Bikini

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless it involves a mayor in a bikini and a county executive with his foot in his mouth. At a fancy reception for Maryland politicos attending the International Council of Shopping Centers Convention, Harford County Executive David Craig stepped up to say a few words. There were plenty of bigwigs gathered at Wynn Las Vegas, from other county execs to Gov. Martin O'Malley. Craig gave Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon a special shout-out. Sadly, no one was taking notes, but I'm told this is the gist of what Craig said: "I've seen a lot of Sheila Dixon this week, specifically this morning out by the pool when she was in her bikini."

IT'S THAT TIME of year again, that uplifting season when we're all reminded of how incredibly fat we are and what pigs we were over the holidays. So once again this January, you can't pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV without seeing an ad or commercial for this hot new diet or that weight-loss program or this gym. And the ads still trot out those ever-popular "before" and "after" shots where stout women in oversized T-shirts and baggy sweatpants are...

In a recent scholarly lecture, Dr. I.M. Kookie, the noted expert on lots of stuff, presented a unique perspective on the unfortunate Hugh Grant affair."

LADIES: IT'S TIME to get in shape for swimsuit season! If you start a program of diet and exercise now, in just a few weeks you can shed that extra 10 pounds, so when it's time to hit the beach, you can put on that new bikini with the confidence that comes from knowing that you will immediately take off that new bikini, put on a bathrobe, and spend the rest of the weekend in your bedroom, weeping and eating Haagen-Dazs straight from the container....

Swimsuit trauma. Surely every woman has experienced that horrible, sinking feeling when some cute little bikini or maillot suddenly became a magnifying glass for figure flaws. Even if she'd successfully struggled to lose that last 10 pounds, high-cut leg lines or too-skimpy two-pieces meant that when she looked in the dressing room mirror, she was confronted with lumps and bulges she never knew she had."It had gotten to the point where you almost had to have what they call a 'hardbody' to wear a suit," says June Wylie, publicity director for the popular swimwear manufacturer Catalina.

Freshman state Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr. was never a conventional state lawmaker. He passed out free beer to University of Maryland students outside football games, once sent out a news release about his honeymoon -- describing his Speedo and his bride's bikini -- and broke into song on the Senate floor. But some of his Democratic colleagues didn't chuckle when he sided with the Republican governor on slot machines, an assault rifle ban and a takeover of Baltimore schools.

Race 1: Jockey Joel Rosario rode Aussi Austin to victory in the first of 13 races on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course . Bake Shop took second and Pretension finished third in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race. The winner finished in 1:45.23. Bake Shop and Pretension held with Aussi Austin, but Pretension weakened late. Aussi Austin paid $5.40 to win while Bake Shop paid $6.60 to place. Race 2, Deputed Testamony Starter Handicap: Hello Lover, the race's heavy 3-5 post-time favorite, surged past the leaders to win. No Brakes finished second while Who Dat Boy, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, took third.

Shug McGaughey, the trainer for Kentucky Derby winner Orb, attributes his calm demeanor since that race to maturity. Had he made it to the Preakness with a Triple Crown chance at a younger age, the 64-year-old insists, the scene would have been different. The kindly man in a sweater, face almost always softened in a sort of bemused wonderment, would be replaced by a high-strung, short-tempered barn general. Orb co-owner Stuart Janney III knows McGaughey feels some pressure. "Before the Derby, he had no color in his face," he said.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb is the even-money favorite for the Preakness, so the biggest topics leading up to the weekend have, obviously, been about his chances and how to beat him on Saturday. “The jockey was just here," Mylute jockey Rosie Napravnik, the fiery 25-year-old, shot back. "Ask him.” Though Napravnik eventually talked quite a bit about her thoughts on Orb and her possible strategies coming out of the gate -- Orb drew post-position No. 1, while Mylute is at No. 5 -- she has her own worries about Mylute.

Sitting in front of a microphone Friday morning, Rosie Napravnik fielded questions about her first race at Pimlico Race Course while donning a hat from her new sponsor, Snickers Bites. For the 25-year-old jockey, it was a fitting juxtaposition, as she's risen to fame after she got her start as a jockey here in 2005. Now, Napravnik returns to race in Pimlico's biggest event on the course where she won her first start as a jockey. She will become the third female to ride in the Preakness and can become the first to win it, but that's not her motivation.