Wayne Rogers

John Lyday, 78, Army surgeon during the Korean War who was the inspiration for the character Trapper John in the movie and subsequent television series "MASH." Lyday was an enlisted man in World War II and an Army doctor in Korea. While serving in the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Korea, he worked with another surgeon, Dr. Dick Hornberger, who under the pen name Richard Hooker wrote a book based on his experiences.

Frank D. Gilroy's "The Gig" (Friday at selected theaters) follows a quintet of full-time urban professionals--and part-time amateur jazzmen--who suddenly get a shot at a lifetime dream: playing an actual professional engagement before paying audiences. Accepting the gig--a last-minute fill-in--means they'll have to disrupt settled, conventional lives, jobs that include dentistry, real estate and used cars.

Pardon me for appearing so tuned in, which I'm not, but there is this feature now on Facebook that connects people who grew up in the same hometown. "You know you're from Terre Haute if ... " is the set up, and Facebook members take turns reminiscing about things only natives of Terre Haute would know — pizza joints, favorite teachers, malt shops, many of them long gone. I've seen set-ups for my hometown in Illinois. I've seen them for Beverly Hills. Not only does the feature stir up fond memories, it'll impress you with the little nostalgic threads that others remember as well.

"There's a lot of glamour tonight," Kenneth Norris proclaimed. Not the least, at Las Floristas' Floral Headdress Ball, was Norris' announcement that he was giving another $100,000 to support Las Floristas Handicapped Children's Clinics. Carolyn Stockwell, sitting with Randy and a raft of friends, was almost giddy with pleasure over the way the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom looked. Bowers of flowers were everywhere, mixed with a touch of blue neon.

Adam Sandler, who stars in the upcoming holiday movie "Spanglish," has purchased a Pacific Palisades home for just under $13 million, according to real estate sources. Sandler bought a house, on two-thirds of an acre, with seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in nearly 13,000 square feet. The home, built in 1990, also has a pool. The property was not on the market.

With Dan Rather knocked out of his chair by a cold, CBS seemed to be adrift without an anchorman. All the regular substitutes were away Wednesday when a sick Rather said he'd rather not. So Forrest Sawyer sat in. Forrest who? Sawyer has been with the network in New York for two months, but his is not a household name yet. So where have all the anchors gone? The first-string sub for Rather, Bob Schieffer, is on vacation. Charles Kuralt is on the road in London.