Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda was so smitten with Maryland's capital city that state tourism officials have taken to calling her "Annapolis' newest ambassador. " The actress was walking the cobblestone streets of Annapolis the other day to film a cameo in the movie “Better Living Through Chemistry," a shoot that's been underway there for a number of weeks. But unlike stars who parachute in and zip out with barely a look around, Fonda was into Annapolis, shooting tons of pictures of the historical vistas and then, later devoting a blog post to the town.

Jane Fonda was so smitten with Maryland's capital city that state tourism officials have taken to calling her "Annapolis' newest ambassador. " The actress was walking the cobblestone streets of Annapolis the other day to film a cameo in the movie “Better Living Through Chemistry," a shoot that's been underway there for a number of weeks. But unlike stars who parachute in and zip out with barely a look around, Fonda was into Annapolis, shooting tons of pictures of the historical vistas and then, later devoting a blog post to the town.

It's billed as a "tribute" and "film retrospective." But "Fonda on Fonda," at 8 and midnight tonight on cable's TNT,is high-wire psychodrama.The show is one hour of Jane Fonda talking about -- or introducing clips of others talking about -- her late father, Henry Fonda. She starts out like a conventional host of a TV retrospective, talking about her father as an actor and what his public persona came to represent. But, by the end of the hour, she is in tears, clearly lost in personal memories.

Jane Fonda to return to Broadway next year Jane Fonda, activist, author and exercise guru, will be back on Broadway next year after an absence of more than four decades. The Academy Award-winning actress will star in 33 Variations, a play by Moises Kaufman about a present-day musicologist (played by Fonda) and her study of Beethoven's fascination with a particular piece of music. Kaufman will also direct. The production will open this winter at a theater and date to be determined, producer David Binder announced.

Santa Monica -- When how-to video king Stuart Karl firs asked Jane Fonda to make an exercise tape, she was less than enthusiastic."I said, 'No way -- what is it going to do to my film career?' " Ms.Fonda recalled. "I was dragged every step of the way."But eventually she gave in and, 10 years after "Jane Fonda's Workout" made home-video history, it's the film career that is proving dispensable.During a series of interviews to promote her 16th and latest exercise video, "Jane Fonda's Step Aerobic and Abdominal Workout," Ms. Fonda revealed that she's retiring from acting to devote herself to other pursuits, including her flourishing health and fitness empire.

ATLANTA - Jane Fonda drives herself to interviews. No limo, no entourage, not even a Mercedes. Just a little silver Toyota Prius. When she pays the parking attendant, the woman doesn't even recognize her. Told she just took a couple of bucks from Jane Fonda, she gasps, "That was her? I love her movies." It is indeed her. devoted mother and grandmother, Oscar-winning actress, Henry's daughter, Ted's ex, political activist, entrepreneur, Braves fan. Fonda keeps re-inventing herself, in life as well as in her career.

Jane Fonda's last great performance - and one of the last before she retired - was as an alcoholic in Sidney Lumet's The Morning After in 1986. In Georgia Rule, the second movie in her highly dubious comeback, she does an about-face on her persona and her talent, playing a teetotaler and, what's worse, a pious bore. As Georgia, a righteous small-town matriarch, Fonda gets to embody clannish virtues already a feature of the next presidential campaign. Georgia Rule (Universal Pictures) Starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman.

For years, a select group of nostalgic Americans has been trying to jump start an '80s revival. And the French have the gall to do it first!Bob Sinclar (a k a. Chris Le Friant), a 29-year-old Frenchman with a penchant for masquerade, has a huge dance hit in Europe with the kitschy disco single "Gym Tonic," and none other than Jane Fonda is keeping the beat.The song opens with Fonda saying, "Stand with your feet together, buttocks tight, stomach pulled in" -- a sample from her best-selling 1982 fitness tape "Jane Fonda's Workout," the video that triggered the aerobics craze and had women nationwide sweating through endless tummy crunches.

Ross is in this thing to win. The question is: Win what?If George is planning a December recognition of Hanoi, he ought to say so now. An underdog incumbent should not be shy about doing right.Bill promised to lower the tax bills of the middle class. He didn't say in which term, or who he means by middle class.Madonna could do for pornography what Jane Fonda did for workout video.Someone explain why Somalis are better off "independent" than they were under colonialism. And be quick about it.

25 Years Ago* Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman marched some 300 anti-war protesters within shouting distance of Fort George G. Meade. There were no incidents although Fort Meade canceled traditional Armed Forces Day celebrations fearing large anti-war protests. -- The Sun, May 17, 1970.* Jane Fonda and 17 followers were escorted off the premises at Fort Meade when they made an attempt to pass out anti-war pamphlets. No charges will be pressed but the group subsequently was barred forever from the sprawling post.

Marlo Thomas stopped in at L.A.'s trendy Frida Mexican and immediately caught the eye of one of this column's handy helpers. Our guy complimented the new sparkling DVD release of Marlo's iconic That Girl sitcom. Mrs. Phil Donahue - of whom he said, "doesn't she ever age?" - was gracious and forthcoming: "I am thrilled about the shows being out. I did an audio commentary. And I have to credit the whole team - the cast and writers - for making the series so successful. Ann Marie was the first single girl on TV to have her own pad and a boyfriend.

Jane Fonda's last great performance - and one of the last before she retired - was as an alcoholic in Sidney Lumet's The Morning After in 1986. In Georgia Rule, the second movie in her highly dubious comeback, she does an about-face on her persona and her talent, playing a teetotaler and, what's worse, a pious bore. As Georgia, a righteous small-town matriarch, Fonda gets to embody clannish virtues already a feature of the next presidential campaign. Georgia Rule (Universal Pictures) Starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman.

Serving as mayor of one of the nation's largest cities and getting elected governor takes more civic responsibility than most citizens own up to in a lifetime. But, it turns out, it still doesn't get you out of jury duty. Three weeks after winning a contentious gubernatorial election, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley spent eight hours at the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse yesterday enduring a jury selection process, which - contrary to the frenetic pace of the campaign trail - mostly involved sitting and waiting.

Tea Leoni combines the talents of a crazy comic with those of a gorgeously bent straight gal. She and Jim Carrey, Mr. Malleable, appear made for each other. But they're not the match of your dreams as the storybook man and wife turned suburban Bonnie and Clyde in Fun With Dick and Jane. Whenever they cut loose here - not often enough - they detonate theater-quaking belly laughs. During one modest heist at a cafe, Dick distracts Jane with the prospect of low-fat muffins. She takes a headfirst plunge over a counter, landing in a sprawl off-screen.

LOOK FOR FULL REVIEWS IN TOMORROW'S MOVIES TODAY SECTION Cheaper by the Dozen 2 In a sequel to a remake, Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt are back as the parents of a 12-member brood, this time butting heads with a family of eight headed by Eugene Levy. PG. Opens Wednesday. The Family Stone Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes and probably a few other big names we forgot to mention star in this comedy about a bride-to-be (Parker)

LOS ANGELES - Jane Fonda was coming to wardrobe. Jane Fonda was coming to wardrobe. Wanda Sykes, in a makeup chair on the set of Monster-in-Law, had to get out of there. "I was like, I can't meet Jane Fonda today. I'm not ready for that!" says Sykes, the fast-rising actress and comedian who has parlayed her stand-up success into film and television roles. For all her success - she drew critical raves for her role in the spring film Monster-in-Law, her first major Hollywood film - Sykes can still seem like the star-struck kid who grew up in Gambrills in Anne Arundel County and worked at the National Security Agency.

Longshot. Dick Francis. Putnam.320 pages. $19.95. Who wouldn't want a guy like John Kendall?The hero of Dick Francis' newest mystery is just the kind of modest, decent bloke we've learned to love in the author's novels. In this story, Kendall goes farther into the realm of New Manhood: Not only does he save lives, but he writes books, cooks dinner for strangers, plays surrogate parent to a &r motherless teen-ager and even catches a pregnant woman when she faints while astride a horse.All this, and he solves the mystery of who killed a stablehand.

LOOK FOR FULL REVIEWS IN TOMORROW'S MOVIES TODAY SECTION Cheaper by the Dozen 2 In a sequel to a remake, Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt are back as the parents of a 12-member brood, this time butting heads with a family of eight headed by Eugene Levy. PG. Opens Wednesday. The Family Stone Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes and probably a few other big names we forgot to mention star in this comedy about a bride-to-be (Parker)

My Life So Far By Jane Fonda. Random House, 599 pages. $26.95. Anyone old enough to remember the vitriol directed at Jane Fonda during the '60s and '70s -- some of it brought on by her own foolishness; most of it deeply ugly; none of it having anything to do with her abilities as an actress -- might be loath to add to the criticism. This is why it gives me no pleasure to report that her new autobiography, My Life So Far, is a very bad book. Forgoing the "and then I starred in ..." model of celebrity memoir, Fonda has chosen to write her story as a piece of self-examination, to find the narrative threads in her life.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Didn't we already fight the battle over the National Guard? It was 1988, and Dan Quayle had just been selected by presidential nominee George H.W. Bush as his running mate. At a news conference in New Orleans, Mr. Quayle was asked about his military service in the National Guard by ABC reporter Susan King. Mr. Quayle made what some reporters thought was a suspect defense of his motives for joining the Guard. The media accused Mr. Quayle of becoming a guardsman to avoid service in Vietnam.