Queen Latifah

The good news about Ice Age: The Meltdown is that the nut-nutty, saber-toothed squirrel of the first Ice Age - the best, funniest thing in the movie - is back for the sequel. He fights off Ice Age vultures and piranhas for his beloved acorn this time. He takes his lumps, Wile E. Coyote, fashion. He turns ninja, when need be. And his every wordless entrance and ignominious exit is a hoot. Ice Age: The Meltdown (20th Century Fox) Starring the voices of Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary.

No one since Alec Guinness has done a better job of acting the lonely guy in a crowd than Will Ferrell in the marvelous, marvelously imperfect new comedy, Stranger than Fiction. It's been called Ferrell's variation on Jim Carrey's The Truman Show, a chance for a wild farceur to rein himself in. Stranger than Fiction (Columbia Pictures) Starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson. Directed by Marc Forster. Rated PG-13. Time 113 minutes.

There's a robbery going on in Mad Money, but it has nothing to do with what happens in the movie. The pleasures of this slight caper film are strictly small-screen, as three talented actresses walk through quaint roles before they hurry on to the next project. Mad Money (Millennium Films) Starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes. Directed by Callie Khouri. Rated PG-13. Time 104 minutes. Online Watch a preview and see more photos from Mad Money at baltimoresun.com/madmoney

Dan Rodricks dropped by Phillips Harborplace on Sunday for a sweet good-bye to the Light Street Pavilion anchor restaurant. He wasn't the only one. Here's Rodricks' story about the people who showed up for the last day to reminisce about the celebrities that came through back in the go-go '80s, A-listers like Muhammad Ali, Queen Latifah andBrad Pitt. Later this fall, Phillips will open a new restaurant nearby in the Power Plant space forrmerly occupied by the ESPN Zone.

Yearning for a valentine from Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor or Margaret Thatcher? A sweet sentiment perhaps from Erica Jong, Queen Latifah or the Minnesota Twins?They may not come in the mail, but valentines made or donated by these and other celebrities will be sold at auction this evening at a party to benefit Impact, an organization that provides recreational and educational programs for homeless children in shelters.The cocktail party and auction will be at the Puck Building in Manhattan.

Queen Latifah had it right. Noting that not all the fans at the Merriweather Post Pavilion had accepted her invitation to "Dance for Me," she turned to the audience and said, "You paid all that money to get in, and now you're just going to sit there?"She had a right to be incredulous, too, given the talent on hand. Before her performance, the still-gathering crowd basked in the booming, house-style sound of Crystal Waters; then, once the Queen had her say, it would be time for Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers' state-of-the-groove reggae.

Starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson. Written and directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood. Released by 20th Century Fox. $29.99 (Blu-ray $39.95) *** 1/2 Sue Monk Kidd's novel The Secret Life of Bees, the story of a runaway young white girl in the '60s-era South who finds a loving surrogate family in the guise of three black sisters raising honey, has become a much-loved staple of high-school reading lists. Writer-director Gina Prince-Blythewood's film adaptation should disappoint none of the book's fans.

When did serial killing become a creative outlet?Movie serial killers are getting so elaborate that I half-expect Martha Stewart to inaugurate a new section of her magazine. It'll be called "Murdering," and it'll be devoted to decorating with letters and images clipped from newspapers and setting up sicko scavenger hunts to baffle smarty-pants detectives.In "The Bone Collector," Denzel Washington plays a smarty-pants detective, an ex-cop named Rhyme. An on-the-job accident left him motionless except for his neck and a finger, with which he operates a computer.

LOS ANGELES -- Queen Latifah says she's not confused about what's art and what's real life when she's playing Khadijah James in the new Fox sitcom, "My Girls.""Khadijah is Queen Latifah. She's me, except she's not known," Latifah said yesterday. "It's important for people to understand that.""My Girls" is an ensemble sitcom about four young, African-American women living together in Brooklyn. Think of it as an urban, African-American "Designing Women" for twentysomethings.Khadijah, the publisher of a small magazine, is a kind of hip housemother to her roommates, who are played by Kim Coles ("In Living Color")

An update on the concert scene: newly announced shows and ticket availability. For ticket information and purchase, call Ticketmaster at 410-547-SEAT unless otherwise noted. Just announced Teena Marie performs at Constitution Hall in Washington on Aug. 6. Chayanne, Alejandro Fernandez and Marc Anthony will perform at Nissan Pavilion in Manassas, Va., on Sept. 10. Also, Eminem and 50 Cent, with guest Lil John & the Eastside Boyz, play there Aug. 5. "Scream IV Tour," featuring Bow Wow, Omarion, Marques Houston and Bobby Valentino, will be held at 1st Mariner Arena on July 24. Also, System of a Down, with guests Bad Acid Trip and the Mars Volta, is there Aug. 22. Still available Basshound at the Funk Box on July 5. "Sugar Water Festival," featuring Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Queen Latifah and Floetry at Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 9. "Groovin' for Grover," starring Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber and Kirk Whalum at the Lyric Opera House on July 15. Show benefits the Protect A Dream Foundation.