Marquis

Not content to simply explore the life and philosophy of the celebrated Marquis de Sade, "Quills" soon becomes a sadistic experience in its own right. Experiencing this pretentious wallow--overwritten, under-thought and overdone--is a very sophisticated form of torture. For if the marquis, his scabrous thoughts on pleasure and pain notwithstanding, was nothing if not genuine, "Quills" is a smug fraud that indulges in the worst kind of pretense.

USC's roster, in flux because of NCAA sanctions, came into clearer focus Friday when Coach Lane Kiffin announced that cornerback Isiah Wiley was academically ineligible for the season and that linebacker Marquis Simmons and cornerback Brian Baucham had been cleared to play. USC has until Monday, the first day of fall semester classes, to have its roster at 75 scholarship players, 10 fewer than the allowable maximum. Kiffin again declined to specify how many players were on scholarship, but the Trojans are apparently hovering at a few below their NCAA-mandated limit.

The 29-year-old Marquis of Blandford, heir to a $43.6-million fortune, has been charged with burglary of a drugstore, Scotland Yard said today. The marquis, the son of the Duke of Marlborough, was accused of breaking into a drugstore at Pimlico Green in southwest London on Saturday, Scotland Yard said. He was released on bail and ordered to appear at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court on Feb. 26.

Having lived most of his life in a housing project in Watts, 16-year-old Marquis Ware of L.A. Salesian has encountered experiences he wishes never happened. The sounds of gunshots at night. The sight of black water flowing into a tub. The stress of deciding which is the safest path to walk. It's a peek into what motivates Ware each time he steps onto the football field or opens a book in a classroom. He's a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior defensive end who had 14 sacks and 79 tackles as a sophomore.

Andres Segovia, Marquis of Salobrena by royal decree and sovereign of the guitar by universal acclaim, has died at his home in Madrid, it was reported Wednesday. The ultimate virtuoso of his instrument was 94 when he died. He had been hospitalized with heart problems in New York last April during what proved to be his final tour. Dr.

A selection-by-selection look at the 2012 NBA draft: No. 1 New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis, 6-11, 222, Kentucky, power forward Davis knew he would be the No. 1 pick before it was determined which team would get the selection. He is the centerpiece of New Orleans' attempt to revive the team without Chris Paul. While Davis needs to add muscle and develop in the post, he is a long, athletic wing player who is a very talented rebounder and shot blocker. He can defend multiple positions and is a very tough player.

In ever-evolving Palm Springs, a downtown inn will be converted to a Hard Rock Hotel as the desert city continues to crank up its appeal for younger, hipper visitors. By year's end, Hotel Zoso on Indian Canyon Drive is to be turned into a 160-room Hard Rock, where guests can borrow electric Fender guitars to noodle on in their rooms or check out a fancy sound mixer to practice their DJ skills. PHOTOS: The five tallest buildings in L.A. There are Hard Rock brand hotels, casinos and restaurants across the nation and in several countries.

Is Mercury headed for the junkyard? Speculation is mounting that Ford Motor Co., preoccupied with reviving its Ford and Lincoln brands, might decide to retire the Mercury nameplate rather than spend scarce resources trying to restore its former luster. Despite denials from Ford, the conjecture got a boost last week when Jerome York, a former auto executive and advisor to billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, said shedding the brand would be a smart move for the struggling automaker.

Jason Marquis outdueled Derek Lowe, and Dexter Fowler drove in one run and scored another in the Colorado Rockies' 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. Marquis (5-3) scattered five hits and gave up one run in eight innings to end a two-start losing streak. He struck out three and walked three. Lowe (5-2) was trying to become the National League's first six-game winner. He gave up two runs, three hits and one walk in eight innings, losing for the first time in five starts.

Father Clif Marquis' article, "Sorting Out Religion, Politics and History" (Commentary, Nov. 23), is an awe-inspiring, poignant, powerful statement (made the more forceful by Conrad's cartoon alongside) reminding us of the historical imperative to protect our vital church-and-state separation of powers. Those who seek to do otherwise sow the seeds of historical regression, which would destroy hard-won personal liberties in the name of "saving our souls"! SHELDON H. KARDENER Santa Monica As a fellow Catholic, it saddens me greatly that Marquis would stoop to such a mean-spirited attack on the religious right of this country.

This is the 21st post in a series focusing on this year's free-agent class. Player: Marquis Daniels Former team: Boston Celtics Type of free agent: Unrestricted Positives: The swingman helped Boston become a defensively disciplined team during his three-year tenure there. the giving up only .775 points per play (81st percentile, according to Synergy Sports Technology). Given Mike Brown's hope that the Lakers remain a fundamentally sound defensive team, Daniels would become the perfect fit. As a backup shooting guard, he could help relieve Kobe Bryant's responsibilities both in minutes played and on defensive assignments.

Few players have benefited more from the state basketball playoffs than Marquis Salmon, a 6-foot-7 senior at Sun Valley Village Christian. When the Crusaders' season was extended by an at-large berth to the Division V playoffs, Salmon got a second chance to impress college recruiters. "He's been phenomenal these last four weeks," Coach Jon Shaw said. "He's impacted the team at both ends of the floor. " In a Southern California Regional semifinal upset, the Crusaders knocked off top-seeded Playa del Rey St. Bernard, 75-65, behind Salmon's 29 points.

LAKERS TONIGHT AT BOSTON Time: 5 PST. On the air: TV: TNT; Radio: 710; 1330. Where: TD Garden. Records: Lakers 36-16; Celtics 38-13. Record vs. Celtics: 0-1. Update: The Lakers had only 10 assists, their lowest at home in 51 years, in a 109-96 loss to Boston on Jan. 30. The Celtics are banged up for the rematch: Shaquille O'Neal (sore Achilles' tendon), key reserve Marquis Daniels (bruised spinal cord) and backup center Semih Erden (strained leg muscle)

Sir Richard Branson has taken time off from helming his global Virgin brand to help promote the fourth year of BritWeek, which highlights all manner of British connections with California. An impressive array of events in the Southland (and for the first time in San Francisco as well) can be found at http://www.britweek.org. And although the celebratory "week" began Saturday, not to fear — it actually runs through mid-May. Meanwhile, here's Sir Richard's L.A. Days & knights We like to stay at the Sunset Marquis.

In a breathless, entertaining, white knuckler for a Zero Week high school football opener, Los Angeles Crenshaw fought back in the fourth quarter Friday night behind unflappable junior quarterback Marquis Thompson to pull out a 28-27 victory over Lakewood. Thompson should have had his head down feeling sorry for himself after an interception and fumble had cost his team dearly. But there he was in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter firing clutch pass after clutch pass during a 70-yard drive that culminated with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Geno Hall to put the Cougars on top by a single point with 2:33 left.

Jason Marquis gave up three hits over seven innings, Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes homered and the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-1, on Thursday. Dexter Fowler had four hits and scored three runs, and Barmes finished with three hits and three RBIs for the Rockies, who won the final two games of the three-game series. Colorado leads the NL wild-card race by 1 1/2 games over San Francisco and is five games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers. -- associated press

Gloria Swanson didn't appear to have much reason to embellish the truth when she claimed in "Swanson on Swanson," an autobiography published by Random House in 1980, that she'd had a three-year love affair with Joseph P. Kennedy. By then, she'd had six husbands, including actor Wallace Beery, a French marquis and businessman Herbert K. Somborn, who used the money he received in their divorce settlement to open the Brown Derby restaurant.

This is the 21st post in a series focusing on this year's free-agent class. Player: Marquis Daniels Former team: Boston Celtics Type of free agent: Unrestricted Positives: The swingman helped Boston become a defensively disciplined team during his three-year tenure there. the giving up only .775 points per play (81st percentile, according to Synergy Sports Technology). Given Mike Brown's hope that the Lakers remain a fundamentally sound defensive team, Daniels would become the perfect fit. As a backup shooting guard, he could help relieve Kobe Bryant's responsibilities both in minutes played and on defensive assignments.

at Colorado 6, San Diego 1: Jason Marquis (12-6) threw eight strong innings and drove in two runs to become the majors' first 12-game winner. at Atlanta 7, New York 1: Yunel Escobar had two of his four RBIs in a five-run fifth inning. at Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 3: Jonny Gomes hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning. After the game, the Brewers acquired second baseman Felipe Lopez from Arizona for two minor leaguers. Lopez is hitting .301 with six homers in 85 games.

at Colorado 1, Washington 0: Jason Marquis pitched eight innings for his major league-leading 11th win and Todd Helton's RBI double in the first provided the only run the Rockies needed. It was the eighth 1-0 game in Coors Field history, and first since Sept. 17, 2008, when the Rockies beat San Diego. at Houston 4, Pittsburgh 1: Mike Hampton pitched seven solid innings and Miguel Tejada and Geoff Blum drove in two runs each. Hampton gave up one run and three hits to improve to 14-3 with a 2.