Rendition

Jake Gyllenhaal has been making the talk-show rounds articulating his resistance to movies that merely sell a message. One wonders what art or entertainment value he saw in the script of Rendition, a movie about the secret detention and torture of suspected terrorists that heats up its ingredients to Fahrenheit 9/11 levels yet renders them all as flat as a pile of communiques. Omar Metwally co-stars as Anwar, an Egyptian-born chemical engineer who falls out of sight after flying from South Africa back to the U.S., leaving his young son and pregnant wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon)

Steven Tyler turned in a beautiful rendition of the national anthem before Sunday's AFC Championship between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens -- that's "beautiful," the word that lost all meaning last year when Tyler used it to describe pretty much every "American Idol" performance, good or bad. And Tyler's rendition of our anthem definitely qualifies as the latter. It may not have been the worst version ever (although I'll leave that up to you to decide), but we're talking about a legendary singer who is now paid to judge other people's singing abilities.

The Baltimore Symphony concluded its two-week mini festival of the music of Charles Ives with performances of two pieces Thursday night. Judging from their quality and the apparent mood of BSO music director, David Zinman, the orchestra is primed for a successful international tour and season.Ives' "They Are There," which opened the program, is a short, raucous war song originally composed in 1917 for this country's entry into World War I and reworked in 1942 for use in World War II. In a little more than three minutes, the listener is bombarded with snatches of a multitude of patriotic songs that explode like firecrackers throughout the orchestra.

Touch a screen at the new Fort McHenry Visitor and Education Center and the sounds of "The Star- Spangled Banner," eight different versions, spring forth. Some feature singers who belt out the words, "the land of the free. " Others are instrumentals, some jazzy, some martial, and two more are waiting in the wings. To make it to Fort McHenry, these performances had to be serious and timely. "We ruled out any goofy versions," said Fort Superintendent Gay Vietzke, "or ones where the artists were simply seeking publicity.

WASHINGTON - The CIA's secret prisons are being closed. Harsh interrogation techniques are off-limits. And Guantanamo Bay will eventually go back to being just a naval base on the southeastern corner of Cuba. But even while dismantling these discredited programs, President Barack Obama left an equally controversial counterterrorism tool intact. Under executive orders issued by Obama on Jan. 22, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as "renditions," or the secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States.

Sylvia Syms, 73, dubbed the "world's greatest saloon singer" by Frank Sinatra, collapsed and died on stage early yesterday at New York's Algonquin Hotel while performing an encore. Her 1956 rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night" sold more than 1 million copies.

Pregnancy with you was a pleasureAnd, during your delivery, IActually laughed out loud --Your feather-soft head of hairTickled me so as the doctorPulled you from me.Such was my mother's renditionOf the story of my birth.Partly fact, mostly fantasy,Largely reflecting a selfless wishThat her middle child feel welcome,Special, loved.

MILAN, ITALY -- The trick is known to just about every two-bit crook: If you don't want the cops to know where you are, take the battery out of your cell phone when it's not in use. Had that trick been taught at the CIA's rural Virginia training school for covert operatives, the Bush administration might have avoided much of the crisis in Europe over the practice the CIA calls "rendition," and CIA Director Porter J. Goss might not have ordered a sweeping...

This is the best in a collection of well-made Reserve St. Martin wines from France's Val d'Orbieu. The grape is mourvedre, a classic red varietal from the southern Rhone and Provence. This cooperative does it justice with a middle-weight rendition that offers exuberant, spicy fruit and a hint of herbs. If you're looking for a modestly priced white, try Reserve St. Martin's 1993 Marsanne, which is equally good.

SUPER BOWL ... THUMBS - UP The PGA put on a Super Bowl bash at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass on Tuesday night that featured golfer John Daly performing a surprisingly competent rendition of Bob Dylan's classic "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" with Hootie & the Blowfish. What's next, Vijay Singh dancing Swan Lake? ... OR SUPER BORE? THUMBS - DOWN Several of the cruise ships that will serve as floating hotels this weekend will be moored at cargo docks, well away from the downtown Super Bowl party zone.

Shaq danced, Kobe dazzled. And just like old times, they won again. Bryant led all scorers with 27 points, O'Neal partied his way back onto the All-Star stage with 17 in just 11 minutes, and the Western Conference beat the East, 146-119, last night in Phoenix. Back on the same team for the first time in nearly five years, the three-time champions shared the game Most Valuable Player award. They helped the West get untracked after an awful start, then teamed up for a few buckets that helped blow open the game in the third quarter.

WASHINGTON - The CIA's secret prisons are being closed. Harsh interrogation techniques are off-limits. And Guantanamo Bay will eventually go back to being just a naval base on the southeastern corner of Cuba. But even while dismantling these discredited programs, President Barack Obama left an equally controversial counterterrorism tool intact. Under executive orders issued by Obama on Jan. 22, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as "renditions," or the secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States.

If you had to pick between one of these two options, which would you choose? A. Jab yourself in the eye with a sharp stick. B. Call a customer service number to ask a question, lodge a complaint or request a service. If you considered A for even a fleeting second, you probably flashbacked to the joy of navigating an automated voice system while elevator music droned in your ear and a chipper voice thanked you for holding for the umpteenth time. Depending on which study you read, customer call centers have improved a bit. But we hate to take anybody's word for it. So we conducted a very small and wholly unscientific study.

Jake Gyllenhaal has been making the talk-show rounds articulating his resistance to movies that merely sell a message. One wonders what art or entertainment value he saw in the script of Rendition, a movie about the secret detention and torture of suspected terrorists that heats up its ingredients to Fahrenheit 9/11 levels yet renders them all as flat as a pile of communiques. Omar Metwally co-stars as Anwar, an Egyptian-born chemical engineer who falls out of sight after flying from South Africa back to the U.S., leaving his young son and pregnant wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon)

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court declined yesterday to allow a lawsuit to go forward that questions the government's use of rendition, the practice of capturing suspected terrorists and sending them to other countries for a more intense form of interrogation than is permitted under U.S. law. In doing so, the court implicitly endorsed the Bush administration's use of a sweeping legal defense that prevents claims of abuse and torture at the hands of U.S...

Snapshots from the Sanjaya Malakar Hall of Infamy: Perhaps the low point, the absolute nadir, was the 17-year-old American Idol contestant's unmelodious rendition of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Midway through, Sanjaya literally screamed, "You got me so I can't sleep at night." On TV American Idol, with mentor Martina McBride, airs at 8 tonight and 9 p.m. tomorrow on WBFF (Channel 45).

It's sad to see this perennial value in dry white wine creep toward the $10 mark, but it's still a great value at the price. vTC There's nothing here longtime fans of the Sur Lie Reserve aren't accustomed to: full body, hints of honey, some lightly herbal notes and a judicious touch of oak. As a hybrid wine grape, seyval doesn't get much respect, but in this rendition it resembles a fine semillon-sauvignon blanc blend.Pub date: 10/27/96

Snapshots from the Sanjaya Malakar Hall of Infamy: Perhaps the low point, the absolute nadir, was the 17-year-old American Idol contestant's unmelodious rendition of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Midway through, Sanjaya literally screamed, "You got me so I can't sleep at night." On TV American Idol, with mentor Martina McBride, airs at 8 tonight and 9 p.m. tomorrow on WBFF (Channel 45).

Fatal Song Choice: "Turn the Beat Around" What Went Wrong: While her look said bold tigress (the animal print, the exposed bra strap, the trashy hair), her voice mewed like a kitten. Idol's pageant queen was simply overwhelmed by the syncopated pace of the song and the power of the band. To her credit, she tried her hardest to sell it -- but alas the American Idol stage has no stripper pole. Shining Moment: British Invasion week's song wasn't "Shake Your Moneymaker," but it sure felt like it. Her exuberant rendition of "Tell Him" had enough charisma to make up for what she lacked in vocal talent and, well, clothes.

A year ago, Folly Quarter Middle School celebrated Black History Month with a student variety show. The youngsters had fun singing songs and reciting poetry from black artists, said music teacher Stacey Sartor, but the event did not teach them much about black history. This year, Sartor invited a performing arts group called ArtsCentric to give an abbreviated tour of African-American history through story, song and poetry. Sartor had met the group's executive director, Cedric Lyles, while both were students at Morgan State University, she said.