Sass

It began as a joke. A possibility so far-fetched the Wagner family laughed at the idea, then cheekily slapped it onto their menus.Which was how Mikie's, a local diner-style restaurant that opened late in the summer of 1997 in Glen Burnie, came to have "Now on the East Coast" and "The newest location on our East Coast Tour" plastered all over its menus."

I've loved Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate" since I was a child and would sit for hours in front of my dad's old stereo wearing out the grooves to repeat songs such as "So in Love," "Too Darn Hot," "Another Op'nin', Another Show" and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare."This play-within-a-play musical about love and dysfunction within a troupe of actors mounting Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" is one of Porter's masterpieces.Most of the work's sassy color and vivacious wit is on display at the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre's production of "Kiss Me Kate," which plays Thursday through Sunday evenings through Sept.

Do the Miss USA contestants need a makeover? Maybe the 51 beauties don't, but pageant officials apparently thought this year's show could use one. They've hired the quippy king of makeover shows, Carson Kressley, to work the room during Friday's telecast. Kressley, of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame, will play the role of "color man" -- a first for the competition, in its 55th year. He's charged with enhancing the broadcast with his commentary "on everything from the ladies' gowns and their beauty looks to their on-stage presentation," officials say. Look for Kressley to be out-and-about in the aisles of 1st Mariner Arena, the site of this year's pageant, cracking wise in his signature way. He'll pair up with current Miss USA Chelsea Cooley, who also will offer some commentary before giving up her crown, and he'll add a bit of levity to the co-hosting chore shared by Nancy O'Dell, of Access Hollywood, and Drew Lachey, this year's winner of Dancing with the Stars.

Receipts, old photos, marriage licenses, an autopsy report, a death certificate -- files and files of documents dominate the bookshelf in a corner of Nadine Cohodas' Washington office. And more stuffed folders are neatly stacked on the floor. "This, all this is Dinah," the author says, gesturing to the shelf. She's talking about the subject of her latest book, a 559-page project that took a "shade under four years" to complete. Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington, Cohodas' fourth book, hit stores Tuesday.

Airwork, a division of UNC Inc., an Annapolis-based aviation company, has named George C. Frazier vice president for finance. Frazier is responsible for overall strategic financial planning and budgetary responsibilities at Airwork.Previously corporate controller at UNC in Annapolis, Frazier has been manager of financial control and senior accountant with Easco Hand Tools and a senior accountant with Ernst& Whitney.A certified public accountant, Frazier earned his master's in business administration from Loyola College in Maryland and his bachelorof science in accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park.

On May 9, 2008, Michael Bernard Weiner Funeral services and interment will be held at Oheb Shalom Memorial Park - Berrymans Lane, on Tuesday, May 13, at 12 Noon. Please omit flowers. Contributions in his memory may be sent to the Cancer Society of Greenville County, 113 Mills Avenue, Greenville, SC., or to the Interim Health Care Hospice c/o Interim HealthCare National Service Center 1601 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway, Sunrise, FL 33323. Shiva will be at the home of Charlotte and Steve Sass until Friday noon, continuing at the home of Esther and Morton H. Weiner until Monday.

FOR YEARS, HE was the Winston Man, appearing in 42 commercials of the lucrative "Search and Rescue" series that moved the cigarette's sales from No. 4 to No. 2 in the world. But early this week, Dave Goerlitz gave another pitch to students at five area schools. "Young people, you don't need this tobacco," Goerlitz nearly shouted to his audience at New Windsor Middle School. "And if you don't need it now, you won't need it later." Goerlitz smoked for 24 years before participating in the Great American Smokeout in November 1988, when he denounced the tobacco industry for targeting children.

Yeah, so maybe she's tiny enough to shop at GAP Kids. And true, she's got enough sass to give figure skating's top brass a bundle of nightmares. But is there any Olympian as cool as Sasha Cohen? Doubtful. After all, Friday night, there she was, grinning away on a cold Utah night, handing President Bush her cell phone -- in the middle of the opening ceremony, no less! -- asking if he wanted to chat with her mom. She even shared a smirk with the Commander in Chief in the process. It's really no surprise.

On february 14, 2007, ELLA (nee Rossi) beloved wife of the late Stephen J. Machlinski, and loving mother of Rita Coxon, Leona Sass, Stephen S. Machlinski and wife Natalie and the late Dolores Henning and Thomas Machlinski, dear sister of Frank Rossi. Also survived by five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter. Funeral services at the family owned Joseph N. Zannino Jr., Funeral Home, 263 S. Conkling Street (at Gough) on Saturday at 9 A.M. A Funeral Mass will follow at Our Lady of Pompei Church at 10 A.M. Friends may call on Friday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Interment St. Stanislaus Cemetery.

Stacey Sass keeps a thick file folder filled with complicated applications, fingerprinted security documents, and international government stamps and seals tucked away in the front hall closet. It is a reminder of how she became a mother.Ms. Sass and her husband, George, filled out those reams of paperwork to adopt a Russian toddler from a St. Petersburg orphanage in November. Tomorrow, she plans to share what she learned from the experience at a free, two-hour seminar on international adoptions at the Anne Arundel County Public Library.