Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service articles from January 2005

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service archives from January 2005

Once reliably Republican, New England now backs Democrats.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Stevenson Swanson BOSTON _ In the coloring-book view of American politics, where Republican states are red and Democratic states are blue, the map of New England has undergone a shade shift. Once as scarlet as ripe cherries,...

Tsunami challenges survivors' faith.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Manya A. Brachear CHICAGO _ Not only did the tsunami drown southern Asia; it challenged its soul. When the waves washed over India's coastal villages Sunday, thousands of pilgrims to a Marian shrine were washed away while...

USC assistant making step up.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Ethan J. Skolnick The voice is Cajun, gravelly, unceasing, indestructible and more unintelligible with each rise in octave as he races up and down the field rallying players. It is unmistakable and invariably the first thing heard...

Car bomb leaves 2 dead, 5 injured; Baghdad streets mostly quiet.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Colin McMahon BAGHDAD, Iraq _ A car bomb Friday wounded five members of the Iraqi National Guard and killed two civilians near the northern town of Beiji, while residents of Baghdad and other major cities spent New Year's Eve under...

Colombia extradites top rebel commander to U.S.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Gary Marx HAVANA _ Stepping up his battle against insurgents, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe took the unprecedented step Friday of extraditing a top guerrilla commander to the United States to face drug-trafficking and terrorism...

Downey's Eleven: What will happen in 2005.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Mike Downey CHICAGO _ Stuff that will happen in 2005: Randy Johnson will oppose Pedro Martinez in their traditional New York Subway Series pitching duel. Paul McCartney will bare much too much of his chest at the Super...

Aid begins winding its way to survivors in Indonesia.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Michael A. Lev MEDAN, Indonesia _ The race to get aid to Indonesia's tsunami survivors slowly gathered pace Friday, while the head of the national Red Cross worried about the dead, because unless thousands of bodies are quickly...

Bush OKs dramatic increase in tsunami aid.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Mark Silva and Stevenson Swanson WASHINGTON _ With the South Asian tsunami disaster growing "both in size and scope," President Bush on Friday authorized a tenfold increase in humanitarian financial aid from the United States, to...

Hawkeyes find way in darkest of times.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Teddy Greenstein ORLANDO, Fla. _ Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz found an optimistic way to look at his team's overall health heading into Saturday's Capital One Bowl against LSU. "Outside of the guys who have had surgery," he said,...

Va. Tech's young receivers catch stride; caution issued about city.(Newport News, Va., Daily Press)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Norm Wood and Dave Fairbank NEW ORLEANS _ Virginia Tech is the ACC champ and in the Sugar Bowl for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is its freshman receiver corps. True freshmen Eddie Royal, Josh Hyman and Josh Morgan...

Bowl games expose faults in BCS again.(Newport News, Va., Daily Press)
January 1, 2005... Byline: David Teel NEW ORLEANS _ Happy 2005. What better way to ring in the first year of Dick Cheney's last term than with a Bowl Championship Series replete with backroom intrigue and contentious vote counts? As always with the BCS,...

Northern Illinois takes gigantic step in Silicon Valley Bowl.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Bill Jauss SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Tonight the Silicon Valley Bowl. Next, the Mid-American Conference championship. That's the paraphrased message, the challenge and the "carrot" Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak offered Thursday...

No. 1 Illinois thrashes 22nd-ranked Cincinnati.(Chicago Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Marlen Garcia LAS VEGAS _ Dee Brown's variety show was an enormous hit for the Illini on Friday. Not even three minutes into top-ranked Illinois' rematch with No. 22 Cincinnati, the Illini's brash confidence was on display...

Sept. 11 rescue dog becomes part of new effort to save people.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Nikki Waller MIAMI _ Three years ago, Mizu the rescue dog helped search for bodies in the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center. There at ground zero, Mizu, who works for Miami-Dade (Fla.) Fire Rescue, spent two weeks...

Religion TV highlights.
January 1, 2005... SUNDAY "Gospel Superfest Holiday": Melba Moore, Rueben Studdard, Jonathan Slocumb, Karen Clark Sheard, Howard Hewett, Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir; host Clifton Davis. (1 a.m., PAX, 1 hr., 481686) "World of...

Tsunami leaves us to make sense of the senseless.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Tom Schaefer More than 60,000 died in Asia's devastating tsunami. Sixty thousand men, women and children. How do people of faith make sense of the senseless? The answer is, we can't. The problem of evil in this...

Robots on edge of surgical technology, but skeptics question results.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Alan Bavley KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The three metal arms of a million-dollar robot twitched restlessly over Judy Verhage's chest, snipping and sewing and fixing a faulty valve in her heart. No need to crack open her chest. The...

For those with sickle cell, African-American donors are ideal.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Kawanza L. Griffin MILWAUKEE _ Each morning, Bernadette Small would gently lean over the bed to awaken her son for day care. And each morning he would look up at his mother and greet her with a smile. But one day, her...

People in the news.
January 1, 2005... At the first peak of his career, actor John Travolta was also something of a pop star. Now, on the soundtrack for his latest film, ``A Love Song for Bobby Long,'' he rekindles those talents and tackles a couple of standards, reports Billboard...

FSU's Reid ready to shoulder more of the load.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Randy Beard JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ One of these days the playmaker inside of Willie Reid is going to take center stage at Florida State. It could even happen during Saturday's Gator Bowl. "Hopefully so," Reid said. "That would be...

Uneven race may chill Palestinian turnout.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Michael Matza JERUSALEM _ As Palestinians prepare to vote in their first presidential election since 1996, one challenge facing front-runner Mahmoud Abbas is the threat that a significant number of registered voters might not go to...

U.S. maestro conducts outreach in South America.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Tyler Bridges LA PAZ, Bolivia _ David Handel was rushing up a cobblestone street here in the midst of a bloody clash last year between military troops and policemen that would leave 29 people dead. Handel, the director of...

Chargers may look different, but for Schottenheimer, it's about the result.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Randy Covitz KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Marty Schottenheimer stood in the lower level of Arrowhead Stadium, wearing a bright yellow San Diego Chargers sweatshirt that still looked odd on him. The Chargers had just defeated the Chiefs...

Tech stomps on Cal's Holiday.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Keith Whitmire SAN DIEGO _ Maybe the wrong team is in the Rose Bowl after all. Maybe it should be Texas Tech. The Red Raiders certainly looked more worthy of a BCS bowl than No. 4 California in a 45-31 upset of the Bears on...

Peyton Manning selection for MVP not unanimous.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ While Peyton Manning was the expected readers' choice for fantasy MVP, his selection wasn't unanimous. Kevin Birkhead, of Philadelphia, was among those who voted for Terrell Owens, instead of Manning...

Dumb just keep getting dumber.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ This is what we know about the Miami Dolphins' new head coach, Nick Saban: We know he was an excellent college head coach. Guided Louisiana State to a national co-championship and turned around...

A sports fan's happy ending.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Bob Ford PHILADELPHIA _ He is just a boy growing up in a small town between Albany and Schenectady in upstate New York, a boy who loves football and idolizes Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. Just a boy almost 11 years old whose...

Rix's rocky road coming to an end.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Josh Robbins JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ The most polarizing quarterback in Florida State history soon will end his tumultuous college career and return home to the West Coast. The move already has begun. Chris Rix recently...

Worst outcome: BCS looks right.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson SAN DIEGO _ Of all the scenarios that could have come to pass in Thursday's Holiday Bowl, of all the epitaphs California's football team could have authored for its riveting 2004 season, you'd have figured this among...

Navy over New Mexico in Emerald Bowl, 34-19.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Dennis Georgatos SAN FRANCISCO _ The drive amounted to a grand game of keep-away, and Navy put it together a few yards at a time. No play went for more than 10 yards during a 26-play, 94-yard march that lasted 14 minutes, 26...

Bowl capsules for New Year's Day games.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Mike Huguenin Saturday's bowl games Outback Bowl Georgia vs. Wisconsin WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa. WHEN: 11 a.m. EST TV: ESPN. RECORDS: Georgia 9-2, Wisconsin 9-2. OUR RANKING: 8th (of the...

Airports to ban cigarette lighters beyond checkpoints.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Bryon Okada FORT WORTH, Texas _ In what could become a major hassle for air travelers who smoke, the Homeland Security Department will ban all cigarette lighters beyond airport checkpoints beginning Feb. 15. The Intelligence...

The Year 2004 in Sports _ the good side.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Chuck Carlton DALLAS _ Boston Red Sox owner John Henry spoke for all New England on the October night his team _ finally!!! _ won a World Series. "All of our fans waited their entire lives for this," Henry said. The Red...

In devastated village, some fear a return to the sea.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Moritsugu KALLAR, India _ For three generations, the ocean sustained Sumathi Bakkarisami's fishing family. Now, it sends shivers down her spine. "When I see the sea, I'm afraid," she said Friday in the doorway of her ruined...

The Year 2004 in Sports _ the bad side.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Chuck Carlton DALLAS _ The Super Bowl proved that 2004 was going to be a far different sports year. The Page 1 headlines the next day skipped past a remarkable finish and quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jake Delhomme to focus on...

Georgia's balanced offense meets Wisconsin's stout defense.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Josh Kendall TAMPA, Fla. _ Apparently, the expert's view of today's Outback Bowl isn't much different than the layman's. "I see two very fierce defenses getting after two offenses that have been good, but maybe not great,"...

Survivors cope as problems mount in Sri Lanka.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Tim Johnson MADAMPA, Sri Lanka _ When relief vehicles arrive, disaster-stricken residents of this hamlet at the edge of the sea scramble to the roadside and clamor for attention. But being too needy has its drawbacks. Mobbed...

Names in the news.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Tirdad Derakhshani Martha Stewart's every move, word and twitch have been followed far and wide since she entered a West Virginia prison last October to serve a five-month sentence for insider stock trading. The latest gibes come...

Relief workers struggle to reach survivors; U.S. boosts aid.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Ben Stocking, Tim Johnson and Ken Moritsugu BANDA ACEH, Indonesia _ Relief workers from around the world faced daunting problems getting aid to areas devastated by this week's earthquake and tsunami, and desperate residents from...

To play or not to play: that is the question.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Chris Harry ORLANDO, Fla. _ One of the hot topics during the past two NFL weekends has focused on the decisions by some playoff-bound teams to pull key players from games. Nowhere were such moves more scrutinized than Monday night,...

Battle of the Top 10 teams: No. 9 Georgia Tech meets No. 2 Kansas.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Brian Murphy ATLANTA _ Having just torched Charleston Southern for 20 points and six 3-pointers, all Georgia Tech freshman Anthony Morrow wanted to talk about was defense. In other words, he's catching on. "We really...

Colombia extradites rebel leader to U.S.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Steven Dudley BOGOTA, Colombia _ Under heavy military guard that included several helicopters and hundreds of army personnel, the Colombian government extradited rebel commander Ricardo Palmera to the United States on Friday to...

Ball is crystal clear for 2005 predictions.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Gil LeBreton FORT WORTH, Texas _ The year 2004 was a most providential one for your beloved seer. Who else correctly predicted that Phil Mickelson would win the Masters, that the Red Sox would stun the Yankees after trailing...

For U.S. troops in Iraq, punk rock concert a welcome distraction.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Gretel C. Kovach BAGHDAD, Iraq _ For one hour on New Year's Eve, slam-dancing soldiers put the war in Iraq and the progress and pitfalls of the last year on hold during a punk rock concert on a downtown military base. The...

American basketball just couldn't blend abroad.(The Gazette)
January 1, 2005... Byline: David Ramsey COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. _ Two memorable developments from 2004: Americans witness the wonders of team basketball. One problem. They witness the wonders while getting thumped in Olympic competition. ...

Richt just grows right where he is: as Georgia head coach.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Troy Johnson TAMPA, Fla. _ Notre Dame didn't call and neither did Florida. The Miami Dolphins didn't call and neither did Louisiana State. More telling, perhaps, is the fact that Georgia football coach Mark Richt didn't ask his...

Texas Longhorns want to prove they belong.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jimmy Burch LOS ANGELES _ Texas defensive tackle Rod Wright realized he was in for a bizarre stretch of California dreaming shortly after arriving at Disneyland for the team's first entertainment-related function of Rose Bowl week....

Despite a tough '04, Castro supporters offer a rosy scenario.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Tracey Eaton HAVANA _ Fidel Castro summed up 2004 like this: "There couldn't have been a worse year, and there couldn't have been a better year, either." Two hurricanes, a stubborn drought, spiraling energy costs and...

Michigan had a helping hand in Texas' 1969 national championship.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jimmy Burch LOS ANGELES _ Texas has not played Michigan in a college football game, an omission that will end with Saturday's historic matchup in the Rose Bowl. But the Longhorns and Wolverines have teamed up, indirectly, to settle...

McNeal enjoys breakout season for Texas A&M.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jeff Caplan DALLAS _ On Jan. 1, 1988, when freshman quarterback Bucky Richardson propelled Texas A&M to its last Cotton Bowl victory, Reggie McNeal was 4 years old. The Aggies' most lethal dual-threat quarterback, until now,...

Broncos expect to see Colts at their best.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Frank Schwab ENGLEWOOD, Colo. _ The Indianapolis Colts might only play their starting offense for one quarter against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, or maybe just a possession or two. But the Colts' offense is so explosive, the...

Florida State's quarterback future appears much brighter.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Randy Beard JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ Several times this week Bobby Bowden has expressed his sincere hope that senior quarterback Chris Rix will be able to make the most of his final college football game. But once you get past all the...

LSU vs. Iowa not a typical matchup.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Alan Schmadtke ORLANDO, Fla. _ Just as Saturday's Capital One Bowl reached the end of its singular story line _ Nick Saban coaching his final game at LSU _ along came Matt Roth. Iowans must be wondering whether football players...

After a Fiesta, Meyer and Harris say goodbye.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Rick Maese TEMPE, Ariz. _ For a final time, Urban Meyer will slip on a polo shirt with a Utah Utes logo on Saturday. Across the field at Sun Devil Stadium, Walt Harris will pace the sideline wearing Pittsburgh Panthers colors for...

Speed is not a running joke with Wisconsin's Alvarez.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Michael Hunt TAMPA, Fla. _ Barry Alvarez is not a good bowl coach. Barry Alvarez is a great bowl coach. You cannot be classified otherwise after going three for three in Pasadena and winning seven of nine overall. Yet it is...

Weekly sports trivia quiz.
January 1, 2005... QUESTIONS: 1.) Who were the original three ``Monday Night Football'' announcers? 2.) In 1980, the ``Air Coryell'' Chargers became the first team to field three 1,000-yard receivers. Who were they? 3.) This Montreal Canadien...

With no playoffs in sight, Chiefs' Green seeking broken record.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Adam Teicher KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Sometime during Sunday's game in San Diego, perhaps even in the first half, Trent Green will leave another entry in the Chiefs' record book. Green needs 131 passing yards and 11 completions to...

Texas QB determined to earn himself and his team some respect.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jimmy Burch PASADENA, Calif. _ Vince Young considers himself the quarterback of one of college football's least appreciated elite teams. Sure, No. 6-ranked Texas owns a six-game winning streak and a 10-1 record. But there were...

Browns getting the message to Holcomb.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Marla Ridenour BEREA, Ohio _Terry Robiskie's message to quarterback Kelly Holcomb might be the same one he delivers to several other Browns. The interim coach warned Holcomb through the media Friday that he might not find what...

Indians still shopping after the holidays.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Terry Pluto Who has the most career victories of any Tribe starter? Can anyone say C.C. Sabathia, who is 24 with a career 54-35 record? Who's next? How about Scott Elarton at 39-38? What about All-Star Jake Westbrook?...

NFL capsules for Sunday games.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Dan Caesar 49ers at Patriots Time: Noon Sunday. Line: Patriots by 13 {. Overview: Nothing on the line here. The 49ers long ago were eliminated from postseason contention. New England is locked into the No. 2 seed in...

Wisconsin's Davis trying to recover from nightmare of injuries.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jeff Potrykus TAMPA, Fla. _ The mental snapshots Anthony Davis has left in his wake during the past four-plus years at the University of Wisconsin, like so many would-be tacklers strewn on the football field, are vibrant, powerful...

Wisconsin's Nixon worked his way back to the field.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jeff Potrykus MADISON, Wis. _ Ray Nixon was such a nervous wreck that he couldn't bear to look. He'd taken the American College Test four or five times without getting the desired results and was so fearful of more...

Why Michigan Wolverines are on coach Carr's side.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: John Eligon BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. _ Listen to Lloyd Carr and hear a football coach. "It's difficult to bring eight guys down, because now you have three guys left to play deep," Carr said of setting up the Michigan defense...

Pride of the Lions at stake against Titans.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Curt Sylvester DETROIT _ Even the mathematical possibilities finally ran out on the Lions. So they will play out the season the same way they played out last season. And, before that, the 2002 and 2001 seasons. They...

Minnesota turns Alabama's gifts into Music City Bowl victory.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Brian Hamilton NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ The Music City Bowl championship trophy was ferried from the playing field to the University of Minnesota's locker room in the hands of a bowl game volunteer. And that was just as well. Given the...

So much for tradition! Texas in Pasadena pleases Royal, Bo.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: John Eligon BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. _ Former Texas coach Darrell Royal has a message for the naysayers who object that a Big 12 team will play in the Rose Bowl: "I just hope they get over it. Because we're damn happy to be...

In the wake of the week . . .(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Bud Geracie SAN JOSE, Calif. _ The Greatest Hits of 2004 . . . _ In a more innocent time, before BALCO, there was Bilko. _ Two of the greatest athletes in Bay Area history, O.J. Simpson and Barry Bonds, will be remembered...

Both Utah, Pittsburgh enter Fiesta with a big chip.(East Valley (Ariz.) Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Dan Zeiger TEMPE, Ariz. _ Already boasting a 34-year history of being a trendsetter in the college bowl business, the Fiesta Bowl appears to have done it again. With Saturday night's game between Pittsburgh and Utah, the folks...

Louisville, Boise State put the thrill in thriller as Cardinals survive.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Mark Story MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ This should've been called the Surreal Bowl. Here Louisville was on the verge of _ arguably _ the biggest football game in school history. A bowl matchup with both teams ranked in the nation's...

NFL capsules for final regular-season week.
January 1, 2005... Byline: Andy Friedlander Game of the Week Jets at Rams Time: Noon Sunday Records: Jets 10-5, Rams 7-8 The line: Jets by 3 { Notable: A win puts the Jets in the playoffs. A loss eliminates the Rams.... Jets RB...

Cal Bears impress in loss to No. 13 Washington.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Okanes SEATTLE _ And now for your New Year's Day pop quiz, what conclusions can be drawn from Cal's performance at Washington on Friday? The choices are: a) Washington isn't the so-called Pac-10 giant some make it...

No second-half football magic for Cal this time.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jay Heater SAN DIEGO _ Going into the second half of the Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium on Thursday night, Texas Tech's offensive linemen were spread across the field like a string of grocery clerks at Safeway. Red Raiders...

Backup QB Keller passes Arizona State past Purdue.(East Valley (Ariz.) Tribune)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Jerry Brown EL PASO, Texas _ Arizona State's duo of understudies _ a second-string quarterback and a fourth-string tailback _ came up huge on a big-game stage. And combined with a first-class performance from an inspired...

Bobcats no match for Sonic boom.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Rick Bonnell CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Charlotte Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff wouldn't quite stomp on the point that referees ripped off his team Friday. But Bickerstaff danced to every corner of that accusation. "I may be...

Nuggets end Sixers' five-game road win streak.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Joe Juliano DENVER _ If the Philadelphia 76ers popped some champagne corks to welcome in the New Year, they probably found the bubbly to be a bit sour and flat. A road that had been filled with fun and frolic for the Sixers...

St. Louis flirts with victory before falling to No. 16 Iowa.(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
January 1, 2005... Byline: Stu Durando IOWA CITY, Iowa _ In the one day St. Louis University had between its lopsided loss to Southeast Missouri State and a game against No. 16 Iowa, coach Brad Soderberg emphasized the most basic tenets of his philosophy....

Television highlights for the week of Jan. 2-8.
January 2, 2005... Sunday, Jan. 2 8 p.m. on NBC American Dreams Since it lacks real clout in terms of ratings, this series disappears at times. Tonight it resurfaces, with JJ (Will Estes) back from Vietnam but still haunted by his experiences there....

CBS unveils a `Wickedly Perfect' new reality show.
January 2, 2005... Byline: Ed Bark A potential new Martha will be born on "Wickedly Perfect" while the real deal simultaneously plots a post-slammer rebirth. Not to get too cosmic, but consider this confluence. CBS' 10-episode "Search for the Next Great...

Around the remote: TV picks for Jan. 2-8.
January 2, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney DON'T MISS: THE ORANGE BOWL: The persistent cries for a legitimate college football playoff system continue to fall on deaf ears. And so we come to this _ a stupendously hyped game between No. 1-ranked USC and No....

Dramas get the last laugh on comedies.
January 2, 2005... Byline: Joanne Weintraub Last year was a good one for network dramas and a remarkably rotten one for comedies. This year, from the evidence of NBC's two latest series, just may continue the trend. The drama, "Medium," stars Patricia...

`Medium,' premiering Monday on NBC.
January 2, 2005... Byline: Hal Boedeker Allison DuBois sees dead people, but that skill hardly fazes her. When more than a dozen congregate at her bed to reassure her, she is annoyed. She is sharing a private conversation with her husband. NBC's...

As tsunami reminds us, `Mother Nature will win when she wants to'.
January 2, 2005... Byline: Seth Borenstein WASHINGTON _ Man can dam rivers, build skyscrapers, even go to the moon, but sometimes nature needs only a split second to remind us who's really boss. Last Sunday's tsunami offers yet another humbling lesson...

Many who lose in national politics find new life after limelight fades.
January 2, 2005... Byline: Camille Ricketts WASHINGTON _ National-level politicians never plan to lose elections, so when they do it's a shock when the limelight suddenly fades, January rolls around and Washington moves on without them. One lawmaker said...