THE LEFT LANE
February is Pet Dental Health Month

For optimum dental health, Carey recommends "Three Ds" — dental checks (on a regular schedule with the vet), daily brushing and diet (a nutritious one, obviously), which together will enhance your pet's overall health.

Lassie online

Speaking of man's best friend, here's a good Web site to noodle around in if you've always wondered what type of dog was featured in "The African Queen" (Basenji), you want to settle a bet or you just want to kill some time looking up canine stars of your favorite films: Moviedogs.

Although it can sometimes be sketchy on the details, this A-to-Z list also encompasses TV shows, from "ALF" to "Will and Grace."

Hawai'i Music Awards get new date, place

The 5th Annual Hawai'i Music Awards, originally scheduled last fall as a webcast program, has set a new date and has downsized its scope, says organizer Johnny Kai.

The new date: April 7, from 6 p.m. (pre-show festivities start at 5 p.m.). The new place: Kapono's at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Tickets: $10 donation suggested, to support the Music Foundation of Hawai'i charity. Reservations: 951-6699 or JohnnyKai@aol.com.

The Hawai'i Music Awards honor achievement in numerous categories not included in the larger, more established Na Hoku Hanohano Awards staged each spring by the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts.

South Park, shush!

"South Park," an animated show on Comedy Central, registered a per-hour combined average of 126 violent or raunchy moments. The combined average for all shows was 21.7, while the combined average found in the council's latest study of broadcast network programming (for fall 1999) was 9.8. The council focused on basic cable, which reaches about three-quarters of U.S. households, rather than less widely distributed premium services.

Comedy Central "is not designed for kids. It's designed for adults," responded spokesman Tony Fox. "Eighty percent of our audience is 18 or older." He noted that "South Park" was at the top of the council's list because of an episode that used the same four-letter word 162 times as part of a satirical commentary on profanity. "That episode had something to say beyond the gratuitous use of swear words," he said.