The Deep End of the Ocean

• Michelle Pfeiffer, Whoopi Goldberg, High School Reunion, Treat Williams, Jonathan Jackson, Cory Buck

A #1 New York Times bestseller, Mitchard's suspenseful and moving novel is now available in trade paperback

Few first novels receive the kind of attention and acclaim showered on this powerful story--a nationwide bestseller, a critical success, and the first title chosen for Oprah's Book Club. Both highly suspenseful and deeply moving, The Deep End of the Ocean imagines every mother's worst nightmare--the disappearance of a child--as it explores a family's struggle to endure, even against extraordinary odds. Filled with compassion, humor, and brilliant observations about the texture of real life, here is a story of rare power, one that will touch readers' hearts and make them celebrate the emotions that make us all one.

"Riveting . . . twists that will spin you arou! nd." --Newsweek

"A drama with the tension of a thriller that moves deeply into the emotional territory of family ties." --People

"Take a deep breath. . . . This riveting story won't let you come up for air." --US magazine Oprah Book Club® Selection, September 1996: The horror of losing a child is somehow made worse when the case goes unsolved for nearly a decade, reports Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel columnist Jacquelyn Mitchard in this searing first novel. In it, 3-year-old Ben Cappadora is kidnapped from a hotel lobby where his mother is checking into her 15th high school reunion. His disappearance tears the family apart and invokes separate experiences of anguish, denial, and self-blame. Marital problems and delinquency in Ben's older brother (in charge of him the day of his kidnapping) ensue. Mitchard depicts the family's friction and torment--along with many gritty realities of family life--with the candor of a j! ournalist and compassion of someone who has seemingly been th! ere. Int ernational publishing and movie rights sold fast on this one: It's a blockbuster.Few first novels receive the kind of attention and acclaim showered on this powerful storyâ€"a nationwide bestseller, a critical success, and the first title chosen for Oprah's Book Club. Both highly suspenseful and deeply moving, The Deep End of the Ocean imagines every mother's worst nightmareâ€"the disappearance of a childâ€"as it explores a family's struggle to endure, even against extraordinary odds. Filled with compassion, humor, and brilliant observations about the texture of real life, here is a story of rare power, one that will touch readers' hearts and make them celebrate the emotions that make us all one.Oprah Book Club® Selection, September 1996: The horror of losing a child is somehow made worse when the case goes unsolved for nearly a decade, reports Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel columnist Jacquelyn Mitchard in this searing first novel. In it, 3-year-old B! en Cappadora is kidnapped from a hotel lobby where his mother is checking into her 15th high school reunion. His disappearance tears the family apart and invokes separate experiences of anguish, denial, and self-blame. Marital problems and delinquency in Ben's older brother (in charge of him the day of his kidnapping) ensue. Mitchard depicts the family's friction and torment--along with many gritty realities of family life--with the candor of a journalist and compassion of someone who has seemingly been there. International publishing and movie rights sold fast on this one: It's a blockbuster.Few first novels receive the kind of attention and acclaim showered on this powerful storyâ€"a nationwide bestseller, a critical success, and the first title chosen for Oprah's Book Club. Both highly suspenseful and deeply moving, The Deep End of the Ocean imagines every mother's worst nightmareâ€"the disappearance of a childâ€"as it explores a family's struggle to en! dure, even against extraordinary odds. Filled with compassion,! humor, and brilliant observations about the texture of real life, here is a story of rare power, one that will touch readers' hearts and make them celebrate the emotions that make us all one.Elmer Bernstein's moody piano complemented by an alternately somber and lighthearted symphony is the musical equivalent to boilerplate. So many scores contain these same properties that one is tempted to overlook the beautiful orchestration and just fault the composer for being too unoriginal. In keeping with the film's story of family dysfunction and an abducted child, Bernstein uses his instruments to stress what he calls "childhood memories," accented by a competent fusion of harps, bells, and often skip-happy arrangements intended to be unobtrusive. A departure from the humdrum side of soundtrack art it is not, but Bernstein deserves kudos for opting for traditional instruments (instead of a synthesizer) to complement this sensitive story of the "delicate balance" in human relationships. --Joseph LanzaBeth Cappadora (Michelle Pfeiffer) is at her high school reunion when her 3-year-old son disappears from his brother's care. The little boy never turns up, and the family has to deal with the devastating guilt and grief that goes along with it. Nine years later, the family has relocated to Chicago. By a sheer fluke, the kid turns up, living no more than two blocks away. The authorities swoop down and return the kid to his biological parents, but things are far from being that simple. The boy grew up around what he has called his father, while his new family are strangers to him; the older son, now a teenager, has brushes with the law and behavioral problems. His adjustment to his lost brother is complicated by normal teenage churlishness, and the dad (Treat Williams) seems to expect everything to fall into place as though the family had been intact all along. It's a tightrope routine for actors in a story like this, being careful not to chew the scenery w! hile at the same time not being too flaccid or understated. Fo! r the mo st part, the members of the cast deal well with the emotional complexity of their roles. Though the story stretches credulity, weirder things do happen in the real world. The family's pain for the first half of the film is certainly credible, though the second half almost seems like a different movie. Whoopi Goldberg plays the detective assigned to the case; casting her is a bit of a stretch, but she makes it work. All in all, a decent three-hanky movie in the vein of Ordinary People. --Jerry RenshawDEEP END OF THE OCEAN - DVD MovieBeth Cappadora (Michelle Pfeiffer) is at her high school reunion when her 3-year-old son disappears from his brother's care. The little boy never turns up, and the family has to deal with the devastating guilt and grief that goes along with it. Nine years later, the family has relocated to Chicago. By a sheer fluke, the kid turns up, living no more than two blocks away. The authorities swoop down and return the kid to his biological ! parents, but things are far from being that simple. The boy grew up around what he has called his father, while his new family are strangers to him; the older son, now a teenager, has brushes with the law and behavioral problems. His adjustment to his lost brother is complicated by normal teenage churlishness, and the dad (Treat Williams) seems to expect everything to fall into place as though the family had been intact all along. It's a tightrope routine for actors in a story like this, being careful not to chew the scenery while at the same time not being too flaccid or understated. For the most part, the members of the cast deal well with the emotional complexity of their roles. Though the story stretches credulity, weirder things do happen in the real world. The family's pain for the first half of the film is certainly credible, though the second half almost seems like a different movie. Whoopi Goldberg plays the detective assigned to the case; casting her is a bit of a! stretch, but she makes it work. All in all, a decent three-ha! nky movi e in the vein of Ordinary People. --Jerry Renshaw

Job One: Experiences of New Professionals in Student Affairs (American College Personnel Association Series)

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The United States government thought it could make Indians "vanish." After the Indian Wars ended in the 1880s, the government gave allotments of land to individual Native Americans in order to turn them into farmers and sent their children to boarding schools for indoctrination into the English language, Christianity, and the ways of white people. Federal officials believed that these policies would assimilate Native Americans into white society within a generation or two. But even after decades of governmental efforts to obliterate Indian culture, Native Americans refused to vanish into the mainstream, and tribal identities remained intact. This revisionist history reveals how Native Americans' sens! e of identity and "peoplehood" helped them resist and eventually defeat the U.S. government's attempts to assimilate them into white society during the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s). Tom Holm discusses how Native Americans, though effectively colonial subjects without political power, nonetheless maintained their group identity through their native languages, religious practices, works of art, and sense of homeland and sacred history. He also describes how Euro-Americans became increasingly fascinated by and supportive of Native American culture, spirituality, and environmental consciousness. In the face of such Native resiliency and non-Native advocacy, the government's assimilation policy became irrelevant and inevitably collapsed. The great confusion in Indian affairs during the Progressive Era, Holm concludes, ultimately paved the way for Native American tribes to be recognized as nations with certain sovereign rights. (200601)WINNER OF THE LOUIS BROWNLOW BOOK AWARD!!

The massive bureaucratic reorganization under the Depa! rtment o f Homeland Security was a response to the system-wide coordination problems brought to light on 9/11. Better planning, new leadership, and far-reaching reform were to demonstrate that the U.S. had learned its lessons well, that it would be prepared for the next attack or disaster. But the catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina unequivocally showed how this restructuring has not brought about the kinds of long term policy changes that are necessary to deal effectively and efficiently with threats--whether manmade or natural.

Is the system permanently broken? Should FEMA be removed from DHS or abolished altogether? Donald Kettl, in this thoroughly updated second edition, takes a hard look at the most recent stress on the system. He explores how the 9/11 Commission forever changed public discourse on the topic as well as discusses the ways in which FEMA might be reformed. The country faces solvable problems, he argues, yet is in dire need of new leadership at every level! . In his brief, gripping narrative, Kettl assesses how well the U.S. political system responds under extraordinary pressure and asks if the focus will continue to be on fighting the last war. There is small chance the catastrophe that lies ahead will replicate the last one. Is the government ready to face that next challenge?FOREIGN AGENTS analyzes the history and activities of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. FOREIGN AGENTS begins with testimony and subpoenaed documents from the 1963 Senate investigation into the activities of the agents of foreign principals. Senator J.W. Fulbright's discovery of "conduit" money-laundering operations in the US financed by Israeli principals touched off deep and important questions about US lobbying on behalf of the fledgling nation and the applicability of laws such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the Logan Act. The book then uncovers AIPAC election law skirmishes in the 1980s-1990s, analyzing the lobby's! role in establishing and coordinating political action commit! tees and AIPAC's role in alleged election law violations. FOREIGN AGENTS then turns to the question of espionage. In 2005, two AIPAC executives, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, were criminally indicted for violating the 1917 Espionage Act. FOREIGN AGENTS reviews behind-the-scenes defense team motions and judicial decisions affecting First Amendment freedom of speech issues and questions about "inside the Beltway" trafficking in classified US defense information by lobbies. FOREIGN AGENTS evaluates Rosen and Weissman's assertions that the conduct alleged in the indictment was within the scope of their employment with AIPAC and was undertaken for AIPAC's benefit. FOREIGN AGENTS then makes comprehensive recommendations for legal oversight in the context of AIPAC's history as a powerful and secretive foreign agent for Israel.In Job One, editors Peter Magolda and Jill Carnaghi place new professionals' stories "center stage." The book focuses on nine narratives written by new! professionals about their introduction and transitions into Student Affairs work. These stories document the joys and angst felt as new professionals prepare to transition from graduate school-to-work, search for their first Student Affairs position, assimilate campus norms, formulate a professional identity, satisfy supervisors' expectations, mediate cultural conflicts, and remain true to their personal and professional values. This book is a useful resource inviting new professionals, supervisors, and faculty to think differently about the on-going education and needs of new professionals, while offering a new perspective for optimizing new professionals' experiences. Co-published with American College Personnel Association.

Carrie

• ISBN13: 9780671039721
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Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, Carrie "catches the mind, shakes it and refuses to let it go" (Time)! Starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie (in OscarÂ(r)-nominated* performances), John Travolta and Amy Irving, this ultimate revenge fantasy is "absolutely spellbinding" (Roger Ebert), "outrageously witty" (Los Angeles Times) and one of the all-time great horror classics! At the center of the terror is Carrie (Spacek), a tortured high-school misfit with no confidence, no friends...and no idea about the extent of her secret powers of telekinesis. But when her psychotic mother and sadistic classmates finally go too far, the once-shy teen becomes an unrestrained, vengeance-seeking powerhouse! who, with the help of her 'special gift,' causes all hell to break loose in a famed cinematic frenzy of blood, fire and brimstone! *1976: Spacek, Actress; Laurie, Supporting ActressThis terrifying adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel was directed by shock maestro Brian De Palma for maximum, no-holds-barred effect. Sissy Spacek stars as Carrie White, the beleaguered daughter of a religious kook (Piper Laurie) and a social outcast tormented by her cruel, insensitive classmates. When her rage turns into telekinetic powers, however, school's out in every sense of the word. De Palma's horrific climax in a school gym lingers forever in the memory, though the film is also built upon Spacek's remarkable performance and Piper Laurie's outlandishly creepy one. John Travolta has a small part as a thug, De Palma's future wife, Nancy Allen, is his girlfriend, and Amy Irving makes her screen debut as one of the girls giving Carrie a hard time. --Tom KeoghBased o! n the best-selling Stephen King novel, Carrie "catches the min! d, shake s it and refuses to let it go" (Time)! Starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie (in OscarÂ(r)-nominated* performances), John Travolta and Amy Irving, this ultimate revenge fantasy is "absolutely spellbinding" (Roger Ebert), "outrageously witty" (Los Angeles Times) and one of the all-time great horror classics! At the center of the terror is Carrie (Spacek), a tortured high-school misfit with no confidence, no friends...and no idea about the extent of her secret powers of telekinesis. But when her psychotic mother and sadistic classmates finally go too far, the once-shy teen becomes an unrestrained, vengeance-seeking powerhouse who, with the help of her 'special gift,' causes all hell to break loose in a famed cinematic frenzy of blood, fire and brimstone!This terrifying adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel was directed by shock maestro Brian De Palma for maximum, no-holds-barred effect. Sissy Spacek stars as Carrie White, the beleaguered daughter of a religi! ous kook (Piper Laurie) and a social outcast tormented by her cruel, insensitive classmates. When her rage turns into telekinetic powers, however, school's out in every sense of the word. De Palma's horrific climax in a school gym lingers forever in the memory, though the film is also built upon Spacek's remarkable performance and Piper Laurie's outlandishly creepy one. John Travolta has a small part as a thug, De Palma's future wife, Nancy Allen, is his girlfriend, and Amy Irving makes her screen debut as one of the girls giving Carrie a hard time. --Tom KeoghA modern classic, Carrie introduced a distinctive new voice in American fiction -- Stephen King. The story of misunderstood high school girl Carrie White, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge, remains one of the most barrier-breaking and shocking novels of all time.

Make a date with terror and live the nightmare that is...CarrieWhy read Carrie? Stephe! n King himself has said that he finds his early work "raw," an! d Brian De Palma's movie was so successful that we feel like we have read the novel even if we never have. The simple answer is that this is a very scary story, one that works as well--if not better--on the page as on the screen. Carrie White, menaced by bullies at school and her religious nut of a mother at home, gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers, powers that will eventually be turned on her tormentors. King has a way of getting under the skin of his readers by creating an utterly believable world that throbs with menace before finally exploding. He builds the tension in this early work by piecing together extracts from newspaper reports, journals, and scientific papers, as well as more traditional first- and third-person narrative in order to reveal what lurks beneath the surface of Chamberlain, Maine.

News item from the Westover (ME) weekly Enterprise, August 19, 1966: "Rain of Stones Reported: It was reliably reported by several ! persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th."

Although the supernatural pyrotechnics are handled with King's customary aplomb, it is the carefully drawn portrait of the little horrors of small towns, high schools, and adolescent sexuality that give this novel its power, and assures its place in the King canon. --Simon Leake

Goal! - The Dream Begins

• Like the inspiring heroes in MIRACLE, REMEMBER THE TITANS, and THE ROOKIE, the amazingly gifted Santiago Mu ez, a young immigrant living in the barrios of Los Angeles, has an impossible dream -- to play soccer for a world team. Unexpectedly getting a tryout with one of England's premier soccer clubs, Newcastle United, Santiago finds himself totally alone in a world where soccer is a religion a

Like the inspiring heroes in MIRACLE, REMEMBER THE TITANS, and THE ROOKIE, the amazingly gifted Santiago Mu?ez, a young immigrant living in the barrios of Los Angeles, has an impossible dream -- to play soccer for a world class team. Unexpectedly getting a tryout with one of England's premier soccer clubs, Newcastle United, Santiago finds himself totally alone in a world where soccer is a religion and the players are gods. Now he not only has to prove he has the passion, talent, and determination to mak! e it alongside the best in the world, but he has to overcome his own demons and those of others. Filled with memorable characters, great heart, and real-life soccer legends, GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS is a triumphant story about believing in your dreams.You'd have to be a heartless curmudgeon to dislike a movie as enjoyably sincere as Goal! The Dream Begins. Yes, the corny title tells you all you need to know about this rags-to-riches soccer tale, but like Hoosiers and Rudy, this conventional sports drama rises above its familiar plot with an engaging cast and some pleasant surprises along the way. The first in a proposed trilogy that will follow young Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) as he rises to prominence in the competitive world of British soccer, this one begins by showing how Santiago, an undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles, attracts the attention of a talent scout (Stephen Dillane), who arranges a tryout for England's prestigious team, Newcastle Unit! ed. It's rough going for a beleaguered trainee who suffers fro! m asthma , but soon Santiago is befriended by a hard-partying soccer star (Alessandro Nivola) and he's on his way to reaching his…Goal! It's all very inevitable, but director Danny Cannon makes the most of this inspiring story by exploiting the unexpected subtleties in an otherwise predictable screenplay: Santigo's relationship with his seemingly unsupportive father (Tony Plana) gains additional resonance as the story unfolds; a local nurse (Anna Friel) turns out to be more than a routine love interest; and Newcastle's German manager (Marcel Iures) is a wry, colorful character who works miracles with his unruly squad of players. Add some obligatory cameo appearances by real-life soccer stars including (of course) the great David Beckham, and you've got a modest, likable hit that delivers exactly what it promises, and a little bit more. --Jeff Shannon

FELICIA'S JOURNEY ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTER

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A moving and chilling portrait of a serial killer who befriends innocent young women in need only to turn them into his victims. Felicia is the latest of his prospects to fall into the grasp of his deceptive charm. Special features: commentary with director atom egoyan theatrical trailer and much more. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/22/2007 Starring: Bob Hoskins Elaine Cassidy Run time: 111 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Atom EgoyanLike Hitchcock, Atom Egoyan envisions family life as a potential hotbed of literal or figurative violence and incest. In Felicia's Journey, Egoyan's adaptation of William Trevor's shattering novel, one dreads to imagine what TV-cook mom (Arsinée Khanji! an) did to so damage her pudgy son that grown- up Hilditch (Bob Hoskins) still prepares meals in perfect unison with faded videotapes of her show--and, as we eventually discover, often takes more sinister trips down Memory Lane. Distant kin to Psycho's Tony Perkins, Hoskins's troll is so obsessive, so traumatized, his every short-armed, fat-handed gesture and sing-song utterance is precisely calculated to keep reality safely buried.

Egoyan's movies often seem located underwater, in some surreal dreamscape where one's breath is perpetually suspended while a slow horror seeps ever deeper under the skin. Helpless, transfixed, one watches as his characters drive inexorably toward mined intersections where lives and souls may be lost or redeemed. When Hilditch's path crosses, diverges from, and finally coincides with that of young, pregnant Felicia (Elaine Cassidy)--an Irish innocent searching for her errant boyfriend--it leads to terrible epiphany for thes! e fellow travelers. Trouble is, creepy Hilditch and too-naive ! Felicia come up a bit short in the psychological complexity department, so by film's end, revelatory payoffs are mostly penny ante. Felica's Journey tours familiar Egoyan territory--an industrialized wasteland full of hungry hearts--but this latest fairy tale (think perverse variations on Hansel and Gretel) isn't in the same league with such "family values" masterpieces as Exotica or The Sweet Hereafter. --Kathleen MurphyYoung, pregnant, unmarried, and penniless, Felicia leaves her Irish hometown to search for her boyfriend in the English Midlands, only to fall in with the obese, fiftyish Mr. Hilditch, in a tale of psychological suspense. Reprint. Winner of the Whitbread Fiction & Sunday Express Prizes. NYT. Felicia's Journey is a simple tale told with a subtle complexity. Felicia is an Irish country girl who has come to England to look for her jilted lover. Hilditch is a mild-mannered, gentle psychopath who lures the helple! ss Felicia into his trap. Interestingly, we see the story from each character's eyes when they are separate, but from Hilditch's view when they are together. It is an unusual and effective device that distorts the perspective and adds texture to a classic story. Trevor won a Whitbread Prize in 1994 for Felicia's Journey.Like Hitchcock, Atom Egoyan envisions family life as a potential hotbed of literal or figurative violence and incest. In Felicia's Journey, Egoyan's adaptation of William Trevor's shattering novel, one dreads to imagine what TV-cook mom (Arsinée Khanjian) did to so damage her pudgy son that grown- up Hilditch (Bob Hoskins) still prepares meals in perfect unison with faded videotapes of her show--and, as we eventually discover, often takes more sinister trips down Memory Lane. Distant kin to Psycho's Tony Perkins, Hoskins's troll is so obsessive, so traumatized, his every short-armed, fat-handed gesture and sing-song utteranc! e is precisely calculated to keep reality safely buried.

! Egoyan' s movies often seem located underwater, in some surreal dreamscape where one's breath is perpetually suspended while a slow horror seeps ever deeper under the skin. Helpless, transfixed, one watches as his characters drive inexorably toward mined intersections where lives and souls may be lost or redeemed. When Hilditch's path crosses, diverges from, and finally coincides with that of young, pregnant Felicia (Elaine Cassidy)--an Irish innocent searching for her errant boyfriend--it leads to terrible epiphany for these fellow travelers. Trouble is, creepy Hilditch and too-naive Felicia come up a bit short in the psychological complexity department, so by film's end, revelatory payoffs are mostly penny ante. Felica's Journey tours familiar Egoyan territory--an industrialized wasteland full of hungry hearts--but this latest fairy tale (think perverse variations on Hansel and Gretel) isn't in the same league with such "family values" masterpieces as Exotica or The Sweet Hereafter. --Kathleen MurphyDanna offers a strange experiment on this score to Atom Egoyan's wistful and sinister film. He combines his familiar Celtic dirges, the nail-grating violins associated with Bartók, and some scattered traces of evil, backward-looping noises. Danna also (probably inadvertently) forges an under-explored link between New Age and the easy-listening style once referred to as "Beautiful Music." Oddly, the most intriguing elements are the reverberant Mantovani-style strings, none of which is Danna's own creation. He instead takes them directly from old and uncredited archival library recordings. Still, there are some interesting moments, as heavenly and sentimental moods fuse with the dark and foreboding. Included are two songs by crooner Malcolm Vaughan and a brief a-capella rendition of "My Special Angel" by the film's star, Bob Hoskins (!). --Joseph Lanza PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: At Moviestore we have an unbeatable ! range of both original and classic high quality reproduction m! ovie pos ters. Movie poster art is a wonderful collectible item and great for home or office decor. We have been in business for 16 years so you can buy with confidence. Our guarantee - if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase from Moviestore we will gladly refund your money.

Far Side of the Moon

• Based on his stage play of the same name, Robert Lepage directs and stars in this drama about a day-dreamy man still very much infuenced by the pull of his deceased mother. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 807839002331 UPC: 807839002331 Manufacturer No: TLAD156

From the creator and director of Cirque du Soleils hit show K (Robert Lepage) comes this visually dazzling, playfully surreal and wryly comedic look at the human quest for meaning. Reminiscent of a French-Canadian Woody Allen, Lepage himself stars in the dual roles of Phillippe and Andre, brothers from Quebec at odds after the loss of their mother. Featuring a fantastic score and breathtaking special effects, Far Side of the Moon is a whimsical and irreverently hilarious look at the effects of gravity on the human soul.A quiet film by French-Canadian Robert Lepage (creator of Cirque du Soleil's hit "Ka" production), ! Far Side of the Moon is a thoughtful look at a middle-aged man who is lonely, underemployed, and respected by no one--not even his twin brother. Lepage plays the dual roles of outcast Phillippe, a fortysomething telemarketer trying to earn his doctorate, and Andre, a selfish and lazy weatherman. When their mother dies, Phillippe is heartbroken. Andre is more pragmatic--she was sick, it was her time to go. Some of the film's best moments are of a somber Phillippe having a conversation with his unseen brother. When he calls Andre to ask if he'll take care of their mom's goldfish, the viewer can extrapolate exactly what Andre said by Phillippe's comment: "You're allergic when you eat fish, not when you feed it." Spoken in French, the film's most poignant and dynamic vignettes aren't of Phillippe's recollections of his mother, but his moments alone videotaping all the things that mean the most to him, which he hopes will be archived for any extraterrestrials who may be c! urious about earth. The film moves at a slow pace that belies ! its runn ing time of 106 minutes. But it's a charming film, with a surreal ending that befits a dreamer like Phillippe. --Jae-Ha Kim

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season Two

• Experience the ABC Family series that has become a cultural phenomenon from coast to coast. THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER is more engaging than ever in its sensational second season. As Amy's due date approaches, her secret marriage to Ben complicates matters even further. Watch as their relationship twists and turns, and discover what the future holds for Ricky, Jack and the rest of yo

Experience the ABC Family series that has become a cultural phenomenon from coast to coast. The Secret Life of the American Teenager is more engaging than ever in its sensational second season. As Amy's due date approaches, her secret marriage to Ben complicates matters even further. Watch as their relationship twists and turns, and discover what the future holds for Ricky, Jack and the rest of your favorite characters. Enjoy every episode of the celebrated series as it tackles the issues of ! today with humor and heart. Complete with exciting bonus material, The Secret Life of the American Teenager is even better on DVD!High school is challenging enough for most teenagers--doubly so for a pregnant 15-year-old. Amy (Shailene Woodley) and Ben (Ken Baumann) start the year by planning a wedding at the same time her mother, Anne (Molly Ringwald, who sings the pop-tastic theme song), looks for work and files for divorce from the obnoxious George (Mark Derwin), leaving Amy out of luck in the childcare department. It almost plays like a sequel to Saved!, except the comedy isn't quite so edgy. Amy's friends include good girl Grace (Megan Park) and bad girl Adrian (Francia Raisa), with whom she has something in common: "troubled narcissistic underachiever" Ricky (Darren Kagasoff), the father of her baby, who dates Grace by day and sleeps with Adrian by night.

The Secret Life is, essentially, a teen soap, an impression reinforced by the presence ! of Beverly Hills 90210's Jason Priestley in the directo! r’s ch air and Melrose Place's Josie Bissett as Grace's mom (another familiar primetime face, John Schneider, plays her father), but it still bears comparison to Brenda Hampton's 7th Heaven, since there are several well adjusted Christian characters, like the Bowmans (Grace's family) and the Stones (Grace's sometime-boyfriend Jack's family).

As the second season swings into full gear, Anne meets a new man, Adrian falls for her stepbrother, Amy's sarcastic 13-year-old sister, Ashley (India Eisley), gets her first boyfriend, and Amy finally decides whether to keep the baby or not. Supplemental materials include the featurette "Character Secrets," in which the actors discuss their roles, and "Cast Close-ups," in which they reveal information about themselves. Ringwald, for instance, cites The Breakfast Club as the top pick from her filmography, while Baumann acknowledges that he used to be a department-store-catalog model. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Friends & Lovers

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Erin Snyder has given up on men. Once she has sex with them, they never call her again. She has to be doing something wrong, but has no idea what. She decides only her best friend Luke Duvall can help her.

Luke can’t believe Erin’s suggestion that they have sex. No matter how alluring or attractive he finds her, he doesn’t want to mess up their friendship by bringing sex into it.

A combination of a hot evening, a cool swimming pool, and steamy conversation breaks down Luke’s reservations. He and Erin have the wildest, most earth-shattering sex either of them have ever experienced.

Doubts plague both of them the next morning. If they take a risk on falling in love, it will either change their friendship into something more precious, or destroy it forever.

Approxim! ately 14,000 words.
Erin Snyder has given up on men. Once she has sex with them, they never call her again. She has to be doing something wrong, but has no idea what. She decides only her best friend Luke Duvall can help her.

Luke can’t believe Erin’s suggestion that they have sex. No matter how alluring or attractive he finds her, he doesn’t want to mess up their friendship by bringing sex into it.

A combination of a hot evening, a cool swimming pool, and steamy conversation breaks down Luke’s reservations. He and Erin have the wildest, most earth-shattering sex either of them have ever experienced.

Doubts plague both of them the next morning. If they take a risk on falling in love, it will either change their friendship into something more precious, or destroy it forever.

Approximately 14,000 words.
Six minority lesbians navigate their way through life s challenges with attitude and a fabulous sense of style! Since its debut! in 2008, THE LOVERS & FRIENDS SHOW, with its honest and often! humorou s depiction of urban lesbian life, has opened the eyes of people within and outside of the LBGT community. Charming, funny, bright, seductive and mischievous are just a few of the words describing the characters: Lisa (Kendall Starr), a med student new to the world of lesbianism; Kai (Marlaina Law), the best friend with the heart of gold who is dealing with her psycho ex-girlfriend; Tori (Nicole Pina), the entertainment columnist who falls in love with her boss; Yasmin (BeBe Brunswick), an outspoken political firecracker; Mercedes (Christy Rodriguez), the social climbing magazine editor and Dre (Shakelia Tharpe), the bad boy sweet talker who keeps a flock of women.Reed Lewis thinks his best friend, Paige Thomas, is engaged to the wrong man, so he devises a holiday ruse to make her see things his way. Celebrate the season with a light-hearted holiday romp about two friends on the path to becoming so much more, and the grandmother who helps them get there.

REVI! EWS
". . .a sham engagement between two longtime attorney friends leads to the real thing just in time for New Year's Eve in Angela D. Benson's funny and engaging 'Friend and Lover'." -Library Journal

"This was a hilarious story of two people with truly a loving friendship. . .If you have not read this one, then you must read it. It is not only funny, but touching. I am sure that you will enjoy it." --Reader from Baton Rouge, LAReed Lewis thinks his best friend, Paige Thomas, is engaged to the wrong man, so he devises a holiday ruse to make her see things his way. Celebrate the season with a light-hearted holiday romp about two friends on the path to becoming so much more, and the grandmother who helps them get there.

REVIEWS
". . .a sham engagement between two longtime attorney friends leads to the real thing just in time for New Year's Eve in Angela D. Benson's funny and engaging 'Friend and Lover'." -Library Journal

"This was a hilarious! story of two people with truly a loving friendship. . .If you! have no t read this one, then you must read it. It is not only funny, but touching. I am sure that you will enjoy it." --Reader from Baton Rouge, LAWhat happens when friends cross the line and become lovers? Lies fly, emotions erupt, and the stage is set for a totally uncensored, hilarious, and outrageously entertaining adventure in seduction, betrayal, heartbreak, revenge, and oh-so-sweet true love. Shelby Daniels and her best friend Debra Mitchell have just gotten off the sex-before-marriage merry-go-round with men. Each has gone looking for love, found love, lost love, and at this point, sworn off men forever-- until Debra meets Leonard DuBois, an aspiring stand-up comedian who tries to laugh his way into her heart. But the laughter stops when he is forced to confront some hurdles of his own. Debra has devoted her mind, body, heart and soul to God, so if he wants to ride with her, he'll have to produce the ring. In the meantime, feisty, nosy, attitude-packing flight attendant She! lby keeps intervening in Debra's business. Needing someone to run interference and get rid of Shelby, Leonard calls on his best buddy, Tyrel, a sexy and charming computer software designer unable to design the perfect woman. On the rebound, Shelby keeps her heart locked away, but when Tyrel finds the key, the attraction is instant and so are the consequences. Their relationship moves at warp speed, leaving Shelby confronting a decision that could turn her whole life around and break both of their hearts. As a result, friendships fall by the wayside, jealousy come into play, and sisterhood is torn apart. It takes tragedy on a grand scale to reunite lovers destined for each other and teach both couples that friendship is perhaps the most valuable gift they've been given in this hilarious tale of friendship, love, and faith that speaks directly to the heart. Based on the best-selling novel by Eric Jerome Dickey (EJD).