SATURDAY SCOOPS
Tune out the war

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Illustration by Greg Taylor • The Honolulu Advertiser

When you're ready to take a break:

• Create some comfort food. Sometimes, food just makes us feel better — and what better way to spend the evening than with loved ones gathered around a feast of soup? Need some ideas? If you have slow cooker, check out www.justcrockpotrecipes.com for dozens of bean-soup ideas. Then there's www.souprecipe.com, which has a zillion more suggestions.
• Take the kids to see "Piglet's Big Movie," which has gotten mostly warm reviews from critics nationwide. The family-friendly animated film might be just the thing to take you back to simpler times. There's also "View From the Top," in which small-town girl Gwyneth Paltrow aspires to become a flight attendant; this film has received mixed reviews but is harmless, escapist fare. Extreme escapist fare will be found in "The Core" (about a team that goes deep into the Earth to save it); and "Head of State" (a comedy starring Chris Rock).
• Watch "Raising Arizona" (6 and 9 p.m. Wednesday on basic-cable's Bravo channel). This 1987 film by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen stars Nicolas Cage as an ex-con and Holly Hunter as a cop who fall in love. It's sweet: They really just wants to have a family, but there are so many zany obstacles to overcome. The truth is, however far the battlefront, we still feel it here at home. You might not be able to reach out to the troops, but you can reach out to your community:
• If you know of someone who has a father, mother, son, daughter or friend serving in the Middle East, bring over a dessert; get some popcorn, rent a video or DVD and watch it together. Or bring a spring bouquet. Or take them out for ice cream.
• Give blood. Make an appointment with the Blood Bank of Hawai'i at 848-4721 or visit www.bbh.org. Give to the Hawaii Foodbank: Bring cans of Spam to Restaurant Row, where a Wall of Spam is being built until April 19, the culmination of the food- and fund-raising drive.
• Go out and eat at your favorite restaurants, or be adventuresome and try a new restaurant. The local economy often is another casualty of war, and local businesses would appreciate support.
• For peace of mind, go for a walk in a park and enjoy the beauty that is Hawai'i. Take your dog for a jog and appreciate the simple joy you bring to your four-legged friend. Hug your cat.

Furniture scratches no match for nuts, cooking oils

Believe it or not, you can hide a fine scratch on furniture by rubbing it with the meat of a pecan or other oily nut, or even with a little peanut butter. But if that sounds a bit too nutty or smelly, there are alternatives. It's the oil in the nut that does the job. Olive oil or vegetable oil will work even better — without the danger of your further damaging the finish by being forced to rub too hard. Rub the oil in well with your thumb and finish the job by polishing the surface with a clean soft cloth.

Making a cute frog box doesn't take leap of faith for children

Hey, kids, a safe way to celebrate April Fools' Day (that's Tuesday) is to fool people by making something that isn't what it appears to be, like this frog. At first glance, no one will realize it's really a box that can hold craft supplies or fishing lures and even flies. Directions for this craft are in "Look What You Can Make With Dozens of Household Items!" (Boys Mills Press) and have been modified for our use.

Supplies you will need:

• Green, red and pink foam sheets.
• Plastic box with attached lid, such as a recipe box or baby-wipe box.
• 2 1/2-inch plastic foam ball.
• 6-inch plastic foam egg.
• Green acrylic paint.
• Red marker or crayon.
• Wiggle eyes.
• Low-temp glue gun.

Ask an adult to divide the plastic foam ball and egg in half using a serrated knife.

Paint all the pieces green and let dry.

Glue the half balls to the top of the box and the eyes to the fronts of the balls. Glue the half eggs to the sides of the bottom section of the box. You may have to mold the flat sides with your hands to make sure the lid opens easily.

Draw the upper and lower lips of the frog on the red foam sheet. Cut out and glue to the top and bottom sections of the box on the edge of the opening.

Draw four webbed feet on green foam, cut out and glue to the bottom and front of the box, using the photo for placement.

Draw a tongue on pink foam, long enough to reach from the top of the box to the table you are working on. Cut out and glue to the inside of the lid. Draw a swerving line down the tongue with a red crayon or marker.

As an option, you can glue a fly or bug to the tip of the frog's tongue.

Yo, skateboarders: Kahuku is ready to launch skate park

The new skate park features six customized attractions: a quarter pipe, launch box, banked hip, skate picnic table, kicker ramp and skate bench. There will be a skateboarding demo and safety clinic, sponsored by Chuck Mitsui, president of the Association of Skateboarders in Hawaii (and a semifinalist in The Advertiser's bachelor game).

Admission is free. 948-5084.

'Tuck Everlasting' may find its niche in DVD format

For your DVD consideration:

A girl is offered the opportunity to live forever beside the boy she loves. Does she take it?

That's the question in "Tuck Everlasting," the film based on Natalie Babbitt's 1975 children's book.

The film didn't make much of a splash at the box office, but its quiet charms may be better appreciated on video and DVD. As tenderly scripted by Jeffrey Lieber and James V. Hart, and directed by Jay Russell ("My Dog Skip"), it's full of little moments and big questions.

Alexis Bledel plays Winnie Foster as a girl who feels trapped by her well-to-do but confining life. The clocks are always ticking as her mother (Amy Irving) whisks her from one social obligation to another — until she runs away and meets the Tucks, a family for whom time doesn't exist.

The stars include William Hurt and Sissy Spacek as the Tucks and Ben Kingsley as the man determined to track them down. As if anticipating use in classrooms, the DVD extras include "Lessons of Tuck," a viewing mode that focuses on the story's themes.

For the book's fans, the DVD sports a featurette on Babbitt — the writer who started the magic more than a quarter of a century ago.

Also available on DVD: "Inspector Gadget 2," a sequel that went straight to video (not a good sign). Cast members have changed since the 1999 original, with French Stewart taking over the Matthew Broderick lead. This one's rated G and includes games, outtakes and a how-to featurette that shows kids how the cool effects are done.

Go to a parade fit for a prince

Love a parade? Who doesn't? The Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole Commemorative Parade begins at 3:30 p.m. today, traveling from Fort DeRussy to Kapi'olani Park. It's free; just remember to bring sunscreen.