Flashback

Well, that didn't last long. Six Flags Magic Mountain will relinquish sole ownership of the coveted title of " Roller Coaster Capital of the World " later this year when the Valencia, Calif., amusement park removes one of its record-setting 18 coasters. Magic Mountain boasted of nabbing the coaster title when the Green Lantern: First Flight spinning coaster officially opened in July. The removal of Deja Vu will move Magic Mountain back into a statistical tie with Cedar Point in Ohio, which also has 17 coasters.

Apparently, trainer Doug O'Neill has taken the name of his most famous horse literally. Saturday, he decided, I'll Have Another. So, here we go again. If race fans have that feeling of "Groundhog Day," nobody could blame them. The O'Neill Show, a smash hit a year ago, will be a repeat headliner on horse racing's most prestigious stage, the Kentucky Derby. That was achieved in front of 33,005, when O'Neill's Goldencents won the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, one of the prestigious prep races for the sport's most prestigious race.

Flashback A Novel Dan Simmons Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown: 560 pp., $27.99 Marcel Proust, the great author of memory, gets a swift kick in the pants in Dan Simmons' latest novel of an apocalyptic future, "Flashback. " Remember all that stuff Proust wrote about memories returning to him with the taste of a madeleine cookie? For Simmons, memories can be summoned and controlled far more easily, and reliably, with a few snorts of a drug called flashback. In this novel, most Americans — about 85% — are hooked on flashback, preferring to spend their days in soiled clothes on grimy cots, reliving the cozy past rather than facing a chaotic world.

It will take less than 110 seconds to decide the winner of Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, but if you pay attention to the bettors, they are almost certain to place their trust in the combination of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Garrett Gomez. Flashback, trained by Baffert and to be ridden by Gomez, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile race that is a final prep for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Flashback's primary competition was expected to come from Hear The Ghost, who ran down Flashback to win the San Felipe Stakes by a half-length on March 9. But Hear The Ghost suffered an injury this week and will be scratched from Saturday's race.

Flashback and Goldencents, the West Coast's top two Kentucky Derby prospects, are set to face off Saturday in the Grade II, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at 11/16 miles at Santa Anita. The eight-horse field is a final prep for the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 1. Flashback, trained by Bob Baffert, and Goldencents, trained by Doug O'Neill, are in post position Nos. 2 and 3. Flashback, a 3-year-old son of Tapit, is two for two, including a 61/4-length win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 2. Goldencents, a son of Into Mischief, has earned $782,000, including winning the one-mile Sham Stakes by 11/2 lengths on Jan. 5. O'Neill is hoping for a second year of Kentucky Derby luck.

It's barely February, so Bob Baffert isn't rushing to anoint Flashback as his top Kentucky Derby contender. The gray colt made a solid case for himself, though, winning the $196,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes by 61/4 lengths at Santa Anita in his 3-year-old debut Saturday. Baffert had a good day overall, with his 2-1 favorite Guilt Trip winning the $200,250 Strub Stakes by 11/2 lengths for owners Gary and Mary West, who also own Flashback. Baffert also won the first race on the card.

When "Samantha Who?" co-creator and executive producer Donald Todd initially pitched the idea of a comedy about a sweet amnesiac who finds out she was somewhat delinquent in her previous life, the idea of using flashbacks as a regular part of the ABC series didn't occur to him.

With the Kentucky Derby less than two months away, excitement and tension filled the Santa Anita paddock Saturday just before the running of the Grade II $300,000 San Felipe Stakes. Cameras were everywhere, and all eyes were on the two highly regarded 3-year-olds, Flashback and Goldencents. And their two jockeys, Julien Leparoux and Kevin Krigger, acted as if they were engaged in a match race soon after the start of the 1 1/16-mile race. Flashback, the even-money favorite, and Goldencents engaged in a speed duel, but when they reached the stretch, Hear The Ghost came charging from fifth place under jockey Corey Nakatani and overtook Flashback for a half-length victory.

Marcel Proust, the great author of memory, gets a swift kick in the pants in Dan Simmons' latest novel of an apocalyptic future, "Flashback" (Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown: 560 pp., $27.99). Remember all that stuff Proust wrote about memories returning to him with the taste of a madeleine cookie? For Simmons, memories can be summoned and controlled far more easily, and reliably, with a few snorts of a drug called flashback. In this novel, most Americans — about 85% — are hooked on flashback, preferring to spend their days in soiled clothes on grimy cots, reliving the cozy past rather than facing a chaotic world.

In fashion, there's a never-ending battle between the crowd-pleasing commercial and the boundary-pushing conceptual. And nowhere was it more clear at this week's Paris runway shows than at Balmain and Balenciaga, destined to be two of the spring season's most influential collections. Both emphasized a new urban sportiness, but in vastly different ways. The flashy, trashy glamour of Christophe Decarnin at Balmain has been driving the fashion world of late -- the sequins, stripes, ripped jeans and fringed booties on the street and in stores right now are all from him. So Zara and H&M should be thankful for another hot Balmain show.

The Bob Baffert-trained Flashback drew post position No. 1 for Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby and was installed as the 9-5 favorite in a nine-horse field. "I really don't like the one hole," Baffert said after Wednesday's draw for the 1 1/8-mile test. Flashback, a gray 3-year-old son of Tapit, finished second at Santa Anita in the March 9 San Felipe Stakes behind Hear The Ghost after getting into a speed duel with Goldencents. It has resulted in Baffert switching jockeys - Garrett Gomez will replace Julien Leparoux on Flashback.

With the Kentucky Derby less than two months away, excitement and tension filled the Santa Anita paddock Saturday just before the running of the Grade II $300,000 San Felipe Stakes. Cameras were everywhere, and all eyes were on the two highly regarded 3-year-olds, Flashback and Goldencents. And their two jockeys, Julien Leparoux and Kevin Krigger, acted as if they were engaged in a match race soon after the start of the 1 1/16-mile race. Flashback, the even-money favorite, and Goldencents engaged in a speed duel, but when they reached the stretch, Hear The Ghost came charging from fifth place under jockey Corey Nakatani and overtook Flashback for a half-length victory.

Flashback and Goldencents, the West Coast's top two Kentucky Derby prospects, are set to face off Saturday in the Grade II, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at 11/16 miles at Santa Anita. The eight-horse field is a final prep for the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 1. Flashback, trained by Bob Baffert, and Goldencents, trained by Doug O'Neill, are in post position Nos. 2 and 3. Flashback, a 3-year-old son of Tapit, is two for two, including a 61/4-length win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 2. Goldencents, a son of Into Mischief, has earned $782,000, including winning the one-mile Sham Stakes by 11/2 lengths on Jan. 5. O'Neill is hoping for a second year of Kentucky Derby luck.

Will someone please just write a show for Chi McBride? In work as varied as "Pushing Daisies" and "Human Target," McBride has become a go-to guy for ballast-providing second lead - tough but tolerant, wise in that one-line-delivering sort of way that can brighten up even the sludgiest scene, like a Matisse in a small room with limited exposure. But how long can the man be expected to serve as accent wall? He's at it again in the new CBS cop drama "Golden Boy," which premieres Tuesday.

It's barely February, so Bob Baffert isn't rushing to anoint Flashback as his top Kentucky Derby contender. The gray colt made a solid case for himself, though, winning the $196,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes by 61/4 lengths at Santa Anita in his 3-year-old debut Saturday. Baffert had a good day overall, with his 2-1 favorite Guilt Trip winning the $200,250 Strub Stakes by 11/2 lengths for owners Gary and Mary West, who also own Flashback. Baffert also won the first race on the card.

It's with David Chase's much-honored individualism in mind that one should best approach - and best enjoy - his first feature film as a writer-director, the wonderfully immersive and evocative "Not Fade Away. " Despite the nostalgia-drenched idealism coursing through it - and a cinematic familiarity to the subject matter - this is not a story that's neatly told or safely predictable. The result, though, proves a warmly reflective, diligently crafted and confidently digressive flashback to a time, a place and people Chase, the creator of "The Sopranos," knows like the back of his hand (as it's largely drawn from the filmmaker's own coming of age)

A grieving man takes refuge in a dilapidated heap of a sailboat in "Hide Away," slowly restoring its seaworthiness while regaining his equilibrium. The broken-down vessel is an apt metaphor, but sometimes a metaphor is only seafoam-deep. This quiet, atmospheric drama (originally titled "A Year in Mooring") feels padded even in its brief running time; it's a slight mood piece posing as a character study. Josh Lucas is the unnamed protagonist, a businessman who takes possession of the battered boat.

Hoskins flashback: "Pennies from Heaven," the critically admired 1977-78 BBC miniseries in which he starred, will air on KCET in July. The series--which contrasts the bright and cheery songs and dances of the Depression era with the grim life of a sheet music salesman--will air July 23, 24 and 26. Two episodes (running 75 minutes each) will air each night, from 9 to 11:30 p.m. This is the program that inspired the 1981 Steve Martin feature film. Many reviewers liked the movie (which bombed commercially)

CONCORD, N.H. - President Obama's campaign isn't just nostalgic for 2008. As it blew through New Hampshire 48 hours from election day, it was pining for the '90s. Former President Bill Clinton, the only Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected to the office twice, joined Obama on the stump for what would be only the second - but the last - time of the campaign. The two men with the short and choppy history focused narrowly on the future. “I'm not ready to give up on the fight,” Obama told the crowd as he asked for their vote one last time.

The prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike is arguably one of the world's most deeply eccentric and unpredictable filmmakers - titles such as "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer" are now classics of international genre for their gleeful disregard of convention and expectations. With his latest, "Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai," a remake of a 1962 film, Miike brings a formal, elegant restraint to his usual flair for wild theatrics. Told in layered flashbacks, the film examines the ancient feudal system via a practice where a down-on-his-luck warrior may ask to perform ritual sacrifice in the home of a lord.