wheeler writes:

When looking for culprits to blame for the Chesapeake Bay's foul shape, it's tempting to point fingers at smelly sewage treatment plants, or at farmers whose flocks or herds of animals produce highly visible, not to mention odoriferous, mounds of manure.

But before pointing fingers, maybe we should look a little closer to home. Household pets, particularly the legions of dogs taken for walks every day, collectively are a significant source of water pollution, experts say, and even a threat to human health.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a report today highlighting the ways in which pollution and bacteria put humans at risk when they swim in the bay or its tributaries, when they eat locally caught fish or when they drink water from wells. I wrote a story about it for The Baltimore Sun.

... According to a state study, pet waste is the leading source of bacteria found in a stretch of the Severn River where a few years earlier a Crownsville man acquired a life-threatening bacterial infection after swimming with a mild scrape on his leg.

Wow. Nobody guessed the mystery bar. [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-07T10:17:00-07:00

Ha! Alexander D. Mitchell IV and I finally stumped ya.

Despite multiple clues and several days of guessing time, nobody could figure out the identity of the mystery bar in the latest Name That Bar contest.

So, you wanna know what it was? ...

New Canton restaurant opens [Dining@Large]

2009-07-07T10:07:38-07:00

Here I am. Back again. The big news today seems to be the Blue Hill Tavern, which I wrote about awhile back. It opened this weekend, and already I've gotten an e-mail from a reader I trust and a phone call from someone who asked about it back in May.

Midnight Sun Sam says people were calling him asking if he'd gone before it even opened. What's up with that? Genuine excitement or a media campaign?

(Photo courtesy of Blue Hill Tavern's Web site)

My hamster's loose! Call 911! [Mutts]

2009-07-07T10:05:03-07:00

There's over-reacting. And then there's calling 911 when your pet hamster gets loose.

Of course, that's exactly what a woman in Yorkshire, England, did when her rodent made the grand escape recently, a fellow pets blogger at the Los Angeles Times points out.

"It's my hamster. It's got out of its cage. It's gone into the bathroom and it's gone down into the floorboards," the woman can be heard telling an emergency-line operator in the recently released recording of her frantic 999 call. A short time later, she asks the operator, "Is there any chance anyone could come and help me get it out?"

South Yorkshire police released the recording to draw attention to what they say is a big problem: non-emergency calls placed to the emergency line.

From the beer blogs: Drinking songs [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-07T09:58:02-07:00

As I cruised the blogosphere this week looking for inspiration for this post, I found a list of the Top 25 Country Drinking Songs. It was great fun, although wide open to debate as to whether they're the best out there. I soon discovered that lists of favorite or best drinking songs exist for almost every musical genre.

Another discovery involved the mere definition of a drinking song. Is it a song about drinking or is it a song to be belted out while drinking? Or does it matter? The following lists include both.

There's no shortage of drinking songs in country music and winnowing down to a list of any manageable size is a chore and opens the door to endless debate. The country music list I chose came from AOL Music's blog, The Boot. Most of the songs are contemporary country, which ignores many of the great classic songs including my all-time favorite, Webb Pierce's "There Stands the Glass." What I like about this list, though, is that each entry offers "Cheers-worthy lines" from the song. What I wasn't crazy about is that each of the 25 songs is a post unto itself, meaning you have to click through page after page to digest the entire list. Good for traffic, I suppose. Yahoo Music's blog, The Y! Radish, offers a list of the best hip-hop drinking songs, complete with clips of each of the 12 songs. Be forewarned that these do not make for safe family-friendly listening. Included among these picks is Snoop Dog's "Gin and Juice II." Personally, I prefer the original "G&J," particularly a version done by the Austin, Texas band The Gourds, which could just as easily be part of the country song list. This next list falls into the category of songs not about drinking but good to shout while you're drinking. The Rock and Roll View blog offers its list of Best Beer-Drinking Songs for Hell Raisers. The list is heavy with heavy metal bands like Metallica, Kiss, Motley Crue, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Listen to it loud and make sure you stretch out your neck before doing those violent head bobs. Any list of drinking-song lists must include Irish drinking songs (remember, this is Sullivan writing today). The old sots on the old sod when not putting glass to lips were putting pen to paper. Blogger Marc Gunn, who describes himself as a Celtic American musician and podcaster, doesn't try to put a limit on the number of Irish drinking songs, but instead links out to many other sources where readers can find treasure troves of the songs. Included in Gunn's list is a link to a group of his own recordings, and also the strangest thing I found, Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. I guess if you're drinking and singing, anything will do. Do you have favorites of your own? Let us know in the comments. I'm going to leave you today with my aforementioned favorite, which was excluded from the country list, Webb Pierce's "There Stands the Glass."

More news on Baltimore Beer Week [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-07T09:57:15-07:00

I am on the committee planning Baltimore Beer Week, Oct. 8 to 18. Here are the latest developments.

Ten days of celebration will begin with a VIP opening tap event on the Constellation in the Inner Harbor on Oct. 8. Specific information and a limited number of tickets will soon be available on the Baltimore Beer Week Web site.

After the initial cask has been tapped on the ship, beer will flow at a number of beer dinners and tastings held throughout the Baltimore area, according to Joe Gold, the week's chief organizer. A detailed list will appear on the site, he said.

In other developments:

* Clipper City Brewing Co. will serve as the flagship sponsor of Baltimore Beer Week, and Flying Dog Brewing Co. has become a gold sponsor of the week.

*Sponsorships, starting at $50, are available for anyone interested in being a part of the inaugural Baltimore Beer Week event, Gold said. (Contact info@baltimorebeerweek.com for more information.)

* The Brewers Association of Maryland Oktoberfest will take place during Baltimore Beer Week on Oct. 10 at the Timonium Fairgrounds. Details here.

* The Chesapeake Real Ale Festival put on by the Society for Preservation of Beers from the Wood will take place during Baltimore Beer Week on Oct. 17 at the Pratt Street Ale House. Details here.

*An embellished Baltimore Beer Week Web site is scheduled to go live next week. To get on the e-mail list and to receive Facebook and Twitter updates, visit the beer week's Web site.

Logo courtesy Baltimore Beer Week

Update on Thing 3, the foster...possible name? [Mutts]

2009-07-07T08:52:39-07:00

Believe it or not, the foster pup I told you I brought home late last week has made it a grand total of four days with me.

Though the kitties were essentially sequestered upstairs at first, on Sunday we had the big reveal. Pumpkin wasn't so much interested in the dog -- except when he saw it came with extra bowls of food. He greeted the food bowl with open arms (and open mouth). As for Leo, let's just say it wasn't exactly love at first sight.

Not that the doggie didn't try! Though I hadn't seen his ragged little tail wag once over the two days, as soon as he saw the kitties, the tail, that looks like a mussed tassel at the end of a piece of bulky yarn, was wagging like mad. He really wanted to be friends with Leo and The Pumpkin. The kitties had other plans.

Leo spent all day following the dog like Javert tracked Jean Valjean in Les Miserables -- stalking his every move. Though the pup did nothing wrong, Leo hissed now and again for good measure. Pumpkin just stretched on the floor and enjoyed the show.

Big Poppa's replaces Horsefeathers Pub near Patterson Park [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-07T07:40:00-07:00

A new spot named Big Poppa's Bar & Grill has replaced the old dive Horsefeathers Pub at 40 N. Streeper St. near Patterson Park.

While the new owners, Shannon Lanier and Rico Amero (pictured), are following a familiar blueprint, the renovation process is surprisingly transparent.

Lanier and Amero, who are leasing the building, have uploaded floor plans and a detailed business plan to the bar's Web site. Check 'em out. You don't see behind-the-scenes stuff like this too often.

Their reasoning seems to be two-fold. First, they want investors. Second, they want the community to know what they're about.

"It's probably not the normal mode of business," Lanier said. "It gives everyone the idea that we're not just some corporation coming in."

Even though the wave of renovations and development in Patterson Park seems to have abated, they think they are enough young professionals to keep this place afloat.

Lanier and Amero have a six-month plan for the space. Already, renovations are underway ...

Watch Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Pratt [Read Street]

2009-07-07T07:39:38-07:00

Michael Jackson isn't the first name that comes to mind when I think about great books (though Read Street has noted his interest in Batman and other classic heroes from the comics).

But Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library exists to be more than a repository of great books. So Tuesday at 1 p.m., fans of the King of Pop can watch TV coverage of his memorial service on a 10-foot by 10-foot screen in the main hall of the Pratt's central branch, at 400 Cathedral Street. The most recent event broadcast in the hall was President Obama's inauguration.

“The Pratt Library has always shown history making events on television screens on display at the Central Library Main Hall,” Carla D. Hayden, who heads the Pratt, said in a statement. “From man landing on the moon to the inauguration of President Obama, the Pratt has simulcast news making events.”

AP photo of Jackson in a May 6 rehearsal for planned 2009 concert tour

The worst books at your library [Read Street]

2009-07-07T07:39:09-07:00

While I'm hesitant to kick libraries when they're down, I couldn't pass up the chance to share the Awful Libary Books blog.

Created by two Michigan librarians, Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner, the site chronicles the absolute worst books discovered on library shelves. We're talking The New York Times' 1985 guide to the return of Haley's Comet, a Star Power manual, outlining how to use obsolete computer programs I've never even heard of, and a 1962 book about what man will do when we reach the moon someday.

As Kelly and Hibner point out, these books aren't bad per se, they're just horribly outdated and could now actually be harmful for anyone trying to find information they can actually use.

Anyone here want to use a medical tome about AIDS that's about 20 years out of date? I didn't think so.

The best part is, they're always looking for more material. So the next time you find a book that makes you giggle, roll your eyes or even head for the trash can, snap a picture and send it to Awful Library Books where we can all "enjoy" it.

How much would you pay for a kitten? $15K? [Mutts]

2009-07-07T06:46:08-07:00

African Serval kittens are put on sale at the Summer Millionaire Fair in Moscow on June 27. The price of a kitten is $15,000 -- and that's U.S. currency. OXANA ONIPKO/AFP/Getty Images.

Seeking Obsessed Harry Potter Fans From Maryland [Read Street]

2009-07-07T05:37:27-07:00

The title of this blog entry says it all. I'm seeking the most obsessed Harry Potter fans imaginable for a story I'm writing for Sunday's paper. I'm particularly interested in those who demonstrate extreme behavior.

Is there anyone out there who re-reads all seven Harry Potter books each year? Any otherwise sane adults who named their firstborn son, "Albus"? Anyone who has actually trying to invent a "Marauder's Map" or a flying broomstick?

(Don't laugh -- according to an article in Science magazine, researchers at Duke and Berkeley have actually come up with something they're calling a cloak of invisibility.)

The catch -- you knew there would be a catch -- is that you have to live in Maryland, and you have to be willing to have your real name printed in The Sun.

If you, umm, "qualify," please e-mail your name, e-mail address and a daytime phone number to: mary.mccauley@baltsun.com

Thanks. I think.

Thoughts on ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz's Dundalk show [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-07T05:00:00-07:00

Kevin Eck (of Ring Posts fame) was at the Dundalk Heritage Fair Sunday for Monkee Mick Dolenz's show. Here's what Kevin thought of it:

I'm sure there are a lot of people who consider The Monkees to be a guilty pleasure, but I’m not one of them.

Despite plenty of ribbing from friends and co-workers over the years, I have never felt guilty about being a fan of the 1960s made-for-TV band.

So what if The Monkees did not write the lyrics or play the instruments on their early hits? The undeniable fact is that The Monkees have an extensive catalog of great pop songs that have stood the test of time.

That's why I was so excited to see my favorite Monkee, Mick Dolenz (pictured), play Sunday night at the Dundalk Heritage Fair.

Dolenz is now 64, so I didn’t know what to expect, but he and his band performed with verve and put on a fun show.

Remarkably, Dolenz’s voice didn’t sound much different than it did during The Monkees' heyday more than 40 years ago. ...

'SYTYCD': Talking with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney [Reality Check]

2009-07-07T04:00:54-07:00

Mary Carole McCauley got a chance to catch up with Annapolis dancer Caitlin Kinney yesterday. The 21-year-old is in the Top 12 on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Here's Mary:

After portraying an alien attempting to impregnate her human prey, Caitlin Kinney fully expected to be in danger of elimination last week on Fox’s hit reality show So You Think You Can Dance.

Before Thursday night’s results show was broadcast, the lithe, 21-year-old from Annapolis rehearsed the "dance for your life" solo required of competitors who receive the fewest viewer votes.

"Honestly, I didn’t think there was any way Jason and I weren’t going to be in the bottom three," she says, referring to her partner, Jason Glover. "We’ve been hanging on by our teeth. When I found out we were safe, I was just flabbergasted."

Kinney, who studied at Baltimore School for the Arts and trained as a classical ballerina, wrapped up an intense day of practicing by chatting about the ups and downs of the competition thus far, and her future plans.

Q: None of the dance styles you’ve assigned so far play to your strengths. Has that been hard?

A: It has been frustrating. I’d love to have a chance to dance something more lyrical. Of course, we don’t choose what dance styles we’ve been given, or what we wear. I’ll be honest, I was a little jealous when Melissa [Sandvig] got to dance a pas de deux in toe shoes last week. At the same time, the harder you work, the greater your rewards. I’d rather get a style that plays to our strengths later in the competition.

Taking Time for No. 2 [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-07T03:12:14-07:00

This Tween Tuesday, Liz Atwood writes about how the house changes when one tween is away...

My older son is at overnight camp and that means his 8-year-old younger brother is an only child this week. On Sunday, I took him to the pool and we left when he asked to go. I treated him to dinner at the restaurant he chose and he watched the TV program he wanted to watch before going to bed. The afternoon was unmarred by whining, bickering, name-calling or tattle-telling.

I've heard stories of the abrupt shift in family dynamics when one child goes off to college and parents suddenly discover the younger sibling who has been sitting quietly at the dinner table. While my younger son and I do occasionally do things without my older son, I look at this week as the chance to get to know my younger son a little better outside his big brother's shadow.

Of course, having a parent's undivided attention can be both a good thing and a bad thing. This week, he will be the only one I'll nag to do summer reading and math workbooks. And while he might think it's great he doesn't have to share the TV this week, he was so desperate to have someone to play video games with the other night that he tried teaching his 72-year-old grandmother how to work the Xbox controls.

It's going to be an interesting week. Have you had occasion to discover a younger child when big brother or sister was away? Were there surprises in how the family dynamics changed?

Top 10 Things to Expect When Dining With a Restaurant Critic [Dining@Large]

2009-07-07T02:21:20-07:00

First of all, I should thank Josh, who sent me a link to a blog called Under the High Chair. I'm stealing the idea for this Top 10 post from it, although the list isn't the same as it would be if you were dining with a food blogger.

Everyone wants to go reviewing with a restaurant critic, I'm not sure why. I guess it's partly to see how the process works and partly to get free food. And maybe partly to have a story to dine out on. The reality is, as you might expect, that the companion doesn't have quite so much fun as people think. ...

Why drink lists are sometimes on menus [Dining@Large]

2009-07-06T11:25:42-07:00

I always wondered why certain restaurants, particularly chains, put their drink, beer and wine lists on their menus. To me, it always makes the restaurants seem less, I don't know, refined if it doesn't have a separate wine list. Now Gailor has told me why. (It's great having a daughter in business school who's learning cool marketing things.)

The answer should be obvious: Restaurants sell twice as many (or anyway, a lot more) when the drinks are on the actual menu.

I guess you can avoid looking at a separate drinks list, but if you see the word "margarita" and a description of the lovely frosty alcoholic goodness next to the fajitas, you won't be able to resist.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Calling all tennis fans [Read Street]

2009-07-06T11:13:47-07:00

Want to speak your mind about the latest "best Wimbledon final ever" and get a chance to win Strokes of Genius by L. Jon Wertheim while you're at it?

Stop by Second Opinion and tell me what you think of Federer and the state of tennis today.

And no, you don't have to agree with me in order to win.

Resurrecting Merriweather Post Pavilion [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-06T10:15:00-07:00

I had a piece in yesterday's paper about the remarkable turnaround at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

This is an amphitheater that was on its last legs a few years ago.

Since then, promoter Seth Hurwitz has led a remarkable comeback, topped by the Virgin Mobile FreeFest, which Merriweather hosts Aug. 30.

Check out the piece.

Besides the bit about the turnaround, it has some interesting history about the venue ...

'Real World: D.C.' drama already [Reality Check]

2009-07-06T09:39:17-07:00

The kids have moved in, and filming has started on The Real World: D.C., and, not surprisingly since they are situated right in Dupont Circle, it's feeling a little crowded around there.

The Anti-Real World D.C. blog is chronicling the experience of living just feet away from the production. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun. (The lights are on all the time. The security staff is reportedly jerky and pushing the limits, yelling at people who are walking by on public property. Tour buses are already starting to drive by.)

For others in the area, the blog also keeps track of which bars and other establishments are not letting the cast and crew in, and which are.

Living that close to a reality-show production (especially one that is trying to keep everything so off the record) can't be fun, but reading about it will probably be far more entertaining than the actual show.

Update: Here's what happened when a local news reporter tried to interview an onlooker about the show. (That's a RW cameraman who keeps bodily getting in the way. Classy!):

As per your votes, Federal Hill's best neighborhood bar is ... [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-06T09:07:00-07:00

Captain Larry's (601 E. Fort Ave.)!

Ivars and the gang beat out a bunch of other South Baltimore bars to win the Midnight Sun Commenters' Choice Award for Federal Hill's Best Neighborhood Bar.

People seemed to gloss over (or dispute) my description of the physical boundaries of Federal Hill as defined by this contest.

To them, I say: Pbth.

Here are the runner-ups ...

Enoch Pratt cuts "night owl" service [Read Street]

2009-07-06T08:05:12-07:00

In any newsroom, one of the late-night duties is fielding calls from folks tryng to settle a bar bet or finish a homework assignment: How many home runs did Babe Ruth hit? Who was Baltimore's mayor in 1980? Well, we can brace for more calls, now that the Enoch Pratt library's "Night Owl" Telephone Reference Service has fallen victim to budget cuts.

For 15 years, late night callers could ask librarians any bit of trivia, according to this story by Liz Kay of The Baltimore Sun. But that service ended on June 30. Here's an excerpt from Liz's story:

The Telephone Reference Service started more than 40 years ago, with reference librarians responding to queries for homework assistance or just the winning lottery numbers. They received about 250,000 calls last year, [Pratt spokesman Roswell] Encina said. Answers are usually delivered within five minutes.

"People are still using it even in the age of Google and Twitter," he said. However, only about 6,500 calls came in during Night Owl hours last year, the spokesman said.

Curious minds must now restrict their phone calls to the phone reference line between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

For those with Internet access, reference help is still available outside library working hours, however.

The Pratt still operates its "Ask-a-Librarian" service. Questions can be submitted via a form on the library Web site, and librarians usually reply within two working days. There is also 24-hour reference assistance available via the Maryland Ask Us Now!, a service that allows residents and students to chat online with librarians.

Are we crabby about the "theft" of Natty [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-06T07:56:16-07:00

Apparently, the new nickname of Natural Lite, the InBev light beer, is Natty Light.

Stuart Elliot asks in his column in The New York Times today if fans of Natty Boh are upset that this nickname is very similar to that of Baltimore's once favorite beer.

In other words, can you call a beer Natty if you don't go "down the ocean."

Is this an affront to our local argot?

Is this another example of corporate marketers twisting local loyalties?

Or is it just one thin beer using the clever name of another thin beer to gain market edge.?

Whose your Natty?

Photo: Capital News Service

Monday Morning Quarterbacking [Dining@Large]

2009-07-06T07:29:02-07:00

Today, of course, there's no Monday Morning Quarterbacking because yesterday there was no review.

When I was a freelancer at the beginning of my career, never a week went by that I didn't have a review in the paper. This wasn't so much dedication to my craft so much as being paid by the review. Not to mention the free meals. ...

What if you're bookless? [Read Street]

2009-07-06T05:38:26-07:00

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July weekend filled with picnics and fireworks. I got away for a couple of days, and brought a few books along, including The Sky Below and The Chalk Circle Man, but spent most of my time in du Pont country, touring Longwood Gardens and Winterthur.

To get us all thinking about reading again, here's author Gail Farrelly with a guest post on the topic of A Chance Encounter: What to do when you find yourself bookless? I was getting out of my car at the pool when I realized I had forgotten to bring a book to read. Panic! I grabbed what happened to be available, a book a friend had left in the back of my car: Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy. I have little interest in sports and didn't expect to like it but figured it'd be better than nothing. A shock! I'm loving it. The book is more history than baseball. Koufax is such an interesting person and Leavy a wonderful writer.

I'm thinking of Shaw's quote: "Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get." Hmm. Maybe not. I didn't bring what I liked, but I was only a few pages into the Koufax book when I knew that I liked what I got. No forcing required! Sports, horror, memoirs, and anything with a terrorist theme usually end up in "Don't Go There" territory for me. But now I'm thinking I've probably missed out on a lot of good books, because I've pigeon-holed them into the category of books I don't like.

Have you ever read a book that just happened to fall into your lap -- by chance or on a whim -- and then it turned out to be fabulous? Did it make you change your mind about choosing books?

The Blue Hill Tavern is open [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-06T05:17:33-07:00

Last week, I people started e-mailing me about the Blue Hill Tavern in Brewer's Hill (938 S. Conkling St.). They wanted to know if I'd been there yet. I e-mailed them back, and they told me it hadn't opened yet. I guess I'm supposed to be able to walk through walls.

Anyhow, my pal Evan and I made the trip out there last Thursday. My jaw dropped as we drove by. If I'm not mistaken, this building used to be a scruffy-looking little lesbian bar called Gallagher's. These days, you'd never know ...

Napping at day care, but not at home [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-06T03:58:20-07:00

PineappleBabble asked: "Why does my infant always nap so well at daycare and so poorly on the weekends?! Srsly - there must be a medical reason."

Kim West, the "Sleep Lady" of Severna Park, had some suggestions:

"That is not an unusual comment! I find the answer is often twofold: First your baby is happy to see you and prefers spending time with you over napping. Pick connection time (touching, playing, nurturing) over errands and house cleaning -- do those things during nap time. Ask your daycare provider what time your baby naps, how long, and most importantly how they put him/her to sleep or back to sleep if she awakens from a short nap. If the daycare nap schedule is consistent and at reasonable times then aim for the same times at home. Include a soothing pre-nap ritual. Important side note - make sure your baby knows how to put him/herself to sleep independently at bedtime, which will help with naps."

(Photo courtesy of chimothy27's Flickr stream via Creative Commons)

Another place to watch the fireworks tonight [Midnight Sun]

2009-07-04T07:28:44-07:00

When I compiled the list of the best places to watch the fireworks tonight, outside of the crowded Inner Harbor pavilion scene, I left one great spot out: Tabrizi's, (500 Harborview Dr.). I don't know why I didn't include Tabrizi's in the list ...

Big weekend for canned beers [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-03T04:03:25-07:00

There are going to be a lot of get-togethers at the swimming pool this weekend and during the rest of the summer. Pool parties call for canned beer.

Bottles and any other glass containers are banned at most pools and other spots where folks run around in their bare feet.

It used to be that the selection of canned beers was pretty dismal. But now with the Oskar Blues lineup of canned beers from Colorado in this market , you can have your canned beer and quality, too.

My favorite is their Dale's Pale Ale at 6.5 percent ABV. Their other canned beers, Gordon at 8.7 percent, the Old Chub at 8% and Ten Fidy at 10 percent, are too a bit much for me when I am wearing a swimming suit and am reminded of my ever-expanding middle.

From time to time, I have seen Pilsner Urquell in cans as well.

Guinness and other stouts come in cans, but they don't strike me as pool beers.

Stephen Beaumont named his top 5 canned beers on Epicurious. They are Fuller's London Pride, Sly Fox Pikeland Pils, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Gordon and New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale. Of that group, only the pils strikes me as beer to drink in your swimming suit. Drinking a Fat Tire would encourage too many unpleasant references to the waist line.

What is your favorite canned beer?

What is your strategy for carting beverages into a glass-free setting?

I pour wine, for my wife, into empty club soda bottles, and cart them to the pool.

Photo: Getty Images

Father's Day Friday: Don't let mom stand in for you [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-03T03:31:53-07:00

Joe Burris is here on Father's Day Friday:

Recently my 3-year-old daughter Onalenna’s day school announced its pre-Father’s Day celebration for all the students' dads. Accompanying the announcement was the message that dads who couldn’t attend should get their wives to stand in.

I didn’t bother to ask my wife if she and other mothers got a similar message on Mother’s Day. And I don’t know if the school’s intention was to embarrass dads into coming (I get the feeling that most of us would have come anyway), but the turnout was great. In a room with about a dozen children, of different ages, races, backgrounds and professions, all but two kids’ fathers showed up.

I think that it was not only great for us to be there for our children, but we all delighted in seeing so many of us present. Even in an age where dads are more available for involvement with their children inside and outside the home, they’re often difficult to come by at such events -- even those where they are celebrated.

I must say, however, that the visit came with a bit of trepidation. During the Mother's Day event, the kids presented moms with handmade flower plots and grew plants inside _ but someone forgot to tell them that they would have to forever part with their creations. My wife says as the mothers departed, the kids reached for the gifts, and the room was filled with shouts of “Mine! Mine!”

We dads were more fortunate. We were presented with handmade greeting cards and travel mugs with their drawings and were allowed to keep them when we departed. We all got big kisses and hugs and goodbye waves that made me feel as if we had done something magnificent, just by being there.

I’m already looking forward to next year.

'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 14 cut to 12 [Reality Check]

2009-07-02T20:00:13-07:00

My favorite part of the So You Think You Can Dance results show is almost always the group dance.

Tonight's number -- a Broadway routine to "Brand New Day" from The Wiz choreographed by Tyce DiOrio -- is no exception. So good, so fun, and amazing costumes. (I am, however, as usual, distracted by some of the manic camerawork that makes it tough to actually see the dancers' movements.)

Host Cat Deeley gets right to the results: Karla and Vitolio and Evan and Randi are called to the stage. The quick step still might be the kiss-of-death dance, as it turns out the Karla and Vitolio are in the bottom three couples.

After the break, three more judges are on the stage. Janette and Brandon find out they are safe. Kayla and Kupono are in the bottom three couples, and Melissa and Ade are safe. Mia Michaels says she is shocked about Kayla and Kupono because she thinks they were the best performance of the night. Kayla actually cries because she's so overcome.

That leaves two couples: Caitlin and Jason and Jeanine and Phillip. (Members of Caitlin's family, including her mom and her aunt, are there dressed similarly to her crazy costume from last night, with a sign that says "Aliens for Caitlin.") Caitlin and Jason are safe (and shocked), and Phillip and Jeanine are in the bottom three.

The evening's professional dance performance is an amazing ballet by dancers Desmond Richardson and Patricia Hachey from Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Then, solos: Karla looks remarkably comfortable and strong on stage tonight. Vitolio dances to "Here Comes Goodbye," which seems like a bad choice of song. His solo is a little disjointed and off the cuff. Kayla gives an energetic and emotional but more controlled performance than her last time in the bottom three, when she was accused (unfairly, I think) of cramming too much into the solo. Kupono exudes a lot of emotion in his solo, joy and hope and just wanting to be there, I think. Jeanine finally gets to dance her style on this stage, and she is so good. Last is Phillip, who gets to show off what he does best, his crazily unique popping and locking and limb-wrenching.

Kelly Clarkson comes out to sing "I Do Not Hook Up" while the judges deliberate. She sounds great, and she looks better than when she was on Idol last season, but she still needs her stylist to work a little bit harder on her behalf.

The judges are back with the results, women first. Nigel tells Jeanine that she had the strongest solo of the evening and is safe. He tells Kayla that she is a favorite of the judges and the choreographers, but they found her solo to be very "static" and not dancing from the heart. They say that Karla is a very good dancer, but she hasn't quite shown the star quality they saw in her at first, so she is out. So Oxon Hill, Md., dancer Karla Garcia is going home. She says she will remember all her friends and dancing her contemporary routine.

They are unanimous with the guys, too. They tell Phillip he is unique and superb, but they thought he overworked his solo. Still, they are keeping him. Nigel says Vitolio has great presence and presents himself well, but he doesn't deliver. Kupono is told that his solo was weak and didn't show much passion, but they hope to see more from him in the future. So Vitolio is out as well.

Guess the quick step really is the kiss of death! Yikes.

In case you missed it: Ring Posts Q&A with Torrie Wilson [Reality Check]

2009-07-02T15:34:55-07:00

If you'd like some insight on what it was really like on I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, check out Kevin Eck's interview with Torrie Wilson, who finished second, over at Ring Posts.

Especially interesting, I thought, was Torrie's take on Spencer Pratt:

At first I thought for sure Spencer was doing his rant for the cameras, but the longer I was around him the more I thought, maybe because he’s been on a reality show for so long that he’s started to let it blend into his real character. I don’t really know him personally so it was hard for me to differentiate, but it seemed like much of what they were doing – all of them – was very close to their true personalities.

But there's a lot more to read there, so go on, click above and read the whole thing!

Photo: Getty Images

Are you ready for some sour? [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-02T08:31:51-07:00

Interesting piece on sour beer in the Los Angeles Times yesterday.

Joshua Lurie writes about beers that he acknowledges can "smell like a barnyard." But, he adds, these beer usually taste better than they smell.

Most of these beers are unblended lambics that ferment in oak barrels.

They present some challenges.

First you have to get past the aroma and get to the taste. Even the fans of sour beers admit that this can be a leap. Lurie quotes Mark Jilg of Craftsmen Brewing Co. describing sour beer's bitter notes as "the final frontier of the palate experience."

Brewing a sour is tricky, the article points out. The fermentation can be long and expensive. Moreover, the microbes that essentially make the beer are aggressive and unpredictable. Sometimes they become sour quickly, sometimes not, one brewer told Lurie.

Then there is the acidity. Sour beers, like Deschutes Brewing Co.'s The Dissident, which I tasted at Savor event in Washington last May, can really make you pucker. I was not wild about it. But the tasting group I was a part of rated it as their fave.

I did appreciate the sour that Ben Schwalb of Severna Park served at the SPBW home brewers crab feast last fall.

Where do you stand on sour beers?

Are they all about the brewing mystique?
Just because they are difficult to brew does that make them good?

Any brewers have tales to tell about trying to make a sour?

Or do sours deliver unique, acidic flavors, harkening back to the beers that brewers made centuries ago?

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Fourth of July weekend family activities [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-02T03:26:02-07:00

With Friday being a holiday for lots of working folks, this weekend is all about Independence Day, all the time. We have a few activities not related to the holiday, but much of what you'll find here has an element of flag-waving fun.

Our roundup includes the more kid-friendly Fourth of July displays, parades, etc. For a more complete list of holiday events, please visit our entertainment page.

Thanks to intern Kayla Cross for her contributions:

Thursday, July 2:

Creating Magic and Stuff: Kids under age 6 can learn magic tricks and comedy at the North Point Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library at 2 p.m. Free.

Anime Drawing: Teens 11-17 can learn how to draw anime characters at 7 p.m. at the Towson Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Bring your own paper and pencil. Free.

Friday, July 3:

African-American Heritage Festival: The annual festival of African-American history and culture at Camden Yards Sports Complex features a children's corner with youth-oriented performances. 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday. $5; children 12 and under free.

Saturday, July 4:

4th of July Family Jump Time: Pump up the Fourth of July family fun at the Owings Mills Pump It Up Inflatable Party Zone. Bring your own socks and enjoy jumping on the inflatable houses, obstacle courses and more. This event is free for parents, but costs $8 per child, and lasts from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Limited to 50 children.

Fort McHenry: An old-fashioned Fourth of July Weekend at Fort McHenry runs from noon-4:30 p.m. Saturday. There won’t be any fireworks, but there will be a cannon firing, a musket salute, period dancing and a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at 3 p.m. Fort McHenry is at 2400 E. Fort Ave. Free. Call 410-962-4290.

Towson: The Fourth of July Parade in Towson starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at Bosley Avenue and Towsontown Boulevard and includes clowns, bands, military units and floats. Fireworks are over Loch Raven Academy, 8101 LaSalle Road, at dusk. Free. Call 410-832-2190.

Catonsville: Catonsville hosts a full day of events on Saturday. Starting at 9:30 a.m., enjoy children’s games and races followed by live music, a grand parade at 3 p.m. and fireworks at 9:15 p.m. At 1:30 p.m., watch the 1st Annual Catonsville Hot Dog Eating Contest to see who earns the title of "Catonsville Biggest Weiner." Fireworks at Catonsville High School, 421 Bloomsbury Ave. Free. Call 410-744-9655 or go to catonsvillecelebrations.org.

Bel Air: The Bel Air Independence Day celebration takes place at Shamrock Park Saturday. The flag raising and the blueberry pancake and sausage breakfast take place at Bel Air Middle School. Other events include a hamster race, a turtle derby, a frog-jumping contest and children’s games. At 6 p.m., the parade will begin at the intersection of E. Gordon Street and North Main Street and will continue down North Main Street. Free. Go to belairjuly4.org.

Havre de Grace: The Independence Celebration and Carnival runs through Sunday. The parade takes place on Sunday at 2 p.m. on Union Avenue. A concert is at 7 p.m. and fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. The carnival runs from 6-10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for individual rides. Other activities are free. Call 410-939-4362.

Columbia: Catch some fireworks choreographed to patriotic music from 5-10 p.m. The event includes live bands and a children’s entertainment area at the Columbia Lakefront, 10221 Wincopin Circle. Free. Call 410-313-4452.

Sunday, July 5:

Stars of Japan: The Walters Art Museum will be celebrating the Japanese Festival of Stars with poetry paintings, streaming stories, wishing stars and other activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

(Photo by Baltimore Sun photographer Doug Kapustin)

'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 14 perform [Reality Check]

2009-07-01T21:03:54-07:00

On tonight's So You Think You Can Dance, Mia Michaels is one of the guest judges. As you might recall, she was really hard on dancer Brandon, and host Cat Deeley refers to this when she asks whether her opinion on anyone had changed.

Mia says, that, without naming names, it has changed for the better. So she regrets being so horrible to Brandon? Nigel asks if she is talking about a "small, male dancer," and she says yes.

Speaking of Brandon, Janette and Brandon are first, and they relive their highs and lows, which means that they recap the past three weeks in their own words. They are doing the cha-cha with Jean-Marc Genereax. The dance is very fast and sexy and fun, and they kill it. Janette is obviously in her element, but Brandon stays right with her. Nigel Lythgoe calls it "the best damn cha-cha I have ever seen on this show ever!" He praises Brandon's articulation of his feet in particular. "I can't even begin to describe how good this was," he goes on. Mary Murphy calls Janette amazing, pointing out that salsa technique and cha-cha technique are very different, and she did a great job. And, of course, "two first-class tickets on the hot tamale train [SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH]!" Mia acknowledges that she has probably scared Brandon, but says that she is the hardest on her best students and that that's where it's coming from. She makes Brandon cry. "You are going to love me and hate me on this journey. ... You are ... you're amazing. Janette, you've been on fire since day one, and today is no exception."

Fireworks fear [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-01T13:58:54-07:00

Not everybody loves fireworks, do they? I'd forgotten until somebody mentioned it here, but they can be downright scary to little children.

I'm lucky that my kids always seemed to love watching fireworks displays from a distance. I never had to stay home on the Fourth of July because I knew they'd have a bad time watching the Inner Harbor display, as we often do with friends.

But what do you parents do when kids are afraid of fireworks? Do you try to coax them out of it? Wait until they grow out of it? Accept that you'll need to find other kinds of Fourth fun?

My colleague Susan Reimer is doing a story on the subject and would love to hear from you. If you're willing to talk to her, please shoot her an e-mail at susan.reimer@baltsun.com.

(Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press)

Baltimore 'Clean House' episode to air ... finally [Reality Check]

2009-07-01T09:04:00-07:00

Remember back a few months, when the Style Network's Clean House came to Baltimore and picked things up for James Buechler and Jennifer "Jiffy" Boehles? (See more pictures of the taping here.)

And then James and Jiffy weren't totally thrilled about how their house looked afterward in the places not covered by the cameras?

And then the show was scheduled to air May 27, but was pulled?

Just heard that the episode is now supposed to air at 8 tonight. And that Clean House: Messiest Home in the Country special airs at 9.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Chiaki Kawajiri/Feb. 7, 2009)

Melissa Rycroft is engaged [Reality Check]

2009-07-01T08:53:56-07:00

It's true: Jilted Bachelor "winner" Melissa Rycroft is engaged, and no, not to that toad Jason Mesnick, who humilated her on national television.

But hey, Melissa went on to great success on Dancing With the Stars, and now she's engaged for real this time. So who's laughing now?

You can read more here.

Ain't the beer cold? Sipping at Camden Yards [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-01T08:21:06-07:00

Yes, I was at Camden Yards Tuesday night , sipping beers as the Os battled the Red Sox. Yes, I left before the comeback.

Early in evening, when the Red Sox built a big lead, the only joy was in the beer drinking.

Started with a Wild Goose IPA, moved on to a Flying Dog Old Scratch.

Somewhere along the way, a wad of chewing gum landed on my seat in the right field bleachers.

The gum then got on the seat of my pants.

An usher tried to remove the gum from the bleacher seat. She failed but summoned a seat maintenace crew. They worked hard, using a substance I was afraid to apply to my pants. The usher found me another seat. I was still gummed up, and the Os were getting pasted.

Then the rain came.

It rained hard enough to scare Noah.

My buddies and I took shelter in the Bud Lite Warehouse. I sipped a Stella Artois.

It rained even harder. The Os were behind 10- 1. After one beer in the warehouse, we punted and headed home.

Later at my home, I listened to the Os dramatic comeback as I worked on removing the gum from my pants, ironing it onto a piece of cardboard.

As midnight approached, the Os won 11-10, with Brian Roberts scoring the winning run, and my pants were gum-free. Life was good.

The beer is pricey, $6.75, at the ballpark. But it is flavorful.

Anybody else drink beer and run last night? What do you drink at the ballpark?

What's on the seat of your pants?

Photo: Baltimore Sun

Beer drinking co-pilot "waters" a tree and is grounded [Kasper On Tap]

2009-07-01T04:48:35-07:00

A Japan Airlines co-pilot who Hawaiian police caught relieving himself behind a tree ended up causing the cancellation of flight from Hawaii to Toyko.

The Japan Times reported yesterday that an unnamed 53-year-old co-pilot was detained for urinating in a public place. The co-pilot said he had downed about 5 small bottles of beer at a restaurant near his hotel on the night before the scheduled flight.

He then took a walk outside the hotel, felt the urge and relieved himself behind a tree.

He was then arrested, underwent a brief trial and was fined $25

Since his detention made the co-pilot unable to show up for the flight , it was canceled, affecting 297 passengers.

The co-pilot did not violate the airline's regulation that bans drinking 12 hours before flying. But the airline said it is considering disciplinary measures.

Does this prove that you don't buy beer, you just rent it?

What is your advice to someone caught in the great outdoors with a full bladder?

Ever got in trouble for "watering" the landscape?

Photo: AP

Bison burgers [Charm City Moms]

2009-07-01T02:50:07-07:00

Today is the first in a two-part Dinner Together series on super-easy, family-friendly meals on the grill.

One sure-fire way to please my daughter is to feed her a hamburger. (You may remember that this interfered with her vegetarian phase.) But, of course, we worry about serving ground beef, with its high saturated fat content, too often.

The answer for us sometimes is ground bison, which you can now find in most grocery stores. (If you want to stay local, Eddie's of Roland Park stocks bison from the Gunpowder Bison & Trading in Monkton.) It's lower in fat and saturated fat than most beef you can find. It is more expensive, but the other good part is that the taste is very close to beef.

And, we discovered, it performs very well on the grill, using this anti-flaring method my husband John came up with...

Bison Burgers

Serves 4

1 pound ground bison meat

4 whole-wheat hamburger buns

Tomato, onion, and/or avocado for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Form bison into four patties. (If the patties are mushy, place on a plate and put in the freezer for 20 minutes before grilling.) Heat a grill, heaping charcoal predominantly on one side. Place patties on the grill, over the hot coals, until cooked almost to desired doneness. (If burgers flare, move patties to the cooler side of grill.) Remove burgers to a plate, cover with foil and rest 10 minutes. Garnish as desired and serve on buns.

Per burger (including bun but not garnishes): 342 calories, 23 grams protein, 18 garms fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 71 milligrams cholestero, 273 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Mary Mullen.

(Photo by me)

Should the Meyerhoff foundation help city schools? [Charm City Moms]

2009-06-30T12:52:46-07:00

Our editorial board is working on an editorial that local parents are likely to have an opinion on, and you can weigh in -- before they finish it!

You may recall that the local Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds recently announced plans to shift its focus to Baltimore's middle class, with the aim of keeping such families in the city by helping with college tuition, shoring up city parks and improving computer access at the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

The editorial board is arguing that the best way for the foundation to keep middle-class families here would be to dedicate money to improving the Baltimore city public school system.

You can add your comments by following the link above or sending an e-mail to talkback@baltimoresun.com. The best comments will be published alongside the editorial in the print edition.

Drinkers to recession: We don't care [Kasper On Tap]

2009-06-30T07:43:07-07:00

Drinkers don't seem to care that there is a recession.

That is what a recent Gallup Poll on the nation's drinking habits says.

"The recession may give people more reasons to drink, but less money to do it with," the Gallup pollsters report. To the extent this is true, the effect seems to be a wash. Gallup finds no major changes in the percentage of Americans who drink alcohol (now 64%), in how much drinkers consume, or in their preferred drink -- which, by a modest margin, continues to be beer."

Other interesting findings ...

1. Beer continues to rule. It is the favored alcoholic beverage. Four in 10 drinkers say they prefer beer, compared with 34% naming wine and 21% liquor, the poll reported.

2. Beer is the preferred beverages of men, especially young men. The majority of men (54 percent) say they most often drink beer; half of women choose wine. There is also a significant generational difference in preferences, with younger men strongly favoring beer: 66 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds prefer it. This compares with 46 percent of men over 50 who list beer as their preferred drink.

3. Younger women like beer more than older women. Twenty-five percent of women 18-49 say beer is their preferred alcoholic beverage, while only 15 percent of women over 50 list beer as their No. 1 choice. In both age groups, wine beats beer as women's top choice.

4. 64 percent of America's adult population drinks alcohol. This percentage has remained virtually unchanged since 1947, Gallup says.

5. People told the pollster that the average number of drinks they consumed in the past week was 4.8.

Do any of these poll results surprise you?

How do you consume .8 of a drink?

In your experience, does the gender divide hold? Or as the Gallup folks put it, "On Mars, They Drink Beer; on Venus, Wine." True or not?

Graph courtesy of Gallup

In the land of Arlo Guthrie, a great beer. [Kasper On Tap]

2009-06-30T04:06:49-07:00

I saw Arlo Guthrie this past weekend. He was one of a crew of talented performers who appeared on Garrison Keillor's A Prarie Home Companion radio show at Tangelwood in Lennox, Mass.

It was quite a lineup. In addition to Arlo, Steve Martin was there playing his banjo, and Martin Sheen did several hilarious sketches.

Arlo sounded terrific, his voice is even richer and more textured in person than in recordings.

He lives in the area and his famous song, "Alice's Restaurant," was inspired by an incident at Trinity Church in Great Barrington. Arlo does not own a restaurant in the area, but he did buy the church. Called The Guthrie Center, it functions as a social center for the community.

There is no Alice's Restaurant in the area, but there is Cafe Adam in Great Barrington.

There during a Sunday brunch with relatives, I had a terrific pale ale, Berkshire Steel Rail EPA.

The EPA stands for extra pale ale. This beer, at 5.3 percent ABV, is unpasteurized and unfiltered.

It is made by Berkshire Brewing Co. in South Deerfield, Mass., in a building that used to be a cigar factory.

Great stuff, but unlike Alice's Restaurant, where as Arlo says, "You can get anything you want," here in Maryland we can't get Berkshire beers. Their distribution is confined to New England.

Has anyone else enjoyed this brewery's beers? Anyone else a fan of Arlo?

Photo: AP

When your tween is bigger than you are [Charm City Moms]

2009-06-30T03:20:29-07:00

Liz Atwood is here with Tween Tuesday:

In the grand scheme of being a parent, this is a small matter. It's not as serious as dealing with illness, a call from the principal, or a bad grade on the report card. It's not like dealing with rudeness, a broken curfew or a broken heart. But this summer my 12-year-old son has passed a milestone. He now is taller than I am.

Of course, we've seen this coming for a while. In the last couple years, he's enjoyed measuring himself against me and gauging how much longer it would be before he would be taller than I was. And now that day has arrived. He enjoys calling me shorty. I remind him I'll always be his mother.

I want my boys to grow up to be tall, handsome men. But it is a little unsettling when your baby is bigger than you are. Has this happened to you? Does looking up to your son or daughter change the relationship you have with them?

John & Kate Plus 2 take a break [Charm City Moms]

2009-06-29T14:35:29-07:00

After their big divorce announcement last week, Jon & Kate Plus 8 are on hiatus, with a recap show scheduled for tonight. In the meantime, USMagazine.com reports, they're planning a media blackout to focus on their family.

In that spirit, John & Kate Plus 2 will also take a J&K-watching break to focus on their family. OK, maybe just on the laundry to start.

Michael Jackson's kids: Where will yours go if you die? [Charm City Moms]

2009-06-29T12:55:25-07:00

AP is reporting that Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, has filed for guardianship of the late singer's three children. The biological mother of two of them, Debbie Rowe, may want her children back, though, and the mother of his third -- who hasn't been publicly identified -- may surface as well.

This line from the story leapt out at me: "If he did indicate a preference, that will be given great weight, but that will not be determinative," said Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred. "Children are not property, they cannot be willed to another person."

I'm not sure what directions Jackson left behind, or how legally binding they were -- apparently his affairs will take a while to sort out. In the meantime, though, his death should remind those of us of more modest means that we should take steps now to plan for our children's care if the unthinkable happened. This primer from NPR lays out some of the issues and steps to take when you are planning for your children.

UPDATE: Katherine Jackson was awarded temporary guardianship of the children by a judge today.

(AP Photo/Robyn Beck, 2005)

Milwaukee man drinks 10 beers, drives golf cart home [Kasper On Tap]

2009-06-29T04:00:14-07:00

Milwaukee natives are known for their fondness for beer. They once were the center of America's brewing universe. They named their professional baseball team The Brewers who play in a new ballpark called Miller Park .

In the old ball park when a member of the home team hit a home run Bernie Brewer, the team's mascot. used to celebrate by sliding into a mug of beer. He also outruns sausages as the video shows.

But recently another Milwaukee beer drinker appears to have set a record for the longest drunken drive in a golf cart.

According to the Associated Press, a South Milwaukee man was accused of driving drunk last week after trying to use a golf cart to drive home nearly 40 miles away from the golf course where he had been drinking beer.

The man told police that his relatives had left him behind at the golf club.

So he got in a golf cart and headed home down Highway 167 .

When the sheriff caught up with him, the man said he had drunk about 10 beers, but did not consider himself intoxicated.

The 10 beers might explain why his relatives ditched him.

But this leads to other questions. Is it true that Milwaukee, as Forbes magazine said in 2006 article, is America's drunkest city ?.

Anyone have tales of drinking beer with the natives of Wisconsin?

Is their capacity exceptional?

Could this golf cart incident have happened anywhere other than Milwaukee?

'I'm a Celebrity ...': It's finally over [Reality Check]

2009-06-26T13:53:30-07:00

Fabulous guest-poster Bucky is back, wrapping up I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here for us. Thanks again, Bucky!

So, to close the loop on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here here’s what happened leading up to the finale:

We left off in the last recap with Janice and Holly having been voted off, leaving Lou, John, Steven, Sanjaya, Patti and Torrie as potential King or Queen of the Jungle. Sanjaya and I are both sad because Holly is gone. John is happy because Patti is still there, even though they are only “friends.”

Stephen is … well … at wit’s end, for some reason. He was fine during one segment and melancholy the next. He decides to bug out. He says he is sure all of the strong friendships he had built will result in the other campers being understanding about his decision. HAHAHA … they talk trash about him from the minute he leaves camp. So much for understanding.

And then … AND THEN … a twist: because Stephen bugged out, another camper gets to return. Janice and Holly are made to grovel in front of the other campers, pleading their case for wanting to come back. Janice, of course, has had an epiphany and says she is a better person who wants to redeem herself in everyone’s eyes (and hearts). Holly pretty much says she wants to come back and canoodle with Sanjaya some more. (That’s not a direct quote, but it is what she meant.) The campers have a lengthy discussion about who they want to come back (Holly, because we all love Holly. No, really, we do) and who they think they can beat the easiest (Janice because she is, in the end, just another creepy Costa Rican critter who can be swatted away). They agree they need to make the strategic move, not the emotional one and … cut to the obnoxious Wal-Mart commercials.

Easier to buy a case than a six-pack in Pa. [Kasper On Tap]

2009-06-26T04:57:31-07:00

I am just catching up with the recent decision of Pennsylvania Supreme Court that seems to makes it easier for Pa. beer drinkers to buy a case of beer than a six-pack.

The court ruled last week that a Sheetz convenience store in Altoona could not sell six-packs of carry-out beer because it did not also sell beer consumed on the premises. Sheetz contended that its license allowed on-premise beer drinking but did not require it. The court disagreed.

CEO Stan Sheetz has since issued a statement saying the state's "outdated" liquor laws need to be changed.

The way beer buying works in Pennsylvania, as I understand it, is that you can purchase a cold case or a keg at a liquor store. But if you want to buy a six pack you have to go to a bar.

I read an hilarious piece about this conundrum written in 2003 by John Grogan, who was then a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has since left the paper to write books including the best-seller about his dog, Marley and Me.

Anybody buy beer in Pennsylvania?

Is this how it works?

Is it a pain, or do you work around it?

Photo:AP six packs of IC Light

'So You Think You Can Dance': Down to 14 [Reality Check]

2009-06-25T19:59:45-07:00

Tonight's So You Think You Can Dance results show opens with a verrrry sexy group number -- there's lots of writhing and undulating and even dancing on water-covered tables. It was choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin and Tabitha and Napoleon.

After the group dance, head judge Nigel Lythgoe acknowledges the tragic losses of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and, of course, Michael Jackson. He says that he himself went into dancing because of Michael Jackson, and they even air a bit of the "Thriller" video.

After the break, they get right started with results, bringing five couples to the floor. Asuka and Vitolio are first; they are in the bottom three. Brandon and Janette learn that they're safe. Randy and Evan are, too, thanks to their "cheeky" performance, as Cat puts it. Jeanine and Phillip? Also safe. In this group of five couples, that leaves Ade and Melissa, who eventually learn that they are also in the clear.

Pricey beer at Wimbledon [Kasper On Tap]

2009-06-25T11:13:26-07:00

The Mirror in the UK reports that a pint of beer at Wimbledon has "gone through the pounds 4 barrier." Interesting way to phrase it.

That, according to current exchange rates, translates roughly into $6.50 a pint.

It seems to me that is about equal to what we pay at Camden Yards.

Meanwhile, Draft Magazine reports the price of Wimbledon strawberries has been frozen at 2.25 pounds, or about $3.67 for 10 berries.

Is that too much to pay for beer? Or rather is that the price you pay for drinking at a major sporting event?

Photo: Associated Press

Biker beers [Kasper On Tap]

2009-06-25T04:05:22-07:00

Most of the cyclists I know are in seriously good shape. They also are serious beer drinkers.

It is no surprise then that the folks at bicycling.com, a Web site devoted to the two-wheeled world, decided to compile a list of summer beers that are somehow linked to bicycles. This is the web site for Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines.

The chosen beers "were summer beers tied to cycling in name, label, or by support from the brewery," a press release stated. The testers looked "at the interaction of sweet barley malt and bitter hop flavors, along with the overall feel and drinkability, they scrutinized these brews with the same discrimination as they do with bikes," the release said.

Fat Tire, big surprise, was one of the cyclists favorites.

Other favored biker beers were ...

Full Suspension Pale Ale

Tire Bite Golden

Terrapin Sunray Wheat

Tandem Double

Singletrack Copper Ale

Gordon

Tangerine Wheat

Full Sail Session

Estivale

Tree Fort Beer

Do you bike? Do you drink beer?

Do you combine the two?

If so, what are your favorite biker beers?

Photo:Tire Bite Golden from Flying Dog Brewery

'So You Think You Can Dance' recap: Top 16 perform [Reality Check]

2009-06-24T20:19:06-07:00

I'm filling in for Sarah tonight, who's busy with baby and other things. It's the Top 16 on So You Think You Can Dance, which still includes Caitlin Kinney, a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Tonight's guest judge is Toni Basil (Hey Mickey!). We learn that she's receiving a Living Legends of Hip-Hop Award, following in the footsteps of performers like Boogaloo Sam and MC Hammer. Award winners! Can't touch them!

Before the contestants dance, they tell us what they'd be doing if they weren't dancing. It's pretty cheesy. Let's just get to the choreography, please.

First up are Karla and Jonathan with a Dave Scott hip-hop routine. Note: Karla says she would be a journalist if she were not a dancer. I'm gathering she hasn't read about the hard times we're going through! They dance to "By My Side" by Jadakiss, featuring Ne-Yo. It's not very memorable. I think Karla is way better than Jonathan, who, to me, just looks too ballroom-y and Broadway-ish. He does do a cool flip. Judge Nigel Lythgoe said the smooth hip-hop was ironed out so that there was no excitement. He said it was lacking "danger." He asks if Jonathan felt comfortable, and he replies no. Nigel says there was no chemistry. "Instead of gangster ... that was like a Sunday school picnic outing," he says. He bets they'll be in the bottom three (he asks if anyone wants to take bets). Ouch! Judge Mary Murphy agrees with Nigel. Things were not synchronized, she says. "It really wasn't in the right groove at all," she adds. She says the highlight was the tumbling, but they are capable. Toni says street has to have a groove and a funk. She says if you don't have that, it feels "store-bought."

This would be funnier [Reality Check]

2009-06-24T07:40:55-07:00

if it didn't ring quite so true, don't you think?