Full House

The old-school TGIF lineup just got brutal. "Full House" has gone "Street Fighter. " Our sister website, zap2it.com, altered us to the existence of a mock-up of a "Full House" game below, awesomely dubbed "Full House Tournament Fighter" In the demo, we see Uncle Jesse battling Uncle Joey (we would have picked Danny Tanner vs. Kimmy Gibbler, for the record). Jesse's weapon: his guitar, hair gel and ultimately a face-melting rendition of his classic hit, "Forever. " With a gospel choir!

Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill to repeal the death penalty is one step closer to passage after a House committee voted Friday to approve it. The bill - already passed by the Senate - goes now to the full House of Delegates. The House Judiciary Committee's 14-8 vote to approve the bill came after Republicans offered more than a half-dozen amendments seeking to allow the death penalty for some crimes, including mass murder. One after another, they were voted down by the same margin as on the bill itself.

Some 7-year-olds are never satisfied.Take Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.It's not enough that these pint-sized stars have their own TV show ("Full House"), their own fan club (Mary-Kate & Ashley's Fun Club) and three TV Guide covers to their credit.Now they're trying to give Raffi, Barney and Big Bird a run for their money with a video, "Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: Our First Video," and a second album, "I Am the Cute One," both due out today.The actresses who share the role of sassy Michelle Tanner on "Full House" can be seen jumping rope, rapping and even dancing with a Bill Clinton look-alike.

The Anne Arundel County delegation to the General Assembly has voted to approve a House bill that would transform the county's school board from its current nine-member, all-appointed model to a body with five elected and four appointed members. Delegate Steve Schuh, a Republican who co-sponsored the bill with Republican delegate Tony McConkey, said the bill calls for five seats elected by district, three at-large seats and one student board member seat. Schuh said the measure would be phased in over time as current board members' tenures lapse.

The fall season is pretty much under way this week. New shows premiering tonight are dealt with elsewhere, but the evening also brings some season debuts of returning shows:* On ABC's "Full House" (at 8, Channel 13, for a fifth season), a nice nod to nostalgia has June Lockhart appearing as a kindergarten teacher dealing with the first-day anxieties of Michelle (played by twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen).Remember Lockhart? To the memory of one age group of TV viewers she was Maureen Robinson, the mother of the cosmos-meandering family of "Lost in Space" (1965-68)

Former Vice President Al Gore appeared to be mostly a silhouette and Tennessee twang against a backdrop of red charts and depictions of melting glaciers and stranded polar bears last night, but that was all his faithful needed to stay glued to their bleacher seats as he laid out the case for global warming at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Wearing a dark suit, dark tie and dark blue shirt, he strode out 45 minutes late to a standing ovation and whistles, greeting the crowd with outstretched arms.

Seinfeld!" The man standing outside Phillips Restaurant at Harborplace yesterday afternoon thought he had spotted TV star and famously G-rated comedian Jerry Seinfeld. He could not have been more wrong. In fact, it was Bob Saget, the all-American TV dad from Full House and perhaps the foulest comedian in the country. "Bob Saget is the dirtiest comic who's ever lived. Nobody touches him," says Penn Jillette, the verbal half of the comic duo Penn & Teller. Jillette put Saget in his new movie The Aristocrats, in which 100 comedians tell different variations on the same dirty joke.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening's gun safety legislation cleared its last big hurdle last night as a majority of the House Judiciary Committee put aside reservations about the bill's imperfections and approved it without changes. The measure goes to the full House of Delegates, where many opponents acknowledge that the governor has more than enough votes for final passage. "It's going to pass. It's on rails," said Del. Kevin Kelly, the only Democrat to join the committee's six Republicans in opposing the bill.

A caption on the front page of yesterday's Sun said that Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch is refusing to allow a vote on the governor's slots plan. In fact, an amended form of the governor's bill is still under consideration by a House committee and has not come before the full House.

A bill co-sponsored by three Carroll delegates designed to protect residents from water and property damages that could be caused by mining is expected to be voted upon by the full House this week.It's the fourth year that the delegates have attempted to pass the protective measure. They say they expect lobbyists to battle the bill throughout the legislative process.

The old-school TGIF lineup just got brutal. "Full House" has gone "Street Fighter. " Our sister website, zap2it.com, altered us to the existence of a mock-up of a "Full House" game below, awesomely dubbed "Full House Tournament Fighter" In the demo, we see Uncle Jesse battling Uncle Joey (we would have picked Danny Tanner vs. Kimmy Gibbler, for the record). Jesse's weapon: his guitar, hair gel and ultimately a face-melting rendition of his classic hit, "Forever. " With a gospel choir!

There is nothing in sports more entertaining than watching Gary Williams work the sideline at a big game. This one fit the bill: Maryland against Duke on a cold March evening, first place in the ACC on the line, a full house at Comcast Center ready to explode in anticipation. The long-time Terps coach stalked out of the tunnel for the pre-game introductions like a middleweight fighter, shoulders hunched forward, arms dangling stiffly at his sides, familiar scowl firmly in place.

On what was supposed to be the first day of training camp with a full squad, the Ravens opened with a less-than-complete cast yesterday at McDaniel College. Safety Ed Reed (undisclosed injury), wide receiver Demetrius Williams (lower left leg), tight end Daniel Wilcox (toe surgery) and cornerback David Pittman (foot) were placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list. All four players were present during the morning practice session, with Reed and Pittman sprinting and backpedaling on their own. The team was also without cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Fabian Washington and fullback LeRon McClain, all of whom were on the nonfootball injury list.

WASHINGTON -- A House committee voted yesterday to condemn the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in World War I as an act of genocide, rebuffing an intense campaign by the White House and warnings from Turkey's government that the vote would gravely strain relations with the United States. The vote by the House Foreign Relations Committee was nonbinding and so largely symbolic, but its consequences could reach far beyond bilateral relations and spill into the war in Iraq. Turkish officials and lawmakers warned that if the resolution is approved by the full House, they would reconsider supporting the American war effort, which includes permission to ship essential supplies through Turkey and northern Iraq.

Washington -- A House committee voted yesterday to endorse criminal prosecution of Joshua B. Bolten, President Bush's chief of staff, and former White House Counsel Harriet E. Miers for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the firing of U.S. attorneys last year. The 22-17 party-line vote of the Judiciary Committee calling for contempt-of-Congress proceedings against the two aides was referred to the full House for consideration. That vote is expected to occur after Labor Day when Congress returns from its August recess.

Former Vice President Al Gore appeared to be mostly a silhouette and Tennessee twang against a backdrop of red charts and depictions of melting glaciers and stranded polar bears last night, but that was all his faithful needed to stay glued to their bleacher seats as he laid out the case for global warming at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Wearing a dark suit, dark tie and dark blue shirt, he strode out 45 minutes late to a standing ovation and whistles, greeting the crowd with outstretched arms.

WASHINGTON -- The House Judiciary Committee decisively approved a bill yesterday that would establish a seven-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns, opening the way for the full House to act on the measure in about two weeks.Supporters of the measure, which received an unexpected boost when former President Ronald Reagan endorsed it late last month, hailed the 23-11 vote and said it would aid thebill's chances on the House floor.Six Republicans joined 17 Democrats in approving the measure.

The first varsity swimming season in Anne Arundel County exceeded expectations, said Greg LeGrand, the county administrator of athletics. "We were very surprised with how many students came out," said LeGrand, who is in his first year as the county's athletic administrator. "We really thought we would have about five or six schools with about 100 kids, but we're over about 400 kids who came out. We got a lot of help from the community, and it's been wonderful." After a regular season that consisted of 10 meets for each of the 12 public school teams, the first county championships took place Friday night at the Arundel Olympic Swim Center.

WASHINGTON -- In an unexpected move, a Republican- controlled House panel approved a nonbinding resolution yesterday aimed at prodding the Bush administration to deliver documents related to the National Security Agency's warrantless domestic surveillance program. The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure introduced by Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, demanding that the administration turn over information about the NSA's collection of call data provided to the government by phone companies.