Ice Cube

Will audiences flock to the pitiful Derailed to see how Jennifer Aniston was handling her split from Brad Pitt when she was filming it a year ago? Has Robert Downey Jr. overcome the notoriety of his drug busts so that audiences can see what's evident in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - that he is the most gifted actor of his generation? Pundits blame the fiasco of Gigli on the over-covered affair of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez - just as they ascribe the box-office success of Mr. and Mrs. Smith to the over-covered affair of Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Dangerous GroundMusic from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Jive 41590)Contrary to the line in Ice Cube's "The World Is Mine," in which Mack 10 insists that "you can't get enough of this gangsta [stuff]," the most addictive aspect of the soundtrack to "Dangerous Ground" isn't the tough-talking gangsta raps, but the deep-thumping bass grooves. That's certainly the case with "The World Is Mine," where the growling synth hook is nastier than anything Cube says, but it's just as true of both the simmering malevolence of Spice 1's "2 Hands and a Razor" and the slippery funk of Celly Cel's "The Only Way."

Either you like Will's verbalism, or you don'tFred Schock's Feb. 25 letter regarding the befuddlement of George Will's puzzling prose deserves an A-plus.He beat me to the punch on this one, as I had just finished typing my own critique of Mr. Will's manufacture of mental hernias.Mr. Schock and I refer to Mr. Will's Feb. 17 column, "A man of uncommon clay," regarding the filmed biography of Thomas Jefferson produced by Ken Burns.Chris Kaltenbach of the Sun had a much better read on the subject (Feb.

As if we didn't have enough problems, they're now making a sequel to "Casablanca." Only the most absolutely perfect movie ever made.There are certain things you just don't mess with. The Bill of Rights. Cherry Garcia ice cream. Ellen Barkin's crooked smile.And, of course -- actually way, way beyond, of course -- "Casablanca."We're not discussing "Beethoven 3," folks. Or "Look Who's Talking, Still." This is art. Making a sequel to "Casablanca" is like painting the other moods of the Mona Lisa.

Eleven years ago, in the film Major League II, Baltimore was standing in for Cleveland. Now, we're playing Northern Virginia and Washington - at least a nominal step up. Baltimore and its northern suburbs get some serious screen time in XXX: State of the Union, the adrenalized action flick opening today at a theater somewhere near you. For roughly two weeks last September, the film's cast and crew - including director Lee Tamahori and star Ice Cube -...

Dance Cambodian Stories The work of the Japanese-born dance duo Eiko and Koma has been described as "enacting mysterious rituals, set in desolate dreamscapes." The couple, who met while studying the ancient Japanese movement art called butoh, seem to create works about time, or silence, or nature, or the struggle to survive. Often their dances are so gradual that the performers seem to be not moving at all. Many works are performed in the nude. While their work may not be to everyone's taste, it has been acclaimed by reviewers and audiences across the United States and Europe.

If Ice Cube's career is any indication, the life cycle of a rapper is highly unpredictable. One day you're protesting police brutality, and 20 years later you're playing cute for the "Ramona and Beezus" set. Still, his legacy as one of the pioneers of gangsta rap is cemented, and he's sold millions of albums, including several certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. On Monday, he'll perform at Bourbon Street. Ice Cube, whose real name is O'Shea Jackson, first came to prominence in the late 1980s as part of controversial group N.W.A.

There was salmon and champagne, and blackberry pie with fresh peach ice cream. Chefs and owners of area restaurants sipped, smiled and told stories. The reason for the good food and good moods at the lunch at Georgetown's 1789 Restaurant was that the diners were celebrating the fact that their establishments had been selected to be among the Distinguished Restaurants of North America.This was the first year for the award, made by the DiRona group, a non-profit organization designed to raise restaurant industry standards.

THIS WEEK,my refrigerator make ice cubes. That may not sound like fun to sophisticated pleasure seekers. But for me, the sound of ice cubes landing in the fridge's ice bucket was sweet music. It meant I had saved about $125. That is what a new automatic ice maker costs.I know, because I bought one. I brought it home, and then realized I didn't need a new ice maker. So I sheepishly took it back to the appliance parts store and got a refund.Although there might be evidence presented here that indicates otherwise, the problem with the fridge was not caused by bad wiring in my brain.

Perhaps you've seen those late-night TV commercials and infomercials selling thawing trays with such names as "Miracle Thaw."The commercials promise boards that defrost meat in "minutes," without cooking the edges like a microwave does, using chemicals, or becoming hot to the touch. The "proof" is usually an ice cube placed on the tray that melts within seconds.Perfect -- if you need to defrost ice cubes -- but what about defrosting meat for dinner that you forgot to set out? Can these trays defrost a 6-ounce chicken breast in 13 minutes, as some contend?