1995 Year

Back in January, they swept into the Capitol like a conquering army. With Republican majorities controlling both houses of Congress for the first time since 1955 and the "contract with America" before them like a pillar of fire, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his fellow Republicans looked like the vanguard of an unstoppable revolution.

President Clinton predicted Saturday that he and Republican lawmakers will find a way to balance the federal budget within seven years but insisted on an approach that "reflects our most fundamental values" and does not hurt "those who need and deserve our help." In his weekly radio address, the president called on Congress to reopen the federal government, which has been partially closed for eight days in the second shutdown since the 1996 fiscal year began on Oct. 1.

Teams in order of predicted finish. WEST Dodgers WHO'S NEW: P Hideo Nomo, SS Dick Schofield, P Rob Murphy. WHO'S GONE: P Orel Hershiser, P Kevin Gross, CF Brett Butler, P Roger McDowell, P Jim Gott. STRENGTHS: There's the potential for an abundance of power, with at least five players capable of hitting at least 25 homers: C Mike Piazza, CF Raul Mondesi, LF Bill Ashley, 3B Tim Wallach, 1B Eric Karros.

In a normal season, the Kings would be starting their annual January slump about now, their legs heavy after too many tedious trips through too many time zones. A year ago, they were two losses into a 4-12-5 dive that dropped them from third place to fifth in the Pacific Division and swept them out of playoff contention. But this isn't a normal season, and they had reason for more than the usual opening-night optimism before Friday's 3-3 tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Forum.

Motorcycyle Mom: For mother and motorcycle racer Susan Zobler, overseeing work on her bike, above, 1995 has proven a tough course for her to navigate. B3

Try to look at it this way: Before 1995, research has shown, no American city or community had ever watched its professional football team pull out of town and its professional baseball team blow an 11-game first-place lead during the same calendar year. (Exact numbers not yet in on cities or communities that, in the same calendar year, also had their annual college bowl game fold after an 11-year go.) Anaheim, you're one of a kind. Orange County, you're unprecedented. Happy new year.

Three out of four insured U.S. workers received health coverage through managed care in 1995, a dramatic jump in two years fueled by both small businesses and self-insured large companies, a study said. In 1993, about half the Americans insured through employers were in managed care. That jumped to 73% by 1995, according to an article in the journal Health Affairs, published by Project Hope.

Several music stores in Orange County stayed open past midnight Monday when the new Michael Jackson album went on sale. At Tower Records and Video in Costa Mesa, only about 20 night-owls showed up. Five times as many had come out to buy Pearl Jam's "Vitalogy" when it was released in December, according to Myles Cohen, the store's singles buyer. Cohen said he thinks people stayed away this time because of the allegation two years ago that Jackson had molested a 13-year-old boy.

Baby, it's cold outside, but it's warm and cozy in the theater, especially with two romantic comedies, "Before Sunrise," with Gen X stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, and "Miami Rhapsody," with Sarah Jessica Parker and Antonio Banderas. We'll also finally get to see Sharon Stone as a gunslinger in her long-delayed "Quick and the Dead." Smile when you say that. Bad Company.

To say that 1995 was the wildest ride for the entertainment business in decades would be no understatement. Never in such a concentrated period has there been such cataclysmic activity in this crazy place called Hollywood. A liquor company bought a studio. A major studio and a big industrial company each acquired a broadcast network. A media giant merged with a leading cable programmer. And some of the last independent movie companies lost their independence or simply disappeared.