Karate Kid

Amid its familiar banalities and formula twists, "The Next Karate Kid" comes up with one new idea for dealing with difficult American teen-agers: ship 'em off to a Buddhist monastery for two weeks!When Mr. Miyagi does this to Julie (Hilary Swank) in the film, it works the kind of wonders in attitude-adjustment most parents would pay a fortune for. When she gets home, she even picks up her room!The film has one other nice touch: It begins with a ceremony honoring the Japanese-Americans who fought so valiantly in the European theater in World War II while their parents and younger siblings languished in internment camps, a story that shouldn't be forgotten.

And, tonight we're in Atlanta, where all the streets are named Peachtree and from where our last champion, Melanie Moore was launched. Along with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, tonight's special guest judge is Debbie Allen. Our first contestant is Audrey Case, from Oklahoma. Nigel mentions some of the things she said on her bio sheet for the producers, including that she can "fart with her neck and lick her elbow" and that she doesn't have a boyfriend. She goes on to demonstrate the farting with the neck, which should get her a date with SOMEone after this.

What does a typical karate prodigy want to do when he grows up?Star in a movie with Chuck Norris, naturally.At least that's what 10-year-old Billy Hillmuth III of North Laurel wants to do.Billy, a fourth-grader at Forest Ridge Elementary School, is a rising star in the martial arts world.He started karate lessons at age 4 and achieved the rank of black belt at age 7, collecting 250 trophies in regional and national karate tournaments along the way. Some of the trophies fill a corner of his family's home and a few stand taller than 4-foot-5 Billy.

There aren't many local bands with a repertoire quite like the Egg Babies Orchestra. Composed of a rotating cast of musicians from Baltimore's indie rock scene, the Egg Babies Orchestra plays only a handful of shows each year, and performs only covers of other people's music. The past couple of concerts have been Movie Shows, where the band performs a tune from a movie soundtrack while a clip from the film plays on a screen behind them. The group never plays the same song twice, and most of the material comes from '80s flicks.

Sitting across a table from Ralph Macchio, you have to keep reminding yourself that you're not talking to a kid. After all, he's 34 years old now with two kids of his own.But Ralph Macchio was a teen-ager much longer than most of us. After all, he was 27 by the time he made his third -- and he hopes last -- "Karate Kid" movie.And he still has that playful gleam in his eye, and, yes, that boyish grin.Not that Macchio tries to minimize his boyishness. To the contrary, it undoubtedly helped him win the lead in "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying," which begins its national tour at the Mechanic Theatre on Tuesday.

John G. ("Rocky," "The Karate Kid") Avildsen is a passionate believer in equality and in "The Power of One." He practices what he preaches; he insults blacks and whites equally.A preposterously melodramatic and insultingly trivializing adventure in apartheid, it reduces the tragedy of South Africa into homilies, bromides and cheesy, "Rocky"-style uplift. It's "The Karate Kid and Rocky on the Road to Pretoria."The movie is a Bildungsroman about brave young PK, a !c hopelessly idealized British youth in South Africa who is so politically correct he could not exist outside of a hack filmmaker's imagination.

Do you really want to pay $29.95 for the O. J. interview? I mean, what is he going to say? I'm guessing a variation of, "I didn't do it." Far better to watch NBC tonight and hear the O. J. Simpson jurors say what they were thinking. Now, that should be interesting.* "Rock 'N' Roll Skating Championships" (8 p.m.-10 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- Tired of all those figure skaters gliding over the ice to the music of a bunch of dead composers? This may be your lucky night: Oksana Baiul is going to skip the ballet for once and skate to Aerosmith.

John G. ("Rocky," "The Karate Kid") Avildsen is a passionate believer in equality and in "The Power of One." He practices what he preaches; he insults blacks and whites equally.A preposterously melodramatic and insultingly trivializing adventure in apartheid, it reduces the tragedy of South Africa into homilies, bromides and cheesy, "Rocky"-style uplift. It's "The Karate Kid and Rocky on the Road to Pretoria."The movie is a Bildungsroman about brave young PK, a !c hopelessly idealized British youth in South Africa who is so politically correct he could not exist outside of a hack filmmaker's imagination.

There's a new 'Karate Kid' on the block: Jaden Smith Columbia Pictures is refashioning the 1984 hit The Karate Kid for Jaden Smith, the 10-year-old son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, according to Variety. Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) is the producer, along with Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. The plot will follow the original: A bullied boy learns how to stand up for himself with guidance from an eccentric mentor.

And, tonight we're in Atlanta, where all the streets are named Peachtree and from where our last champion, Melanie Moore was launched. Along with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, tonight's special guest judge is Debbie Allen. Our first contestant is Audrey Case, from Oklahoma. Nigel mentions some of the things she said on her bio sheet for the producers, including that she can "fart with her neck and lick her elbow" and that she doesn't have a boyfriend. She goes on to demonstrate the farting with the neck, which should get her a date with SOMEone after this.

There's a new 'Karate Kid' on the block: Jaden Smith Columbia Pictures is refashioning the 1984 hit The Karate Kid for Jaden Smith, the 10-year-old son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, according to Variety. Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) is the producer, along with Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. The plot will follow the original: A bullied boy learns how to stand up for himself with guidance from an eccentric mentor.

Hilary Swank rushes into a hotel suite, all sharp angles and big bones, plops down on a seat and dazzles with a toothy, very attractive smile. She's lanky and friendly and looks All-American smashing in a black dress and heels. A tomboy with sex appeal, Swank is the totally hot jock girlfriend you took (or wish you did) to the senior prom. The 32-year-old actress is in town to publicize Freedom Writers, a new film in which she plays real-life high school teacher Erin Gruwell, who turned her Long Beach, Calif.

Some people just don't crave scary movies come Halloween. Have no fear, there is a wide variety of films out there that will still set the mood for the spooky holiday, but won't leave viewers trembling under the covers into the wee hours of Nov. 1. "A Cinderella Story" (2004) -- After wooing Hilary Duff via e-mail, you finally decide to meet her face-to-face. The best place to do that? A high school dance on Halloween, of course. Heads up, parents. If you don't want your early-teen daughter to go carousing on Oct. 31, you may one day be able to convince her to rent this movie (it's not in stores just yet)

Ryan Pinkston loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, those cartoon superheroes who surfaced on television in the late 1980s. At 4, he scooted around, emulating the Turtles' karate chops, leaping at imaginary foes, and delivering yells and grunts intended to scare bad guys. "He'd imitate them all the time. He was always talking about karate," said his mother, Linda Pinkston. Catering to this passion, she and husband, Mark, let Ryan, now 12, try a few lessons at a Laurel-area karate school with a friend's daughter.

The Yak took a look in the doors of Master D.S. Kim's school, and one thing was clear: Karate is making a comeback. Dressed in black or white uniforms and wearing different colored belts, about 20 kids practiced kicks and punches while screaming out, ``Aieee.''Across the United States, kids are getting more involved in martial arts. Many are signing up for the confidence that comes with learning to defend yourself, while others see it as a fun sport to join. Martial arts refers to the many different forms of self-defense practiced throughout the world.

Sitting across a table from Ralph Macchio, you have to keep reminding yourself that you're not talking to a kid. After all, he's 34 years old now with two kids of his own.But Ralph Macchio was a teen-ager much longer than most of us. After all, he was 27 by the time he made his third -- and he hopes last -- "Karate Kid" movie.And he still has that playful gleam in his eye, and, yes, that boyish grin.Not that Macchio tries to minimize his boyishness. To the contrary, it undoubtedly helped him win the lead in "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying," which begins its national tour at the Mechanic Theatre on Tuesday.

There aren't many local bands with a repertoire quite like the Egg Babies Orchestra. Composed of a rotating cast of musicians from Baltimore's indie rock scene, the Egg Babies Orchestra plays only a handful of shows each year, and performs only covers of other people's music. The past couple of concerts have been Movie Shows, where the band performs a tune from a movie soundtrack while a clip from the film plays on a screen behind them. The group never plays the same song twice, and most of the material comes from '80s flicks.

Remember the Halloween your daughter wanted to be Madonna and nothing less than bleaching her hair would do? Remember the year you stayed up till midnight gluing feathers on a yellow leotard so your 4-year-old could be Big Bird?"

Do you really want to pay $29.95 for the O. J. interview? I mean, what is he going to say? I'm guessing a variation of, "I didn't do it." Far better to watch NBC tonight and hear the O. J. Simpson jurors say what they were thinking. Now, that should be interesting.* "Rock 'N' Roll Skating Championships" (8 p.m.-10 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- Tired of all those figure skaters gliding over the ice to the music of a bunch of dead composers? This may be your lucky night: Oksana Baiul is going to skip the ballet for once and skate to Aerosmith.

Nobody's going to mistake Jason Jones for a Power Ranger or a Ninja Turtle. But he can kick and scream and punch with the best of 'em.And right now, the 7-year-old from Randallstown wants to show off. While his classmates wait patiently in line for their chance to perform a midair leg kick in front of their karate instructor, Jason jumps up and down, thrusts his leg in the air, shakes his head violently, spins around, and generally expends enough energy to...