AP - "Tropic Thunder," Ben Stiller's extravaganza of a Hollywood satire, couldn't be any more "inside-baseball" if it contained references to the infield fly rule and Rule 5 draft picks.

AP - "Fresh Kills" (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 326 pages, $24.95), by Bill Loehfelm: Junior Sanders, the narrator and main character of Bill Loehfelm's first published novel, is a bitter, angry man — and with good reason.

AP - On the very edge of the pier at Manhattan's busy South Street Seaport, overlooking the choppy waters of the East River, a circular tent beckons to theatergoers with antique signs, ornately stained windows and brash lights. Step right up and see the show.

AP - Irma Thomas, "Simply Grand" (Rounder)

AP - "The Power of Place" (Oxford University Press. 280 pages. $27.95), by Harm de Blij: Consider this: During the last two decades of the 20th century, Texas reported 64 cases of dengue fever.

AP - "Man in the Dark" (Henry Holt, 192 pages, $23), By Paul Auster:

AP - You'll know you're in a different galaxy within the first seconds of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which substitutes the Warner Bros. logo and theme music for the familiar 20th Century Fox searchlight and fanfare.

AP - A well-intentioned exercise at blending education and family entertainment, the 3-D animated tale "Fly Me to the Moon" ends up only mildly educational and not all that entertaining.

AP - "Tropic Thunder," Ben Stiller's extravaganza of a Hollywood satire, couldn't be any more "inside-baseball" if it contained references to the infield fly rule and Rule 5 draft picks.

AP - Good voices, masterful music from the orchestra pit, fanciful costumes and comic touches that had the audience laughing out loud were the highlights of Sunday's new production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute."