St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 68

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1987 ABIGAIL VAN BUREN REVIEWS ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH FILM Parents' Experiences Don't Apply To Teen 'Baby Boom': All Sweetness And Stereotypes' mm -i i-p I i nil Ivy VJtf fit i not much longer than his love-making. Example of Meyers-Shyer humor: When they get into bed, guess who's wearing the face cream? Then her distant cousin dies and wham! bam! zowie! she is the guardian of a year-old girl. Cut to the diaper jokes, the preschool jokes, the nursemaid jokes, the F.A.O. Schwarz jokes.

Cut out Ramis. Cut to job problems and her eventual loss thereof. End of picture? Nope, unfortunately. Now we move to a hamlet in Vermont, where this high-powered, New York career woman becomes a hermit and mother, dealing with plumbers and roofers until she passes out in the snow one day when the well runs dry (audience wells of patience have been empty for some time). She awakens with Sam Shep-ard holding her hand, a fantasy of many women.

He's a veterinarian, a strong, silent type, and she promptly turns into a giggling juvenile, which is sexual stereotyping at its worst the old, "What that career gal needs is. Then she makes baby applesauce yuppie, gourmet, baby applesauce at that. There's more, but I forgot, except for the interesting fact that while the change of seasons gives us at least a year in the Vermont part of the movie, the baby never grows, never speaks new words, never begins to walk. Must be that applesauce. Actually, the baby is played by twins, and they (it) are cute, but did you ever see a movie baby who wasn't? (At the Clarkson, Des Peres, Halls Ferry, Kenrick, Lindbergh Plaza, Northwest Square, Regency, St.

Clair.) "BABY BOOM" Rating: PG. Running Time: 1:43. By Joe Pollack Of the Post-Dispatch Staff MAYBE THE whole thing was a satire, and I wasn't clever enough to recognize it. I sure hope that was the case, because otherwise, "Baby Boom" is a classic of insipidity, oozing sexual stereotypes from every pore, with dialogue that can't tell the difference between bright and trite and a music score that may give cavities. Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer are the major villains of the piece; she produced, he directed and they both wrote, with the latter term used very, very loosely.

Taken seriously, the film insults women, men and babies. Taken as comedy, it insults women, men, babies and any sort of intelligent life form. In an opening scene right from "9 to 5" and dozens of other New York movie sequences, we see Diane Keaton, the properly dressed executive. The street signs say "Broadway" and "Wall Street," but her office is on Park Avenue, where she does some sort of executive counseling for corporations, trying to make them bigger, better and richer. She is rude, mean, spiteful, jealous, demanding, greedy and has some other bad qualities, too.

She has a live-in friend, Harold Ramis. On occasion, and with all the warmth of an Antarctic summer, they make love, which takes four minutes by the bedside digital clock. He's no more appealing than she is, but thankfully, his part in the film is they'd ask me, that's all. We aren't poor, but my budget would stretch a lot further if the kids wouldn't eat everything in sight. Do other mothers have this problem, and what do they do about it? It's hard to hide things that need to be refrigerated, and I can't put a lock on the fridge.

Does anyone have any ideas? MA You're not wrong, but your problem could be solved if you reserve one shelf (or a part of one) for food you do not want touched. Designate it the KEEP OUT area, and let your family know you mean business. Dear Abby: After reading "Alive by the Grace of God" in your column, I wanted to share with your readers my own technique for staying awake on the road late at night. My work takes me all over the state, and I often find myself driving long distances after dark. I have found that eating whole sunflower seeds is a reliable way to remain awake behind the wheel with my mind on the road.

Each sunflower seed must be cracked between the teeth and the shell deposited in the ashtray or a paper cup. It's a minor distraction, really, and very few calories. But the activity is enough to keep me alert and my mind on the road. It works better than coffee or radio music for me. Packaged sunflower seeds are available at almost all convenience stores and many mini-mart-type gas stations, so they're readily accessible to anyone who is traveling.

DOING MY PART Thanks for the tip. And I always thought sunflower seeds were for the birds. Do you hate to write letters because you don't know what to say? To learn "How To Write Letters for All Occasions," send $2.50 and a long, stamped (39 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Dear Abby, Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, 111. 61054.

Dear Abby: I am an average teen-ager in a Midwestern town and I am sure my feelings correspond with those of many. I respect my parents and I know they want to be helpful, but I can hardly stand it when they begin a lecture with, "When I was your age Abby, parents should realize that their experiences may not always be relevant to today's times and today's teen-agers. I am writing to you because I know that many parents read your column (mine do); so if they can't understand why what they experienced when they were my age doesn't do me any good, maybe they will listen to you. AVERAGE TEEN When I was your age, I used to grit my teeth and hold my tongue every time my mother or dad started a sentence with, "When I was your age but I listened respectfully tCstories about how poor they were, and how many miles they walked to school (with an apple for lunch). It always ended with, "You don't know how lucky you are to have all the advantages you have." Every generation (with the possible exception of Adam and Eve) has heard it many times, so listen respectfully, because one day you'll be delivering that lecture yourself if you're lucky.

Dear Abby: When my children were small, I taught them to ask for whatever they wanted from the refrigerator. Then as they became teen-agers, all at once this problem came up. I go to prepare a meal and find that all the leftovers I had planned to use for the meal are gone! So I ask, "Who ate the leftover roast beef I had wrapped up?" No one knows anything. Then I say, "If you get hungry, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or take a piece of fruit just don't eat the leftovers unless I say, 'Hey, anybody can eat this; there isn't enough left over to do anything with." Sometimes I don't care if they eat all the leftovers but there are times when I do care. I just wish Diane Keaton plays a marketing whiz turned mom when distant cousin dies and leaves a year-old baby in her care in "Baby Boom." MUSIC Red-Hot Fishbone Heats Up Mississippi Nights Crowd stopped, the audience bolted" for the door and relief from the dance-generated heat.

The opening act, Nicholas'T're-mulis, was a 12-piece funk ensemble from Chicago. Though the" band displayed fine vocal abilities and had a pretty solid horn section, it was weak in the rhythm department, and that's the one thing a funk band can't be weak in. MARTHA CARR The band members sprayed one another with water from bottles, and sometimes doused down the crowd, which eased some of the hot, sweaty conditions slightly. Screaming guitar solos followed short gasps from the horns or thick blasts of sound from the synthesizer. Some of the lyrics were political, I I msjMrmf Source Of Information On Redeeming Stamps 1 Rooms $p(98 un2V ygf with coupon coupon (reg.

$36.98 minimum savings $10.00) some were just about partying, but nearly all were unintelligable. The music itself was meant to enthrall, and the lyrics were just an excuse to move mouths. The crowd chanted, "Fishbone is red hot," over and over and over again, even before the band asked them to do so. And as soon as the music finally HURRY! Call By November 28! Any 2 (reg. Free commercial estimates Call by November 28, 1987 for this Right now carpet or so Du Duo WHOLE By Steve Pick YOU couldn't do justice to the Fishbone concert at Mississippi Nights Tuesday by focusing on certain aspects of the show without reference to other things occurring at the same time.

That's because the group's music is an eclectic amalgam of the history of black pop music in this country nothing makes sense unless you can imagine a lot of things happening at once. So you can pick any three or four items from this list of what occurred during the concert and try to imagine them happening simultaneously: All six members of Fishbone were jumping up and down wildly or dancing like maniacs throughout the evening. The music evoked memories of ska, reggae, funk, rhythm and blues, jazz, doo-wop, rock 'n' roll, punk, new wave and several other genres as well. But no matter what styles of music were being mixed during any given song, you could be sure that there would be at least two or three highly danceable rhythms, and the rhythms were not confined to the drums. The audience was thrashing about wildly, a sea of swirling, sweaty bodies in front of the stage, "with various people, sometimes members of the band, being held aloft and passed from person to person on their backs while their legs and arms kept moving to the beat.

The three-piece horn section would move swiftly from normal rhythm and blues or ska chords to dissonant jazz chords and then back again. Different members of the band would sing different lines, sometimes at the same time, sometimes in call-and-response fashion, and sometimes by themselves. you can call Sears and save big on upholstery cleaning! The Sears professionals will deep-clean your carpet or upholstery it's fresh, beautiful, like new again-all at a special low price! Call today. Pont Teflon Carpet and Fabric Protestor and Deodorizer each available at additional cost SearsCharge and Discover Card welcome Dear Martha: I am trying to determine where in Germany my grandparents came from. According to most records here, they just say, "Germany." Where can I write to find out from which town they originated? Thank you.

L.J. You should be able to get that information from the U.S. Immigration Department, 425 I Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. Dear Martha: Please print a clarification of where to send pet food coupons.

I've been sending them to Open Door Animal Sanctuary in House Springs. B.H. Is the Open Door Animal Sanctuary in House Springs the same one that was in the West County, where we used to send all our dog and cat food coupons? R.K. The Open Door Animal Sanctuary moved to House Springs more than a year ago. It no longer uses pet food coupons because the constant variety of foods resulted in too many health problems for the animals.

Only one kind of food, bought in bulk, is now fed to them. The staff is grateful to everyone who donated coupons and helped feed the strays in past years. SYDNEY OMARR HOUSE We'll clean your sofa and 3 chairs (or 2 sofas and 1 chair). with coupon (reg. $115.00 save $23.00) $99.99 save $20.00) Maximum 8 cleaning areas: any combination of rooms, halls and stairs.

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Cleaning prices vary tor this fabric Call for details. COMING residential orders only. to 5:00 PM: Metro East 398-8310 452-0012 Alton 462-3431 Dear Martha Carr: You recently gave addresses and phone numbers for redemption and book information for and Top Value stamps. I appreciated this because I have some of these books. I also have some filled Quality and MacDonald stamp books, and I would like to know if they are still redeemable.

If so, can you give me some information? M.S.D. The Association of Retail Marketing Services (ARMS) 412 Ocean Avenue, Sea Bright, N.J., or phone (201) 842-5070 keeps track of the comings and goings of trading stamps, among other things. According to the association's list, Plaid stamps are redeemable (for cash only) from the E.F. Mac-. Donald Stamp Mail Order Department, 12755 State Highway 55, Minneapolis, Minn.

55441. Quality stamps will be redeemed by Quality Stamp 4690 Hunger-ford Road, Memphis, Tenn. 38113. Telephone numbers of the redemption centers are not given on the list, but I imagine you can get them from the long-distance information operator for that area. You can get the area code from the map in the White Pages.

If you need more books for your loose stamps, the books can be requested from the redemption centers. NOTE: Horoscopes have no basis in scientific fact and should be read for entertainment, not guidance. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sudden surge of popularity you could win public acclaim, especially as result of dealing with women. Lunar position accents aspirations, friendships, romance, powers of persuasion. Cancer native involved.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Em-1 phasis on career, business, achievement, ability to win your way through charm, social grace. Special note keep recent resolutions concerning weight, diet, nutrition. Long-distance call could lead to journey. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Stick to facts, read and write, publish and disseminate pertinent information. You gain greater knowledge of spiritual values.

Moon position accents philosophy, religion, communication and travel. CANCER (June 21-JuIy 22): Individual close to you confides perplexing financial question, problem. You can help by suggesting special reading material. Flirtation is part of scenario, should not be taken too seriously. LEO (July 23-Aug.

22): Obsequious individual may have venal in Gemini: Just Stick To The Facts SEARS'AUTHORIZED CLEANING SERVICES -L tentions. Protect reputation, maintain integrity, realize legitimate and lucrative offer will be forthcoming. Fulfill obligation to family member. Taurus involved. VIRGO (Aug.

23-Sept. 22): First impressions may require revisions. Means don't rush to judgment. Focus on employment, basic issues, dependents. Relative in transit may communicate need for financial aid.

Pisces is involved. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Emphasis on power, authority, deadlines, ability to work under pressure. Good moon aspect coincides with variety, speculation, love relationship.

Young person does care, actually adores you. Listen. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Negotiations swing in your favor, transaction will be completed.

Involves property, future prospects, sale or investment. Key is to know when time has run out. Older individual becomes ally, shares experience. (Nov. 22-Dec.

21): Stress independence, courage of convictions. Social note avoid heavy lifting. of opposite sex is serious, has good intentions. Short trip may be necessary. Leo, Aquarius play key roles.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19. Study Aries message for valuable hint. You'll locate what had been missing, income could be increased, you'll encounter individuals active in creative arts.

Accept flattery without kicking toe in sand. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Individual who tells "tall tales" has tongue in cheek. Realize it, laugh about it, know that circumstances will turn in your favor.

Judgment, intuition are on target you'll be at right place at crucial moment. PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): Mystery is solved, although you might not agree with final answer. Look ahead, not backward.

You could be queried by media. Maintain poise, aplomb. Some work requires revision. Check source material. IF OCT.

29 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY, you are intuitive, a natural teacher and character analyst. You are unorthodox, relationship with family could be considered "unusual." Cancer, Capricorn, Aquarius persons play important roles in your life. You are intense, romantic, sentimental. Current cycle highlights expansion of personal horizons and love. You'll travel in November, popularity will increase.

You'll be concerned about weight, body image. And this will not be due to turkey stuffing. i TAXADVICE A guide to last-quarter tax planning: Look for advice on how to improve your 1987 taxes while there is still time! In DollarsSense. GHOSTSTORIES Ghouls and ghosts and things that go bump in the night are not generally associated with Jewish culture, but "Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural," may change all that. Read about this new book.

In Everyday. For home delivery, call 622-7111 or toll-free 1-800-231-1991 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH.