The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • E1

0 1 3 V1N39VIAI )IOVia 2082eO I 3N33S 3383VS sacbee.com Section The Sacramento Bee SCENE SCENE HELPING OTHERS E2 COLUMNS E3 COMICS E8-E9 'Catch as Cat Can' Rita Mae Brown speaks to The Bee Book Club tonight. Page E4 THURSDAY March 28, 2002 (0d In FridaysTicket, look for complete entertainment listings for the upcoming weekend. Surgery helped them lose weight. Now two women see their lives in a whole new light. THE WILL TO LOSE For a year we've been charting the progress of Lydia Cook and Nita Kurtz, who had surgery to help aW What a difference a year makes.

On March 19,2001, Lydia Cook prepared for gastric bypass surgery. Her sister-in-law Nita Kurtz would have the surgery soon after. them overcome obesity. Here's our final report. Taj Mahal With his raspy-edged vocals and freedom-loving style, Taj Mahal doesn't worry that he doesn't get much airplay.

"I'm lucky I have an audience that's continually growing. Several generations' worth," he tells Bee Staff Writer Marcus Crowder. When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: Crest Theatre How much: $25. Information: (9 16) 766-2277 Sacramento Bee photographs by Hector Amezcua By Cynthia Hubert BEE STAFF WRITER One year.

Two hundred and twenty-six vanquished pounds. Two ecstatic women. If Lydia Cook and Nita Kurtz could have written the perfect script for the past 12 months, it would have read very much like reality. "I am loving life right now," an ultra-relaxed Cook said last week, her body covered by nothing more than a thin white towel as she lay on a massage table at a spa in Yuba City. It was something she never would have done in her Fat Days.

"I always wanted to," Cook said. "But at that weight? Letting someone rub my body on this little table? I don't think so!" Now she thinks she just might 'Panic Room' Jodie Foster stars in this thriller that harks back to "Dial 'M' for Murder" and "Wait Until Dark," updated to take advantage of the audio-visual gadgetry of the computer age. But beyond all the closed circuitry, video beams and beeping cell phones that decorate the plot, Bee Movie Critic Joe Baltake says, it displays a dazzling command of the camera and editing techniques that result in a fresh, spookily candid atmosphere. Rated Lydia Cook works out at Body Express gym almost a year after her gastric bypass surgery. Cook weight-trains three to five days a week and does aerobic exercise 30 minutes to an hour a week.

w. become a regular client. Much has changed in the lives of the two sisters-in-law since March 19, 2001, when they underwent drastic surgery they hoped would end their lifelong battles with obesity. First, of course, they look different. So different that longtime friends with whom they have lost touch sometimes fail to recognize them.

So different that they carry "before" pictures in their wallets to validate their stories. So different that it sometimes brings tears of joy to the eyes of people who love them. Both women, who grew up near each other in Yuba City and are as close as sisters, weighed 266 pounds on the day of their surgeries. As of last week, Cook, 25, who stands 5 feet 9 inches, was down to 140 pounds. Kurtz, 32, A LEAN YEAR, pageElO 'The Rookie' Disney is trying to make G-rated films that are substantial, and Baltake says "The Rookie," starring the unassuming Dennis Quaid, goes a step further in this direction with its story of a middle-aged man finally coming of age, with children and teen characters strictly on the periphery.

It's the real-life story of Jim Morris who, at age 35, got to realize his major-league dream. Rated On the one-year anniversary of her surgery, Nita Kurtz treats herself to a makeover at the Clinique counter. 'Arthur' star Dudley Moore dies 7 Rise Guys turn to their audience for feedback Radio stations have become addicted to the counsel of high-priced consultants, hiring them to help pretty up the product, boost ratings and, of course, bump up that bottom line. But that's management MO. When it came time to tinker with their morning show, the Rise Guys from Sports 1 140 (KHTK) took a different tack: They simply asked their audience for advice.

'Alice in Wonderland' The Sacramento Ballet performs choreographer Ron Cunningham's new ballet, featuring familiar Lewis Carroll characters such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and of course, a spunky little girl named Alice. When: 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 4 p.m. Sunday Where: Community Center Theater, 1301 St.

How much: Information: (9 16) 552-5800 "jf I couldn't laugh or enjoy music, I'd be done for. As long as I have those, everything else is negotiable." Dudley Moore where to turn for comfort. "If I couldn't laugh or enjoy music," he said in 1994, "I'd be done for. As long as I have those, everything else is negotia By Gayden Wren NEW YORK TIMES Dudley Moore's life wasn't easy he was born with a club foot and stunted growth, and throughout his life struggled with depression but no matter what happened to him, he always found solace in two things: comedy and music. His career had more than its share of ups and downs, including stage and screen triumphs, career reversals and, finally, a fatal disease.

But every step of the way, the actor-comedian-musician who died Wednesday at 66 of supranuclear palsy knew ble." Dudley Stuart John Moore was born on April 19, 1935, in Dagenham, a small English town. Growing up, his physical problems which required frequent hospitalization kept him away from athletics and most social activities, but fostered his lifelong interest in music. By the time he was a teenager, he had mastered the piano, violin and organ, as well as developing a substantial knowledge of both classical music and jazz. Moore attended London's Guildenhall School of Music and MOORE, page E7 Media Savvy By J. Freedom du Lac "This is their show and we wanted to see what they thought," says the Rise Guys' ringleader, Whitey Gleason.

The feedback filled an entire show though some of the response was no doubt prompted by the Rise Guys' revelation that they were in danger of losing their jobs. (They're not, station management insists.) DU LAC, page E4 OUTPUT: 032702 16:50 USER: RBLOMSTER BEEBROAD MASTER 03-04-01.