Corsairs

Santa Monica College landed four players on the 1985 All-Western State Conference football team: freshman defensive lineman David Ryan and sophomore linebacker Ron Banks and two other sophomores, offensive lineman Richard Mace and wide receiver Eddie Fletcher. Three SMC freshmen were second-team selections: running back Ken Williams, linebacker Todd Deeds and defensive back Randy Johnson.

Heather Wile and Andrea Morin, a.k.a. the Atari Watch Babes, were ready for their close-ups. So the gangly young man handed his camera to a friend, straightened his glasses and slid between the two women, grinning awkwardly. On cue, Wile and Morin cocked their heads fetchingly and flashed big, toothy smiles, while a crowd of about a dozen other men stood transfixed.

The Santa Monica College men's basketball team, tied for second place with Long Beach City College in the Metropolitan Conference, plays at Pasadena City College at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at Bakersfield at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Pasadena (7-11, 1-3), which beat the Corsairs, 60-59, in November at the Moorpark tourney, is led in scoring by 6-1 sophomore guard Trent Higgins, who is averaging 15 points a game, 4.4 rebounds and four assists.

Lewis Segal does seem to have a nasty streak ("Stars Salvage ABT's 'Corsaire,' " July 13). He seems negative about most dance in general and American Ballet Theatre and Kevin McKenzie in particular. It's no wonder L.A. doesn't have a resident (or semi-resident) ballet company, having to face a reviewer as negative as he. I do not believe that in this day and age "Le Corsaire" is presented for any other reason than to thrill the audience with bravura dancing. Political over- or undertones aren't a factor.

Heather Wile and Andrea Morin, a.k.a. the Atari Watch Babes, were ready for their close-ups. So the gangly young man handed his camera to a friend, straightened his glasses and slid between the two women, grinning awkwardly. On cue, Wile and Morin cocked their heads fetchingly and flashed big, toothy smiles, while a crowd of about a dozen other men stood transfixed.

It is obvious that Thomas Hoving is not someone to cross. He wields power, of a sort, through his perfumed magazine, Connoisseur, and his knowledge of where lots of museum skeletons are buried. His self-promotion seems to be inspired by an attempt to make others think he's as wonderful as he thinks he is. His vendetta against John Walsh is a clear case of integrity-envy; Hoving would love to know what it is, and how to get it. It strikes me as grossly unfair that this egomaniac can wound so many people by irresponsibly climbing over them with his vengeful cleats.

Lewis Segal does seem to have a nasty streak ("Stars Salvage ABT's 'Corsaire,' " July 13). He seems negative about most dance in general and American Ballet Theatre and Kevin McKenzie in particular. It's no wonder L.A. doesn't have a resident (or semi-resident) ballet company, having to face a reviewer as negative as he. I do not believe that in this day and age "Le Corsaire" is presented for any other reason than to thrill the audience with bravura dancing. Political over- or undertones aren't a factor.

After the Santa Monica College men's basketball team ends regular season play Friday by meeting Bakersfield at 7:30 p.m. in Santa Monica, the Corsairs will take on Pasadena on Wednesday in the first game of a playoff series to select which will be the second entry from the Metropolitan Conference in the state tournament. As the conference champion, El Camino gained automatic entry. As the week began, the Corsairs (14-13, 7-5) were tied for third with Pasadena (13-13, 7-5).

The Santa Monica College men's basketball team, in third place in Metropolitan Conference competition, will host Pasadena at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Corsairs (13-12 overall and 6-4 in Metro) have lost twice to Pasadena: in preseason, 60-59, and in league competition, 69-61. In league play Pasadena (11-13, 5-5) is hitting 46% of its shots from the floor and 71% from the line.

The Santa Monica College basketball team has "a mission" in the state community college tournament tonight at Santa Clara University. SMC Coach John McMullen says his team is "on a mission to go back up there and do it right this time." Last year the Corsairs fell at Santa Clara in the opening round to Merced, 73-68. Tonight SMC (32-3), the state's top-ranked team, will open at 5 against City College of San Francisco (25-9) at Toso Pavilion.

From the 1830s to this past weekend at the Music Center, changing "Le Corsaire" has been a cottage industry in the ballet world. Choreographer Marius Petipa inherited one version and did three major revisions of his own in the 19th century while nearly every new American Ballet Theatre principal at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Friday and Saturday followed his example--not only interpreting the ballet differently, but adding favorite steps as well.

Onstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, a passel of international ballet stars gathered Thursday for an exchange of views on how classical style and, particularly, technique can most excite a contemporary audience. Here was Angel Corella virtually screwing himself into the floor with multiple turns of incredible speed and heat. Here, too, was Jose Manuel Carreno flying through turns with spectacular buoyancy and floating down to a nonchalant stretched-out landing.

American Ballet Theatre's new production of "Le Corsaire," filmed in Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in February, will be broadcast Dec. 20 from 9-11 p.m. on KCET-TV Channel 28 and on Jan. 1 from 9 to 11 p.m. on KOCE-TV Channel 50. The principal dancers include Julie Kent as Medora, Paloma Herrera as her friend Gulnare and Ethan Stiefel as the pirate Conrad.

New casting for the previously reviewed American Ballet Theatre "Le Corsaire" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center highlighted ballerina finesse on Thursday, with the formal "Jardin Anime" divertissement in Act 3 suddenly blooming into full glory.

When Diana Alba bought a ticket to American Ballet Theatre's swashbuckling "Le Corsaire," she had no clue she might be on TV. "I came to see Ethan Stiefel," said the Long Beach pharmaceutical sales rep, speaking of the blue-eyed virtuoso who's been compared to Baryshnikov. But even if the cameras never panned her way during Wednesday's ballet at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Alba took part in a process that will bring the performance to millions of dance lovers around the globe.

Everyone knows what a B-movie is and, in its irredeemably cheesy way, the American Ballet Theatre version of "Le Corsaire" is a textbook B-ballet--one that belongs in some booze-and-snooze drive-in or dinner theater rather than a culture palace such as the Orange County Performing Arts Center, where it opened Tuesday. Don't expect highfalutin production values.

Shareholders of Subscriber Computing Inc. will receive $71.25 million in stock as Corsair Communications Inc. acquires the Orange County software systems firm, Corsair officials said Friday. Corsair, which makes a computer system to combat cellular telephone fraud, said it would issue about $70 million of its common shares to stockholders of Irvine-based Subscriber, which supplies software systems to wireless service providers. Corsair also will pay closely held Subscriber $1.

Shareholders of Subscriber Computing Inc. will receive $71.25 million in stock as Corsair Communications Inc. acquires the Orange County software systems firm, Corsair officials said Friday. Corsair, which makes a computer system to combat cellular telephone fraud, said it would issue about $70 million of its common shares to stockholders of Irvine-based Subscriber, which supplies software systems to wireless service providers. Corsair also will pay closely held Subscriber $1.

In a seesaw battle between Southern California junior college men's basketball powers, Valley overcame poor free-throw shooting and two first-half deficits to defeat Santa Monica, 85-82, in a Western State Conference South Division game Saturday night at Valley. The Monarchs (18-5, 2-0 in division play), ranked No. 12 in the state, trailed top-ranked Santa Monica (18-3, 1-1) by seven points and again by 10 before taking a 49-46 halftime lead.