Applause

Roberto Pagan-Franco didn't have a bank account for decades. His employer paid him in cash or with a check that the Baltimore resident took to a check-cashing store. A few years ago he lost his job after a severe illness and for a time was homeless. Not exactly the type of customer you'd expect a big bank to court. But Pagan-Franco enrolled in a PNC Bank program that targets consumers who otherwise might be shut out of the banking system. And today, the 54-year-old has checking and savings accounts at PNC and is in the process of getting a credit card.

My husband and I were treated to a most wonderful performance of "High School Musical Jr. " at Catonsville Middle School this past weekend! The students not only served as actors on stage but some, like our daughter, Paige, worked behind the scenes operating the sound, music and lighting systems. All the students are to be commended for sharing their talents on stage and backstage. This community is truly blessed with support from teachers, parents, neighbors and businesses.

One very simple way that may increase the revenues for the Hippodrome would be to modernize one thing - the seating (" Hippodrome finances get a rewrite," Aug. 5). I would attend more shows if I was not going to have to sit in the very cramped, (I weigh 165 pounds and stand 5-foot 10-inches tall) and very hard seats. I can only imagine the discomfort of those bigger than I. What you lose in capacity you will make up for in repeat business. Ed Slater, Baltimore

What a bunch of grumpy gills we have in this town. What a bunch of whine lovers. Baltimore just played host to an amazing weekend event, unlike anything seen here since mustachioed men rebuilt downtown after the Great Fire of 1904. And what do we get? Drizzly rain on the parade. It's suggested that neither the crowds nor the TV audiences were as big as the promoters say. Not all the hotels sold out - the one on Fayette Street was only 90 percent of capacity. Sales of steamed crabs at a restaurant a mile away were slow.

PHILADELPHIA — When Roy Halladay came off the field after his historic performance in the opening game of the Reds-Phillies National League Division Series, his teammates closed the clubhouse door behind him, then stood and applauded. But the cheering lasted just a few seconds before Halladay cut it off. "All he said was let's win two more," Phillies reliever Ryan Madson said. That's because as brilliant as Halladay was in becoming just the second pitcher to throw a postseason no-hitter, it won't mean anything if the Phillies don't win two of the possibly next four games with the Reds.

Debates are a tricky thing to judge. Everyone has an opinion and people view the candidates' performances through a political lense. Pro-war viewers likely identify with Rick Santorum or Tim Pawlenty. Those who think we need to pull out of overseas wars ASAP probably view those candidates and their debate performances negatively.  But there are some rough metrics that can help make some sense of who won the debate. One way is to count the number of times a candidate was applauded.

My husband and I were treated to a most wonderful performance of "High School Musical Jr. " at Catonsville Middle School this past weekend! The students not only served as actors on stage but some, like our daughter, Paige, worked behind the scenes operating the sound, music and lighting systems. All the students are to be commended for sharing their talents on stage and backstage. This community is truly blessed with support from teachers, parents, neighbors and businesses.

What a bunch of grumpy gills we have in this town. What a bunch of whine lovers. Baltimore just played host to an amazing weekend event, unlike anything seen here since mustachioed men rebuilt downtown after the Great Fire of 1904. And what do we get? Drizzly rain on the parade. It's suggested that neither the crowds nor the TV audiences were as big as the promoters say. Not all the hotels sold out - the one on Fayette Street was only 90 percent of capacity. Sales of steamed crabs at a restaurant a mile away were slow.

The revival of "Applause," which concluded a two-week run at the Mechanic Theatre on Sunday, will close Nov. 24 in Columbus, Ohio.Several cities had dropped out of the proposed six-month pre-Broadway tour, which the producers are now trying to restructure, explained Anita Dloniak, a spokeswoman for the production, which stars Stefanie Powers."

Moscow CircusWhere: Baltimore Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St.When: Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 17, 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Nov. 18, 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.Tickets: $19.50, $16, $12.50 and $10.Call: 481-6000 to charge tickets; 347-2010 for information. Ring-counters will immediately note that the Moscow Circus only has a single ring, unlike the hyper-busy three rings of an American circus. But that single focus of activity, set up at the Baltimore Arena through Sunday, is still bursting with circusThat characteristic aside, there are other things that make this circus distinctively Russian.

Debates are a tricky thing to judge. Everyone has an opinion and people view the candidates' performances through a political lense. Pro-war viewers likely identify with Rick Santorum or Tim Pawlenty. Those who think we need to pull out of overseas wars ASAP probably view those candidates and their debate performances negatively.  But there are some rough metrics that can help make some sense of who won the debate. One way is to count the number of times a candidate was applauded.

One very simple way that may increase the revenues for the Hippodrome would be to modernize one thing - the seating (" Hippodrome finances get a rewrite," Aug. 5). I would attend more shows if I was not going to have to sit in the very cramped, (I weigh 165 pounds and stand 5-foot 10-inches tall) and very hard seats. I can only imagine the discomfort of those bigger than I. What you lose in capacity you will make up for in repeat business. Ed Slater, Baltimore

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TOWN HALL Ritchie Coliseum University of Maryland College Park, Maryland 11:04 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Maryland! (Applause.) Hello! Nice to see you. Thank you so much. (Applause.) Everybody, please have a seat. I see some smart folks up there wore shorts. (Laughter.) My team said I should not wear shorts. (Laughter.) My legs aren't good enough to wear shorts. AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I'll tell Michelle you said so. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Hello, everybody. Thank you so much. Everybody, please have a seat. I am thrilled to be here, proud to be joined here today by two of our outstanding Cabinet Secretaries, Steven Chu and Ray LaHood. Where are Steven Chu and Ray? There they are over there. We're here today for a simple reason: Ray wasn't home when they tried to deliver a package yesterday — (laughter) — so we thought we'd just grab it and be on our way. (Laughter.) I've been working them too hard.

In a typically bold/vaudeville move, Knicks owner James Dolan traded six players — including all the ones over 6-foot-8 in stocking feet — for Carmelo Anthony, who might have signed as a free agent. Dolan offered three starters and when the Nuggets asked for promising 7-foot rookie Timofey Mozgov, threw him in too. Happily, the Nuggets didn't ask for Madison Square Garden or the Knicks might be looking for a place to play. Gotham swooned as if the Knicks had landed LeBron James.

Ah, the good old days… Turning our lonely eyes to Aussie legends Thorpey and Klimey and remembering how American Gary Hall Jr. once set off a firestorm when he spoke about smashing the Australians like guitars. You might say with Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim and Hall now retired that the vaunted Aussie-U.S. swim rivalry has landed in the remainder bin. Not exactly. How about relocated? It all has, in a sense, gone more global, a fact expected to be fully on display with competitors from 21 countries on hand at the Pan Pacific Championships.

The orchestra roars and the pianist's hands are a blur: thunderous octaves in one hand against single notes in the other, then a fusillade of double octaves that brings the first movement to a majestic conclusion.Many in the audience begin to applaud; others, who consider themselves more knowledgeable, don't -- and they look either embarrassed for or scornfully at those who do. The applause peters out. Soloist and conductor confer for a moment, the orchestra tunes and the piece starts up again with the second movement.

"Applause" is about a larger-than-life star, and its lead role has traditionally been played by a larger-than-life star. Lauren Bacall originated it on Broadway, and Bette Davis played it in the movie on which "Applause" is based, "All About Eve."So how does a mere TV star fare? In the Broadway-bound revival that opened last night at the Mechanic Theatre, "Hart to Hart's" Stefanie Powers does fine.If you're always aware that Powers is acting, always on, (maybe even always Jennifer Hart), well, some of that is built into the role.

The four groups vying to keep the Senator Theatre up and running presented plans to a crowd of about 200 at the theater last night, with each proposal met by a slew of queries and critiques. While none of the plans garnered the lion's share of approval, the presentation that drew the most raves was that of James "Buzz" Cusack, owner of the five-screen Charles Theatre in the Station North Arts District. Cusack proposed keeping the Senator as a full-fledged one-screen movie theater while adding a restaurant and crepe shop.