| When one of me suddenly became three
Because of a twist of fate, I became a grandmother nearly concurrently with becoming a mother, not long after I was reunited with the daughter I had given up for adoption decades before. By the time I found her -- I was 42 and she 25 -- my daughter, who would soon have a child herself, had been with several mothers, but none who had stayed. I never had another child. In this way we needed each other; our wounds were clean and deep. It was the policy of the maternity home where I had spent six sullen, lethargic months that I give her up sight unseen -- that she be whisked away while I was still unconscious. I wasn't meant to remember, let alone find her. But blood is heavy; it soaks and stains. Although I had given birth, I had no experience as a mother, only as a daughter and granddaughter who had had a splendid childhood replete with four grandmothers (maternal, paternal and two greats), a brood of doting females for whom my simple existence was cause for celebration.
In theaters
OPENING FRIDAY: 'Beowulf': Legendary warrior Beowulf battles a demon and the beast's ruthless and seductive mother, played by Angelina Jolie. Anthony Hopkins joins the big-name villain roster as corrupt King Hrothgar. Rated PG-13. 'Eleven Men Out': A soccerstar tells a journalist he's gay -- and surprises his beauty-queen wife and macho coach. Then his career takes some surprising twists. Rated R. 'Love in the Time of Cholera': The romantic and lusty saga of a man who waits more than 50 years to be with his true love -- and seduces hundreds of other women along the way. Rated R. 'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium': Family fare about a magic toy store where everything comes to life and a shop girl who doesn't believe she can keep the fantasy intact. Rated G. 'Naked Boys Singing': Screen adaptation of hit musical featuring all-nude hunks with voices to match their physiques.
'Beauty and the Geek' TV show to scout Madison
The television program "Beauty and the Geek" is coming to Madison to find contestants for the fifth season of the reality show. Representatives of the production will be at the University Book Store on 711 State Street next Saturday, Dec. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to audition both "geeks" and "beauties," as the show calls them, in an open casting call. Since audition signs have been posted, "students have been inquiring quite often, actually," said Kevin Phelps, vice president of UBS. "It seems like it's kind of a hot topic down on campus." The show, which airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on the CW Network (WBUW/Ch. 57 in Madison), pairs up awkward, brainy men with little or no dating experience and women who are physically attractive but lacking scholarly success to compete for a $250,000 jackpot.
Asian Film Festival expands
As long as it has existed, the 4 Star's annual San Francisco Asian Film Festival has been an upstart event on the city's film festival calendar - no corporate advertising, an eclectic lineup of movies and perennially confused in many moviegoers' minds with the bigger, better-funded Asian American Film Festival that takes place in March. For the 10th festival, 4 Star owner Frank Lee decided to think bigger. For the first time, the event will open and close at the Castro Theatre, beginning Thursday with a pre-film party and a movie that will need every inch of the Castro's big screen to do it justice: "Genghis Khan: To the Ends of Earth and Sea," a Japanese take on the Mongol warrior that was filmed on location in Mongolia and cost $30 million (which means it would have cost more than $100 million in Hollywood).
SUNDAY'S CALENDAR
Louisiana Swamp Festival Audubon Zoo, 6500 Magazine St. Louisiana food, crafts, folk art demonstrations and music on three stages with Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys, Dikki Du & the Zydeco Crew, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Rockin' Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters, Jeff & Vida, Hadley Castille & his Sharecropper Band, Tout Les Soir and Le Bon Ton Cajun Band, 10 a.m.-5. By zoo admission, $12 adults, $9 seniors, $7 children ages 2-12, free for members. Call 581-4629. Gospel Arts Festival Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Artists and craft vendors show their work along with music by The Israelite Baptist Church Choir, Living Witness Ministries, Rev. Lois DeJean, Jo Cool Davis, The Zulu Ensemble, The Heavenly Harmonies and Vision Quest from Dillard University, 1-5.
Weekly Recap Of Global Events
US State Department investigators have promised Blackwater bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last month's killing of 17 Iraqi civilians at the Nisoor Square in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Mansour in Baghdad. The move is likely to infuriate Iraqis who have been demanding that Blackwater pay $8 million in compensation to families of each of the 17 bereaved families. However, in theory, the government can still prosecute, but would have to prove that its evidence was not derived from statements Blackwater guards gave to the State Department'sBureau of Diplomatic Security. Meanwhile, several hundred US diplomats are protesting the State Department's decision to force foreign service officers to accept postings in war-torn Iraq. Nearly 300 diplomats likened the largest diplomatic call-up since the Vietnam War to a "potential death sentence." Many have also questioned about the ethics of sending diplomats against their will to work in a war zone.
In it to win it / The Chronicle's Turkey Training Camp Cook-Off had a twist this year - home cooks put their best ...
One contestant brought knives; another brought fire. The Presbyterian minister brought her secret weapon: God. But did she and the rest of her team have a prayer in this battle for the ultimate bragging rights of top Thanksgiving chef? This year we decided to shake up The Chronicle Food section's annual Turkey Training Camp. In the past, Turkey Training was all about finding who among our readers were novice cooks and teaching them how to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner from scratch. This time, they taught us - while engaging in a little culinary warfare a la "Iron Chef" competition. On an unseasonably warm November Sunday, eight hand-picked contestants arrived early at The Chronicle's kitchen stadium - OK, it was just our test kitchen - to do battle in the "So You Think You Can Cook" contest.
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