|
Hot Stuff!
By PAMELA DAVIS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 17, 2001
Oprah takes notice
When producers for Oprah Winfrey were doing research for her TV show, they came across an essay by a St. Petersburg 12-year-old, Audrey Clarkin, which had been published in this very space on Sept. 24. Audrey, who is a student at Meadowlaw Middle School, had submitted her work for a special edition of Xpressions called "The day the world fell down," about reactions to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. She wrote that she felt closer than ever to her family after what happened: "I am determined to cherish those people who are special to me every day."
Winfrey liked what her researchers found, and today on The Oprah Winfrey Show (4 p.m. on WFLA-Ch. 8) a recording of Audrey Clarkin reading some of her essay will be part of a focus on strong family connections. Photographs of Audrey's family will be shown as part of a montage as she reads.
Get started on the goodies
Don't be left out of the kitchen this year. Though you may not be ready to handle the entire cookie-baking process yourself, there are specific tasks kids are really good at, according to the book Christmas Cooking for Dummies (Hungry Minds Inc., $21.99). Kids can help measure ingredients, stir and whisk, prepare the pans, roll the dough, use the cookie cutters and decorate. And eat them, of course.
Dandy dog films
Leonard Maltin, film critic for Entertainment Tonight, says these are his Top 10 canine films:
10. A Dog's Life
9. The Night Cry
8. Homeward Bound
7. Sounder
6. The Pooch
5. My Dog Skip
4. Best in Show
3. Old Yeller
2. Lady and the Tramp
1. Lassie Come Home
Naughty or nice?
Find out which list you're on this year by logging onto www.claus.com and clicking on the Naughty or Nice archives. Plug in your name to find out what Santa has to say about you.
What's their destiny?
Destiny's Child isn't admitting to a breakup but all signs are pointing that way. The three women recently said they are taking time off from the group to concentrate on solo projects. MTV.com reports that Michele Williams will have a gospel album out early next year and Kelly Rowland plans to release an "alternative R&B" style CD in 2003. Beyonce Knowles will play the lead female character in the next Austin Powers movie.
A royal release
The Disney flick, The Princess Diaries, comes out on video and DVD Tuesday. Xpress film critic Billy Norris gave the movie a B when it opened in theaters in August. He said the movie has "a very warm, fuzzy feeling," and though "the plot was somewhat predictable, (the movie) was still good."
Here's the rest of today's Xpress
|
