Stay Tuned

In my review of Jan De Bont's ''Speed,'' which stars Keanu Reeves as a Los Angeles cop trying to defuse a bomb set to go off on a bus if it dips below 50 mph, I said the idea of a vehicle even reaching that speed on the forever-clogged L.A. highways is science fiction.A week later, the eyes of a nation were trained on some of that same acreage of concrete, watching a white Ford Bronco, whose passengers included an infinitely more famous and well-liked star than Mr. Reeves, as it cruised along at will, the traffic ahead parted like the Red Sea, the air above churned once again by the blades of hovering TV helicopters.

A top National Republican Congressional Committee official said Monday that the group is likely to throw some support to Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett "fairly soon," but declined to elaborate on just how much it can afford to spend defending the vulnerable incumbent from Western Maryland. "I wouldn't be surprised if you see an ad fairly soon," NRCC executive director Guy Harrison said during a press conference held here as part of the Republican National Convention. Pressed on where and when such an ad might run, Harrison was circumspect.

Officials of the Orioles' Double-A franchise in Bowie willchoose the team's nickname this week after reeceiving 3,500 suggestions from fans. Almost 1,100 different names were offered."

Gov. Martin O'Malley said Friday he won't bring lawmakers back to Annapolis next week to expand the state's gambling program as initially planned, but he will continue pushing the issue. "We will not be calling a special session for July 9," O'Malley said Friday evening after appearing with President Barack Obama at the White House. "I continue to look for a consensus. " O'Malley said he still might call a special session this summer at which lawmakers would vote on proposals to authorize a sixth casino in Maryland and allow table games such as poker at all six. The announcement keeps Annapolis lawmakers and gambling interests in a state of legislative limbo, unsure if and when a deal might be brokered.

OFF TO ONE side of the massive, humming, "head-end" computer center in White Marsh where Comcast broadcasts its signal to 350,000 customers in the Baltimore suburbs, there's a small room lined with wall-to-wall monitors, set-top boxes and other gadgets that are the future of cable television. In one corner, you can flick a remote control and download the latest headlines from the Internet, check out the movie schedule at the cineplex down the road or browse the menus at local restaurants, all on a regular television set - no computer necessary.

"Stay Tuned" is an elaborate and ambitious attempt to look at the zany world of cable TV.Do the words "it stinks" mean anything to you?There are more laughs to be experienced aimlessly hitting the remote in the hours after midnight and flashing through Lost Combination Cable Network and SuperStation 99 from downtown Omaha and Total War Cable Network and Old, Bad Western Theater than in any single instant of "Stay Tuned."Did the money men behind this piece of cheese look at the record of director-photographer Peter Hyams, which is one long bland litany of mediocrity -- "2010: The Sequel," "The Star Chamber," "Running Scared" -- as well as being utterly devoid of humor?

Q. Can Tsongas get out of New England? A. If Clinton doesn't try in South Dakota and Maryland, Tsongas can.Q. Will George unleash Roger Ailes on Pat in Georgia, or is he holding Roger in reserve? A. Stay tuned.

This week, we are going to give you the answer to last week's question. Just as King Stoneheart became King Strongheart, his kingdom of Whineytown became transformed into Winnertown. Stay tuned to next week's Just for Kids for a very big announcement. Teachers: Check www.nie-sun.com tomorrow for stance questions related to Just for Kids stories.

Remember when the Palestinians were good guys and the Syrians bad? Then the Syrians were good guys and Palestinians nasty. Now the Palestinians are good guys and the Syrians are bad. Stay tuned.Having brought peace to the Middle East, Secretary Baker is going to Beijing in hopes of brokering between China and the Chinese.He may not be running this time, but you haven't heard the last of Jesse Jackson.

The next housing commissioner won't do any better than the last one -- without a passionately committed, hands-on mayor.The U.N. is setting up a court for Yugo war criminals. It will have no jail, no cops, no prosecutors, no defendants.Britain has two ten-year-old brutal murder defendants, and a law forbidding confinement for anyone under 15. Stay tuned for further developments.

It appears as though Reisterstown has dodged a bullet in the proposed construction of a 2 million gallon water tower at the bend of Bond Avenue and Timbergrove Road. At a meeting on Oct. 27 spearheaded by residents and Stop the Water Tower, there were over 150 in attendance. Outgoing Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council President Mary Molinaro commended community members at the Thursday night meeting for working together, rather than taking the stance of "not in my backyard.

Though Orioles officials will be busy this week, it would be a major surprise if they pulled off a trade. It's just not expected to happen this soon. But stay tuned. Maybe someone will overwhelm them. I should run a poll asking what you think will happen to Jay Gibbons, since so many people are asking me - and I honestly don't know. I'm sure the Orioles don't want to eat his contract, but that would be choice No. 1. They could attempt to trade him for an equally bad contract (No. 2), or keep him and hope that he stays healthy and has a productive season as a left-handed designated hitter and pinch hitter.

When it comes to baby boomers' musical tastes, the mood of summer has always extended beyond the media's fond memories of Woodstock. Tomorrow night Barbara Huston plans to settle into an orchestra seat at the Wolf Trap performing arts center in Vienna, Va., as Tony Bennett's smooth voice washes away the frustrations of work. At 54, the Severna Park resident is among thousands of boomers expected to hear the legendary singer this summer on his national concert tour. "Tony Bennett has been singing about as long as I've been alive," Huston says.

My love affair with vitamins and supplements is over: With a few exceptions -- stay tuned -- I'm tossing them out. Things started going south for this romance 13 years ago when a Finnish study of 29,000 male smokers showed a higher rate of lung cancer in men who took beta carotene and vitamin E. It also found that those who took beta carotene had an 8 percent higher risk of death from all causes. Two years later, an American study reported similar findings for beta carotene. I've never been a smoker, but a red flag is a red flag.

For millions of consumers who bought high-definition television sets over the holidays, there has been one major disappointment: DVD movies often look worse than they did on their old TVs. I call it the "plastic surgery" effect. It's an artifact of converting a movie from a medium designed for the best picture possible on standard TV screens, with 480 horizontal lines of resolution, to HDTV sets, with 720 or 1024 lines. Whatever you call it, the process may actually eliminate some detail, particularly from human faces, making them look like they've had one tuck too many.

I'd like to bid farewell to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, whose tenure officially ended Friday Now that he has all this extra time on his hands, and a fat bank account, maybe he can build himself a museum. Jerk. Greece, with no NBA players on its roster, upset Team USA, 101-95, in the world basketball championships. It's either bronze or nothing for the U.S., which apparently wanted to prove once again that a team filled with superstars could win gold without being able to shoot or play defense.

The administration has a budget deal, and a missile defense scheme to bust it. There's nothing wrong with the U.S. energy supply that cannot be fixed by making every house a windmill. Hollywood producers and writers cannot agree on whether their story is sitcom, soap opera, juvenile, action thriller or reality. Stay tuned. Uh-oh! Mysterious "dark energy" has been discovered in Wyman Park.

Coming soon, baltimoresun.com's fantasy feature is making the move to blog format, where you'll be able to get your fantasy football fix with positional rankings, draft advice and semi-regular spin on all the happenings around the NFL, as well as tips to help you finish the baseball season in style. Stay tuned. Originally published August 21, 2005, 8:35 PM EDT

She began singing at age 2, belting out tunes into a microphone hooked up to a tape recorder. By 8, she was singing so much that her grandmother bought her a karaoke machine. At 13, Ashleigh Pennington sang at her birthday party and impressed guests, who encouraged her to sing more often. She traveled to Houston to compete in a singer-songwriter event and finished in second place. Now 16, the Whiteford resident, an emerging talent as a county music singer and songwriter, is headed to venues far loftier than birthday parties and karaoke sessions.

Betty Jordan flashed her blue eyes, flipped her long red hair and belted out the lyrics to "Sing You Sinners." The 70-year-old shook a finger at the other women gathered at the Pasadena Senior Center, then swung her arms open as she hit the final notes. "Hallelujah," she added as an afterthought, waving her hands in the air. "That might be a little too much," said June Booker, 75. Jordan and Booker are members of The Little Old Ladies from Pasadena, a barbershop quartet singing group for older women.