MOVIE 'NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS' STILL CAPTIVATING

Nearly 13 years after Johnny Castle first yanked Baby out of her corner and twirled her into the spotlight, "Dirty Dancing" still boasts a wide, passionate and primarily female fan base. Which is why yet another version has been issued, just in time for last-minute Mother's Day shopping.

The " Dirty Dancing: Limited Keepsake Edition" —out on DVD ($30) and Blu-ray ($35) this week — marks the first version of the summer-in-the-Catskills romance released since Swayze's death last year of pancreatic cancer. Both two-disc sets make a point of acknowledging his passing with a 15-minute tribute to Swayze, as well as an In Memoriam montage that salutes several of the key "Dancing" players — actors Jerry Orbach, Jack Weston, Max Cantor and director Emile Ardolino — who have died since the film's 1987 release.

"Dirty Dancing" has demonstrated a tremendous amount of pop cultural staying power over the years. One obvious reason is that women can't resist its fairy-tale love story about a gangly good girl (Jennifer Grey) and the gentle, bad-boy dance instructor (Swayze) who sees a beauty in her that she can't.

Source: www.kansas.com

J.Lo has had highs and lows

Dancer-singer-actress Jennifer Lopez hadn't danced, sung or acted much since taking time off to have kids — though since People reportedly paid her and husband Marc Anthony $4 million to $6 million in 2008 to parade them on a magazine cover, it's ironically the most successful thing she's done in years.

Before her hiatus, she had a string of flop movies, a single that didn't crack the Billboard Top 10, and an American Music Award downshift from favorite pop/rock female artist in 2003 to the more niche favorite Latin artist in 2007. Oh, and her record label just dropped her.

Now the 40-year-old star is calibrating a comeback that has included guest appearances on "How I Met Your Mother," "Saturday Night Live" and reportedly an upcoming episode of "Glee," all to support her romantic comedy "The Back-up Plan," opening Friday.

Source: www.kansas.com

Talking baseball _ on DVD

It's baseball season again. And what better way to get in the spirit — aside from watching an actual game — than by checking out a baseball-themed DVD? Of course, no matter how much you love line-drive classics like "Field of Dreams," "Pride of the Yankees," "The Natural" or even "Major League," you can only watch them so many times without craving something a little different.

With that in mind, here's a lineup of nine worthy but less frequently seen DVDs — one for every inning of the game, and each one connected to the national pastime — that will take you out to the ball game without having to leave the living room.

"The Bad News Bears" (2005): Yes, the 1975 original starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal is the undisputed classic. But Richard Linklater's remake manages to do admirably rebellious justice to the story of a perpetually soused coach (Billy Bob Thornton) and his team of little leaguers with bad attitudes.

Source: www.kansas.com

'Date Night,' 'Titans' clash at weekend box office

LOS ANGELES — Steve Carell and Tina Fey are in a box-office clash with the gods of Mount Olympus.

No. 1 bragging rights for the weekend were too close to call Sunday, with 20th Century Fox estimating a $27.1 million debut for Carell and Fey's comedy "Date Night" and Warner Bros. reporting the action tale "Clash of the Titans" at $26.9 million.

Rankings will be sorted out today when studios release final numbers, which can vary by $1 million or more for some films compared with Sunday estimates.

Source: www.kansas.com