My grandmother grew begonias. Her garden was a screened patio that defied the hot Sonoma Valley sun, and in the summer it overflowed with pots and baskets of tuberous begonias.

NEW YORK -- The box-office performance of Peter Jackson's "King Kong" wasn't as chest-thumping as many expected. But to be fair, $217 million isn't terrible, nor was the $520 million worldwide take. It was well received by critics, nominated for four Oscars and won three: visual effects, sound and sound editing.

NEW YORK -- Ever wonder what Bart Simpson would look like in human form?

"Stay Alive" -- If you die in the video game, you die in real life. This is a cool/potentially creepy idea if you're in high school and goofing around with your friends at the movie theater on a Friday (as many were during a recent matinee, which this critic had to attend because the film wasn't screened before opening). For everyone else, this isn't just a preposterous premise for a horror movie, it's a source of unintentional hilarity. Recycling ideas from "The Lawnmower Man," the "Final Destination" movies, the third "Spy Kids" and "Tron," "Stay Alive," features an underground video game that a bunch of teenagers feel compelled to play because it was the last thing one of their friends was doing before he died. The gamers (including Jon Foster, Sophia Bush, Samaire Armstrong and Adam Goldberg) eventually realize that the characters on screen look just like them, and that "Stay Alive" is making them see and hear things even after they've stopped playing. Then when they begin dropping one by one in exactly the manner they die on screen, they get even more freaked out. Dude! PG-13 for horror violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual and drug content. 85 min. One star out of four.

LOS ANGELES -- Singer Buck Owens, the flashy rhinestone cowboy who shaped the sound of country music with hits like "Act Naturally" and brought the genre to TV on the long-running "Hee Haw," died Saturday. He was 76.

The late-blooming Matthew Bourne is a risk taker.

LOS ANGELES -- Angela Lansbury is thrilled with knee replacement surgery, saying it has allowed her to dance again.

Celebrated throughout Europe -- and more recently on this side of the Atlantic -- for her novel musical talents, soulful singer Cesaria Evora thrilled a cheering throng at the first of two appearances this weekend at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall.

Imagine living in fear of your domestic partner. Wondering if tonight will be the night that you or your children are abused?

Several years ago in a writing class we were given the topic, "Hair," for the next assignment. When later we shared our work, I was struck by the impassioned feelings expressed, especially by the women in the group. The men tended to write about their first barbershop experience or the wonders of their girlfriend's hair. But for us women it was obvious that hair was a subject close to our hearts.

Education

Other than what they've picked up by watching "M*A*S*H" or from a relative or family friend who served in the protracted Korean War, Americans know very little about the eastern Asian peninsula bordered by the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea.

Peter Pahk, executive chef, Silverado Resort

Pahk, Oestreich share chef of the year title

BATON ROUGE, La. -- If you have had one of those weeks with problems at work, fatigue at home, too much traffic and family making demands, you need a big dose of comfort food. What better to calm the soul than a good beef brisket?

Sharpening your sense of taste, learning to identify and understand different flavors, will take your cooking to a new level. And as your mental catalog of flavors builds up, so will knowledge of how they layer and interact. This entrancing -- and endless -- process of learning is given a savory endorsement in the March issue of Cooking Light magazine, in a feature about using all five senses when you cook.

Vincent Nattress, executive chef, Meadowood

Screaming Eagle -- the internationally renowned and best-known of all California cult cabernets -- has been sold to a California financier and his partner, the owner of two Colorado sports teams.

It seems bigger is indeed better when it comes to kitchens and baths.

What is the single most damaging element in the home today? Here are some clues: It causes cracks in plaster and wallboard -- especially over windows and doors. It causes doors to catch and stick. It is the reason for mildew on window sills and in showers and the reason why basements and crawl spaces reek with the smell of thriving fungus and bacteria.

SACRAMENTO -- Do you have questions about hiring and managing building contractors? The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) has answers. For more information, or to check out a contractor's license, bond and workers' compensation insurance information, visit the CSLB Web site at www.cslb.ca.gov.

A subject of conversational interest, a continuing trend in the design industry, a phrase that many struggle to pronounce correctly, feng shui is a popular topic.

When people feel uncertainty and concern with the quality of their life, they are naturally drawn to conversations about organizing. When they realize they are spending too much time looking for their keys or gathering the kids in the morning, they tend to seek out solutions to simplify their lives. Ironically, people believe the mainstream organizing solutions will work for them, but really they only apply to 25 percent of the population. Every organizing situation is completely different, just as each person trying to get organized is different.

Orchid show today

Monica Wilson of Napa and Thomas Knecht Jr., of San Carlos, announce their engagement with plans to marry July 22, 2006, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Napa.

Edward Allen Skinner Jr. and Eunice A. Jamison announce their engagement with plans to marry June 11, 2006, in the Fellowship Hall at the Meadows Retirement Center, where they are both residents.

Queen of the Valley

Residents of Napa, Stephanie Holdermann and Benjamin Nelson announce their engagement.

ESCALONA -- Carlos Escalona vs. Jovita Escalona, March 10, 2006

BARWICK-GARTON -- Edward Ignatius Barwick, 79, Monez Boulevard, Napa, to Linda Carol Garton, 61, Monez Boulevard, Napa.