Dion

It probably helps to be drunk. But that's the point. An awful lot of people want to get wasted and ride around with Tim McGraw or Celine Dion, according to a recent survey asking Americans to pick a fantasy designated driver. McGraw and Dion led their respective gender categories, with 33 percent of 1,167 over-21 respondents choosing the black-hatted country star and 27 percent selecting leather-lunged cash cow Dion. What if she sings in the car? Maybe a cab isn't such a bad option. McGraw surely got a boost from his role as a designated driver in a Super Bowl beer ad last January.

"All these projects mean thousands of jobs are coming to Harford County," said Councilman Dion Guthrie, who represents the Edgewood area. "The base has already gone from one security gate to six." Since the research institute project is not related to BRAC, it does not have to meet that 2011 deadline. "It is not BRAC, but this project is critical to the build-out and transformation at APG," Ruderman said. "We are really changing the landscape."

MONTREAL -- Quebec has had it with "pie terrorists" and is starting to hurl criminal charges at the political pastry throwers who in recent months have gotten in the faces of many prominent figures.The crackdown on the "Entartistes," as the cream pie anarchists call themselves, is winning praise from news columnists and others who usually delight in taking aim at the high and mighty -- but who say the pie throwers are far more pompous than the politicians they harass."They are nothing more than out-of-control aggressors who are to democracy what germs are to public health," said Pierre Bourgault, a political commentator for Journal de Montreal.

Baseball Indians: Signed IF Anthony Medrano, IF Greg LaRocca, IF Simon Pond, IF Corey Erickson, P Jason Phillips, P Jason Baker and P Tim Byrdak to minor-league deals. Mets: Named former Oriole Bobby Floyd manager of Triple-A Norfolk. Orioles: Signed OF Darryl Brinkley, OF Howie Clark, IF Jose Leon, P Jason Lakman and P Rafael Pina to minor-league contracts. Rockies: Activated OF Todd Hollandsworth and OF Mark Little from 60-day DL. Sent IF Kevin Nicholson outright to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Who went home: No one! Really. The lowdown: According to Ryan Seacrest, last night's results were the most shocking ever! And for once, he was only slightly exaggerating. After two hours of charity appeals, the Idol powers that be apparently thought it would be tacky to snuff out one of the singers. But next week, they will send home two singers based on the votes from this week and next. Shining moment: It would be easy to call the special cheesy (i.e. the dead Elvis and undead Celine Dion duet)

First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ellicott City will present the National Spiritual Ensemble on May 4 in the final performance of the Artist Series Concert Season. Formerly known as the New England Spiritual Ensemble, the group of nine conservatory-trained professional singers has moved its base of operation to the nation's capital. The ensemble works to preserve the art and tradition of Negro spirituals. Founded by bass baritone Vincent Dion Stringer, the group made its debut in 1994 at Boston Symphony Hall.

SEASIDE CHATS:Here's a different thing to do Around the Inner Harbor, and you have all summer to try it.The Maryland Historical Society's Radcliffe Museum and Ocean World Institute will be conducting a series of lecture cruises aboard the old skipjack Minnie V as it sails the Patapsco River and explores some places not everyone has seen.Lecturers aboard the classic oystering craft are to include David Gleason of the Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fells Point, speaking on old Fell's Point, sea captains and shipyards on June 6 and 8. On June 13 and 15, Scott Sheads, the author of "The Rocket's Red Glare" will speak about Fort McHenry and Baltimore during the War of 1812.

The First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ellicott City will present the National Spiritual Ensemble on May 4 in the final performance of the Artist Series Concert Season. Formerly known as the New England Spiritual Ensemble, the group of nine conservatory-trained professional singers has moved its base of operation to Washington. The ensemble works to preserve the art and tradition of Negro spirituals. Founded by bass baritone Vincent Dion Stringer, the group made its debut in 1994 at Boston Symphony Hall.

Ocean City--This is the way summer officially ends in Ocean City: Not with a whimper, but a bang (apologies to T. S. Eliot). The Beach Boys, Dion and Starship will put on an end-of-summer concert on the beach Saturday, Sept. 3."I think we're at least going to match last year's number," says Ocean City's tourism director, Bob Rothermel. "Last year it drew 10,000 people. We may even draw more than that."Labor Day weekend is a difficult one to predict, he says, because of the changing date each year (the first Monday in September moves around the calendar)

There is a Lego Statue of Liberty and a Lego eggbeater. Lego skyscrapers and a Lego parking meter. A Lego arena filled with Lego people cheering a Lego robot. A Lego dragster and a Lego bridge over a Lego cavern.If there is a Lego Heaven, this was it. And my son had just entered the pearly Lego gates."Somebody, like, did this for their job?" asked Joe as we entered the Maryland Science Center's Lego exhibition."YES!" I thought, pumping my fist. It was a revelation for us both. The kids who would rather play Legos than do anything else can grow up and make a living at it.John Dion did. He's the project manager for "Invention Adventure," the first touring museum display by Lego, the Danish toy maker whose plastic bricks are surpassed in their penetration of American homes only by Crayola crayons.