Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 19

rvi DemocratandChronicle.com Friday entertainment Settle in and watch Woody Allen, who has surrounded himself with top-flight talent in Hollywood Ending. Turn to Page 3C living DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE rfe vL If Astronaut urges using science to help society BY STAFF WRITER CHRIS SWINGLE Dr. Mae Jemison an astronaut, doctor and educator will talk in Rochester on Tuesday about the crisis of science illiteracy and society's responsibility to use science and technology 5302 Weird world Bad coffee break. Sometimes even crooks have to work for a living. Disappointed with the loot they found earlier this week in the safe at a Starbucks coffee shop in Monroe, armed bandits resorted to serving lattes and cappuccinos at the drive-through window to beef up their booty with customer cash.

According to police reports, the thieves ordered store workers to brew beverages while they served customers in their cars and collected their cash for half an hour before speeding off. Film dip It's a winner. The White Cockade The Final Cry for Freedom, a 40-minute locally produced docu-drama on an 18th-century Scottish rebellion against the English throne, has received a Silver Telly. The prestigious award honors films and commercials made outside the world of network television and was selected from about 12,000 entries. The White Cockade features extensive footage of battle re-enactors, portraying the battle between the forces of Bonnie Prince Charles and England's King George, with narration by soldiers on the opposing sides.

It was created by Rocheste-rians Jim Hughes (who directed), Leif Herr-Gesell, Thorn Marini and Tim McDonough and was shown on WXXI-TV in August. For information or copies of the film, contact jhughes4rochester. rr.com. Event of the day Sink Into the cinco spirit. It may be May 3, but for East End clubs, it's time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Live bands will be playing at Milestones, Richmond's, Salinger's, Aria's, SPoT Coffee, Montage Grille and Joey's. There's no cover. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. Call (585) 325-6490. Stevie Wonder On IV tonight Bandstand bonanza.

Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Cher and Alanis Morissette are among the performers who pay tribute to a show that changed American culture. American Band-stand's 50th A Celebration with Dick Clark airs at 8 p.m. on WOKR-TV (Channel 13). Turn to Page SC for today's TV listings. Next up Pretty picks.

The beginning of May is when people start hitting nursery and garden centers, looking for annuals to plant. We preview hot new picks for 2002. Saturday on Page 1C. Karan Miltner collected items for this column from staff and wire reports. More inside Columns 2C Comics 4C Television SC Movies 3C Xi Inheriting the mantles of 'Superman' and 'Batman 'Spider-Man' BY STAFF FILM CRITIC JACK GARNER The summer movie season zooms in early this weekend, thanks to a red-and-blue-clad ri comicbook lILIYI hero swinging REVIEW fromsky- scrapers on the elastic strands of spider webs.

Here's the good news: He doesn't fall on his skin-tight leotard. The eagerly awaited Spider-Man is good fun, a fast-moving comic strip of a movie, as entertaining in its way as its famous prede cessors, the Christopher Reeve Superman and Tim Burton's Batman. As directed with a whimsical touch by Sam Raimi and produced by Marvel Comics czar Stan Lee, Spider-Man is the least pretentious of the big-three comic book crusaders on screen. Spider-Man stars Tobey Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, a high-school nerd and orphan who lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. He is virtually invisible to his high school classmates, especially to the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).

But during a science demonstration, Peter is bitten by a genetically altered spider and the bite changes his life. He soon develops superhuman powers and discovers he can do everything a spider can climb walls and spin webs all with the strength of an arachnid if it were the size of a human. mil mm Mm I JLi spins a Like most adolescents would, Peter decides he can capitalize on his new abilities. He enters a wrestling show to earn $3,000 so he can buy a car. But because of Peter's selfishness, his beloved Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) is killed by a thug.

Wracked with guilt, Peter remembers one of the last things his Uncle told him: "With great powers comes great responsibility." Thus is born Spider-Man, a crusader against crime. In this, the first of what will certainly become a film series, Spidey takes on the Green Goblin, a nefarious evildo er. The creature arrives on the scene astride a flying rocket wing, like a bizarre alien surfer eager to wreak havoc. The Goblin is actually the malevolent alter-ego of Norman Osborn, a scientist-businessman who becomes angered when his enrooration is Maguire wrested away by his board of directors. Osborn has been in the midst of experiments to create a super-powered human, but they've gone awry and he's the latest victim.

He's left with a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde syndrome and the Green Goblin is his evil side. Osborn is played with great panache by Willem Dafoe. But it's too bad such a great actor is hidden beneath an inflexible mask during his Goblin exploits more organic green facial features would have been the way to go.

The Goblin's costume is one of the film's few conceptual flaws. As Mary Jane, Dunst is bur- (Of Who's who of superheroes BY STAFF FILM CRITIC JACK GARNER Spider-Man swings into the multiplex this week. Unless you've had your nose in Marvel or DC comic books most of your life, you may be wondering which guy Spidey is. Is he faster than a speeding bullet? Is he the Dark Knight of Gotham City? Does he fight vampires? If you can't tell the superheroes without a scorecard, consider this your guide. Of the dozens of comic book superheroes, we've limited ourselves to those with a long and consistent following, including various TV and film incarnations.

Spider-Man aka: Peter Parker. Occupation: Student, then freelance photographer and teacher. Played on film by: Tobey Maguire. Love Interest: Mary Jane Watson, whom he eventually marries. Base of operations: New York City.

First comic book appearance: 1962. His story: Orphaned when his parents die in a plane crash, Peter lived with an aunt and uncle and was considered a bright but nerdy high school student. During a science demonstration, he was bitten by a radioactive spider which soon gave him unique powers. His powers: Superhuman strength, reflexes and balance, HEROES, page 6C Spider-Man Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst. Director: Sam Raimi.

Opens today: See movie listings, Page3C. Length: 130 minutes. Rated: PG-13, stylized violence, Web: www.spiderman. sonypictures.com Jack's rating: With 10 as a must-see, this film rates 8 dened with her character's sullen, sad nature, brought on by abusive parenting and bad boyfriend choices. Dunst never quite brings out the shine and sweetness that might attract a good kid like Peter.

Maguire, though, is an inspired choice for the lead. He's already established his ability to portray quiet, socially inept loners (James Leer in Wonder Boys, Homer Wells in The Cider House Rules). Here he moves beyond his specialty, growing more confident and assured and more muscular as Spider-Man develops. Casting Maguire raised eyebrows but Raimi was right. The film's style is colorful and comic-book influenced.

Its ultra-heightened view of New York City seems to leap directly off the bright, exaggerated graphics of Lee's comic pages. All in all, Spider-Man offers all escapist filmgoers could want in a comic-book adventure, a hopeful start to the summertime movie season and an entertaining beginning for the latest big-time Hollywood film franchise. Jemison, now a at Cornell speaks at noon Tuesday to more Jemison than 700 people at the 24th annual Rochester Women's Network gala luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 70 State St. Jemison, who speaks four languages and has a medical degree, was the first woman of color to fly into space. She was a science mission specialist on the 1992 U.S.-Japan joint mission of space shuttle Endeavor.

Now 45, she spreads the message that citizens have a right and a responsibility to speak up about how they want their tax dollars spent for science and technology whether for nuclear power plants or medicine, defense or weather systems. She also calls on adults to be positive role models to the children in their lives and to encourage kids' curiosity about the world around them. She complains: "We tell little girls, 'Don't get your clothes dirty. That's not ladylike to climb trees and explore your She supports exploration by children ages 12 to 16 through The Earth We Share, her nonprofit foundation's international science camp. Jemison's Houston company, The Jemison Group, works to integrate science and technology into everyday lives around the world.

Its new offshoot, BioSentient is developing and marketing equipment worn to monitor the body's vital signs and train people to respond favorably in stressful situations. The technology was originally designed to control motion sickness, and BioSentient has an exclusive license from NASA to commercialize it. Tickets to the luncheon cost $50. Call (585) 271-4182 by 5 p.m. today.

To learn more about Jemison, visit: www.maejemison.com Floyd Collins What: A musical by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau about the attempted rescue of a cave explorer. When: Saturday through May 25. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sunday and May 19, and 7:30 p.m.

May 23. Where: Blackfriars Theatre, 28 Lawn St. Tickets: $20, $18 seniors and students. Call: (585) 454-1260. media crews try to exploit the excitement.

"Floyd had wanted to create a tourist attraction with his new cave," says Haldoupis. "Instead, he became the attraction." a Blackfriars goes underground for new musical am i. and he shows similar ease with evoking atmosphere. One memorable device is an electronic echo unit that captures Collins' voice in the cave. It repeats his yodels and tunes as he sings, turning him into a one-man chorus.

Actor Jens Hinrichsen will perform as he scales ladders into the cave. The cavern's rocky layers are simulated by 400 yards of hand-painted metal screens and jagged platforms. Special lighting makes the cave temporarily vanish for above-ground crowd scenes. "The cueing of the lighting, sound effects and action can get very tricky," says director John Haldoupis. The drama's architecture is equally novel.

At the center is Collins' dark journey, The saga returns here Saturday in the unlikely shape of a musical. Blackfriars Theatre will give the western New York premiere of Floyd Collins. It falls in the tradition of the dark, challenging musicals that Blackfriars loves to produce: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Side Show, Passion and others. But like its spelunking hero, Floyd Collins probes new ground in its sets, musical effects and dramatic construction. The music is a welcome shock; few recent musicals have genuinely fresh scores.

This one deftly blends blue-grass, folk and classical idioms for a sound that's both complex and listener-friendly. Composer Adam Guettel is Broadway master Richard Rodgers' grandson, BY STAFF WRITER STUART LOW In the winter of 1925, a cave explorer crawled down an uncharted Kentucky cavern, hoping to find a network of underground tunnels. What Floyd Collins found was the era's biggest media circus. A small boulder trapped his left foot, triggering an elaborate 17-day rescue attempt 150 feet underground. The National Guard, the Red Cross and miners flocked to Cave City along with 20,000 spectators and reporters.

The spectacle made huge headlines across the nation including Rochester, where the Democrat and Chronicle put each cave-in and flicker of hope on its front page. Photo courtesy of Blackfriars Theatre Jens W.L. Hinrichsen stars in the western New York premiere of Floyd Collins. accompanied by a lone spotlight and that eerie echo machine. When he's trapped, a dream sequence and a brother's visit briefly liberate him at least in his imaginatioa Interwoven with his plight is the media circus, including one feisty reporter who climbs down to Collins.

Elsewhere, hucksters and I.