LEFT LANE
MDA fund-raiser time

Advertiser Staff and News Services

That's the aim of the annual Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign now through March 31, during which Hawai'i stores including Longs Drugs, Times supermarkets, Star Market, Burger King, KFC and Lex Brodie offer customers green and gold paper shamrocks to wear, for donations of $1 and $5, respectively.

The MDA receives no government money and relies almost exclusively on fund-raisers to carry out its work of assistance to those suffering from 43 neuromuscular diseases and of financing research into treatment. All money raised in Hawai'i stays in the Islands.

Inoue to be bad boy

Egan Inoue

The TV series, produced by Hellcat Productions LLC, also has a call out for an actress to play a female ninja character: Yuki, a beautiful, young (18 to 25) and worldly woman who was born in Japan and has a fiery spirit and an aura of mystery.

Auditions will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i, 2452 S. Beretania St. For details, e-mail Yamasato at Ayamasato@aol.com or phone (808) 651-5016.

Archie Cartman lives

Norman Lear, the Emmy-winning producer of "All in the Family," said he will collaborate on several episodes of the Comedy Central satire "South Park." Among subjects Lear hopes to mock are the U.S. push for war in Iraq, "reality" TV shows and immigration.

"This is a show that always has something on its mind — as funny as it is, as outrageous and ridiculous," said Lear, who began watching the show several years ago with his teenage son.

Lear, 80, is best known for such politically charged comedies in the 1970s as "All in the Family," "Sanford and Son," "Maude" and "The Jeffersons."