Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Friday September 27 2002 — C3 SHERMANS LAGOON Munmpim AR oizmtcTmM USUAL r-- CMBARRASSINO MOFFfNMei 'NUTS iRmmsMC orfta&rwm H£VW£Rffi£RS fP FMILr-OtlOff- NOlSPAPOtm ! CMOVPBt BAR nm$m ( m 'Sweet Home Alabama’ has many sour moments TJMf ONCUOOLP WAV' BimRt By Christy Lemire AP Entertainment Writer “Sweet Home Alabama” is so wildly uneven it should have been called “Sweet and Sour Home Alabama” For every moment that rings true there are CATHY rM0M&! A BLOUSE ' WftONfr! WMMfr! ' BUTONED-U- P YOU LIKE IS NOT SA6SY ! MWT TO LOOK WRE TWWfir TO OONTT LOOK SASSY BUT YOU WANT TO LOOK MSSY ! DONT WANT TO ADMIT HOU WANT TO LOOK HOU sassy BUTwinkwink fmwsmi mi 14 im— r BEETLE BAILEY FILL FIRST! ACCESS THE SUPPLY tWOT- - ENTER MASSWORR ORPEff our FORMm SCHEDULE LIVERY BNTK PURPOSE OF REQUEST ASSESS INVENTORY nnM mqpt con S33U HAGAR THE HORRIBLE THERE WILL BE TIAAES WHEN YOUR FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LA- W WILL BOTH INVITE AND YOU FOR SUNDAY I - DINNER TELL HER ONLY ONE A YOU HAVE A HEADACHE FAIR ADULT IAUPCOM& WAY TO TO MY HANDLE THIS LWD THERE'S Witherspoon proved last year in “Legally Blonde” that she could take potentially cringe- worthy dialogue and make it tolerable Here there’s no hope for hammy lines about ' giving away your heart a long time ago and finding your soul mateat age 10 Although she’s become America's sweet- heart — and she is undeniably cute and charming — Witherspoon is actually stronger here when she's asked to be ugly She may have been annoying as the interminably perky Tracy Flick in “Election" but there was a vulnerability underneath New York fashion Here as designer Melanie Carmichael she's just flat- out selfish and materialistic Melanie has just staged her first runway ' show to rave reviews and gotten engaged to one of the city’s biggest catches Andrew Hen- nings (Patrick Dempsey) who surprised her by proposing after hours at Tiffany’s and letting ' her pick whichever ring her pretty little heart ' desired But before she can marry him shemust go back home to Alabama and divorce her redneck husband Jake (Josh Lucas) whom she ' abandoned for the big city seven years ago In New York Melanie has presented herself as a Southern debutante who was raised on a ar AND IF I'M ELECTED CLASS PRESIDENT I PROMISE ID 1: vY ) 'vi1 T' j ' 1 ’ v Movie review plantation! When she returns to Pigeon Creek Ala we learn the truth: She grew up in a doublewide trailer the child of blue-collparents Earl and Pearl (Fred Ward and Mary Kay Place) Director Andy Tennant (“Anna and the King”) never misses an opportunity to depict the folks in Melanie's hometown as quaint small-tow- n hicks — which automatically makes them better than the people in New York because “Sweet Home Alabama” is one of those movies like “Doc Hollywood" in which small town equals good and big city equals bad This is best exemplified by Andrew’s mother Kate (Candice Bergen) the politically ambi-- 1 tious New York mayor though it’s practically PEANUTS cv) v 10 others that clang in a broad sitcommy way For every scene that allows the reliable supporting actors to spring to life there are others in which they're relegated to serving as types ' And for every time the eminently likable Reese Witherspoon overcomes the sappy dialogue and predictable twists far more often she ! gets mired in mediocrity AP Photo Melanie (Reese Witherspoon right) finds herself sweetheart and husfalling for her band Jake (Josh Lucas left) al over again in ' high-scho- ol “Sweet Home Alabama the' same role as the conniving pageant director she played in “Miss Congeniality" Kate never approved of Melanie as a match for her son who was dearly modeled after JFK Jr down to the thick wavy hair and classic understated wardrobe (Dempsey not surprisingly played a young John F Kennedy Sr in a 1993 miniseries) But ever the Democrat she insists upon learning of Melanie’s past: ‘‘There’s nothing wrong with poor people I get elected by poor people” For some reason Jake has refused to sign the divorce papers — though why he wants to hang onto the marriage is the biggest mystery of C Jay Cox’s porous script And that’s a problem since it’s the movie’s premise The paperwork snag keeps Melanie in town longer than she anticipated and — guess what? — she gets her twang back learns to appreciate the catfish festival and finds that maybe she still has a soft spot for that beerdrinking lug after all Melanie and Jake have a couple of convinc-- ’ ing fights and a scene in which she gets drunk and tells off her old friends in a honky-ton- k is believable (Another in which she visits the grave of her dead dog Bear ahd apologizes for being absent in his final years will tug at the hearts of dog people in the audience I’ll admit it got to me) But the changes of heart happen too quickly f and things wrap up far too neatly for any of ' those real moments to matter “Sweet Home Alabama" is rated PG-1- 3 for some language and sexual references Running time: 109 minutes Two stars out of four Sales fall for Sept 11 books after one-yeanniversary MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM ar NEW YORK (AP) — Sales for Sept 1 1 copies last week compared to 15000 the week 'before books have dropped substantially since the “Interest has fallen off” said Barbara anniversary of the terrorist attacks Meade of Politics & Prose a Washalthough a handful of titles remain best sellers' d store located about 10 miles According to Neilsen BookScan which ington of retail sales Lisa tracks about from the Pentagpn Bearner’s “Let’s Roll” was the most popular “The Thomas Friedman hook is selling betnonfiction hardcover book for the week ending ter than anything we’ve had this year Sept 22 B earner's husband Todd is credited But we have a table of Sept 1 1 books that with helping lead the charge against the terrorare not getting the sales they did before" ists on United Flight 93 ' Meade said Wednesday The third book was “Longitudes More than 100 books related to the attacks and “Attitudes" essays and journals about against the Worid Trade Center and the Pentacolumnist Sept 1 1 by Pulitzer gon came out this fall covering everything Thomas Friedman ofThe New York Times from religion to intelligence gathering Pub“What We Saw" a retrospective with an introlishers and booksellers have questioned how duction by CBS Anchor Dan Rather ranked many would catch on with readers 12 No Seven Sept 11 books appeared in the top 15 ' “Wedon’t need every publishing company' doing 10 or 12 books every Sept 11” said on the BookScan list for the week ending Sept 15 when the actual anniversary took place Mary Gay Shipley owner of That Bookstore in Sales for all have since dropped some by more Blytheville Ark “I don’t think we should ever than half forget but I do get the feeling we’re moving on M “What We Saw” for example sold 7000 one-ye- ar er DC-base- two-thir- ds SNAKE RARTIES FOXTROT X best-selli- ng TVMC MY SAMPLE ADVICE COLUMNS TURNED OUT PRETTY WELL rvE Sol ADVICE ABOUT DATMS ADVKE ABOUT FOoO ADVKE ABOUT SHOPPMS AND ADVICE ABOUT OTOMOiNt A SORT ALGORITHM FOR MOSTLY DISTRIBUTIONS OF DATA REAL LIFE ADVENTURES CLOSE TO HOME Prize-winni- ng Win at bridge By Phillip Alder trick) Usually you help partner’s defense during die play However sometimes you can be just as helpful during the auction Here is an example from the Life Master Pairs at the Summer Nationals in Washington DC last July First though here is today problem: Whkt is the par contract the resting place that leaves both sides unable to do better by bidding higher? West began with a textbook weak three-bi- d showing a suit with decent seven-car- d high-ar- d points Similarly takeout North had a clear-cdouble After East passed South jumped to four hearts hoping his partner would have d support‘(Some would pass but that is dangerous and here three diamonds comes home with an over ’ 6-- 10 ut EdttMlmpaler Though excited about her first kitemat data Louise wet careful to take some precautions four-car- ' ' West led the dub 10 which South expected to be a single-to- n (Englishman Andy Rob- son pointed out that often when defending against a suit leads contract if a a side suit it is a singleton If he leads his own suit he has a singleton trump) Declarer won with his club queen drew pre-empt- So the par contract is either five clubs doubled or five hearts doubled down two for minus 500 02002 NEA ' I I "No or trumps andran the dubs discarding two spades from hand This gave South 10 tricks: three hurts five clubs a spade niff in hand and a diamond niff in the dummy Now let us return to the auction Suppose East responds three spades gambling that four diamonds will be safe v West 10 7 3 A Q 10 9 10 ' ' South : 5 2 66 V A K 10 2 ' 7 6 Q7 6 J Dealer West Vulnerable: Both Thu against four hearts West would lead a spade which allows the defenders to take the first four tricks However even better here West would continue with four spades which is unbeatable! ' South 4V West 3 Pom North DM Pan ‘ East Pass Pass Opening lead: 4k 10 |