Thor

now playing "Bridesmaids" (R). A bride to be (Maya Rudolph) worries that her upcoming wedding will be ruined by her increasingly jittery best friend and maid of honor (Kristen Wiig). This is an uneven comedy, but there are endearing performances and a few very funny scenes. Grade: B TownMall Cinemas (1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50) "Fast Five" (PG-13). The latest "Fast and Furious" installment is, er, as fast and furious as ever. Its vaguely plotted story is really about muscles flexing and cars crashing in scenic Rio de Janeiro.

Chamber annouces October activities The Baltimore/Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce has announced its monthly activities. Wednesday: Techniques and Ideas for Professional Salespeople at 8:30 a.m. at the chamber office. The topic will be "Using the Telephone to Gain More Clients." Free for members, $20 for nonmembers. Thursday and Oct. 27: A Membership 101 program for members who want to learn how to maximize their membership will be held at 9 a.m. at the chamber office. Free to members.

The Carroll Players' current dinner theater production of Larry Shue's "The Nerd" is well worth attending.This very funny and popularcomedy has become one of the most-produced scripts by community theaters. Of the productions I have seen recently, this one, under Roberta Rooney's capable direction, comes closest to fulfilling the script's challenges.Even before the action begins, it is clear this production has been carefully planned. The set, which is visible during dinner, is a joy.Those responsible for the physical production -- Phil Grout, Jan Halman, Dean Camlin, Mary Lou Grout and Roberta Rooney -- have provided an environment that is attractive and carefully constructed.

On November 27, 2009, Thor S. Ramsland, Stacey, and Jill E. Walls and her husband Wesley. Devoted brother of Arnfinn B. Ramsland, Peer S. Ramsland, and Lynn M. Snyder. Loving grandfather of Marissa, Jason, Kristina, Natasha, Ryan, and Elizabeth. The family will receive friends at the family-owned Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc., 1050 York Road (beltway exit 26) on Wednesday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M., where funeral services will be held on Thursday at 11:00 A.M. Interment Parkwood Cemetery.

Thor, the Marvel Comics superhero, hammered his way into movie theaters over the weekend, saving the world, winning Natalie Portman and grossing about $66 million. Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" is based on Stan Lee's Thor, which is based on the Thor of Norse mythology — god of thunder and protector of mankind. Some pioneering scientists of the early 19th century were so taken with Thor's immortal powers that they named a radioactive element after him. Nearly two centuries later, some modern scientists, including a Nobel Prize laureate, believe thorium could play a major role in saving mankind from global warming.

The world's most dangerous poetry contest is back.The Sixth Annual Roger Simon Greater Eastern Seaboard Poetry Contest is about to begin.As in past years, the contest has a theme. We have a theme to keep the contest current and creative, and mainly to keep you from copying poems out of your high school poetry book and trying to pass them off as your own.This year's theme is: hard times.Saddam Hussein has the world on the brink of war. Gasoline prices are skyrocketing. People can't sell their homes.

A super day of racing at Laurel Park came to a conclusion yesterday when jockey Corey Nakatani slid from the top of his horse in the winner's circle after the 17th running of the Grade I, $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Dash. Wearing a "Superman" S on the front of his silks, Nakatani was asked if he felt like the caped hero. "Like Superman?" he said. "I don't know if I feel like Superman, but the horse certainly did." The horse, Thor's Echo, survived a blistering early pace, overtook eventual fourth-place finisher Crafty Schemer down the stretch and held off a strong drive by Diabolical to win by three-fourths of a length in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up. Thor's Echo paid $4.20, $2.80 and $2.40 after completing the race in 1:08.

Stan Lee is one proud father these days. You'd be proud, too, if your progeny included Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and the Fantastic Four — characters whose films routinely bring in a few hundred million dollars at the movie box office. Not that Lee has much to do with the movies themselves: His connection is restricted to a largely honorary executive-producer credit and a cameo in each film — as a swinging Hugh Hefner-type in "Iron Man," mailman Willie Limpkin in "Fantastic Four," an Army general in this summer's "Captain America.

The sales pitch to 46 uniformed men was simple: Welcome to Baltimore. Next time, bring a tall ship. City and state officials and the nautical community have begun a marketing drive aimed at filling the Inner Harbor with majestic sailing vessels and gray-hulled warships for the War of 1812 commemoration finale, Sept. 6-14, 2014. On Wednesday, they pitched military attaches from 40 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Turkey and Sri Lanka. Navies begin planning their sea exercises and courtesy calls about a year in advance, and there's a lot of jockeying among East Coast seaports to secure the biggest and best ships for summer events.

Eastpoint Mall in eastern Baltimore County will likely get an overhaul and some new retailers under a new owner, a New York-based private equity fund that announced the acquisition yesterday. The Thor Urban Property Fund, a unit of Thor Equities LLC, said it acquired the 844,463- square-foot regional mall anchored by Sears, Value City, J.C. Penney and Steve & Barry's University Sports- wear. Officials of Thor, who were not available yesterday, did not release the purchase price. But the mall, which had been owned by a partnership of Lehman Brothers and mall operator Shopco Advisory Corp.