The film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" has not been officially released in China; it opened Friday only in the United States and Britain. But by Tuesday, video-disc peddlers were selling illegal copies of the smash movie, with Chinese subtitles, for the equivalent of just $1.20.

The packaging showed the boy wizard on a flying broom and shots from the film. The copies apparently were filmed with a video camera in a theater, possibly in Taiwan, where it debuted over the weekend. The images were dark and grainy, the sound fuzzy. At one point, a member of the audience walked past the camera.

— Associated Press

Comics for charity

BALTIMORE — Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Dennis the Menace and other stars of the comics pages will honor heroes and victims of Sept. 11 in a Thanksgiving Day tribute.

Creators of 100 comic strips are joining in the effort, which also aims to raise money for victims of the terror attacks.

In a strip in today's Advertiser, Dennis the Menace says a prayer for "family, friends, heroes and freedom." In another, parents of the baby Marvin notice that he has more interest than usual in his toy fire trucks and police cars.

Each of the strips will include the address of a charity Web site, networkforgood.org.

— Associated Press

Devour the fashions

It's too late to order your cookie-cutter dream house from the 75th annual Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog in time for holiday delivery. The deadline was Nov. 1 to place an order for Eleni's bakery in Manhattan's Chelsea Market to create a replica of your home in gingerbread — for $4,000.

But you can still get some trendy treats from New York.

Haute couture sugar cookies come in the shape of Manolo Blahnik stilettos, Gucci loafers, Kate Spade handbags and Burberry peacoats. One is even iced to look like a Neiman Marcus charge card. A tin comes packed with 13 ounces worth of fresh cookies.

You can eat it all up for $65, but the Neiman Marcus by Mail Holiday Book doesn't deliver perishable items to Hawai'i. For local orders, call Cherilyn Shiinoki at 951-3423.

— Tanya Bricking, Advertiser staff writer

Water Christmas tree easy way

A crucial part of spreading holiday cheer involves keeping your Christmas tree from drying up. Now there may

be an easier way to keep your evergreen hydrated. Richard Tajiri's

Christmas Hawaii will introduce the "Tree I.V." ($18.95) Saturday. The package comes with a reusable drill bit, I.V. bag and solution. Stick the bit into the trunk of your tree and let gravity do the rest.

Tajiri's is on the corner of Kamake'e Street and Kapi'olani. Boulevard. For more information, call 593-4445.