Godzilla

We can't choose. And you don't have to, either. Giant-creature classics King Kong and Godzilla are playing at different theaters this week. Go bananas and see both. What: Godzilla (1954) Where: Charles Theatre, 1711 N. Charles St. When: Noon Sunday Tickets: $6 Information: Call 410-727-FILM or visit www.the charles.com. What: King Kong (1933) Where: The Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. When: 8 p.m. Wednesday. The bar opens at 7 p.m. Tickets: $5 Information: Call 410-276-1651 or visit www.creati vealliance.

The Abbott and Costello Show 100th Anniversary Collection Season 1 Set [Passport Entertainment] $40 Who's on DVD? Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The first season of the comedy legends' TV series, The Abbott and Costello Show, arrives in a fun, nostalgic "100th Anniversary Collection Season 1" set (Passport Entertainment, $40). After working for years on radio - the duo's "Who's on First?" is one of the best-loved routines - and topping the box office for several years in the 1940s, the two turned to TV near the final years of their career.

NEW YORK - When Hideki Matsui made his decision to leave Japan to play baseball in America, he worried people would lose their love for him because of his selfishness. Japanese baseball had already lost Ichiro, a hit-machine outfielder who wielded his deft bat with the artistry of a tennis racket, diminishing the star quotient in the Japan League. It was a mixed blessing for fans who take pride in Japanese stars good enough to be stars in Major League Baseball but la ment the talent drain.

A fierce prehistoric seagoing creature - an animal so bizarre it was dubbed "Godzilla" by scientists who found it - has been unearthed in a fossil-rich Argentine desert at the foot of the Andes. Between 12 and 15 feet long, with a bullet-shaped head like a meat-eating dinosaur, relatively few teeth, flippers instead of legs and a fishlike tail, it is considered a crocodyliform, the term for crocodiles and their extinct relatives. But the features of this animal, described online yesterday by the journal Science, are drastically different from other crocodyliforms, which had long, slender snouts and toothy jaws.

TOKYO -- Destroy a few buildings, tussle with a monster and dodge an explosive crystal.It's all a morning at work these days for Kanpachiro Satsuma, better known as the beguiling brute he plays on the silver screen: Godzilla.Production is under way in a Tokyo suburb on the 21st feature starring Japan's favorite reptile. Today's new nemesis: Space Godzilla. It is a look-alike monster created by G-cells from Mothra and Biollante, who in turn were created by, well, if you don't know, ask someone Japanese, who will.

FIFTY YEARS AGO, it was 1954. (Research is the heart of journalism.) Many important things happened in 1954. Dean Martin sang "That's Amore", and the French surrendered in Vietnam (these two events were probably unrelated). On TV, the new hit was Lassie, a show about a really smart dog who belonged to a family with the IQ of mushrooms. ("What's Lassie trying to tell us?" "I don't know, although the last 29 consecutive times she acted like this, it was because Jeff fell into the well!" "Well, I'm baffled!

* = Poor** = fair*** = good**** = excellentGodzillaThe Album (Epic/Sony Music Soundtrax 69338)Like the movie ad says, Size Matters. And just as you can't have a summer blockbuster film without larger-than-life special effects, you can't have a summer blockbuster soundtrack without a generous serving of superstars.Star power is not a problem for "Godzilla: The Album." Not only does it boast a raft of monster acts, including the Wallflowers, Foo Fighters, Jamiroquai and Rage Against the Machine, one track even pairs hip-hop auteur Puff Daddy with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page -- a match-up almost as awesome as when Godzilla squared off against Mothra.

King Kong and Godzilla, together in one movie? Man, talk about star power. Check out Sci-Fi tonight."Almost Perfect" (8: 30 p.m.-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Kim (Nancy Travis) leaves Gary (Chip Zien) in charge of the set with explosive results that come at just the wrong time. A repeat of one of the series' funniest episodes. CBS."MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis" (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- MacGyver makes like Indiana Jones in a quest for lost booty from the lost city. ABC."Awake to Danger" (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11)

One of the best things about the original Godzilla movies was that they were never too hi-tech. Not matter how breathtaking the special effects in the new "Godzilla" may be, all that digital razzle-dazzle doesn't compare to the spectacle of a guy in a lizard suit stomping model tanks and buildings.So when Simitar Entertainment released five Godzilla classics last month on DVD -- "Godzilla, King of the Monsters," "Godzilla vs. Mothra," "Godzilla's Revenge," "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" and "Terror of Mechagodzilla" -- fans of the big green guy couldn't help but be excited.

The 50th-anniversary restored print of the Japanese film Godzilla, premiering in Baltimore tomorrow, is strong enough to overcome Gen-X memories of the jokey 1998 American remake, which starred a computer-generated megalizard, and haunting enough to clear baby-boomers' minds of the dubbed and cut American-release version that filled Yankee TV schedules in the 1950s and '60s. Director Inoshiro Honda's 1954 original has genuine pulp magic: Time has not diminished its tabloid docu-horror allure.

The 50th-anniversary restored print of the Japanese film Godzilla, premiering in Baltimore tomorrow, is strong enough to overcome Gen-X memories of the jokey 1998 American remake, which starred a computer-generated megalizard, and haunting enough to clear baby-boomers' minds of the dubbed and cut American-release version that filled Yankee TV schedules in the 1950s and '60s. Director Inoshiro Honda's 1954 original has genuine pulp magic: Time has not diminished its tabloid docu-horror allure.

We can't choose. And you don't have to, either. Giant-creature classics King Kong and Godzilla are playing at different theaters this week. Go bananas and see both. What: Godzilla (1954) Where: Charles Theatre, 1711 N. Charles St. When: Noon Sunday Tickets: $6 Information: Call 410-727-FILM or visit www.the charles.com. What: King Kong (1933) Where: The Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. When: 8 p.m. Wednesday. The bar opens at 7 p.m. Tickets: $5 Information: Call 410-276-1651 or visit www.creati vealliance.

FIFTY YEARS AGO, it was 1954. (Research is the heart of journalism.) Many important things happened in 1954. Dean Martin sang "That's Amore", and the French surrendered in Vietnam (these two events were probably unrelated). On TV, the new hit was Lassie, a show about a really smart dog who belonged to a family with the IQ of mushrooms. ("What's Lassie trying to tell us?" "I don't know, although the last 29 consecutive times she acted like this, it was because Jeff fell into the well!" "Well, I'm baffled!

NEW YORK - When Hideki Matsui made his decision to leave the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants to play baseball in America, he worried his Japanese countrymen would lose love for him because of his selfishness. Ichiro Suzuki had already left the Japan League for the Seattle Mariners, signaling an exodus of the best position players in a baseball-obsessed nation. Now him. "I hope people don't think I'm a traitor," Matsui said. Well, now what will they think? He was already the Yankees' RBIs, hits and batting average leader this postseason.

NEW YORK - When Hideki Matsui made his decision to leave Japan to play baseball in America, he worried people would lose their love for him because of his selfishness. Japanese baseball had already lost Ichiro, a hit-machine outfielder who wielded his deft bat with the artistry of a tennis racket, diminishing the star quotient in the Japan League. It was a mixed blessing for fans who take pride in Japanese stars good enough to be stars in Major League Baseball but la ment the talent drain.

Who's hot Connecticut: The Huskies head into their second-round game against N.C. State on a 10-game winning streak. Who's not Bob Knight: His teams have lost in the first round in five of his past seven NCAA appear ances. He said it "I used to tell him he looks like Godzilla and plays like a nun. ... I meant that to get him to understand how soft he played. He didn't like contact." Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma coach, on senior forward Aaron McGhee, who had 26 points and 12 rebounds in win over Illinois-Chicago.

A fierce prehistoric seagoing creature - an animal so bizarre it was dubbed "Godzilla" by scientists who found it - has been unearthed in a fossil-rich Argentine desert at the foot of the Andes. Between 12 and 15 feet long, with a bullet-shaped head like a meat-eating dinosaur, relatively few teeth, flippers instead of legs and a fishlike tail, it is considered a crocodyliform, the term for crocodiles and their extinct relatives. But the features of this animal, described online yesterday by the journal Science, are drastically different from other crocodyliforms, which had long, slender snouts and toothy jaws.

Long live Godzilla!The exhortation is probably not needed. The death this past week of Tomoyuki Tanaka, the man who created the puissant monster that has flattened Tokyo over and over again for four decades, will in no way retard the career of the reptile in question.Tanaka was a mortal man. Godzilla is forever -- the way Santa Claus was for Dear Virginia: He lives in the hearts of little boys and girls everywhere.Kabloom! There goes the power station!Tanaka died of a stroke Wednesday in Tokyo.

Sports has its share of superheroes. There's CART driver Helio Castroneves, who's called "Spider-Man" because he follows his victories by climbing fences to celebrate with fans. And New York Mets third baseman Robin Ventura is nicknamed "Batman" for the aging boy wonder's exploits in Gotham. Holy homeric hacking, indeed! And now, not to be confused with the Power Rangers, there are the Texas Rangers in Dangerland! - the fearsome foursome of Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and the since-released Ken Caminiti.

Even misguided inspiration can be productive. Take "Godzilla 2000" for instance. The Japanese decided to resurrect their creation only after Roland Emmerich's empty 1998 "Godzilla" staggered onto the screen here. Japan's Toho Films, the main force behind the series, had killed off their Godzilla in 1995, but "Godzilla 2000," Friday, shows you can't keep a good franchise down. It is a campy romp of mistimed dubbing, cheesy special effects and the dragon-king's bronchial roar. Godzilla returns to his majestic self.