THEATER REVIEW
'Déjá Vu' perfectly fits mold of French farce
Adroit farceurs provide the pleasure in a followthe-formula comedy about the French, sex and identity.
( BY CHRISTINE DOLEN, cdolen@herald.com, 01/12/2004 03:01 AM EST)

THE LATEST RAGE
A sushi bar (re)buffed
The nearly naked models serving as sushi plates at a Seattle restaurant have drawn the ire of local women's rights activists. They've also drawn a line of patrons.
( BY J. PATRICK COOLICAN, Seattle Times, 01/12/2004 03:01 AM EST)

MEDIA PERSONALITIES
The hardest working guy on the air
In the world of radio and television hosts, Ryan Seacrest is the real American idol.
( BY HOWARD COHEN, hcohen@herald.com, 01/12/2004 03:01 AM EST)

TROPICAL NIGHTS
VIPs hob nob at Art Miami reception
Who says the economy is hurting? If the way paintings were selling within the first half hour of Art Miami on Wednesday is an indication, the tide must be turning.
( BY DAISY OLIVERA, dolivera@herald.com, 01/12/2004 03:01 AM EST)

HOBBIES
Hotties: Radioactive stuff keeps hobbyists aglow
Collectors use Geiger counters to find their prizes. The most fanatical probe everything in sight: cat litter, camera lenses, old spark plugs.
( BY STEVEN LEVINGSTON, Washington Post Service, 01/12/2004 03:01 AM EST)

The next Pavarotti?
Salvatore Licitra is the latest Italian male singer to shake up the opera world
He was just plain up-and-coming, then he stumbled into history. Salvatore Licitra, who makes his South Florida debut Friday night in Norma, already was on track for a promising career in Milan when a call came from New York asking the impossible: Could he fill in for Luciano Pavarotti? Right away?
( BY OCTAVIO ROCA, oroca@herald.com, 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

Guys: It's time to turn over a new leaf blower
Have you ever wondered why the entire world runs so smoothly? The answer is: Guys. Don't get me wrong: I have the deepest respect for women. My own wife is a woman. But when things need to get done, you cannot beat the results you get when guys swing into action.
( DAVE BARRY, 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

Bikel's choice: to keep the faith
With powerful simplicity, The Chosen tells of Jewish fathers and sons, and the rift that comes from different ways of looking at the world.
Theodore Bikel has played, quite convincingly, a dizzying variety of roles. His résumé reads like a United Nations of characters: a Southern sheriff in The Defiant Ones, the pompous Hungarian linguist in My Fair Lady, the Russian sub captain in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, the life-loving Greek man in Zorba, Tevye the beloved Russian-Jewish dairyman in nearly 2,100 performances of Fiddler on the Roof.
( BY CHRISTINE DOLEN, cdolen@herald.com, 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

UP FRONT | LIFESTYLES
Living with parents lets young adults build careers and savings
Beth Cohen, a public-relations account executive in her mid-20s, goes home to the same room she has occupied since birth. She pads around in Cookie Monster slippers. Stuffed bears and images of Justin Timberlake watch over her as she sleeps.
( BY DANIEL de VISE, ddevise@herald.com, 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

TARA SOLOMON k
Couple locked in battle for the remote control
ADVICE DIVA Dear Advice Diva: My girlfriend and I are having major remote control issues, and I'm praying that you can help us out before we kill each other! After we get home from work we like to chill and watch the tube, but her idea of what's entertainment is insane. I'm cool with the reality shows, but if I have to sit through one more episode of Rich Girls, The Simple Life or Celebrity Gossip, I'm gonna puke! Why do chicks insist on watching such drivel?
( 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

WATCH IT GROW
Below 45 degrees, plant goes dormant
Common name: Alocasia `Polly.' Botanical name: Alocasia x amazonica `Polly.' Description: A dwarf form of Alocasia x amazonica that was selected by South Miami-Dade grower Dennis Rotolante in 1993. The plant is hardier and stronger than the namesake from which it was developed. The plant has been put into tissue culture and mass produced. When temperatures drop below 45 degrees, Polly will go dormant, according to information from Agristarts, the company in Central Florida that grows it.
( 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

TELEVISION
Awesome 'Astro Boy' is back 40 years later
s Most young viewers aren't familiar with ''Astro Boy,'' the popular cartoon robot from the 1960s. But without him, they might not have enjoyed such current animated favorites as Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z.
( BY STEPHEN BATTAGLIO, New York Daily News, 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

ADRIAN HUNSBERGER, Plant Clinic
Ixora's yellow leaves indicate deficiency
Q: I have a shrub with clusters of burnt-orange colored flowers. It always seems to have yellow leaves. What is this plant and how do I make it green?
( 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)

Garden Notes
Enrollment is now open for classes at Fairchild Tropical Garden. Day and evening classes are scheduled in January, February and March. Call 305-667-1651, ext. 3322, for more information or to enroll. A complete schedule is at www.fairchildgarden.org.
( 01/11/2004 03:01 AM EST)