Desire

Often considered the most popular entertainer of the 20th century--his extravagant performances set still-unchallenged attendance records--Liberace (dubbed "Mr. Showman" in tribute to his flashy theatricality) sued a London columnist in 1956 for implying he was gay. He won.

2 San Antonio vs. 5 Memphis Season series: Tied, 2-2. Key stat: Memphis is averaging a league-low 11.1 turnovers a game in the playoffs, with point guard Mike Conley averaging only 1.9 turnovers in 38.5 minutes. Outlook: Both teams will have to hit the reboot button to prepare for a dramatically different opponent than they faced in the previous round. Having vanquished guard-oriented Golden State, San Antonio must deal with the interior tandem of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who are averaging a combined 38 points and 17.2 rebounds in the playoffs.

Impatient With Desire A Novel Gabrielle Burton Voice: 248 pp., $22.99

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - After a resounding victory in Pakistan's national elections, presumptive new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could have pressed his populist, hard-line approach that paints the U.S. as hopelessly malevolent and self-interested. Instead, Sharif, who served as prime minister in the 1990s, and his top aides have tried during the last few days to ensure that Washington does not feel alienated by his return to power. Sharif's team has denounced claims by critics who call him soft on militants and emphasized that the tension between Pakistan and the United States tied to American drone strikes and other issues cannot be resolved through threats and condemnation.

Station 39 is cramped and outdated. It's a tight squeeze getting the trucks in, and there's not enough room for the larger rescue ambulances that have become standard over the decades. There isn't any on-site parking, forcing firefighters to walk three blocks from another city lot. But the firefighters at the oldest operating station in Los Angeles could soon be moving to new digs, sparking concern about what will happen to the Depression-era building in Van Nuys and raising questions over whether a new location is even needed.

B. H. Fairchild is one of those poets prose readers love: Meaty, maximalist, driven by narrative, he stakes out an American mythos in which the personal and the collective blur. In this, he's reminiscent of Albert Goldbarth, but whereas Goldbarth often comes back to his own experience, Fairchild is a ventriloquist of a sort.

The Dodgers barely beat the clock, signing first-round pick Zach Lee on Monday, just minutes before their exclusive negotiating window with the two-sport star was about to expire. Lee, who many teams considered unsignable after the 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher expressed a desire to play football at Louisiana State, was battling for a spot on the Tigers' depth chart at quarterback this summer. Terms were not released but reports have put the terms at $5.25 million over five years.

Based on Michael Pollan's book of the same name, "The Botany of Desire," airing tonight on PBS, looks at the ways in which plants have advanced their agenda, metaphorically speaking, by making themselves attractive to humans. There is a lot of speaking in metaphors in the two-hour documentary, much of it by Pollan himself, who regularly takes pains to remind us that he is, in fact, speaking metaphorically, because we have no words to describe the psychology of species beside our own. Besides, a little anthropomorphizing can be a useful thing when you're telling a story, especially when the moral is that we are all in this together, plants and people and every living thing, and so mutually dependent that it's impossible to tell the user from the used.

Here's one of those small-world stories, the kind that shrink the world down to a village and give you a little faith in the power of goodwill. It begins in early 2008 in Zimbabwe. The country is in turmoil, a family's electricity is out and the backup stove explodes as it's being refueled. Maka Chawoneka, 4 years old, screams as burned skin and flesh peel from her face and upper body.

In the delicate realm where the Koran meets human desire, Heba Kotb, a Muslim sex therapist in a ruffled gold head scarf, has strong opinions on vibrators, foreplay, premature you-know-what and why more men can't seem to locate the G-spot. An hour in her clinic, where some women wear black abayas that reveal only their eyes, is a liberating venture into a culture that has traditionally relegated talk of sex to a family whisper.

ST. LOUIS - Can a playoff matchup be familiar but strikingly different at the same time? The Kings will start their defense of the Stanley Cup on Tuesday against the Blues, the team they swept out of the second round of the playoffs last spring. Like last season, the Blues have the better seeding and home-ice advantage at the Scottrade Center. The core of both teams is essentially the same too. The differences, though, are significant. This time, the Kings will begin with a championship to their credit and the knowledge of what it takes to win probably the most grueling postseason tournament in professional sports.

For the world's No. 1 TV seller, it's no longer all about bigger screens and thinner panels. Televisions have to be smart too. In the past, Samsung Electronics Co. proudly trumpeted the hardware specifications of its latest televisions during launch events. Now, as smart TVs become more popular and consumers' viewing habits shift, the South Korean electronics giant is turning its attention to improving the Internet-connected-TV experience. At a launch event in New York on Wednesday, Samsung unveiled its 2013 line of televisions with the help of supermodel Kate Upton, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and hip-hop artist Flo Rida.

VATICAN CITY - Amid elaborate ritual and ancient symbols of Christendom, Pope Francis began the first official day of his pontificate Tuesday by setting out a vision for the Roman Catholic Church of mutual caring and of concern for the environment, urging followers to pay special attention to society's poor and neglected. Before tens of thousands of pilgrims and dignitaries gathered for his inauguration in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff made clear that his papacy would reflect the themes of service and love of nature so closely identified with the saint after whom he named himself, Francis of Assisi.

Each morning at Sinan Road Kindergarten in Shanghai, a child stands in front of the class and tells a story. One morning, I watched as 4-year-old Ziyu told a 10-minute story about a group of animals frightened by a strange sound. When he finished, his teacher asked the class: "Shall we make him Storytelling King? Did he do a good job?" Children called out criticisms. "His voice was too soft. " "It was like a story we'd heard before. " Still, when teacher Wong called for a vote, Ziyu was elected Storytelling King by a 16-4 margin.

Michael Jordan Appreciation Week in America culminates Sunday when the best basketball player in history hits 50, which wasn't this big a deal the first eight times Jordan saw that number next to his name as an NBA star. Except now we are talking years, not points. Only Dean Smith and the calendar could limit Jordan on the court, it seems, and Chicago's enjoyable exercise in nostalgia reminded us just how rare the Air was in our city from 1984 to '98. Every amazing Bulls highlight last week played like a song on the radio that took you back to a time worth reliving.

SAN FRANCISCO -- If he were on Facebook, Stuart Smalley would probably update his status: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" Turns out that Smalley, played by Al Franken in the "Saturday Night Live" skit, knew a thing or two about human nature. One of the main reasons people turn to Facebook? Daily affirmations of their self-worth. That's according to a new study from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Catalina Toma and Cornell University professor Jeffrey Hancock.

The Feb. 3 Column One, "Swept Into the World," on the Onge tribe was interesting but troubling. I got the impression some people view these indigenous tribes as something to be preserved, but as in a zoo. These are people who deserve their place in the modern world if that is what they want. Some of the tribal leaders want to resist the encroachment of modern culture, but that may simply reflect their desire to hang on to their status and not the desire of all the members. Rick Dinon Crestline

If marriage were a contract, most lawyers probably would advise potential newlyweds not to sign it. After all, matrimony is considered one of life's greatest commitments, but it contains absolutely no provisions or guarantees about what husbands and wives are entitled to. Six children? A big paycheck? A golf partner? Great sex? One newlywed might be perfectly happy with someone who can afford to buy half a house in the suburbs, while another demands unbridled passion.

Maybe it's the sense of danger that reels you in at first. The crazy name, the wild picture slapped on the bottle. Before you know it, you're on for the ride, and the best ones leave you reduced to a sweaty and speechless mess. When it's finally over, you can't help but want more. I'm talking about hot sauce, a virtual thrill ride for the taste buds. And for fans, nothing beats the feeling. So what makes hot sauce so attractive? Blame it on the capsaicin, the chemical behind a chile's heat.

To make the part of Jean Valjean work in the new big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Les Misérables," there's nothing Hugh Jackman wouldn't do. Including singing in the gym. "If you're an actor, you sign up to make a fool of yourself, and that's what happened," Jackman recalls, outlining the bench-pressing part of his extensive training for the role. Jackman knew Valjean was a physical animal - he'd mixed starvation with hard labor as a French prisoner for 19 years - and the actor wanted to truly look the part.