Crossover

LOS ANGELES -- Ice Cube settled into a contemporary leather chair in his spacious Encino office recently and immediately dug into a stack of papers.They were report cards, so to speak, from test audiences who had seen "The Player's Club," a movie Ice Cube wrote, co-produced, directed and appears in."They liked it," he said, letting go of his trademark scowl for just a few second. "All excellents and goods. No poors."He wanted to eyeball the documents before jetting off the following morning to Houston for a couple of gigs with his rap combo, Westside Connection.

Faith HillBreathe (Warner Bros. 47373)It would be nice to think there was more to country-to-pop crossover success than mere luck.After all, Shania Twain has managed to maintain impressive commercial momentum over the last couple years as her current album, "Come On Over," attracted a steady flow of fans from the pop/rock mainstream. Nor is Twain the only country star to court Top-40 success, as acts ranging from Tim McGraw to the Dixie Chicks have made their mark on the pop charts.For the most part, however, making it in the mainstream is less a matter of talent or direction than of having the right song at the right moment.

Nilo Amier massages Bag Balm into her chapped hands. Formulated 100 years ago to soften the udders of milking cows, the salve works just as well on people, said Amier, who tends a half-acre mini-ranch in Tarzana, Calif.Feed dealers Odie Fox and his son, Jerry, swear by Flex Free, a pricey supplement for easing stress and strains in horses. One dissolves a pinch of the bitter powder in his orange juice. The other sprinkles it on breakfast cereal."It really works," said Jerry Fox, claiming it counters aches from slinging 120-pound hay bales.

On a recent Friday evening, a carnival on wheels took to the streets of Baltimore. Women decked out in chandelier earrings juggled floor-length or knee-high dresses on bicycles. Men wearing bow ties and blazers peddled mountain bikes, while one young man sported a powder-blue tuxedo and loose blond hair on his BMX. Spend just a few minutes watching this crowd move through an intersection or up a street and it's no wonder most residents and motorists had a look of wonder or surprise on their faces.

Dolly Parton was country pop when country pop wasn't cool. Back when Nashville still seemed like hicksville to a lot of radio listeners, Parton proved that a country singer could easily top the pop charts -- provided she had the right material. And thanks to crossover classics like "Here You Come Again," "Islands in the Stream" and "9 to 5," Parton had it in spades.Yet in some ways, Parton's pop success has done her more harm than good. Parton met the mainstream on its own terms, playing down the Tennessee mountain spunk that marked her work with Porter Waggoner, and while that helped make her a superstar, it also cost her some of her credibility with the country crowd.

For decades, country music was proud to be the sound of America's heartland. But things have changed in the heartland recently, and nowhere was that more evident than on last night's Country Music Association awards show. Sure, most of the bands who played included fiddle players and pedal steel guitars, but more often than not, they were drowned out by the keyboards and electric guitars. But the sound they delivered was anything but traditional - and that was the point. As Male Vocalist of the Year Tim McGraw put it, "Things Change."

WASHINGTON -- If you've got an idea for a widget that could not only elbow Tickle Me Elmo off Junior's Christmas list but also subdue the electronic countermeasures of hostile foreign armies, the Pentagon has a program for you.Paul G. Kaminski, the military's acquisitions chief, unveiled plans yesterday for a $185 million effort to encourage products and technology that serve both military and commercial markets.The Dual Use Applications Program will offer financial incentives to companies that develop commercial-military crossovers of two types: new products, and "kits" that modernize existing weapons systems.

Two of the comic book world's fiercest warriors -- Warblade and Ripclaw -- are about to join in the battle of their lives, a slashing fight against evil that was born . . . in a convivial California hot tub?It's true, explains artist Jim Lee. The idea to merge the blade-wielding characters of the Image Comics series "WildC.A.T.S" and "Cyberforce" into a new crossover plot line began to take form during a soak."It was Marc's birthday, we were sitting in his hot tub drinking champagne, and we just started talking about the story line and put it together," recounts Mr. Lee over the phone from his San Diego studio.

NEW ORLEANS -- Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio %% Freeman grew up on the east side of Baltimore where basketball was the dominant sport, and almost every child was headed to the NBA. %%%% But with the Super Bowl only a day away, Freeman is glad the NBA gave way to the NFL. He will start for the Packers tomorrow in Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots."

Charles Grote, a lifelong Democrat, listened to Republican City Council candidate Elaine Urbanski's pitch and was impressed by it. So impressed that Grote pledged his vote to Urbanski in the upcoming general election."