American Pie

With great accuracy, Sam Fulwood III related how I, a black professional, feel about the status of race relations in America. We are truly isolated by our color and financial status--that tax trap called middle income. Less fortunate blacks hate us because they expect us to do something with all that money and education to benefit their culture. Whites hate us for demanding our share of the American pie. L. CLARK San Diego

It's something of a shock to meet Seann William Scott. In person, he's almost the complete opposite of the IQ-challenged, sex-obsessed goofballs he's played to perfection in "American Pie," "Road Trip," "Dude, Where's My Car?," "Evolution" and "American Pie 2," which opens today. He's sweet and polite, and it's difficult to imagine the 24-year-old Scott as the obnoxious (if ultimately lovable) dunderhead Stifler he plays in the "American Pie" movies. He admits his cat is his best friend.

"American Pie" is the darndest thing. Both warmhearted and foul-mouthed, this unlooked-for hybrid of "South Park" and Andy Hardy uses its surface crudeness as sucker bait to entice teenage audiences into the tent to see a movie that is as sweet and sincere at heart as anything Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland ever experienced. As a card-carrying contemporary youth comedy, "American Pie" does have its gross-out credentials in what you might call apple pie order.

One day last month, two buxom young blonds showed up at "The Howard Stern Show" radio studios in New York. One was wearing an American flag thong bikini, the other a bathing suit that was little more than two slender ribbons. Each girl came armed with a freshly baked apple pie. Once they had Stern's attention, they forked over the really important gift: a videocassette of "American Pie."

Two sequels--"American Pie 2" and "Rush Hour 2"--topped the weekend box-office chart as three new films provided lackluster to bleak performances. "American Pie 2" grossed $21.1 million to remain No. 1 for the second weekend in a row, while "Rush Hour 2" came in second with $19 million in its third week in release. Debuting in third place was the wacky road comedy "Rat Race," with $11.7 million. The romantic drama "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" opened in sixth place with $7.