Hustler

Like the television character he helped inspire, Donnie Andrews lived by a code. In his earlier years when he was robbing rival dealers as a young hustler in West Baltimore - experiences that would later form the basis for the popular Omar Little character on the Baltimore crime drama “The Wire” - he vowed to never involve women or children in his crimes. But after confessing to a murder and helping authorities bring down a crime syndicate, he took on a different mission: working to prevent youth from going down the same path that he did. Andrews died Thursday following heart complications while in New York City, where he was attending an event as part of his efforts to promote a non-profit outreach foundation.

The mood Tuesday inside Pickles Pub, across from Camden Yards, matched the gray rainy weather. As noontime regulars ate their lunch and quietly caressed glasses of beer amid the low-key chatter and music playing in the background, something clearly was wrong. Mick Kipp, their favorite bartender, co-worker, cook, spice maker, friend and genuine all-around character, was missing. Michael D. "Mick" Kipp, the stuntman-turned-bartender known for his zest for life and his colorful chili-pepper-decorated kilts, bandannas and earring, died Sunday from cardiac arrest at his Annapolis home.

Ronald Watkins was shot on Aug. 17, 1992 the same day that supporters and opponents of Odell's night club were readying to pack a hearing room at City Hall to testify on its request for a "dance hall" permit. There had been a rash of previous shootings and other crime outside the club, located at North Avenue and Charles Street, angering residents and zoning officials. Watkins' shooting, it would seem, was icing on the cake. But the club's owner, Milton Tillman Jr., and his attorney, Elijah Cummings, argued that he was being made a "scapegoat for the ills of society" and would leave city youth without enterainment options.

JTC THE GREAT ONE: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF JACKIE GLEASON.William Henry III.Doubleday.321 pages. $22.50. When Jackie Gleason died on June 24, 1987, the TV networks scrambled to put together late-night video obituaries of his work and life. They came up with a lot of TV and movie clips but few people to speak fondly of him."The Great One: The Life and Legend of Jackie Gleason" reveals why. Gleason had to be one of the most reviled stars ever -- and with good reason, according to biographer William Henry III.Gleason was a mean-spirited drunk; a petty, insecure man who typically spent a half-hour on Christmas Day with his wife and daughters before going off to party with drinking companions; a drinker who thought it was hilarious to throw up on people; a man who once paid a woman to copulate with a snake; and someone who routinely short-changed, emotionally and financially, the people who were closest to him.While Gleason's public image was that of a comic genius who liked the good life and indulged in it, in Mr. Henry's telling Gleason never gave credit and in fact showed disdain to the real creators of much of his work -- including his signature character, Ralph Kramden of "The Honeymooners."

Mr. Flip always has felt a special affinity with Paul Newman. It could be because of his tremendous body of work or his appealing persona. But it's really because Mr. Flip often has been mistaken for him. (When the paper bag is off, of course.) Newman, who died Friday at 83, made what surely is one of the funniest sports-related movies ever, Slap Shot, and he also starred in other films with sports themes - Somebody Up There Likes Me (boxing), The Hustler and The Color of Money (pool) and Winning (auto racing)

John Waters, Barry Levinson and David Simon aren't just appearing on stage for the first time together for the Maryland Film Festival benefit on Nov. 14. They're also throwing their support behind the event in advance. "I think we'll be good!" says Waters. "We won't be the Three Stooges, but we will be the Three Musketeers of extreme Baltimore behavior. ... I can make a movie about a Towson soccer mom who is a serial killer ["Serial Mom"], Barry can make a really moving movie about anti-Semitism in the Baltimore of his youth ["Liberty Heights"]

Cellphones and the Internet have not only altered the way we communicate, they have changed the way we can injure one another. The telecommunications revolution has created the capability of causing far greater harm to children than the bullying many of us remember from when we were young. The omnipresent nature of the Internet means that there is no place for the child who is victimized to hide. Not even one's home is a safe haven when repeated, vicious attacks appear on Facebook and Twitter.

Black male friends of writer/director Ron Shelton who have worn crew jackets with the movie title "White Men Can't Jump" emblazoned on the back have reported some interesting reactions in predominantly white neighborhoods.The jacket-wearers have told Mr. Shelton that some white men seemed offended by the title; a few others were downright angry. But an overwhelming majority simply laughed. Real hard."That's how this movie started," Mr. Shelton said. "As a title. I tried it out on people and everybody laughed."

A Manhattan strip club favored by shock jock Howard Stern, professional athletes and Wall Street financiers could soon have its name emblazoned on Baltimore's newest all-nude venue. Scores Baltimore - the latest outpost in an expansion effort by the parent company of Scores New York - is expected to open by April in space long occupied by Club Atlantis, the city's only full-fledged gay strip club. The venture's local backers plan today to finalize their purchase of the Atlantis building at the Fallsway and East Monument Street, near the state prison complex and the planned site of Our Daily Bread's new food pantry and transitional residency.

A business deal between two well-known adult entertainment entrepreneurs could bring a sprawling new club to Baltimore's Block, according to documents filed with the city's Zoning Appeals Board, which is set to review the proposal tomorrow. Peter Ireland, the owner of Norma Jeans, and Jack Gresser, a longtime Block landlord and businessman, have submitted paperwork with the city to expand Norma Jeans to two neighboring bars, the Glass Slipper and Mousetrap. Gresser owns the building where the bars are located, according to state records, and he wants the Glass Slipper and Mousetrap out by September 2008.