Casablanca

CASABLANCA, Morocco -- Second seed Alberto Costa and fellow Spaniard Alex Lopez-Moron advanced to the semifinals.Costa defeated eighth seed Marc Goellner of Germany, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3. Lopez-Moron, a qualifier ranked 155th in the world, beat Stefano Pescosolido of Italy, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1.

When The New York Times interviewed producer Jerry Bruckheimer about bringing out an upscale consumer farce called Confessions of a Shopaholic during a global economic crisis, he denied that he performed any major last-minute tinkering. Even the shopaholic's father's most relevant line - "if the U.S. economy can be billions of dollars in debt and still survive, so can you" - was part of the script before everyone was talking about a catastrophic recession. Will the plot about a woman disentangling herself from credit cards generate business or deflect it?

It's still the same old story: Rick sends Ilsa away at the end because the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this world.But "Casablanca" amounts to an Everest of beans.At 50, the classic Bogart-Bergman flick has become the dowager empress of American studio-system movies: It represents the Hollywood machine working at maximum efficiency, hitting on all cylinders, and yielding the rarest of icons, the unself-conscious masterpiece. Seeking merely to entertain, it became great art. And it never stopped entertaining.

Casablanca, the classic movie about love, sacrifice and the Nazis, is at the very heart of a new documentary that is about, well, love, sacrifice and the Nazis. Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood looks at film and social history of the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s through the lens of German and Austrian filmmakers, composers, cinematographers, actors and screenwriters forced to flee Hitler's Germany. Some of the newcomers failed in Hollywood, some thrived, but mostly they just survived.

"As Time Goes By," by Michael Walsh. Warner Books. 420 pages. $25. Casablanca," the World War II romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman that was released in 1942, is one of the most famous accidents in cinema history, a sublime collision of casting, chemistry, history, artistry and sheer luck that resulted in one of the most enduring pieces of celluloid of all time.But count on pop culture, with its insatiable Will to Commodify, to try and improve on serendipity. "Casablanca" has already been subjected to all manner of imitation, colorization, appropriation and exploitation.

Among the myriad mysteries of Casablanca are the specifics of the deal Rick Blaine makes with Laszlo to get the freedom fighter and his wife, Ilsa -- Rick's former lover -- out of French Morocco, thick with Nazis and collaborators. If you would just as soon not know, you can skip the deleted and alternate-scenes section of the essential new two-disc special edition of Casablanca (Warner, $26.95) -- but I'm betting you won't. Though true movie-lovers probably own one of the previous DVD versions of the 1942 drama that shows up on nearly anyone's list of the greatest movies ever made, few should resent shelling out again for this sterling upgrade.

SACRAMENTO -- "Casablanca" opened in 1942 to good -- but not great -- reviews.Reviewers around the country seemed to consider the film a pleasant enough piece of entertainment, but no great work of art -- a bit better than "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," but not quite "Lawrence of Arabia."Here's what a few of them had to say:The New York Times: "Yes, the Warners here have a picture which makes the spine tingle and the heart take a leap. For once more, as in recent Bogart pictures, they have turned the incisive trick of draping a tender love story within the folds of a tight tropical frame.

As if we didn't have enough problems, they're now making a sequel to "Casablanca." Only the most absolutely perfect movie ever made.There are certain things you just don't mess with. The Bill of Rights. Cherry Garcia ice cream. Ellen Barkin's crooked smile.And, of course -- actually way, way beyond, of course -- "Casablanca."We're not discussing "Beethoven 3," folks. Or "Look Who's Talking, Still." This is art. Making a sequel to "Casablanca" is like painting the other moods of the Mona Lisa.

It's still the same old story: Rick sends Ilsa away at the end because the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this world.But "Casablanca" amounts to an Everest of beans.At 50, the classic Bogart-Bergman flick has become the dowager empress of American studio-system movies: It represents the Hollywood machine working at maximum efficiency, hitting on all cylinders, and yielding the rarest of icons, the unself-conscious masterpiece. Seeking merely to entertain, it became great art. And it never stopped entertaining.

"For the waters," drawled Humphrey Bogart's Rick, when asked why he came to Casablanca. "But there are no waters in Casablanca," replied his interrogator. "I was misinformed," countered Bogart, with a mysterious smile.Asked why they are visiting Maryland's own Casablanca, visitors might well answer "for the waters." Since moving last spring from Daytona Beach, Fla., to Galesville, the 50-foot motor yacht has been taking customers for cool, leisurely cruises on the West River, past the picturesque Thomas Point lighthouse -- subject of hundreds of watercolors and millions of snapshots -- and onto the waters of the Chesapeake.

Some wines are at their best young, and that's the case with this fresh, lively Chilean white wine. It's a very dry wine with strong mineral, citrus-fruit and herb flavors - you'd better like mint and fresh oregano or you won't like this wine - and a zippy acidity that stretches out the finish. If you like an aggressive, exuberant sauvignon blanc, this one's for you. Serve with grilled fish and shellfish.

Nov. 26 1942: Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premiered in New York.

Rest in peace, Brad and Jen. You were a class act. Beautiful, but not conceited. Successful, but not haughty. Celebrities, but not wacky. We'll miss you. Particularly since there's no one left in Glamourville to take your place. Of all the Hollywood couples roaming the red carpet arm-in-arm, no one quite measures up to the Pitt-Aniston pair in the three areas that mean the most to us celebrity-watchers: beauty, star power and relatability. There are some who come close, sure. And a few who could possibly get there, given some time.

CASABLANCA, Morocco, - Spain's new premier, Jose Luis Zapatero, on his first trip abroad since taking office, held talks yesterday with Moroccan officials on ways of better cooperating in the fight against terrorism. "We are committed to boosting anti-terrorist cooperation between our two countries, both victims of horrendous attacks," Zapatero told a news conference after talks with King Mohammed VI and Prime Minister Driss Jettou. Zapatero and Mohammed unveiled a plaque in the city center in memory of 45 people who were killed in attacks last year in Casablanca.

Among the myriad mysteries of Casablanca are the specifics of the deal Rick Blaine makes with Laszlo to get the freedom fighter and his wife, Ilsa -- Rick's former lover -- out of French Morocco, thick with Nazis and collaborators. If you would just as soon not know, you can skip the deleted and alternate-scenes section of the essential new two-disc special edition of Casablanca (Warner, $26.95) -- but I'm betting you won't. Though true movie-lovers probably own one of the previous DVD versions of the 1942 drama that shows up on nearly anyone's list of the greatest movies ever made, few should resent shelling out again for this sterling upgrade.

CHICAGO -- The Bush administration's policy of pre-emption is not just bad karma; it isn't wise. This is because, as ancient Buddhist masters and contemporary chaos theorists would agree, life is an intricate web of cause and effect. If a butterfly flapping its wings over China can cause hurricanes off the coast of Florida, just think what sort of debacle a 2,000-pound bunker-busting bomb dropped on Baghdad (or Damascus or Tehran) can produce in Baltimore (or San Francisco or Chicago).

''Havana'' is the seventh film on which director Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford have collaborated, and this time, they have not done all that well.''Havana,'' filmed in the Dominican Republic, where the 1958 Havana was built ''from scratch,'' looks and sounds very good, but at heart is almost empty, a redo of the 1943 ''Casablanca'' that doesn't come anywhere near that film.The new film does have Redford, but it also has Lena Olin (''Enemies, A Love Story''), who could never hope to be another Ingrid Bergman.

THIS YEAR'S Casablanca Award goes to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who reacted with shocked indignation last week to think that vote trading might occur in the General Assembly.For the uninitiated, trading votes is frowned upon because every piece of legislation should be passed on its merits. You shouldn't say, "I'll be for your milk price support measure if you'll be for my beach replenishment bill." The two things obviously have little to do with each other.But, oh dear, it happens.

MADRID, Spain - Moroccan authorities announced the indictment of six more suspects yesterday in this month's suicide bombings in Casablanca, a case that has taken an unexpected twist with the death in custody of a chief suspect. Authorities provided new details about the dead man, who allegedly organized the synchronized attacks that killed 43 people May 16. The 30-year-old suspect, owner of a small shoe store in Fez, had been ill with chronic heart problems and a severely enlarged liver caused by medication, officials said.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi security forces have arrested four men they say are affiliated with the al-Qaida terror network in connection with last week's deadly bomb attacks here, officials said yesterday. The attacks, launched simultaneously May 12 on three residential compounds, killed at least 34 people, including eight Americans and nine attackers. The arrests were announced at a news conference in Riyadh by Prince Nayif ibn Abdulaziz, the Saudi interior minister. Prince Nayif said the four men did not take part in carrying out the attacks but knew about the plot and were sympathizers of the assailants.