10.02.2011 2c

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75 Years Ago From the East Oregonian Oct. 2, 1936 Any hunter or other user of a firearm, who acciden- tally injures or kills another person, can never again carry a firearm of any kind in the state of Oregon, it was made known today through a ruling of Attor- ney General L.H. Van Winkle, requested by C.C. Proebstel, Umatilla county district attorney. Proebstel declared this morning that the Oregon statue which emphatically forbids the possession of a firearm by anyone who has ever in- jured or killed a person with a firearm is codified in the 1930 Oregon Code as 72- 103. This little-publicized section of the Oregon law was noted by Proebstel dur- ing an investigation following the accidental wounding of Arthur LeRoy Bray by one of his deer hunting companions near Tower mountain last week- end. 50 Years Ago From the East Oregonian Oct.2, 1961 Eastern Oregon legisla- tors may meet soon to determine whether they can do anything about a reapportionment plan an- nounced Thursday. There has been some talk about contesting the plan, which would reapportion several veteran Oregon legislators out of the Oregon legisla- ture and pit others against each other. One of those who would be “reappor- tioned” out of the legislature, Sen. Loyd Key, D-Milton-Freewater, re- ported today that Eastern Oregon legislators “may have a meeting very soon to see if something can come out of it (talk about con- testing the plan).” 25 Years Ago From the East Oregonian Oct. 2, 1986 Shannon McLaughlin, a student at Heppner High School, has been selected as one of 50 state semifi- nalists in the “At Issue” essay competition. The competition is part of a statewide program created to increase student interest in the political process. Ten semifinalists have been se- lected from each congressional district. A panel of judges coordinated by the Oregon Department of Education will conduct regional interviews of the students Friday through Wednesday. Judges will then select 10 students, two from each district, to par- ticipate in a live, televised issues forum on Oct. 19 with gubernatorial candidates Norma Paulus and Neil Goldschmidt. Today is the 275th day of 2011. There are 90 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in His- tory: On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn as an associate jus- tice of the U.S. Supreme Court as the court opened its new term. Today’s Birthdays: Singer- songwriter Don McLean is 66. Photographer Annie Leibovitz is 62. Singer-actor Sting is 60. Actress-talk show host Kelly Ripa is 41. Page 2C East Oregonian Sunday, October 2, 2011 MILESTONES Style for your windows, savings for you. • Twenty years experience • Free lifetime repairs • Fair prices • Installation included • Complimentary in home consultation 541-624-2333 CCB#94700 Located in La Grande Now Serving Pendleton! Call Deb Allstott Today Jay and Jan Wheelhouse will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Sat- urday, Oct. 15, 2011, beginning with a reception from 2-4 p.m. at the Her- miston Assembly of God Church, 730 East Hurlburt Ave., Hermiston. Jay met Janice Martin July 11, 1959, at a rodeo dance in Heppner when she was a princess to the Morrow County Fair and Rodeo. They married June 18, 1961, at the Methodist church in Heppner, and af- ter a honeymoon to Victoria, B.C., they lived in Arizona at Williams Air Force Base for 3½ years, where Jay was an instructor in pilot training. In January 1965 the fam- ily moved to Heppner to ranch with Jan’s parents, Randall and Marie Martin. The couple also worked with the youth in the church during those years. In Sep- tember 1969 they moved to Hermiston, where Jay worked at C&B Livestock cutting the fat cattle for market for 11 years. They bought a home just outside the city limits and enjoyed farm life for 27 years. Jan was a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed leading 4-H clubs for 12 years and also taught wool tailoring class- es through Blue Mountain Community College. In 1981 Jay began his insurance and investment business. Jan helped as secretary for the business for 18 years, re- tiring in 2001. She also enjoyed waitressing at a Mexican restaurant for five years, and worked for JoAnn Fabrics in Hermis- ton for two years. In 1993-94 Jay and Jan spent a year in Ivanovo, Russia, with CoMission helping put Christian ethics and morality back in the school system of the CIS. Jay was the team leader for the 16 who came from the U.S.A., Canada and New Zealand. They have re- turned twice to Ivanovo to help with ministry. Jay and Jan moved to McKay Creek this summer — not to retire, but to be closer to his work on the ranch yet still be involved with his insurance business. Jay’s activities have in- cluded 35 years with Kiwanis Club and co-chair- ing the Mayor‘s Prayer Breakfast in Hermiston, leading Bible studies at the prison for over 30 years, be- ing a leader and teacher at the Hermiston Assembly of God Church, photography, hunting and helping Jan’s fa- ther at McKay Creek ranch. Jan’s activities included leading 4-H clubs in sewing and cooking, teaching how to sew with wool, leading Bible classes, painting, singing in choir and for weddings and funerals, playing piano, organ and keyboard, reading, and learning to quilt in the last 10 years. Their son, Greg Wheel- house, graduated from BMCC and is now taking his junior year at OSU pursu- ing a degree in engineering. Their daughter Karen Wheelhouse lives on the is- land of Sardegna, Italy, west of Rome. She and her fi- ance’ Carlo Boldrini will be visiting during the celebra- tion. Jan and Jay also have one grandson, Tyler Wheel- house. Wheelhouse Jay and Jan Wheelhouse now and in 1961 ANNIVERSARY Flora and Ron Patterson of Hermiston are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Ann Ebert, to Chase Hager- man. Chase is the son of Lisa and Brad Hagerman, also of Hermiston. The cou- ple resides in Eugene. Emily is a 2003 graduate of Hermiston High School and a 2007 graduate of the University of Oregon, where she earned a bache- lor’s degree in psychology. She works as a producer for Health Care conferences in Eugene. Chase graduated from HHS in 2002. He is cur- rently attending U of O and Embry-Riddle Aeronauti- cal University. He works as a mechanic for Bi-Mart. The couple will ex- change vows Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, at Pendleton Cen- ter for the Arts in Pendleton. Ebert-Hagerman Emily Ann Abert and Chase Hagerman ENGAGEMENT Dear Abby: My mother passed away recently. My sister, who lives in another state, flew in with her 4-year-old daughter, “Nikki,” to at- tend Mom’s wake. When the wake ended, Nikki be- gan to place stickers on Mom’s hands and one on her face. The stickers had been given to her by another guest before the service started. When my 18-year-old daughter saw what her cousin had done, she removed them, and Nikki threw a tantrum and refused to leave the casket. My sister spoke qui- etly to her, trying to get the child to leave, then allowed her to put at least two more stickers on my mother’s hand. Finally, I gently picked Nikki up and took her away from the casket. My father is a mild-man- nered man and, although he frowned in disapproval, he said nothing. This has caused a huge rift between my sister and me. I feel a 4-year-old is too young to attend a wake. Nikki should not have been allowed to put stickers on my mother. My sister says I “undermined” her parenting and had no right to inter- vene. What are your thoughts? — Saddened In New Jersey Dear Saddened: If one defines parent- ing as teaching a child appropriate behavior, your sister wasn’t parenting at all. Although the child was well-inten- tioned, unless the stickers said “Return to Sender,” they had no place at the fu- neral. My condolences to your family. Dear Abby: I’m a 32-year-old single fe- male. I have a child and am currently in a relationship with “Ty,” who has two children of his own from a divorce. This is a very difficult situation for me. I love Ty, but there’s so much drama re- lating to his ex-wife and dealing with the post-divorce behavior problems of his kids, I sometimes don’t know how much more I can handle. The ex constantly throws herself in my face, trying to be friends. And the shuffling of his kids from our house to hers creates issues. I need advice on what to do. I’m unhappy, and it is getting worse. How can I improve the situation before I just give up? — Over- whelmed In Iowa Dear Overwhelmed: Before giv- ing up, let me remind you that as a 32-year-old single mother, you will be encountering more and more men with “baggage” — so you might as well learn to cope with it now. If you’re going to have a future with Ty, it is in YOUR best interest to become a “friend” of his ex-wife. Should you marry him, a cordial and cooperative relationship will be better for everyone. Look at it this way: Because Ty’s chil- dren are acting out — which is to be expected — the most effective way to deal with it is to form a united front. Dear Abby: I recently started dating a wonderful man, but there’s one problem: On several of our dates he was dressed like he was staying home to watch TV — wearing dirty pajama-type shorts, ripped T-shirts, stuff I’d barely wear even if I were home sick. I have gently tried to suggest he wear something else, but he has no concerns about his appearance. Any ideas? — Baf- fled In Baltimore Dear Baffled: The wonderful man you are seeing is either eccentric or a slob. If you have “gently” tried to suggest that he make himself look more presentable when you go out and have gotten nowhere, you have two choices: Accept him just as he is, or look further for male companionship. © 2011 Universal Uclick Niece’s behavior at wake presents a sticky situation DEAR ABBY Advice JEANNE PHILLIPS A crucial aspect of movie cri- tiquing is realizing — and accepting — some movies are simply mediocre. Certain movies just aren’t memorable. It’s not to say they’re awful or not worth seeing, just that they are nothing special. This week- end’s new rom-com “What’s Your Num- ber?” falls neatly into this category. Its biggest accomplish- ment is the continuation of the smutty chick flick, heralded by this summer’s surprise hit, “Bridesmaids.” “What’s Your Number?” stars the oft-underused Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”) as Ally Darling, an unemployed 30-some- thing city girl constantly dropping genital jokes while awkwardly navi- gating through her slow-moving life. After reading a Marie Claire sur- vey regarding the direct correlation being the number of intimate lovers a woman has and the ability to find a husband, Ally worries her free- wheeling ways will leave her unattrac- tive to the “one.” After comparing notes with her friends, she’s shocked to learn she has marked the most notches in her belt: 19. The survey’s dreaded number: 20. (Because Marie Claire is know for its scientific integrity.) Determined to trace her steps and find Mr. Right in her previous en- counters, Ally enlists the help of her hunky, roguish next-door neighbor, Colin Shea (Chris Evans, “Captain America”), to aid her in tracking down her long-ago beaus through whatever means possible. (Face- book has never been so disturbing.) Whether through psychosis or be- cause of the copious amount of liquor flowing through her system at any given moment, she believes one of her previous 19 lovers will pro- pose and rescue her from striking out at 20. By agreeing to help her, Ally allows Colin, a struggling musician, to slink away from the mornings after his one-night stands until they have left his apartment. Despite some clev- erly placed jokes and one-liners, “Number” is underde- veloped and choppy. A strong and raunchy start quickly fizzles into shameless chick-flick sensibility. The bare-strings plot suffers even further from an unsurprising se- quence of events and a finale you could see coming from the moon. And everyone from previous boyfriends to Ally’s ridiculous friends wax idiotic. It gets a bit grit- ty. Even so, Faris still is a riot, show- ing off her comedic timing and stunning the audience with the quips that seamlessly flow from her mouth. She’s zany and quirky, a tour de force who’s able to drag even Evans’ womanizing character along with her. And though her life is near shambles, Ally’s effervescent per- sonality continues to propel her along, one insane adventure after another. “What’s Your Number?” was adapted for the screen by Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden and is directed by Mark Mylod. The movie is based on Karyn Bosnak’s 2006 novel, “20 Times a Lady” (which might explain Ally’s strange fascination for Lionel Richie songs). With its adult themes, you would think it would have been more crass, but the movie settles into the doldrums far too quickly. Because, as what always happens in real life, Ally gets to decide between not just one but two desirable men. A major subplot involves the com- ing wedding of Ally’s younger, more ladylike sister, Daisy (Ari Graynor), to yet another good-looking guy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), and the nev- er-ending disapproval radiating from her Ally’s mother, Ava (Blythe Danner), regarding her wayward be- havior. Then there are her hilarious exes, some more interesting than others. There may be a puppeteer who introduces some ... character ... into the bedroom. In the end, Faris doesn’t get pushed far enough, she and Evans don’t appear together enough (there’s plenty of comedic chemistry there) and there’s not enough raunchy comedy for a movie that ex- plicitly follows in the footsteps of “Bridesmaids.” If it makes you feel better, both Faris and Evans are half-naked for the better part of the movie. Enjoy. Two sexy stars out of five. Dominic Baez is a paginator for the East Oregonian. Contact him at [email protected]. It’s hard to believe “Mon- eyball” ever got made. The book, written in 2003 by Michael Lewis, largely deals with statistical in- equalities in the game of baseball. Bill James, the fa- ther of sabermetrics, is a main character in the book. So is Jeremy Brown, an overweight catcher who, as a minor leaguer, got on base a lot. There are long pas- sages about statistics such as WARP and VORP, and the book revolves around a team that never even played for an Ameri- can League title. It’s really a story better suited for a PowerPoint presentation than a motion picture. I mean no disrespect to the book, which is my favorite on the sport and pretty compelling for any fan of the game. But it really doesn’t have box office appeal. What the film does so well is play as a companion piece rather than a re-telling. The movie centers on Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the general man- ager of the small market Oakland Athletics trying to keep up with the big spenders in baseball. To do this, he must find undervalued talent and con- vince the manager, Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoff- man) to play the team the way it was built to be played. That means drawing walks, not bunting and not trying to steal bases instead of following the century-old blueprints of the game. He builds the team with Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a fictional character playing roughly the part of assistant GM Paul DePodesta. Much of the movie’s humor comes from the interplay between the physically opposite, philosophically identical pair. The conflict between Beane and Howe, and Beane and the old guard scouts, and Beane and the team’s owner, is what drives the movie. It’s the underdog-and-his- buddy-against-the-world story you’ll find in any sports movie, written with enough intelligence to explain the relevance of the work- ings of an MLB front office. In the conflicts and the details, there is a great movie. Whether its the A’s trying to beat the miserable Royals to set a baseball record, Beane feverishly working a deal for a middle reliever, or an aging star learning how to draw a walk, you want to see the little guy prove the baseball world wrong. But mostly, you’re rooting for Beane, who is made much more likable in Pitt’s portrayal than in Lewis’ description. There’s a healthy dose of backstory on him, and the pieces of Beane that don’t show up in the book are what make the story work on the screen. Whether or not they are true is another one. And that brings up the movie’s greatest flaw — its problematic in- accuracy. As a retelling of the 2002 season, this movie is a failure. No mention is made of MVP Miguel Tejada or Cy Young winner Barry Zito, for instance. And the time- line is scrambled for dramatic effect. Fortunately, the 2002 Oakland A’s aren’t that important. The movie’s message, especially in the sports world, is. Four stars out of five. Daniel Wattenburger is the news editor at the East Oregonian. He can be reached at dwattenburger@east- oregonian.com. At the movies DANIEL W ATTENBURGER ‘Moneyball’ pits Beane against the baseball world ‘Number’ doesn’t aim high enough for laughs At the movies DOMINIC BAEZ MOVIE REVIEW MOVIE REVIEW “What’s your Number?” ★★“Moneyball” ★★★★DAYS GONE BY 20th Century Fox Anna Fari and Chris Evans star in “What's Your Number?” HISTORY

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Page 1: 10.02.2011 2C

75 Years AgoFrom the East Oregonian

Oct. 2, 1936Any hunter or other user

of a firearm, who acciden-tally injures or killsanother person, can neveragain carry a firearm of anykind in the state of Oregon,it was made known todaythrough a ruling of Attor-ney General L.H. VanWinkle, requested by C.C.Proebstel, Umatilla countydistrict attorney. Proebsteldeclared this morning thatthe Oregon statue whichemphatically forbids thepossession of a firearm byanyone who has ever in-jured or killed a personwith a firearm is codified inthe 1930 Oregon Code as 72-103. This little-publicizedsection of the Oregon lawwas noted by Proebstel dur-ing an investigationfollowing the accidentalwounding of Arthur LeRoyBray by one of his deerhunting companions nearTower mountain last week-end.

50 Years AgoFrom the East Oregonian

Oct.2, 1961Eastern Oregon legisla-

tors may meet soon todetermine whether theycan do anything about areapportionment plan an-nounced Thursday. Therehas been some talk aboutcontesting the plan, whichwould reapportion severalveteran Oregon legislatorsout of the Oregon legisla-ture and pit others againsteach other. One of thosewho would be “reappor-tioned” out of the

legislature, Sen. Loyd Key,D-Milton-Freewater, re-ported today that EasternOregon legislators “mayhave a meeting very soon tosee if something can comeout of it (talk about con-testing the plan).”

25 Years AgoFrom the East Oregonian

Oct. 2, 1986Shannon McLaughlin, a

student at Heppner HighSchool, has been selectedas one of 50 state semifi-nalists in the “At Issue”essay competition. Thecompetition is part of astatewide program createdto increase student interestin the political process. Tensemifinalists have been se-lected from eachcongressional district. Apanel of judges coordinatedby the Oregon Departmentof Education will conductregional interviews of the

students Friday throughWednesday. Judges willthen select 10 students, twofrom each district, to par-ticipate in a live, televisedissues forum on Oct. 19 withgubernatorial candidatesNorma Paulus and NeilGoldschmidt.

Today is the 275th day of2011. There are 90 days leftin the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory: On Oct. 2, 1967,Thurgood Marshall wassworn as an associate jus-tice of the U.S. SupremeCourt as the court openedits new term.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer-songwriter Don McLean is66. Photographer AnnieLeibovitz is 62. Singer-actorSting is 60. Actress-talkshow host Kelly Ripa is 41.

Page 2C East Oregonian Sunday, October 2, 2011MILESTONES

*Manufacturer’s rebate offer valid for purchases made 9/13/11 – 12/12/11. Rebate offers may not be combined; there is a limit of one rebate per qualifying unit. For each qualifying unit purchased, the higher applicable rebate amount will apply. Other limitations and restrictions apply. All rebates will be issued in U.S. dollars, in the form of an American Express® Prepaid Reward Card. **For tax credit details and restrictions and a list of qualifying products, ask a salesperson or visit hunterdouglas.com/taxcredit. Hunter Douglas and its dealers are not tax advisors. The tax credit for 2011 is subject to a limitation based in part on the amount of Section 25C credits taken in prior years. It is recommended that you consult your tax advisor regarding your individual tax situation and your ability to claim this tax credit. ©2011 Hunter Douglas. ® and TM are trademarks of Hunter Douglas.

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Call Deb Allstott Today

Jay and Jan Wheelhousewill celebrate their 50thwedding anniversary Sat-urday, Oct. 15, 2011,beginning with a receptionfrom 2-4 p.m. at the Her-miston Assembly of GodChurch, 730 East HurlburtAve., Hermiston.

Jay met Janice MartinJuly 11, 1959, at a rodeodance in Heppner whenshe was a princess to theMorrow County Fair andRodeo. They married June18, 1961, at the Methodistchurch in Heppner, and af-ter a honeymoon toVictoria, B.C., they lived inArizona at Williams AirForce Base for 3½ years,where Jay was an instructorin pilot training.

In January 1965 the fam-ily moved to Heppner toranch with Jan’s parents,Randall and Marie Martin.The couple also workedwith the youth in the churchduring those years. In Sep-tember 1969 they moved toHermiston, where Jayworked at C&B Livestockcutting the fat cattle formarket for 11 years. Theybought a home just outsidethe city limits and enjoyedfarm life for 27 years. Janwas a stay-at-home momand enjoyed leading 4-Hclubs for 12 years and alsotaught wool tailoring class-es through Blue MountainCommunity College. In 1981Jay began his insuranceand investment business.Jan helped as secretary forthe business for 18 years, re-tiring in 2001. She alsoenjoyed waitressing at aMexican restaurant for fiveyears, and worked forJoAnn Fabrics in Hermis-ton for two years.

In 1993-94 Jay and Janspent a year in Ivanovo,Russia, with CoMissionhelping put Christian ethicsand morality back in theschool system of the CIS.Jay was the team leader forthe 16 who came from theU.S.A., Canada and NewZealand. They have re-turned twice to Ivanovo tohelp with ministry.

Jay and Jan moved toMcKay Creek this summer— not to retire, but to becloser to his work on the

ranch yet still be involvedwith his insurance business.

Jay’s activities have in-cluded 35 years withKiwanis Club and co-chair-ing the Mayor‘s PrayerBreakfast in Hermiston,leading Bible studies at theprison for over 30 years, be-ing a leader and teacher atthe Hermiston Assembly ofGod Church, photography,hunting and helping Jan’s fa-ther at McKay Creek ranch.

Jan’s activities includedleading 4-H clubs in sewingand cooking, teaching howto sew with wool, leadingBible classes, painting,singing in choir and forweddings and funerals,playing piano, organ andkeyboard, reading, andlearning to quilt in the last10 years.

Their son, Greg Wheel-house, graduated fromBMCC and is now taking hisjunior year at OSU pursu-ing a degree in engineering.Their daughter KarenWheelhouse lives on the is-land of Sardegna, Italy, westof Rome. She and her fi-ance’ Carlo Boldrini will bevisiting during the celebra-tion. Jan and Jay also haveone grandson, Tyler Wheel-house.

Wheelhouse

Jay and Jan Wheelhousenow and in 1961

ANNIVERSARY

Flora and Ron Pattersonof Hermiston are pleased toannounce the engagementof their daughter, EmilyAnn Ebert, to Chase Hager-man. Chase is the son ofLisa and Brad Hagerman,also of Hermiston. The cou-ple resides in Eugene.

Emily is a 2003 graduateof Hermiston High Schooland a 2007 graduate of theUniversity of Oregon,where she earned a bache-lor’s degree in psychology.She works as a producer forHealth Care conferencesin Eugene.

Chase graduated fromHHS in 2002. He is cur-rently attending U of O andEmbry-Riddle Aeronauti-

cal University. He works asa mechanic for Bi-Mart.

The couple will ex-change vows Saturday, Oct.15, 2011, at Pendleton Cen-ter for the Arts inPendleton.

Ebert-Hagerman

Emily Ann Abertand Chase Hagerman

ENGAGEMENT

Dear Abby: My mother passedaway recently. My sister, who livesin another state, flew in with her4-year-old daughter, “Nikki,” to at-tend Mom’s wake.

When the wake ended, Nikki be-gan to place stickers on Mom’shands and one on her face. Thestickers had been given to her byanother guest before the servicestarted. When my 18-year-olddaughter saw what her cousinhad done, she removed them, andNikki threw a tantrum and refusedto leave the casket. My sister spoke qui-etly to her, trying to get the child to leave,then allowed her to put at least two morestickers on my mother’s hand. Finally, Igently picked Nikki up and took her awayfrom the casket. My father is a mild-man-nered man and, although he frowned indisapproval, he said nothing.

This has caused a huge rift between mysister and me. I feel a 4-year-old is tooyoung to attend a wake. Nikki should nothave been allowed to put stickers on mymother. My sister says I “undermined”her parenting and had no right to inter-vene. What are your thoughts? —Saddened In New Jersey

Dear Saddened: If one defines parent-ing as teaching a child appropriatebehavior, your sister wasn’t parenting atall. Although the child was well-inten-tioned, unless the stickers said “Returnto Sender,” they had no place at the fu-neral. My condolences to your family.

Dear Abby: I’m a 32-year-old single fe-male. I have a child and am currently ina relationship with “Ty,” who has twochildren of his own from a divorce.

This is a very difficult situation for me.I love Ty, but there’s so much drama re-lating to his ex-wife and dealing with thepost-divorce behavior problems of his

kids, I sometimes don’t know howmuch more I can handle. The exconstantly throws herself in myface, trying to be friends. And theshuffling of his kids from ourhouse to hers creates issues.

I need advice on what to do. I’munhappy, and it is getting worse.How can I improve the situationbefore I just give up? — Over-whelmed In Iowa

Dear Overwhelmed: Before giv-ing up, let me remind you that asa 32-year-old single mother, you

will be encountering more and more menwith “baggage” — so you might as welllearn to cope with it now. If you’re goingto have a future with Ty, it is in YOURbest interest to become a “friend” of hisex-wife. Should you marry him, a cordialand cooperative relationship will bebetter for everyone.

Look at it this way: Because Ty’s chil-dren are acting out — which is to beexpected — the most effective way to dealwith it is to form a united front.

Dear Abby: I recently started dating awonderful man, but there’s one problem:On several of our dates he was dressedlike he was staying home to watch TV —wearing dirty pajama-type shorts, rippedT-shirts, stuff I’d barely wear even if Iwere home sick.

I have gently tried to suggest he wearsomething else, but he has no concernsabout his appearance. Any ideas? — Baf-fled In Baltimore

Dear Baffled: The wonderful man youare seeing is either eccentric or a slob.If you have “gently” tried to suggest thathe make himself look more presentablewhen you go out and have gottennowhere, you have two choices: Accepthim just as he is, or look further for malecompanionship. © 2011 Universal Uclick

Niece’s behavior at wakepresents a sticky situation

DEAR ABBY

Advice

JEANNEPHILLIPS

A crucial aspect of movie cri-tiquing is realizing — and accepting— some movies are simplymediocre. Certain movies just aren’tmemorable. It’s not to say they’reawful or not worth seeing, just thatthey are nothingspecial. This week-end’s new rom-com“What’s Your Num-ber?” falls neatlyinto this category. Itsbiggest accomplish-ment is thecontinuation of thesmutty chick flick,heralded by thissummer’s surprisehit, “Bridesmaids.”

“What’s YourNumber?” stars the oft-underusedAnna Faris (“Scary Movie”) as AllyDarling, an unemployed 30-some-thing city girl constantly droppinggenital jokes while awkwardly navi-gating through her slow-moving life.

After reading a Marie Claire sur-vey regarding the direct correlationbeing the number of intimate loversa woman has and the ability to finda husband, Ally worries her free-wheeling ways willleave her unattrac-tive to the “one.”After comparingnotes with herfriends, she’sshocked to learn shehas marked the mostnotches in her belt:19. The survey’s dreaded number:20. (Because Marie Claire is knowfor its scientific integrity.)

Determined to trace her steps andfind Mr. Right in her previous en-counters, Ally enlists the help of herhunky, roguish next-door neighbor,Colin Shea (Chris Evans, “CaptainAmerica”), to aid her in trackingdown her long-ago beaus throughwhatever means possible. (Face-book has never been so disturbing.)Whether through psychosis or be-cause of the copious amount of

liquor flowing through her system atany given moment, she believes oneof her previous 19 lovers will pro-pose and rescue her from strikingout at 20. By agreeing to help her,

Ally allows Colin, astruggling musician, toslink away from themornings after hisone-night stands untilthey have left hisapartment.

Despite some clev-erly placed jokes and

one-liners, “Number” is underde-veloped and choppy. A strong andraunchy start quickly fizzles intoshameless chick-flick sensibility.The bare-strings plot suffers evenfurther from an unsurprising se-quence of events and a finale youcould see coming from the moon.And everyone from previousboyfriends to Ally’s ridiculousfriends wax idiotic. It gets a bit grit-ty.

Even so, Faris still is a riot, show-ing off her comedic timing and

stunning the audience with thequips that seamlessly flow from hermouth. She’s zany and quirky, a tourde force who’s able to drag evenEvans’ womanizing character alongwith her. And though her life is nearshambles, Ally’s effervescent per-sonality continues to propel heralong, one insane adventure afteranother.

“What’s Your Number?” wasadapted for the screen by GabrielleAllan and Jennifer Crittenden andis directed by Mark Mylod. Themovie is based on Karyn Bosnak’s2006 novel, “20 Times a Lady”(which might explain Ally’s strangefascination for Lionel Richie songs).With its adult themes, you wouldthink it would have been morecrass, but the movie settles into thedoldrums far too quickly. Because,as what always happens in real life,Ally gets to decide between not justone but two desirable men.

A major subplot involves the com-ing wedding of Ally’s younger, moreladylike sister, Daisy (Ari Graynor),to yet another good-looking guy(Oliver Jackson-Cohen), and the nev-er-ending disapproval radiatingfrom her Ally’s mother, Ava (BlytheDanner), regarding her wayward be-havior. Then there are her hilariousexes, some more interesting thanothers. There may be a puppeteerwho introduces some ... character ...into the bedroom.

In the end, Faris doesn’t getpushed far enough, she and Evansdon’t appear together enough(there’s plenty of comedic chemistrythere) and there’s not enoughraunchy comedy for a movie that ex-plicitly follows in the footsteps of“Bridesmaids.” If it makes you feelbetter, both Faris and Evans arehalf-naked for the better part of themovie. Enjoy.

Two sexy stars out of five.�

Dominic Baez is a paginator for theEast Oregonian. Contact him [email protected].

It’s hard to believe “Mon-eyball” ever got made.

The book, written in 2003by Michael Lewis, largelydeals with statistical in-equalities in the game ofbaseball. Bill James, the fa-ther of sabermetrics, is amain character in the book.So is Jeremy Brown, anoverweight catcher who, asa minor leaguer, got on basea lot.

There are long pas-sages about statisticssuch as WARP andVORP, and the bookrevolves around ateam that never evenplayed for an Ameri-can League title.

It’s really a story better suitedfor a PowerPoint presentation thana motion picture.

I mean no disrespect to the book,which is my favorite on the sportand pretty compelling for any fanof the game. But it really doesn’thave box office appeal.

What the film does so well isplay as a companion piece ratherthan a re-telling.

The movie centers on BillyBeane (Brad Pitt), the general man-ager of the small market OaklandAthletics trying to keep up with the

big spenders in baseball.To do this, he must find

undervalued talent and con-vince the manager, ArtHowe (Philip Seymour Hoff-man) to play the team theway it was built to beplayed.

That means drawingwalks, not bunting and nottrying to steal bases insteadof following the century-oldblueprints of the game.

He builds theteam with PeterBrand (Jonah Hill), afictional characterplaying roughly thepart of assistant GMPaul DePodesta.Much of the movie’s

humor comes from the interplaybetween the physically opposite,philosophically identical pair.

The conflict between Beane andHowe, and Beane and the oldguard scouts, and Beane and theteam’s owner, is what drives themovie. It’s the underdog-and-his-buddy-against-the-world storyyou’ll find in any sports movie,written with enough intelligence toexplain the relevance of the work-ings of an MLB front office.

In the conflicts and the details,there is a great movie. Whether its

the A’s trying to beat the miserableRoyals to set a baseball record,Beane feverishly working a dealfor a middle reliever, or an agingstar learning how to draw a walk,you want to see the little guy provethe baseball world wrong.

But mostly, you’re rooting forBeane, who is made much morelikable in Pitt’s portrayal than inLewis’ description. There’s ahealthy dose of backstory on him,and the pieces of Beane that don’tshow up in the book are what makethe story work on the screen.

Whether or not they are true isanother one.

And that brings up the movie’sgreatest flaw — its problematic in-accuracy. As a retelling of the 2002season, this movie is a failure. Nomention is made of MVP MiguelTejada or Cy Young winner BarryZito, for instance. And the time-line is scrambled for dramaticeffect.

Fortunately, the 2002 Oakland A’saren’t that important. The movie’smessage, especially in the sportsworld, is.

Four stars out of five.�

Daniel Wattenburger is the newseditor at the East Oregonian. He canbe reached at [email protected].

At the movies

DANIELWATTENBURGER

‘Moneyball’ pits Beane against the baseball world

‘Number’ doesn’t aim high enough for laughs

At the movies

DOMINICBAEZ

MOVIE REVIEW

MOVIE REVIEW

“What’s yourNumber?”

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“Moneyball”

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DAYS GONE BY

20th Century FoxAnna Fari and Chris Evans star in“What's Your Number?”

HISTORY