If you’re standing at a traffic light or driving around Ann Arbor, crank up the CD Between Here and Gone, by Mary Chapin Carpenter. The entire collection is good, but one of her best songs is “Goodnight America,” with the memorable traffic lyric: “The noise, the heat, the crush of cars just robs me of my nerve/Then someone yells and blasts their horn and pins me to the curb.” Is she singing about Ann Arbor? No, east LA, but this CD will keep you good company anywhere.

Four years after the 9-11 attacks, Hollywood appears ready to tackle the subject with several feature films in the works.

What many don't realize is that Spike Lee's film, 25th Hour, powerfully commented on the post 9-11 world just one year after the attacks. Based on the book by David Benioff, Lee's film follows Monty Brogan, played to perfection by Edward Norton, as he lives his last day as a free man before heading off to serve a seven-year jail term for drug dealing. Although the film's plot has little to do with the events of 9-11, the heart of the film really has everything to do with life after 9-11. This is especially evident in an important scene in which two main characters discuss Monty's fate as they sit in an apartment with a large window overlooking The Pile.

The library's collection also includes several documentaries that deal with 9-11 in some form or another, including Nine Innings from Ground Zero, WTC: the First 24 Hours, and 9/11.

Late Registration by Kanye West is this week's no. 1 hit on the Billboard 200 chart. His 2004 debut The College Dropout opened at the no. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Kanye West has been in the news lately with his comments against the president, George W. Bush during the NBC Universal Hurricane Katrina telethon. Kanye West is also embroiled in a lawsuit with a Chicago D.J. over an alleged forged recording agreement.

The Play Ground is on its toes this week because there are so many dance events on the horizon. Flamenco Michigan featuring Peter Suarez and many local artists will be at the Kerrytown Concert House on September 14 at 8pm. Suarez has performed with the
Gypsy Kings, at Radio City Music Hall and is a regular with the Metropolitan Opera.
In addition, the Artichoke Dance Company of New York City will present an evening of intimate dances for small spaces on Monday, September 12 at Canterbury House. The company is known for its daring and energetic dancing. Wait, there's more: The Mark Morris Dance Group will be at the Power Center on September 16 and 17. Once considered the bad boy of modern dance, Morris is now an influential choreographer.

Last week featured hip-hop history on the National Public Radio program Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Several artists interviewed on the program have talent to spare. In addition to recording their own music, artists like Queen Latifah, Will Smith, the RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, and Mos Def have acted in movies and television series, composed film scores, and even provided voices for animated films.

Are you still looking for a summer escape? If you like mysteries, four popular authors have released new titles to entertain you. For a more contemplative read during these last days of the season, the final volume of poetry by Mattie Stepanek enters the list at #15.

At #1 is Point Blank by Catherine Coulter: the latest romantic thriller by this very prolific author features the married FBI couple of Savich and Sherlock.

At #6 is Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston: hunting dinosaurs in the Southwest takes a deadly turn.

Celebrate the birthday of classic film star, Claudette Colbert, born September 13, 1903 in Paris. Known primarily for her screwball comedies like It Happened One Night, Colbert was also a fine dramatic actress, appearing in such films as Imitation of Life and Drums Along the Mohawk. A friend recently watched The Palm Beach Story, a lesser known comedy and was in tears with laughter. Check out the videos and dvds of [ht

Based on the classic S.E. Hinton novel for teens the Outsiders, the film is getting a new lease on life! The author is coming out of the shadows to promote the recut version of Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film of "The Outsiders" on DVD, on Sept. 20. The film will have a limited theatrical run nationally and is opening in New York on Sept. 9. Starring a then unknown cast of young actors on the brink of stardom this amazing film stars an adorable Ralph Macchio of Karate Kid fame and the smokin' hot Matt Dillon who went on to star in two other S.E. Hinton novels adapted for the screen - Tex and Rumble Fish. Also check out Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze.

Librarians onscreen do more than wear sensible shoes and shush people! Check out It’s a Wonderful Life for Donna Reed as a spinster librarian, then Katharine Hepburn in Desk Set or Parkey Posey in Party Girl for more glamorous types. Whether it’s the quintessential Marian the Librarian in The Music Man or the hostile librarian in Sophie’s Choice, there’s a librarian for everyone. Intrigued? A real-life librarian has put together an entire website devoted to librarians in film.

AADL Select Sites: Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County

Look up property in the city of Ann Arbor to find out the owner, the most recent sales price, the assessed value, the square footage, the number of rooms, the real estate taxes, how much of that tax went to support the public library, and to view a photograph of the house.

You can also search for comparables with sales within a certain time period, range of sales price, and range of square footage.