The Left Lane
Soap station
Soap opera buffs who work and tape their daily favoritess for later-in-the-night viewing needn't resort to the VCR anymore. At least, not with the ABC sudsers.
SoapNet (Oceanic 73 analog, 543 digital) — not yet in the newspaper TV grids — made its debut earlier this month and offers 24-hour soap operas, ranging from old prime-time favorites such as "Hotel," "Knots Landing" and "Falcon Crest," to current shows such as "All My Children," "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital." Same-day airings make this a boon for those who tape; the previous day's episodes are also shown. The focus is on ABC programming because the cable network is operated by Disney, which owns ABC.
Log on to the Web site, www.soapnet.go.com/soapnet/index, for the programming data, interactive message boards, special events and all the poop on soap stars past, present and future.
— Wayne Harada, Advertiser entertainment editor
Shelling out
Pearls of wisdom often come for free, but you shouldn't take them for granted.
This is perhaps the lesson of those who have shared "He Lei Momi" ("It is a Pearl Lei"), a weekday series on Hawaiian words, sent via e-mail by Liana Iaea Honda, a longtime Hawaiian language teacher.
It began as a New Year's resolution 18 months ago, with a small list of a few dozen. Now Honda disseminates it daily to 150 or so, all over the world, and it's been forwarded to many more.
Starting July 1 she plans to convert the e-mail freebies to a Web-based subscription service (we'll pass along the Web address once she has one). The news rattles some people, she said.
"It's OK to pay for a consultant to advise us on Western thinking or concepts, but the expectations for Hawaiian information (is that) it's manuahi (free)." But these lei momi are manuahi no more.
— Vicki Viotti, Advertiser staff writer
Skate style
If you thought in-line skates had permanently replaced the old-fashioned four-wheel models, look around.
"The quad skates are coming back real strong," said Wally Parcels, owner of Bikefactory Sportshop. So who's breaking the mold? According to Parcels, 30-something women who remember skating on quads at roller rinks and around their neighborhoods as children are choosing these skates over in-line models. The difference now? The wheels are high-quality and provide the same, smooth ride enjoyed on the latest in-line skates. Cost: $170-$200.
— Katherine Nichols, Advertiser staff writer
