Molly

Molly was happy. She had skated very well, but deep inside she knew that in spite of the laughter and applause, in spite of the magical beauty of this circus, there was something wrong. The other performers seemed wistful and unhappy. The show came to an end. The audience left as the music faded away, and now the pond was quiet again, shrouded in silent snow. Molly stood with the three tiny women and Magnus. "You were wonderful," he told her.

In"Lovely Molly,"a young woman moves with her new husband back into her family's empty old house. She immediately begins behaving strangely, as if the house itself exerts some mysterious power - whether she is being overtaken by bad memories and old habits or something supernatural is initially unclear. If the story sounds somewhat similar to the recent Elizabeth Olsen vehicle"Silent House,"it is, and unfortunately, "Lovely Molly" and its star, newcomer Gretchen Lodge, only suffer in comparison.

After years of excavating their alien habits on talk shows, and of turning weight loss into the sort of blood sport last seen in ancient Rome, television has discovered, or remembered, that fat people are human after all, with a panoply of dreams, desires, foibles and stories that often have nothing to do with their weight. Just like all those crazy-thin people we've been watching for years. Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva" broke the ice last year. Lit up by newcomer Brooke Elliott, the show wrangled its iffy conceit — an afterlife mix-up leaves a thin girl trapped in a fat girl's body — into a surprisingly edgy comedy.

In March, when I wrote that the tax increase proposals by Gov. Jerry Brown and civil rights attorney Molly Munger were unimaginative if not doomed, I got an email from Munger. She did not agree, at least with regard to her initiative. "Unimaginative?" she wrote, inviting me to meet with her. This week, I decided to take her up on her offer after watching Brown admit that the financial mess he told us about in January was nothing compared to the mess we're in now. Frankly, I don't know how the January estimates were so far off the mark, with a $9-billion hole turning into a $16-billion hole in less time than it takes to grow tomatoes.

"Cyrus" amuses and unnerves in equal measure. A comedy of discomfort that walks a wonderful line between reality-based emotional honesty and engaging humor, it demonstrates the good things that happen when quirky independent style combines with top-of-the-line acting skill. That style belongs to the writing-directing brother team of Jay and Mark Duplass, stalwarts of the bargain-basement approach often called mumblecore. Their work in films such as "The Puffy Chair" and "Baghead" involves free-floating camerawork, shooting in continuity and actors willing to improvise off of a written script, all with an eye to heightening the authenticity of their stories.

There is one particular question that has long bothered and befuddled some of our greatest minds -- Freudians, Jungians, Judd Apatowians, Seth Rogenians and other noted R-rated auteurs alike: Can an attractive female fall in love with, and I use the scientific term here, a schlub? It remains a huge philosophical debate of course, so props to "She's Out of My League" for wading, unapologetically and unafraid, into the fraught and frothy surf of the "I'm not worthy" genre of films.

Three cheers to NBC for bringing back "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd." It's better than ever. Angelina M. Meany, Culver City

I have another name for NBC's "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd"--"The Days and Nights of Molly Dud"! But it does give me a half hour to do the dinner dishes before "L.A. Law." Nancy Lowrie, Arcadia

How's a kid to cope when Mom plans to remarry? That's the subject of today's animated "Wonderworks" offering for young children, "Two Daddies?" (7 p.m. on Channels 28 and 50, 8 p.m. on Channel 15). A sequel to "Happily Ever After," a 1985 "Wonderworks" about Molly, a little girl whose mom and dad divorce, this low-key parenting primer catches up with Molly a year later, tentatively adjusted to her new way of life. But when Mom starts dating and then announces plans to marry Michael, Molly's world is shaken again.

Ifirst became aware of David Strathairn ["The Performance," Feb. 14] when he played the lovelorn Moss Goodman on the late-1980s TV show "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd." I fell immediately in love with him and have remained a big fan ever since. Cindy Mediavilla Culver City

In a state where Republicans have all but disappeared from decision-making, this is what constitutes a debate today: Two leading liberals are arguing over how best to raise taxes to rescue the state from its economic and social decline. Gov. Jerry Brown, faced with a multibillion-dollar state shortfall, has joined with some of the state's leading unions to urge Californians to approve what he calls a "millionaires tax" that would help patch up the state's alarming budget gap, which still exists despite billions in cuts to state spending.

SACRAMENTO - Most people in Molly Munger's shoes would be looking for a graceful way out - a way to join Gov. Jerry Brown, since she can't beat him. Instead, the wealthy Pasadena civil rights attorney seems to be looking for a fight, a bruiser on behalf of schoolkids. No public poll - or recent private survey that I'm aware of - shows Munger's tax initiative with any real chance of passing voters' muster in November. A recent USC-Times poll of California voters found only 32% supporting her tax-everybody proposal, with 64% opposed.

"I sometimes drink 'til I am empty, grab another from the shelf," begins a verse from the Flogging Molly song "The Cradle of Humankind. " It concludes with the couplet, "Never listened to much reason, 'til I hear it's last call / When I notice that my ghost is still dancing on its own. " "Cradle" is one of the highlights off the seven-piece band's angry, beautiful, politically charged CD "Speed of Darkness," a raucous, punk-folk collection that...

It's almost a rule of screwball comedy: The person you can't stand at first inevitably grows into a confidant or even a mate. Though they didn't become quite that friendly, playwright Molly Smith Metzler and one Martha's Vineyard trophy wife got close enough for comfort — and so simpatico that the woman became a major character in Smith Metzler's play, "Elemeno Pea," which opens Feb. 3 at South Coast Repertory. Smith Metzler, a middle-class native of sleepy Kingston, N.Y., had traveled to the Vineyard on a post-collegiate lark in the early aughts with the vague notion of gathering material for a newly hatched playwriting career.

THEATER Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins Tony and Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner stars as the brassy Texas reporter whose liberal journalism and political criticism skyrocketed her to the national stage. The solo show, penned by twins and seasoned reporters Margaret and Allison Engel, makes its West Coast debut. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., L.A. Show opens Tuesday. Runs through Feb. 12. 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday.

After her son Nathaniel died of AIDS in 1989, Mollie Pier threw herself into a number of volunteer efforts on behalf of gay men and lesbians. She also helped found Project Chicken Soup, a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides kosher meals for people throughout Los Angeles County living with HIV or AIDS. For Pier, the group's activities and other outreach efforts became a link not only to her son but to hundreds of others. "I can't even begin to tell you how many people I've helped be who they are," says Pier, 91, who plans to participate in Sunday's 27th annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles.

We've asked you for reviews of good books you have read: "Ten Apples Up On Top!" by Dr. Seuss This book is about a lion, a dog and a tiger. The lion puts one apple on top of his head. The dog says, "I can do it too." The tiger says, "I can put five on top of my head." Finally, they put 10 apples up on top and have fun. --Emily, 6 Stanley G. Oswalt Elementary Walnut "Imogene's Antlers" by David Small This book is about a girl with antlers. Every time her mom sees her, she faints.

Hats off to NBC's "Our House" for the excellent season premiere which dealt with an earthquake. We watched it and talked it through with our "almost 3 year old." How much less scary it made the real thing seem as we said to our daughter, "See, we're standing under the door frame just like Molly did." It helped! Thanks for the gentle education. Susan Peak, Los Angeles

MUSIC Swahili Blonde Founded by former "WEAVE!" drummer and vocalist Nicole Turley, the experimental octet — which has collaborated with former Chili Pepper John Frusciante in the studio — continues its Monday night residency at the Echo. Expect plenty of disorienting chord progressions and obscure rhythms during the set. The Black Apples, Residual Echoes and Secret Circuit open. The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park. 9 p.m. Free. (213) 413-8200. http://www.attheecho.com . Lupe Fiasco The rapper made a name with the unlikely skate-anthem-hit "Kick Push" but has since become a radio stalwart in his own right for his personally explorative lyrics and charismatic flow on "Lasers," his most commercially minded album yet. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. $39.50.

It was impossible to tell if Molly Godiva really had any interest in being champion surf dog. What was clear was that she was having a pretty good time Sunday, trying to drag her owners into the water and barking at any dog playing catch nearby. "She's real quiet at home," her owner Tom Maioli said. "She's excited. " In just a few minutes the 8-year-old chocolate Lab would be competing for the first time at the Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, along with at least 22 other canines, including several seasoned competitors.