Stardom

It sometimes seems as if Derek Glasser has been the point guard at Arizona State forever. "Before every game now, the refs come up to me and say, 'You still here?' " Glasser said with a grin. "And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm still here.' " The Sun Devils are glad for that. The 6-foot-1 senior from Marina del Rey, Calif, is a throwback to a forgotten time in college hoops, when players came to campus as raw freshmen and grew into trusted, tested seniors. Little more than an emergency fill-in when he arrived in the summer of 2006, Glasser has become the school's assists leader, its most accurate free throw shooter and a cornerstone of a revived program (10-3)

The moment when Robert Griffin III stepped to the podium Saturday night to receive the Heisman Trophy, greeted by a contingent of past winners, the Baylor quarterback automatically became eligible for membership in another sort of club. Not that he wants to join it. No player does. It is the society of Heisman flops. Scroll down the long and prominent list — Pat Sullivan, Jason White, Eric Crouch, et al. — of men who stood on college football's highest pedestal only to crash and burn as pros.

Brad Pitt has been the flavor of the month for so long he should start wearing a Baskin-Robbins uniform.He has been one of Hollywood's hottest actors-on-the-verge-of-stardom since his celebrated, albeit brief, breakthrough role three years ago in "Thelma & Louise." There were the inevitable "next James Dean" whispers."A River Runs Through It" was supposed to be the star-making vehicle that drove him to his destiny. His fans said he was terrific in the role, and the film was a sleeper hit but not enough of a hit to shine Mr. Pitt's star.

Each week, when Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb shows up to do his radio show at the Al Packer Ford dealership in White Marsh, fans eagerly await, the majority of them hungry to get his autograph. During commercial breaks, they stand in line until it's their turn to shuffle forward and enthusiastically thrust a football, a picture, a jersey or a hat into his hands. The ritual of signing autographs still feels a tad surreal to Webb, even though this is his third year in the NFL. Even if you could get him to concede he has quietly become one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL -- a statement that makes him smile, but one he's reluctant to make on his own -- there is a part of him that still feels like the skinny, shy kid who grew up in tiny Opelika, Ala., dreaming of big things.

It's a typical Tuesday at the Montgomery Plaza Giant supermarket -- except, of course, for the 27-foot-long hot dog parked outside.Inside the Route 40 Giant, things are a little less than ordinary, too. At least in the bakery section, where a very perky Patty "Pickle" Kan is cheerfully attempting to teach a handful of toddlers the words to a familiar song:"Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wie-ner. That is what I'd truly like to be-ee-ee. 'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wie-ner, everyone would be in love with me."

"Girl 6" is, both sadly and spectacularly, what we have come to expect from Spike Lee: It's a brilliant mess.Insanely ambitious and courting controversy like a man in love, the film represents Lee's return to the terrain that originally established him as a talent to watch. That is, as in "She's Gotta Have It," he's gone back to female sexuality, trying to understand exactly what it is she's gotta have and why she's gotta have it.The "she" in question is Theresa Randle, whose reach for stardom this film represents and whose arrival there it signals.

It's said that the first step toward fixing a problem is recognizing you have one. So when the producers of the TV show "Making Over America" needed a subject for an August episode, they stumbled upon gold in LaShunda Rodgers, an Army staff sergeant and self-described "crazy person" based at Fort Meade. The cheerful Rodgers, who was getting ready to turn 30 this year, had a feeling her style of dress was less than appropriate for her status as a maturing single mother. The show "sent an e-mail to every female stationed at Fort Meade, asking us to describe our style problems, what was in our closets and other things," says Rodgers, an Iraq war veteran who teaches multimedia illustration on the base.

For Shay Doron, the fantasy became a hardened quest when she reached the cusp of high school. She was already a run-and-gun scorer for five youth and school teams, and it wasn't hard to imagine that with normal progress, she'd become one of the best female basketball players in Israel. She might even earn a scholarship to play college ball in the United States. Duke women@Maryland Tomorrow, 6 p.m., Comcast SportsNet

It's said that the first step toward fixing a problem is recognizing you have one. So when the producers of the TV show "Making Over America" needed a subject for an August episode, they stumbled upon gold in LaShunda Rodgers, an Army staff sergeant and self-described "crazy person" based at Fort Meade. The cheerful Rodgers, who was getting ready to turn 30 this year, had a feeling her style of dress was less than appropriate for her status as a maturing single mother. The show "sent an e-mail to every female stationed at Fort Meade, asking us to describe our style problems, what was in our closets and other things," says Rodgers, an Iraq war veteran who teaches multimedia illustration on the base.

Frances Dee, 94, who co-starred in films with Maurice Chevalier, Gary Cooper, Ronald Colman and her husband, Joel McCrea, died Saturday in Norwalk, Conn., her son said. Miss Dee achieved stardom in 1930 opposite Mr. Chevalier in one of the first talkie musicals, The Playboy of Paris. She retired after making Gypsy Colt in 1954. Her husband died in 1990.

Summer is a good time to catch professional dancers with Howard County roots on hometown visits between gigs. Some are now dancing professionally in other parts of the country, and others are gearing up for big fall tours. Ashley Blair Fitzgerald is one of the latter. A few weeks back she taught a master dance class at Lori Pryor's Dance Foundations on Route 108, in Columbia. This leggy Ann Reinking-look-alike first caught our attention as a teen performing in classical ballet variations with her sister Amanda at Ballet Royale.

It sometimes seems as if Derek Glasser has been the point guard at Arizona State forever. "Before every game now, the refs come up to me and say, 'You still here?' " Glasser said with a grin. "And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm still here.' " The Sun Devils are glad for that. The 6-foot-1 senior from Marina del Rey, Calif, is a throwback to a forgotten time in college hoops, when players came to campus as raw freshmen and grew into trusted, tested seniors. Little more than an emergency fill-in when he arrived in the summer of 2006, Glasser has become the school's assists leader, its most accurate free throw shooter and a cornerstone of a revived program (10-3)

It's said that the first step toward fixing a problem is recognizing you have one. So when the producers of the TV show "Making Over America" needed a subject for an August episode, they stumbled upon gold in LaShunda Rodgers, an Army staff sergeant and self-described "crazy person" based at Fort Meade. The cheerful Rodgers, who was getting ready to turn 30 this year, had a feeling her style of dress was less than appropriate for her status as a maturing single mother. The show "sent an e-mail to every female stationed at Fort Meade, asking us to describe our style problems, what was in our closets and other things," says Rodgers, an Iraq war veteran who teaches multimedia illustration on the base.

It's said that the first step toward fixing a problem is recognizing you have one. So when the producers of the TV show "Making Over America" needed a subject for an August episode, they stumbled upon gold in LaShunda Rodgers, an Army staff sergeant and self-described "crazy person" based at Fort Meade. The cheerful Rodgers, who was getting ready to turn 30 this year, had a feeling her style of dress was less than appropriate for her status as a maturing single mother. The show "sent an e-mail to every female stationed at Fort Meade, asking us to describe our style problems, what was in our closets and other things," says Rodgers, an Iraq war veteran who teaches multimedia illustration on the base.

It is inevitable that actor Greg Kinnear's name is going to come up in any discussion of actor-comedian Joel McHale. Both became widely known through the irreverent and popular E! entertainment channel TV show now known as The Soup. And both have moved beyond it. Kinnear used the show as a launching pad to become a film star. And McHale, who appears Saturday night in a comedy concert at Baltimore's Meyerhoff Symphony Hall as he continues his winning weekly performance with The Soup, is starting to break out on screens big and small as well.

First, Chris Jericho wanted to "save us," and then his mantra became "save me." Now, he is playing a role in helping 11 female singers who are seeking redemption. Jericho is the host of Fuse TV's Redemption Song, a reality competition show in which down-on-their-luck singers with troubled pasts vie for their last chance at musical stardom. The show debuted Wednesday night. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ringposts)

First, Chris Jericho wanted to "save us," and then his mantra became "save me." Now, he is playing a role in helping 11 female singers who are seeking redemption. Jericho is the host of Fuse TV's Redemption Song, a reality competition show in which down-on-their-luck singers with troubled pasts vie for their last chance at musical stardom. The show debuted Wednesday night. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ringposts)

Maryland's own Good Charlotte is coming back home with a performance at Sonar on Sunday. The Waldorf natives began their rise to stardom by playing local clubs and venues. Yet songs such as "Hold On" and "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" would later catapult the foursome to the top of music charts. Good Charlotte will perform at 7 p.m. The club is at 407 E. Saratoga St. Call 410-327-8333 or go to ticketmaster.com for tickets.

As Towson-area native Michael Phelps racked up gold medals for swimming at the Olympics in Beijing, I thought it worthwhile to look back at another Olympian, Johnny Weissmuller, who won five gold medals and a bronze at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. Weissmuller, who broke 67 world swimming records and won 55 Amateur Athletic Union championships, became one of the most celebrated sports heroes of the Roaring '20s and was hailed by sportswriters as the greatest swimmer of the 20th century.

Even with military training, acting and modeling experience and his share of ex-girlfriends, Greg Plitt's resume didn't quite prepare him for his new job: trainer on Bravo's reality show Work Out. "They said the show was 3 percent body fat and 97 percent drama," said Plitt by phone from his California home. "They were a little low on the drama side." On TV Work Out premieres at 11 tonight on Bravo. Greg Plitt Age: 30 Hometown: Lutherville Current residence: Los Angeles Education: Gilman School and U.S. Military Academy at West Point Status: Single; pet dog, Quest Resume: Appeared on dozens of fitness magazine covers and in the movie The Good Shepherd, soap opera Days of Our Lives, HGTV's Designed to Sell and Bravo's Work Out. Aspiration: Movie actor