Unplugged

Bryan AdamsMTV Unplugged (A&M 314 540 831)Originally, the idea behind MTV's "Unplugged" concerts was to transform familiar songs by stripping them of their studio sheen, reducing the arrangement to just acoustic guitars and voice. These days, though, it's the artists who are being remade, using "Unplugged" to present themselves in a new light. So Nirvana emphasized angst over rage in its "Unplugged" session, while Eric Clapton used his to show that he didn't need a Stratocaster to be electrifying.

Randy Johnson has another winter to figure out how to pitch to the Orioles, and another harsh memory to take home with him from Camden Yards.Maybe by next season, Johnson will become to the Orioles what he has been to the rest of the American League. He might be a perennial Cy Young Award candidate and potential Hall of Famer, but he's just a goofy-looking 6-foot-10 guy giving up gopher balls against the Orioles.In eliminating the Seattle Mariners with a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of their American League Division Series, the Orioles continued their long-standing dominance of the usually dominant 34-year-old left-hander.

After years of frittering away his talent in Hollywood and Las Vegas, Elvis had something to prove in 1968. And boy, did he.His throne threatened by the Beatles, his relevance barely registering, Elvis came back with a television special that rock and roll writers are still rhapsodizing over. You can see that special Friday night at 9 on VH1 (some of the best moments come during an unforced, bare-bones sit-down session -- Elvis knew about going "unplugged" decades before it became fashionable)

Police logElkridge: 6600 block of Stipa Court: Someone broke into a house through a basement window Monday and used two pillowcases to carry video games out of the house through the front door.Ellicott City: 3100 block of North Ridge Road: Someone entered the offices of Oakview Treatment Center Sunday or Monday by removing a screen from an office window and forcing open the sliding glass window. Nothing was taken, although several machines were unplugged.Elkridge: 7000 block of Brookdale Drive: Someone entered a Nations Way trailer through the unsecured loading dock doors between Friday and Sunday.

AN OBSCURE (for now) judge in an obscure (for now) courtroom made a ruling that will change (real soon) all our lives.He's the new O. J. judge in the new O. J. trial.His name is Hiroshi Fujisaki, and you won't get to know him. You may not even know what he looks like. And you almost certainly won't get the opportunity to do the macarena with the Dancing Fujisakis.Because the judge is determined, perhaps in self-defense, that O. J. Redux will not devolve into a circus.In order to prevent another circus-like atmosphere, he has come up with a plan: Kill the elephants.

A thick cumulus cloud forms on the horizon, the winds whip at 30 knots and skies darken ominously in the west. There's real weather going on out there, and the phones are going crazy in the National Weather Service office at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.In the midst of growing uncertainty, it's predictability that callers crave.What will the cloud cover be like tomorrow, the film crew for Clint Eastwood's new movie, "Absolute Power," wants to know.Should a picnic for 300 be scrapped in Carroll County?

BARNESVILLE, Ohio -- Nearly two centuries ago, the Luddites of England smashed machines and burned factories in their rebellion against the Industrial Revolution, and then were relegated to history books as dunderheads and barbarians.Now the Luddites are back, although in a much milder form. About 350 self-proclaimed Luddites have gathered in an old Quaker meetinghouse in Barnesville, warning that the ballyhooed information highway is the road to ruin and that isolation and alienation are increasing in a culture where people do not sit face to face, but instead interface.

Trivia test: What star returning to the CBS lineup after a period of mid-season hiatus made his debut in the very same role more than 30 years ago? Hint: Before that, he was the dapper star of a popular western. (See "Burke's Law," below.)* "What About Your Friends?" (4 p.m.-5 p.m., Channel 13) -- It's that time of year, when high school seniors anxiously scan the mail for college acceptance or rejection. In this "Schoolbreak Special," Monica Calhoun, Lark Voorhies and Malinda Williams are close friends hoping to get into the same school.

How many shows must a man knock down before he can call one a joy? The answer, my friend, is on MTV, where a special "Unplugged" with Bob Dylan is the night's tastiest treat.* "Beverly Hills, 90210" (8-9 p.m., Channel 45) -- Tough times at "90210": First it was Shannen Doherty as Brenda who got fired, and now it's Jennie Garth's Kelly. In this case, it's not the actress who gets fired, but the character: Kelly was caught in a burning building. Fox.* "Bob Hope's Christmas Show: Hopes for the Holidays" (9-10 p.m., Channel 2)

London -- Talking with Eric Clapton is like handling a sheathed sword. He seems gentle, calm and harmless. But occasionally his protective covering slips, revealing a man so raw and incisive that his words or simply his gaze can be as piercing as a blade.Mr. Clapton's guitar playing is similar: It sometimes seems as if he's plucking emotions instead of strings. This is one reason some consider him the greatest living guitarist; his fans in the 1960s called him God.It's also why he seldom grants interviews to the press.