Iowa City Press-Citizen from Iowa City, Iowa • Page 2

NATION Monday, February 16, 2009 Wife should be more tolerant of husband's backseat driving 2A Iowa City Press-Citizen Mi Gannett Photo Network Derek Mears appears as Jason Voorhees in a scene from the 2009 version of the motion picture "Friday the 13th." 'Friday the 13th' nails No. 1 spot with cerned that what you are considering could lead to you being cruelly exploited. The love a mother experiences for her child is not interchangeable or replaceable in the way you are thinking of doing it The validation you are seeking can be found in volunteer work of all kinds. DEAR ABBY: Am I alone in feeling insulted that the only time I am invited to "friends'" homes is when they have something to sell? First it was food storage items, then jewelry and clothing, and now it's food supplements that will "change my life." Some of these invitations come from people who have been to my home for dinners or parties but have never reciprocated until now. Although I would love to be in their homes socially, I have no intention of going for a sales pitch so they can get free stuff, gain points or whatever.

Do I even owe them an RSVP for this kind of invitation? SOLICITED IN REDWOOD CITY, CALIF. understand your feelings, but if you want to continue having a social relationship with these people, then politely RSVP with your regrets. To ignore the invitation would be a breach of good manners. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O.

Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. DEAR ABBY: Because of a medical condition, my husband of 30 years can no longer drive a car so now he is driving me nuts. Not only does he tell me how to drive too far to the right," or "Watch out for that car!" or I'd go this way," but he feels it is his responsibility to remotely lockunlock the car doors, remotely start the car anything having to do with the car but drive it. We end up "cancelling" each other out when I try to start the car or lock it. Please tell me how to solve the dilemma about who should control the functions of the car.

EXASPERATED IN OHIO DEAR EXASPERATED: You should. However, when a man can no longer drive and his wife must take over, some men regard it as a blow to their masculinity. What your husband is doing is an attempt to reassert himself in his former role, and although it may annoy you, please try harder to understand why he's doing what he's doing and be more tolerant I know I would. DEAR ABBY: I am a 29-year-old woman who lost my beloved mother a few months ago. A sudden illness took her quickly.

I made the difficult decision to remove her from life support when there was no longer any hope. Mom raised me by herself, and we saw each other every day. She was my best friend. I dont know how to go on with- Weekend 1. "Friday the 13th," $422 million.

2. "He's Just Not That Into Ybu," $19.6 million. 3. $193 million. 4.

"Confessions of a Shopaholic" $15.4 million. 5. "Coraline," $15.3 million. earner, the Warner-New Line romance "He's Just Not That Into You," which fell to second-place but held up strongly over Valentine's weekend with $19.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Among other new movies, Disney's comedy "Confessions of a Shopaholic" landed in fourth-place with $15.4 million, while Sony's thriller InternatjonaF-is No.

7 with $10 million. "Confessions- of a Shopaholic" stars Isla Fisher as a magazine' retail writer coping with her own compulsive buying habits. The International" features Clive Owen as an Interpol agent and Naomi Watts as a prosecutor uncovering a bank's global misdeeds. The combination of solid debuts and strong holdovers lifted Hollywood to its best Presidents Day weekend ever. The three-day overall total of $190 million blew away the previous best of $157.1 million over Presidents Day weekend in 2007, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Princess liana joins Disney family box effice 6. "Paul Blart Mall Cop," $11.7 million. 7. "The International," $10 million. 8.

"The Pink Panther 2," $9 million. 9. "Slumdog Millionaire," $7 2 million. 10. "Push," $6.9 minion.

For the year, revenues continue to soar, with revenue at $1.44 billion, up 22 percent through the same point in 2008. Factoring in 2009's higher ticket prices, movie attendance is running 20 percent higher than last year's. "Hollywood seems to be unstoppable right now. With this notion of the recession helping the box office, I guess this is just another example of that," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "People want to go to the movies and just have fun' and escape.

'Friday the as scary as your mortgage banker is, Jason's scarier." Academy Awards front-runner "Slumdog Millionaire" heads into Oscar weekend with sturdy box-office momentum. The Fox Searchlight release took in $7.2 million, raising its 14-week total to $86.5 millioa "Slumdog Millionaire" has dominated at earlier Hollywood honors and is considered the likely best-picture winner at next Sunday's Oscars. 0 Dear 1 '-i 4-' Abbv rP4S out someone to love me like she did. I would like your opinion on an idea I have. There must be a mother somewhere who has lost an adult child and has love to give.

I could reciprocate that love. I do not wish to replace my mom that would be impossible. She was an amazing woman. I just need someone to care for me that way. I am loved as a wife, niece and friend, but no longer as someone's child.

I need to give and receive that kind of unconditional love. Is this unhealthy? What would be the best way to fulfill my needs? I have tried individual and group therapy. I am financially independent. What are your thoughts? DAUGHTER OF AN ANGEL IN ALABAMA DEAR DAUGHTER: Please accept my deepest sympathy for the loss of your beloved mother. I know you are grieving, but what you have in mind could cause you more problems than you already have.

Right now joining a grief support group or talking with a therapist who spe- cializes in the grieving process would be far more helpful for you than immediately trying to fill the hole in your life left by your mother's death. I am con same $10 to $15 as Barbie. Disney hopes it will boost the franchise through rough The $22 billion toy industry saw sales fall about 3 percent last year, and sales of dolls dropped a hefty 8 percent according to the Toy Industry Association. Though Princess Tiana was on the drawing board long before Barack Obama was elected the nation's first black president, marketing experts say she signals a growing awareness by industries from toymakers to cosmetic companies that diversity is critical in a nation where people of color will be the majority in little more than 30 years. "It's very significant," says Lisa Skriloff, president of Multicultural Marketing Volume 169, Number 40 Monday, February 16, 2009 7' Gannett News Service Move over Snow White, make room for Princess Tiana For the first time, Disney is creating a film with a black princess whose doll will make its debut today at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.

For Disney, it's not just about being culturally and politically correct, it's also about growing its lucrative but aging Disney Princess franchise in a tough economy. Created in 1999, Disney Princesses had $4 billion in global retail sales last year. The cocoa-colored doll, which sports a tiara, a flowing blue gown, and is roughly the size of a Barbie, is expected to sell for about the The Associated Press LOS ANGELES "Friday the 13th" had all the luck as the remake of the 1980 slasher flick opened with $42.2 million, putting blood and guts ahead of hearts over Valentine's Day weekend. That was a record for the horror genre, topping the $39.1 million debut for 2004's The Grudge." Accounting for today's higher admission prices, The Grudge" sold slightly more tickets, however. Released by the Warner Bros, banner New Line Cinema, "Friday the 13th" updates the grisly story of killer Jason Voorhees and his rampage among youths at a secluded summer camp.

On opening day which fell on Friday the 13th the remake pulled in $19.4 million, slightly more than the $19 million it cost to make the movie? "It's a great title, and it was a great weekend to open. We had Friday the 13th and Valentine's Day," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros. Tve seen it play a number of times, and the audience is with it the whole way. A lot of screams and a lot of laughs." The "Friday the 13th" series has been one of the most-enduring horror franchises, spawning 10 sequels, including the crossover grudge match "Freddy Vs. Jason," pitting Voorhees against the boogeyman from "A Nightmare on Elm Street" The movie bumped off the previous weekend's top a re Heaterr Iowa City 337-2034 Resources.

"It's like a stamp of approval for one of the-most outstanding family (entertainment) companies to say this is important" Tiana, whose story will come to the big screen later this year in the animated musical The Princess and The Frog," is the first princess introduced by Disney since Mulan in 1998. Disney executives say that they did not set out to make a social statement "It was much more about the storytelling," says Kathy Franklin, vice president, global studio franchise development for Disney Consumer Products. This was not about a conscious decision to say we need an African-American princess." l.d. vvnre construction Ag 4181 Naples Ave. SW HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL OR TRANSFER OF WEALTH? CALL MARK GINSBERG FOR A PRIVATE CONSULTATION 319 351 1700 OR EMAIL MARKMCGINSBERG.COM Mike Margolin Helping people make informed investment decisions for over 25 years.

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Jim Lnren Executive editor, i 1.