BEST OF THE BRITS: The Beatles "A Day in the Life" has been named the Greatest British Song of All Time in yet another poll of the greatest British songs of all time, this one conducted by Q Magazine. Life, was followed by the Kinks' 'sublime "Waterloo Sunset," Oasis' "Wonderwall" (which topped this earlier poll), the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen," and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which was the only song in Q's top five to appear in this poll of the best songs of each of the last five decades, as well as the Virgin Radio poll, which may make it the consensus greatest British song of all time, though I prefer this version).

MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE HELD "FATHER OF THE PRIDE" UNTIL NOW: In happy news, Roy Horn is walking under his own power and without aid of a walker (and seeing "Avenue Q" in Vegas while he's at it), less than two years after the unpleasant incident with his white tiger Montecore.

OFFENSE PUTS ASSES IN SEATS, BUT DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: I attended a preview screening of Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes Sunday night. Let me tell you about it.

In Her Shoes tells the story of Simon Stein (Mark Feuerstein), an intelligent, caring lawyer from the gritty streets of Philadelphia, and how his kindness, wit and animal-like erotic charge helped two sisters patch long-seated grievances. His empathetic demeanor and Semitic good looks form the anchor of this moving dramedy. When he is on the screen, you are transfixed; when he is not, you ask, Where's Simon? Is he okay? Is he having any emotional epiphanies without me?

Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine are all in the movie as well, and they're pretty good too. Also worth noting is first-time actress Jennifer Weiner, who adds important local realism with her jaunty gait behind Collette and Brooke Smith in Philadelphia's Italian Market.
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Seriously, I'm kvelling. This is an exceptional movie which perfectly captures the emotional depth and humor of Jen's book, and both Hanson and screenwriter Susannah Grant did a phenomenal job in turning a great book into a great movie. You will enjoy, come October 7.

"TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART" BETTER BE IN THE TOP 10: Blender Magazine, which takes delight at tweaking the Baby Boomer-skewing Rolling Stone, will once again mock Jann Wenner's baby by counting down the 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born (provided you are 25 or under) in its next issue. The list is a direct response to RS's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time last year, in which Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" (no relation) topped the list. Blender's list is headed by an obscure R&B artist named Michael Jackson who had some hits in the '80s before becoming embroiled in legal troubles. His "Billie Jean" is followed by Outkast's lament about the former name of the Arizona Diamondbacks home field, "B.O.B." and Guns N' Roses' cover of the Sheryl Crow song "Sweet Child O' Mine," a song which forever convinced the band the key to their success was dropping the consonants off its prepositions.

DARTH VADER IS LUKE'S FATHER: A warning for sensitive viewers--the TiVo/TV Guide descriptions of this week's and next week's episodes of Gilmore Girls contain substantial spoilers, including the answer given to last season's season-ending cliffhanger proposal, so be wary. I'm often too much of a spoiler whore for my own good (I peeked in the novelization to confirm whether the rumors of deaths in Serenity are true, and if so, who the victims are), but I know certain folks are wary.

Also, don't forget to set your TiVo's to appropriate things to the new season--if you prefer Boston Legal to L&O:SVU, make sure Boston Legal is higher in your Season Pass list, and make sure to resolve the West Wing and Simpsons conflict, as that starts in two weeks. Also, be careful with your Lost season passes if you also plan to watch Apprentice: Martha or Top Model--ABC is airing a recap/preview special at 8 PM next Wednesday before the new season starts.

"YOU KNOW WHAT? I DID WIN." The Times catches up with Project Runway runner-up and ALOTT5MA fave Kara Saun, who has been keeping quite busy since the show.

WERE THEIR EYES WATCHING GOD? Roger Ebert's Great Movies series tackles one of my favorites today, Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors.

The movie did not win an Oscar from among its three nominations -- Martin Landau lost to Denzel Washington (Glory) for Best Supporting Actor; Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July) took his second Best Director statue over Woody Allen, who also lost Best Original Screenplay to Tom Schulman for Dead Poets Society. At least on that one, Woody was in good company -- other "losers" in category were Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing), Steven Soderbergh (sex, lies, and videotape) and Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally . . . ).

C&M remains the masterwork of Allen's post-Annie/Manhattan period, a film which defies easy categorization. A comedy about the absence of God? A tragedy about infidelity and temptation? A sly preview of "Law & Order", with Sam Waterston and Jerry Orbach in key supporting roles?

I'm fond of Ebert's summary: "The evil are rewarded, the blameless are punished, and the rabbi goes blind." Now, that's a movie.