Naked Women

"In Darkness" is a pitiless glimpse into the inferno, into hell not only on earth but below it. Based on a true story, it takes you into the sewers of the Polish city of Lvov during World War II, a place where a group of Jews lived for more than a year under circumstances that are almost unimaginable. But, as directed by the veteran Agnieszka Holland, "In Darkness" is not a typical Holocaust film. For one thing, even more than in her 1990 film "Europa, Europa," Holland's directing style is cool, almost dispassionate.

The City Council voted Tuesday to bring in a hearing officer to consider whether to revoke a permit for an adult bookstore. In actuality, hearing officer Albert B. Chettle had already been chosen by city officials and conducted the hearing on the permit of A-Z Adult Books on Jan. 22. City Atty. Stuart B. Scudder said that although it is general procedure for the council to approve the hearing first, it is only a technical detail. Chettle's decision is expected in two weeks, Scudder said.

Tommy Lee has left the '80s behind. At the El Rey Theatre on Wednesday, his new band Methods of Mayhem made music that was frenetic, funky, loud and aggressively contemporary, virtually casting aside Lee's longtime career as the drummer of L.A.'s old metal heroes Motley Crue. Standing at center stage with a guitar on the first of the group's two nights at the El Rey, Lee chopped out tight, urgent riffs.

Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin on Wednesday sacked Justice Minister Valentin A. Kovalev, who was caught up in a scandal involving a sauna video, and replaced him with a former national security chief, the Kremlin said. Kovalev's replacement is Sergei V. Stepashin, a former head of the Federal Security Service. Yeltsin suspended the justice minister June 22 pending a probe into a newspaper report alleging that Kovalev had been filmed in a gangland sauna with naked women.

Yesterday, I overheard my 8-year-old son complaining to his friends that I would not allow him to watch television after supper; this is his homework time. My son said that he wanted to watch the show that featured headless half-naked women with big "jugs" who ruled all the islands of the world. He went on to say that he would love to be stranded on the women-only islands. With dismay, I asked him what this show was. It turned out to be "2 on the Town." It took me 20 minutes to convince him that there are no such islands in the world like the ones he imagined.

A Van Nuys neighborhood last week lost its battle to restrict the operations of a nude juice bar, but the war may be far from over. City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski proposed an ordinance that would more closely regulate nude bars and prohibit dancers from having physical contact with patrons. It deserves a close look by the City Council and its legal team. Restricting adult businesses can be problematic. Going too far violates the 1st Amendment.

To see the architect of the moment's idea of the definitive bachelor pad, check out the January issue of Playboy, due on newsstands this week. As part of a six-page photo spread devoted to his model of the dwelling, Frank Gehry also muses about Playboy ideals, urban living and designs he has yet to do. "I haven't done a skyscraper, that big phallic thing. Everyone wants to have the world's biggest erection," Gehry is quoted as saying.

I think it is ironic that the front page of The Times (April 11) contained two stories that portray a strange perception of the causes of violence in this country. Congress, under heavy lobbying from the National Rifle Assn., relaxed the gun control laws, which will undoubtedly cause an increase in violent crime and accidental deaths caused by guns. Nearby there was the news that 7-Eleven stores are no longer going to sell Playboy magazine because of "public concern over a possible link between such magazines and crime."