Family Portrait

Shirley, 51, manager at a clothing factory Patience, 30, organizer for a retail trade union Churchill, 28, teacher Audrey, 21, unemployed Nathan, 17, student * Home: Soweto * Politics: Member of the African National Congress * Background: Shirley's parents were born in Johannesburg of parents who had migrated from rural areas.

When Gregory Peck teams up with Lauren Bacall for a new TV movie, they don't have any trouble fitting together as a family. To add to the family dynamics, Peck's daughter Cecilia co-stars as their daughter. Peck co-starred with Bacall 36 years ago in "Designing Woman," and has remained friends with her over the years. Last month he presented her the Golden Globe's Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement. "I first became acquainted with Betty when she was 17," Peck said.

Amid the roar of tractors and the aroma of fresh-cut lumber, home builder Paul E. Griffin III surveyed his newest project with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. The fifth-generation construction executive would soon start selling homes at his Park Lane development in Simi Valley, and the results could determine whether his fledgling company survives. But more than just money is tied up in Park Lane. There's also family pride.

For every decade since they were born, baby-boomers have inspired books, movies and television shows that examine and explore their lives. As college students during the '60s, "The Graduate" set out to define their questions and doubts. In the '70s, hippies were out and "Saturday Night Fever" was in. Now, after "In Search of Excellence" and "Iacocca" have left the best-seller lists and after baby-boomers have their careers in order, they are having babies.

Their badges wrapped in black bands of mourning, police officers from throughout the West gathered Monday for a tearful tribute to Officer Howard Ellsworth Dallies Jr., who was gunned down last week during an apparent routine traffic stop. Dallies, a veteran officer who helped train recruits and was soon to be promoted to sergeant, was remembered as a "fallen hero" in a moving ceremony at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove.

The Sierra Club is arguably the most influential conservation organization on the planet. Yet unlike most of its distinguished fellows--the National Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, to name a few--the Sierra Club remains a profoundly amateur association.

PLEASE put down whatever else you might be doing. This review demands your undivided attention. If you're still defiantly checking your BlackBerry, you might want to consider squeezing into your schedule Lisa Loomer's new play, "Distracted," which had its world premiere Sunday at the Mark Taper Forum. The drama revolves around a mother (Rita Wilson) whose 9-year-old son, Jesse (Hudson Thames), has all the symptoms of attention deficit disorder (ADD).

In a town overflowing with famous faces, photographer Joshua Grenrock prefers to photograph the furry ones. "People are so crazy about their animals," Grenrock said. "They are more like family members than pets. Animal lovers are special people, and it's nice to be able to capture that relationship on film."