Posted on: Tuesday, October 26, 2004

ISLAND LIFE SHORTS
Cavity-fighting tips for the sweet tooth

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Halloween: a time for kids to dream of candies ... and cavities? Dentists have long complained that the gobs of Halloween sweets (racking up almost $2 billion in sales) can be cavity goblins. Tips from dentists:

1. Limit candy intake.
2. Make it about more than the candy: personalize costumes, decorate the house, go see a haunted house.
3. Brush and floss at least twice a day for two minutes, especially after eating sugary stuff.
4. Fill up first on healthy foods, such as proteins, fruits and vegetables.
5. Bring along healthy stuff, too: pretzel sticks, carrot sticks, water. (A sip of water between gummy treats or hard candy helps wash away some of that sugar.)
   
   
   

'Grudge' draws in flick fans

Movie-goers have no grudges against Sarah Michelle Gellar. But they apparently have a beef with Ben Affleck. Gellar's fright flick "The Grudge" got a jump on Halloween with a $40 million opening weekend to debut at No. 1, while Affleck delivered a holiday turkey on "Surviving Christmas," his critically drubbed comedy coming in at No. 7 with just $4.5 million, the Associated Press reported.

The animated "Shark Tale," the top movie for three straight weekends, slipped to second place with $14.3 million, lifting its total to $136.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Surviving Christmas" did barely better than Affleck's notorious 2003 bomb "Gigli," which had a $3.8 million opening weekend.

FINAL WORD

Damon Dash | rapper and partner with Jay-Z in hip-hop venture Roc-a-Fella Records and Rocawear, which is making "Roc the Vote" caps, as quoted in Spin magazine:

"Not voting is corny, y'know what I'm sayin'? If you're not taking care of your business, exercising your power, it makes you a weaker individual."