Shine

Power Plant Live, once a faceless collection of bars for tourists, continues its transformation into a legitimate nightlife option for any Baltimorean with Kettle Hill, the attractive new restaurant and bar co-owned by Desmond Reilly and Kristopher Carr. Formerly Babalu, the Theodore Roosevelt-inspired Kettle Hill is a strong anchor for Power Plant Live's needed face-lift, which includes the additions of Joe Squared and Leinenkugel Beer Garden. Kettle Hill could be the most impressive of the lot, thanks to a simple yet radiant rustic design and an adventurous - albeit pricey - bar menu.

Matters of faith continue to divide people in dreadful ways, but there has always been at least one thing that religions have in common - the urge to express belief through art. That's a point driven home in a sumptuous 90-minute documentary by Baltimore filmmaker Robert Gardner airing this week on PBS. "Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World," narrated by Susan Sarandon, provides a welcome look into a cultural legacy little known and little...

Orioles rookie left-hander Wei-Yin Chen had passed all the early tests, facing good major league teams, pitching well, showing poise and not once getting saddled with a loss in his first six big league starts. Tuesday, however, presented a different challenge. Chen wouldn't just be pitching against the mighty New York Yankees, but he would be seeing them for the second time -- his first repeat performance against an opponent. Like the rest of this early season for the Taiwan native, Chen had little trouble, throwing seven strong innings in the Orioles' 5-2 victory.

Plug Ugly's Publick House is a strange name for a tavern. But Baltimore history buffs know the Plug Uglies were a thuggish street gang/political club that ran riot on Baltimore's streets in the 1850s. Don't worry. The newest resident of O'Donnell Square isn't a gangland. Bartenders with untucked shirts are about as rough as it gets, and the staff here, you may be sorry to know, seems to have been chosen for their gentle dispositions. At first glance, Plug Ugly's could pass for any number of its neighbors, but look closer: The wood-filled bar area and dining rooms have been generously furnished with salvaged material like church pews and antique lighting fixtures.

The Orioles entered Thursday's doubleheader with the hot-hitting Rangers focused on survival. Orioles pitchers served up eight home runs (and 24 runs) in the first two games of the series to the most dangerous hitting lineup in the American League. A string of injuries - the Orioles made 12 roster moves since Monday - had players shuttling back and forth between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk. A beleaguered bullpen staff - still taxed from playing 39 innings in three games in Boston over the weekend - needed to avoid an early arrival in both games.

A life-size portrait of a stunning woman, an image of an elderly man and paintings of an Asian warrior in full regalia are among the varying stages of life portrayed in the gallery at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. The Maryland Society of Portrait Painters has filled the Willow Gallery this spring with more than 70 expressions that its members have captured in multiple media The show, which is free and open daily during park hours, highlights the work of the society's members, some still honing their art and others well established.

"VEEP" is the kind of series that separates HBO from almost every other channel or network making television these days. It takes great risks, dares to break new ground, includes some of the most imaginative artists working in the arts and aims for nothing less than absolute cultural relevance. Oh, yeah: It is also very, very funny in its snarky, off-beat, highly profane, single-camera way. That sensibility might take a little getting used to for some viewers. But give it a chance, and you will come to love the way it's used here to illuminate the darkness at the heart of our partisan-crazed, gridlocked and bleak national political life.

Art is good for the soul, but it's also good for the soles in the Columbia Art Center exhibit "A Walk in My Shoes. " Speaking of good, this show is co-sponsored by Howard County Promotion and Tourism's Blossoms of Hope and Cherrybration. Proceeds benefit the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center of Howard County General Hospital. This thematically oriented exhibit has two main categories of subject matter: flowers and shoes. Sometimes they appear in the same artwork, as in Sally Stevens' photograph "Happy Feet.

Friday night was senior night for the Navy women's lacrosse team. Leave it to freshman Loren Generi to steal the show. All Generi did was score seven goals - one short of the school record - to lead the Mids (14-2, 5-0) to a 19-6 win against American (7-7, 3-3) in a Patriot League match at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. She also had eight draw controls to jump-start the Navy offense. "Loren had a great night," said Navy coach Cindy Timchal. "She had several opportunities to step in when she was open, and she certainly took full advantage of them [Friday]

Now I really feel old. A friend of mine used to call the grocery store at the Rotunda the "Flirt Giant. " And it was true, back when I moved here about 25 years ago: You got the sense people were trolling the aisles there for more than Lean Cuisines. It was bad enough that over the years the Flirt Giant aged out — if there were still shoppers on the prowl there, they also were probably on walkers. The Rotunda itself was sagging a bit, slowly some of its smaller shops, but as long as the Giant anchored one end and the movie theater the other, the mall seemed to still have a heartbeat.