The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 41

(the (Charlotte (Dbsereer COMMENTARY ORTEGA GAINESStatf A real photo shoot: Lash LaRue checks his pistols and bullwhip prior to posing for a shot He still dresses in black when appearing before a photographer and he can still make a bullwhip dance cowboy First date Just lunch safer cheaper yet can be superficial By SUSAN BARBIERI Orlando Sentinel do lunch" That's what more and more single people are doing in lieu of the traditional dinner-and-a-movie date Lunch has become the preferred first-date activity SCENE: Noon at a busy Italian eatery They haven 't met He had called her at the urging of a mutual friend She takes a deep breath and opens the door not knowing what he looks like but figuring she could pick him out because he would look as bewildered as she Sure enough she spots him They exchange greetings each relieved that the other is decent looking and each relieved to have made it this far without doing something stupid (CUT!) There are good reasons for the lunch date trend Our preference for lunch dates is a reflection of how cautious we have become And why not? is a good thing to be in these times Think about it A dinner-and-a-movie date typically spans an entire evening perhaps from 7 pm to midnight a five-hour commitment Better to first spend a casual hour over pasta salad getting to know one another SCENE: He orders lasagne she orders tortellini "So where did you go to college?" he asks Oh gawd he thinks I sound like a prospective employer She answers hoping she doesn 't sound too practiced like someone who has been on one too many job interviews er DATES He hears her answer but is slightly preoccupied with wondering if he has spinach stuck in his teeth (CUT!) There are many advantages to the lunch date Perhaps the most obvious is that we get stuck for an interminable time with someone we may not like Also we have to invest as much money in lunch as for dinner and a movie If things work out at least we break the bank Because meeting on neutral turf lunch dates allow us to maintain our privacy We may not want someone to know where we live until we can be reasonably sure the person is not a psycho Those who use the personal ads would be wise to meet blind dates over lunch Another advantage of lunch dates is that we have enough time to delve into heavy topics Those who have a tendency to blab have time to torpedo their chances by revealing too much too soon Anyone can be on his or her best behavior for an hour Unlike nighttime dates there is no pressure and no awkward moment at the door at the end of the night We can meet for lunch and go our separate ways afterward Work is our escape hatch SCENE: They've each fallen into a nice alternating rhythm Ask a question chew and listen "Is your family close by?" "No actually in California But I visit twice a year How about you? Are you from here originally "No I'm from New York Moved here for my career" "What do you do when you 're not working?" gardening cooking I've got a lot of interests You? There are minor drawbacks to the lunch date For instance it is difficult to get to know someone well enough in one hour to get an accurate picture As always it boils down to chemistry as in "is there Yes it is a brutal process and plenty of worthy wonderful people get weeded out unfairly and prematurely But let's be realistic We all make quick judgments about whether we find someone attractive no matter what the setting SCENE: Time to head back to their respective offices They split the check and rise to go Good food good company She thinks he 's awfully nice and good-looking too even with spinach in his teeth Maybe she would like to see him again have to think on it He thinks she was worth leaving the office for Very attractive though a bit too you know PRACTICED at the dating thing Maybe he would like to see her again He have to think on it (CUT!) That's a wrap with room for a sequel too Fade to black Roll the credits 01 By LAWRENCE TOPPMAN Movie Writer EJ one Lawyers and actors have a lot in common his and but resses entirely in black Beats up bad guys Cracks a mean bullwhip Yeah Catwoman is one tough cookie But Lash LaRue was doing this stuff almost 50 years ago and he never said a naughty word With whip in hand Lash LaRue is a fond flickering memory in the minds of middle-aged moviegoers who saw him discipline evildoers in dozens of westerns in the and He can still draw a crowd at the Western Film Fair which opens today at the Radisson Plaza Without 18 feet of flying leather well what would he be? probably gone back to school and become a lawyer I think have made a pretty good Please see Westernsnext page He sipped orange juice leaning back in a chair under the roof of backyard gazebo Even the 90-degree July afternoon and his allblack suit raise a bead of sweat on his ruddy skin which contrasted with luxuriant white hair a neatly trimmed beard Few people could stand in the sprawling well-manicured backyard of a suburban house in Gaffney SC snapping a bullwhip and flashing hand-tooled six-shooters without looking ridiculous Lash who starred in about 35 westerns seems at home in the cowboy hat silver-buckled belt and tasseled black shoes oughta be boots but too hot for Thousands of whip-cracks have left him slightly hard-of-hearing the lash has been good to him It gave him a trademark and raised The Bogey man When Lash started out he bore a resemblance to Humphrey Bogart His tight grin worried look and even his voice made him seem cousin to the star Unlike Bogart however he felt typecast in later years Calling all uptown cowpokes: Lash LaRue is one of many celebs at the Western Film Fair which starts today Detailsnext page video: about him his horse his movies and his poetry next page Join us: Some members of The Observer Teen Panel are (front row from left) Michele Liu Charlotte Tamara Fry Charlotte Dana Robinson Gastonia Jami Nunn Cabarrus County and Jami Bell Statesville Ian Walsh (back row from left) Brad White Michael Steele and Rachana Khandelwal are all from Charlotte Want to try out for the Teen Panel? hese teens are smiling about the prospect of welcoming new members to The Observer Teen Panel With nine issues of The monthly teen page behind them just getting warmed up Topics have included rap art politics jobs schools religion volunteering and dating A teen poll puts the spotlight on junior high and high school students with questions like what age do you think a person should begin And "Face to Face" profiles teens who are doing something significant or unusual If you live in North Carolina or South Carolina and would like to be considered for the panel tell us in two short paragraphs who you are include your age address and daytime phone number and why you want to be on the panel Write to: Teen Panel The Charlotte Observer PO Box 32188 Charlotte NC 28232 Or fax us at (704) 358-5258 Letters must be postmarked by Aug 6 For more information call Sheila Solomon at (704) 358-5019 9 am to 5 pm weekdays Jonathan TEDOERstaft I.