Show " nr-i' i ' " " aims Vi' ? t-- - - w1 ONWlMUnSO BEETLE BAILEY t&'n H '& ' ’ j LOS ANGELES (AP) —fto noticed for his torn is s misogynist in 1997s “In the Company of Men” Aston Eckhart is trying to place himself in the company of leading men feel like I want to do morn heroic ides” said Edduut who has also played Julia Roberts’ dubious biker boyfriend in “Erin Brockovich” and Renee Zdlweger’s sleazy husband in “Nurse Betty” “I haven’t been able to go to most of my movies with my family” added the actor who’s single “I wouldn’t go to my movies with my mom and dad They like it when I play good guys” Eckhart stars as a dean-co- t hero who journeys to die center of the Earth in die doomsday saga “The Core” about a team of scientists trying to save the planet from Despite the actor’s history of unsavory char- actors “The Core” director Jon Amid said he has always useen a leading man lurking” in face is topped by Eckhart whose square-jawe-d disheveled blond hair “He’s wonderfully but not Amiel said “He impossibly has a sort of craggy realness to his face — more Harrison Ford than Tom Cruise” Raised in Northern California Eckhart moved with his parents and two older brothers to England at age 13 and later lived in Australia Hawaii France and Switzerland His interest in acting developed in high school Eckhart’s career breakthrough in “In the Company of Men” resulted from a friendship forged in the early 1990s with Neil LaBute when die two attended Brigham Young University in Provo Utah LaBute’s theater productions often dealing with sexual insecurities psychological cruelty and everyday immoral savagery shocked the Mormon campus — and Eckhart was often the good-looki- ng good-lookin- fiOMEOME TOLD HIM TO WARM UP THE AUDIENCE BEFORE A EPEECH g” Writer-direct- or HAGAR THE HORRIBLE star “It’s a very conservative school They’re doing relatively mainstream theater and don’t have an appetite for die other stuff” he said “We just developed a relationship working really hard on our plays and we would do them rme time because die school would shut die theater down It was very controversial” He becomes annoyed when asked how his Mormon faith influences his work saying he shouldn’t be “the poster child” for the church “It’s a great moral culture It has a lot of It stands for character It’s family-orienthard work It stands feu believing in something Whether or not I personally can abide by it 24 hours a day seven days a week — that’s my own problem People are titillated by that sort PEANUTS ed of stuff” AP Photo Aaron Eddtart stars as Josh In the science fiction thriflerTheCore” Eckhart hopes this role wll lead to mors leadjng-ma- n parts in the future That first film for both went on to win the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival “My entire life changed going from to getting opporabsolutely having nothing tunities to do great work” Eckhart said “Not big movies but leads" he emphasized Suddenly tire actor found himself with stage fright “I didn’t feel like I could do it on my own” he said choosing to Stay dose to LaBute “to slowly bring myself into this world” and learn more about the craft The pair made three more films together starting with Eckhart playing a narcissist whose love for himself cripples his marriage in the 1998 psychodrama “Your Friends and Neighbors” His first likable starring role in 1999’s “Molly” resulted in a critical and commercial flop: with Elisabeth Shue playing a dreamy autistic woman and Eckhart as her supportive brother He resumed making inroads to mainstream Hollywood with supporting roles in “Erin Brockovich” the football drama “Any Given Sunday” and the Jack Nicholson murder mystery “The Pledge” working with directors Steven Soderbergh Oliver Stone and Sean Penn respectively The 2000 comedy “Nurse Betty” about a woman who becomes infatuated with a soap-opecharacter after witnessing is killing strayed from the audacious cynicism of Eckhart and LaBute’s previous films — although Eckhart again played a slime ball After paying his dues in edgy cinema the actor now says he wants to make a run at star-dom in pictures thriller “Sus(His next film: the serial-killpect Zero” in which he stars with Ben Kingsra big-budg- et Eckhart was a struggling actor in New York subsisting on a handful of tiny movie roles and TV commercials when LaBute asked him to star in “In the Company of Men” about an office worker who conspires with a colleague to emotionally destroy a deaf woman feu sport -- man Status j er ley) “I sit there and sometimes say ‘Why not me?’ I can be mediocre just like the next guy”’ he said laughing Sons of Bear Lake MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM A novel by Douglas D Alder And then where would we go with ho clothes and no bikes?” “Okay” Peter finally gave in “Swallow your pride He’s still signaling at us The least that will happen is that we’ll get our bottoms hat about our clothes? They’re just there on the beach How’re we going to lying without out bathing suits?” get “We’re pickled” Peter said “Guess it’s not our camp” “I think he seen us He’s motioning There ain’t no one else around here he could be FOXTROT motioning at” “I’ll bet it’s someone my dad has sent to catch us” “The Kanes might have a wide swath in this county but that guy ain’t no one from around hoe least no one I’ve seen before” “You know we haven’t really got much choice hit to get out” Jim gave up “We could swim across the lake to Ideal Beach” Peter offered “’T’ ain’t never been done and you know it” Jim said REAL LIFE ADVENTURES I I I i l i K i “How ’bout swimmin’ over to the Laketown launch?” “You crazy? I can’t even see it from here CLOSE TO HOME Win THEY FiRD M THR AGO OUT TS SUCH A Si COMPANY NOBODY WKS 6 By Phillip Alder Spanish filmmaker Luis Bunuel wrote “All my life I’ve been harassed by questions: Why is something this way and not another? How do you account for that? This rage to understand to fill in the blanks only makes life more banal” That might be true about life but is not a good idea for most bridge players Although there is chance during the game trying to improve one’s odds is vital In this deal you are die declarer in four spades How Would you plan the play after West starts with two high SHOMNS UP GATING A AND FOR leCTNCS LUNCHGS CATCR6D 7H TtN x stash me IGFTOUGRS n my 8vePCAse cars for a Buffalo unl ? Nothing aharpana your coping akflte Ifco getting Wd off to the Center buifi a new - I t “Here goes Beat you to the beach” The man on the beach a lone fisherman from Ogden was delighted remembering his boyhood He had six large trout already fried to share with the novice rebels not even kidding Peter and Jim were them about skinny-dippin- g he relieved discover was not searchto greatly ing for them In fact he had no idea they were AWOL from their families So they accepted his hospitality his lunch and before noon they were back on their bikes relieved refreshed and behind schedule The repast gave them renewed stamina to combat the high sun which was taking its toll Not only were they sweating from pumping their bikes as well as the 75 degrees at 6200 feet above sea level but they woe still fighting the dirt of the east road See tomorrow’s Herald Journal for the next ment of this story install- at bridge DiS-OR6A- knows so x foeep branded” clubs? Maybe South should rebid four spades but unless North has a few useful cards game will be impossible You have nine definite tricks: seven spades one heart and one diamond It lodes as though you need the diamond finesse to work However is that true? And how should you trick start? There is a natural reaction to draw trumps but if you do that here you will go down You need the spade ace as a dummy entry There are two chances in diamonds — that East has the king or has the jack and 10 After luffing the second dub draw two rounds of trumps ending in the dummy Then play a diamond to your nine If it loses to the 10or jack when back in dummy with the heart ace play a diamond to the queen Hone though the diamond nine drives out West’s king giving you a 10th West 6 4 3 Q 8 5 K 7 4 K Q J 10 02003 NEA North 4 a V ¥ : 2 AJ4 3 6 5 2 7 6 4 3 East ¥ 5 K 10 9 7 J 10 8 3 A 8 5 2 South K Q J ¥ 10 9 8 7 6 2 A Q 9 9 Dealer South Vulnerable: South 1 3 pass West Pass Pass East-We- st North 1 NT 4 Opening lead: East Pass All K |