After dying at the hands of a serial killer on “Dexter,” Benz, 41, was resurrected as a stripper with a heart of gold and a master’s degree in education on “Desperate Housewives.” She followed that up with a turn as a mom with super powers on the short-lived ABC drama “No Ordinary Family” and a recurring role on “A Gifted Man,” which was also canceled after one season.

Currently, she is starring on the new Syfy series “Defiance,” which takes place on a very different planet Earth in the future, where aliens and humans try to cohabit in peace.

The Pittsburgh, Pa.-born actress, who grew up in nearby Murrysville, plays Amanda Rosewater, the newly appointed mayor of Defiance, formerly known as St. Louis, Mo. Benz says part of the appeal of her character is her strong work ethic.

“Pretty much her life is her work,” she says. “She doesn’t have a personal life at all, really. I am a bit of a workaholic, too, but I have been able to find balance in my life. I have a long-time relationship and I do have friendships. I did go through a time in my life when I was working nonstop, so I am able to relate to Amanda on that level.”

Also since leaving “Dexter,” Benz has starred in the TV movies “Middle Ages” and “Ricochet,” and on the big screen in the indie movie “Supremacy.” She also has completed filming of the thriller “Sole Custody.”

Married, Benz makes her home in Los Angeles with a Maltese/poodle mix, Bamboo, and a Havanese, Sugar. She enjoys running and weight training.  She’s also involved with the U.S. Campaign for Burma charity, which came about following her experience in that country while filming “Rambo” in 2007.

Jim Beaver, 62, is the son of a Church of Christ preacher, and was born in Laramie, Wyo., but raised in Irving, Texas. He is best known for his roles as Singer on “Supernatural” and Whitney Ellsworth on “Deadwood.”

Like a lot of boys, Beaver grew up with the dream of becoming a baseball player. But lack of necessary sports skills turned his interest to movies. While in high school, he would interview actors passing through town for his school paper.

After graduation, Beaver enlisted in the Marine Corps, doing a tour of duty in Vietnam. After he was discharged in 1971, he enrolled in college, though he remained active in the Marine Reserve until 1976.

Beaver attended Oklahoma Christian University, following which he transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma. During this time, he appeared in several college plays, and wrote his first book, “John Garfield: His Life and Films.” He graduated with a degree in oral communications in 1975.

He made his professional debut in an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s “Rain” at the Oklahoma Theatre Center in 1972 and spent five seasons with the Dallas Shakespeare Festival, writing plays as well as performing in them.

He relocated to New York in 1979, working as both an actor and as a critic for “Films in Review” magazine. During this period, he ghost-wrote the book “Movie Blockbusters.”

In 1983, he moved to Los Angeles, where he joined the Theatre West company, again as both an actor and a playwright. His play “Verdigris” was produced there in 1985. He soon landed an agent, who got him work as a TV writer for “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Tour of Duty” and HBO’s “Vietnam War Story.”

But it wasn’t long before his acting career, which was launched by the film “In Country,” overshadowed his writing career. Other acting film roles include “Sister Act,” “Sliver,” “Bad Girls,” “Adaptation,” “Magnolia” and “The Life of David Gale.” His TV work includes “Reasonable Doubts,” “Thunder Alley,” “John From Cincinnati,” “Day Break,” “Harper’s Island,” “Big Love” and “Justified.”
A widower, Beaver lives in Los Angeles with his 11-year-old daughter.

For a more in-depth memoir about Beaver, read his most recent book “Life’s That Way.”

Of retirement, Walters says, This is my decision. I’ve been thinking about it a long time. This is what I want to do.”

Read more on Barbara Walters’ retirement from “USA Today”

Watch Barbara Walters’ career through the years:

Barbara Walters on her experiences with workplace discrimination and the source of the support that kept her on the road:

Aarti Mann, 36, a first-generation Indian American, was born in Connecticut and raised in Pennsylvania, and plays Priya Koothrappali on “The Big Bang Theory.”

Of landing the role as Raj’s sister, she says, “It is like winning the opportunity to go to the acting Olympics. You are working with people who are at the top of their fields. It is great because it helps me elevate my game. Even when I am not rehearsing, I will stay on set and watch the other actors because you learn so much just by observing them.”

As for her background, Mann’s late father, who died when she was in high school, was a doctor, as is her mother Vasanti Majmudar, who is a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist in Pittsburgh.

Mann, who has also performed as Aarti Majumdar, became interested in show business at a very young age.

“The first memory I have of watching a film and realizing it was something I wanted to be a part of was ‘Alien,’” she recalls. “It is definitely one of my all-time favorite films. I loved everything about it. I definitely credit that film for making me want to be a filmmaker.”

Toward that goal, Mann made home movies with her brother and sister when she was a child. But following high school graduation, she studied film at New York University, intending to become a director. But along the way, she got waylaid by acting.

“Somehow when I was in film school, I was attracted to the craft of acting,” she says. “I think the immediacy of it was really what drew me to it and, then, I got to L.A. and decided to pursue it professionally. I want to be an actor because I love to tell stories and share myself with others with the small hope that people feel like they are part of a larger experience.”

In addition to “The Big Bang Theory,” Mann’s credits include “Wendell and Vinnie,” “Heroes” and “Suits.”

Married with one child, Mann lives in Los Angeles and enjoys cooking a variety of ethnic cuisines.

Kansas City music festival highlights kid-friendly music

Teen Invents School Bus Retrofit

Pepsi Refresh project helps ‘science nerd’ Jonny Cohen build fuel- and money-saving deflector

Recipe of the Week

Breakfast Squares

Celebrity Q&A

Jim Bob Duggar, 47, a Springdale, Ark., native, is a commercial real estate investor and served as a state legislator in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002.  He and wife Michelle, 46, have been married 28 years and have 19 children and two grandchildren.

The author, who produces hi-resolution, life-size images of whales, from close-ups of eyes and scars to full-body portraits, presents this amazing collection of his work—considerably scaled down here, of course, but nonetheless stunningly impressive still in this oversized 15” x 12” hardbound edition—in a display that reveals the majesty of his subjects, the mastery of his craft, and the importance of protecting and preserving one of the planet’s most social, most ancient and most endangered mammals. Writes oceanographer and marine conservation advocate Sylvia Earle in the book’s opening essay, “While we long to find evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, we have mercilessly waged war on intelligent beings who have developed in parallel with humankind on the same blue speck.”

Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone and Nick Nolte come out blazing in this stylish gangster yarn, based on real events. Set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, it’s about an outfit of tough-cookie cops and their bloody, bullet-riddled campaign to flush their city of Mickey Cohen, a Brooklyn mob boss who’s migrated to the West Coast with other policeman and politicians in his pocket. Extras include commentary, a documentary on the real-life Cohen, deleted scenes and making-of features.

1. Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.

The Florida theme park offers entertainment in superhero proportions at its Marvel Super Hero Island, where thrill-seekers enjoy Marvel Comics-inspired rides, shopping and restaurants amid unique comic book-style architecture. Big like its namesake, the Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster boasts corkscrews, loops and subterranean dips that will leave your head spinning. And in 2012, the Marvel comic mecca opened “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man,” a reengineered multi-sensory 3-D experience for Spidey fans featuring web-slinging, simulated action.

2. “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” Foxwoods Theater, New York, N.Y.

In this hit Broadway musical, the web-slinging superhero leaps off the comic book pages and onto the stage. Debuting in 2011, the sweeping production is one of the highest grossing Broadway shows in history. The story rivets the audience with music by Grammy winners Bono and The Edge. Spider-Man’s gravity-defying stunts are set against a backdrop of Tony-nominated sets and costumes.

3. ToonSeum, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district and billed as “a museum with character,” the museum celebrates the art of cartooning. Its galleries showcase original comic book art featuring Spider-Man, Superman and other comic legends. A Hulk-smashed doorway leads into the Lou Scheimer Gallery and comic library. Fans of the Batman epic “The Dark Knight Rises” immediately will recognize the ToonSeum building, where part of the movie was filmed in 2011. Regular offerings include book signings, children’s programs and cartooning classes.

4. Madame Tussauds, New York, N.Y.

The famed wax museum lets fans unlock their own powers alongside lifelike statues of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and other Marvel Comics superheroes. Open since 2012, the exhibit’s stunningly realistic wax figures each took $300,000, a team of 20 artists and up to four months to create. Visitors can enter the “Contamination Station” to see if they’ve been exposed to mutating gamma rays that turned Dr. Bruce Banner into his green alter ego, represented by a 15-foot-tall wax version of the Incredible Hulk. They also can wield Thor’s mighty hammer or step behind Captain America’s indestructible shield. The grand finale is “Marvel Superheroes 4D Experience,” a 3D film complete with 4D special effects simulating water, wind and earthquake tremors.

5. Metropolis, Ill.

No traces of kryptonite in this mild-mannered southern Illinois town, which in 1972 declared itself the official hometown of Superman. Visitors receive a superhero welcome thanks to a colossal 15-foot-tall bronze Superman statue in the middle of the town square. Its Super Museum features more than 20,000 Superman artifacts amassed by super collector Jim Hambrick. On the second weekend of each June, the town hosts its Superman Celebration, when fans compete for a $1,000 prize for best costume, test their Superman IQ and meet famous Superman film and TV celebrities.

6. Comic-Con International, San Diego, Calif.

Although comic book conventions are held across the nation, the San Diego Comic-Con is the oldest and largest. More than 130,000 fans attend the four-day summer event, some even in costume, to see the latest trends in comics, gaming, television and film. For superhero fans, it’s the place to hob-knob with A-list comic industry celebrities. In recent years, Comic-Con has branched beyond comics and into other areas of pop culture, but comics are still king.

7. Superhero Walking Tour, New York City, N.Y.

Ever dream of seeing the real-life skyscraper Spidey’s character perches on in New York City? What about the office where Bob Kane worked to co-create Batman? Celebrity Planet’s “superhero tour” takes die-hard fans on a two-hour walking tour of the bustling city that has become a crossroads for superheroes defending humanity against diabolical villains and ferocious aliens. Guides lead comic buffs past movie landmarks, such as the battleground scene for “The Avengers,” and pivotal places in comic history. At the tour’s end, fans can kick back and toast their favorite superheroes at a bar decorated with comic art.

8. Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, Baltimore, Md.

A haven for pop culture and comic fans, Geppi’s offers a selection of 750 comic books, plus toys and collectibles from the 1700s to present. One entire room is dedicated to American comic book art, and takes visitors on a journey from the Golden Age of comics (when Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman were created) to the Silver Age (marking the creation of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four) to the modern era of darker, more complex heroes. Guests view America’s story through riveting comic covers. The museum is located on the second floor of Camden Station near Camden Yards.

9. The Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum, Elkhart, Ind.

Holy superhero collection, Batman! This museum founded by comic book enthusiast Allen Stewart showcases one of the largest comic book and superhero memorabilia collections in the world. Highlights include a replica of the Batcave from the 1960s “Batman” television series, more than 50,000 comic books from the 1940s to the present, original DC/Marvel comic artwork, movie and TV props, and toys. The two-story museum’s exterior is a re-creation of the Hall of Justice from the 1970s animated “Super Friends” TV series. Tours are available by appointment only.

10. Mile High Comics, Denver, Colo.

Devoted comic aficionados travel from across the world to lose themselves in 35,000 square feet of comic book bliss. An additional 30,000 square feet of space holds millions of reserve comic stock, making Mile High the largest comic book store in the world. More than 200,000 comics tower over guests’ heads at owner Chuck Rozanski’s mega-store. Collectors can find treasured DC comics dating back to 1940 and Marvel comics back to 1944. Masses gather for the store’s monthly no-minimum-bid collectables auctions, special events and autograph sessions with top comic artists.

Superhero travel bonus:
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland’s airport is probably the only place fans can shout, “It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s Superman!” and really mean it. A 7-foot-tall Superman statue greets travelers at the airport’s baggage claim area. A related exhibit highlights Superman points of interest around Cleveland, the birthplace of the fictional Superman character, and pays tribute to Superman creators Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster.

Born Barbara Jean Morehead in Tucson, Ariz., Eden, 78, grew up in San Francisco and was a beauty queen before moving to Hollywood in the 1950s to begin a career in movies and television. Best known as the wish granter with the bare midriff in the 1965-1970 sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, she also appeared in about 20 movies, starring in “Flaming Star” and “The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao,” and the TV movie “Harper Valley PTA.” Eden continues to act on stage and to make public appearances. She released her memoir,” Jeannie Out of the Bottle,” in 2011.

Every animal is different. Depending upon the species and breed, the nutrition needs may vary. Research your pet and find out as much as you can before selecting a pet food. Your veterinarian is a great source of information about your pet and what it takes to maintain good health. Most pets require a high level of good-quality protein in their foods. Cats should be fed a good amount of water, particularly if they’re eating mainly dry food. Cats should be fed wet food often, as dry food contains too little protein and too many carbohydrates. Similarly, dogs need protein and should limit the overloading of carbohydrates.

Decode the food label. There is quite a lot of controversy about pet food these days. Pets have become ill or even died because of poor quality or contaminated pet food. When making your food selection, read the label thoroughly. You are looking for a food with high-quality ingredients and not too many ingredients. The Association of American Feed Control Officials has guidelines that regulate pet food.

• All beef—If a food states it is all beef or another ingredient, it must be at least 95 percent beef or whatever ingredient is named.
• Dinner—A pet food that has the word "dinner," "entrée" or "platter" in the title need only be 25 percent of the named ingredient.
• With—Any pet food that uses the term “with” means that the food may only be 3 percent of the ingredient named.
• Flavor—If the term "flavor" is used, the ingredient need only be a detectable amount.

Once you’ve selected

After weighing all the considerations, sample a small container of new foods before investing in the bulk size. If your pet is not a fan of the food you chose, you’re not out a large investment. Better yet, save your receipt and return the pet food for another selection.

Gravelly voiced Eddie Anderson played comedian Benny’s brash valet on his radio and TV show from 1937 until 1965. The native of Oakland, Calif., worked in more than 60 films including “The Green Pastures,” “Jezebel,” and “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Gone With The Wind,” and he starred in the 1943 all-star black musical “Cabin in the Sky.” After retiring from show biz, he worked part time as an assistant trainer of horses at Hollywood Park Racetrack. Anderson died of heart disease in 1977 at the age of 71.

This handsome box set celebrates the 30th anniversary of puppeteer Jim Henson’s wildly imaginative 1983-1987 television series teaching children cooperation, community, tolerance, empathy, environmental awareness and other values through the music, mayhem and other antics of the magical Fraggles and their felt-covered friends. The collection, which includes all the episodes of the show’s four seasons, also comes with behind-the-scenes interviews recently discovered in Henson’s archives, a keychain connected to a plush collectible Fraggle character, and a “Fraggle Rock” graphic novel with an activity guide to help today’s parents introduce kids to the wonders of this show from another era.

Signs of heartworm infection. Unfortunately, early detection of heartworm infection can be difficult, as signs may not be noticed easily. A dog infected with heartworms may have a mild yet persistent cough after the worm infestation grows. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) states some animals may show signs that include:

• Labored breathing
• Coughing
• Fatigue and listlessness
• Vomiting and weight loss

Cats and heartworm infection. The American Heartworm Society cautions that cats can have non-specific symptoms when infected with heartworms. These signs of heartworms often mimic other feline diseases and, as a result, the heartworm infection may not be detected. Signs can include breathing difficulties, gagging/vomiting, lethargy and weight loss. While these symptoms are similar to those that present with feline allergic bronchitis or feline asthma, the American Heartworm Society states the symptoms are due to a condition called Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease or HARD. If you suspect your pet has heartworm symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

How pets are infected with heartworms. Pets, both indoor and outdoor animals, may be infected by heartworms through mosquito bites. The heartworm enters your pet’s bloodstream as microscopic larvae. It takes about six months for the larvae to mature into worms that make their way through the bloodstream and into the heart chambers. Along the way, the heartworms can damage arteries and blood vessels. Heartworms can live in dogs for as many as seven years.

Heartworm prevention. The ASPCA and the American Heartworm Society recommend giving your pet heartworm medication year round, as this will help prevent not only heartworm infection but also can provide protection against other intestinal parasites. Medication typically comes in pill form, but topical products applied to your pet’s skin are another option. Consult with your veterinarian on the best heartworm preventative treatment for your pet.

The impressionistic poster for the sixth season of “Mad Men,” with the back-to-back Don Drapers—one with a briefcase and one holding the hand of a woman—was designed by 75-year-old British illustrator Brian Sanders. Executive producer/creator Matt Weiner, 47, was looking for a way to capture the essence of the era, and he discovered Sanders’ work in a book called “Lifestyle Illustration of the 60s.” The promo team for “Mad Men” looked Sanders up and contacted him and, as a fan of the show, he agreed to do the job.
“It always has something to do with the season. That’s all it’s about,” Weiner says of the poster designs, which give clues to what the season will be about. “We have a conversation at the beginning of every season and sometimes I reluctantly share that I’ve had these sorts of thoughts, because I believe in subconscious communication. I believe that that’s what cinema is about. I also believe that we have been lucky enough that AMC will take risks to stand out in the marketplace, and there’s an almost expectation that our key art will be in some way different or ahead of the curve.”
Weiner is the first to admit that not all the ideas stem from him. For example, the third season poster where Don Draper is seated in his office, which is flooded with water, was an idea that was presented to him and became one of his two favorites. The other was season one.
“The first season was my favorite and I had nothing to do with that,” the Baltimore, Md.-born writer/producer says. “They were zigging when everybody else was zagging. It was graphically bold, probably the only poster out that didn’t have a picture of the actor on it, and it got your attention, which is its job. You’re like, ‘What is that?’ All that white and black and Helvetica, a lot of it was very bold.”
Season five’s poster had Don looking in a store window with two dummies—the woman naked and the man in his PJs and slippers sitting in a chair. It was definitely provocative, but Weiner says it has a simple explanation.
“Last season’s [poster] was about Don trying on this marriage, an idealized marriage,” Weiner says. “He was looking in this shop window and seeing this mannequin, this undressed mannequin, and this guy sitting there watching it. I had this idea that this is this idealized figure, and he’s looking in there and he’s seeing, ‘Well, this is my ideal marriage. My wife is in there taking her dress off and I’m there in my slippers and my robe.’”

The native Canadian, 64, is one of three children of Joe and Hope Garber. His mother was an actress and singer, which rubbed off on the “Alias” star, who began acting when he was 9 years old and singing in the folk band The Sugar Shoppe. Now with six Emmy and four Tony nominations, Garber starred recently in the TV series “Deception,” “Damages” and “Web Therapy” and played Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor in the Oscar-winning film “Argo.”

For instance, walking home from school in 2008 as a seventh-grader in Highland Park, Ill., Jonny observed a sudden change in air pressure when a school bus rumbled past him. Exhaust was spewing from its tailpipe.

“I noticed the bus was very boxy, which is why it had created such a shift in the air, and I realized that because of its design, the bus was using more fuel than it needed,” Jonny recalls.

The brief encounter inspired Jonny to begin an ongoing scientific journey to make the big yellow fuel guzzlers more aerodynamic, economical and environmentally friendly.

His invention, which he calls GreenShields, is inspiring school transportation officials world-wide to rethink the design of the bulky vehicles.

“GreenShields has the potential to save $600 in fuel costs per bus, per year,” says Jonny, now a senior at Highland Park High School. “With 480,000 school buses on the road in the United States, that’s a lot of money that could be saved—money that could be put into books and great teachers, instead of into a gas tank.”

Jonny always has enjoyed tinkering and troubleshooting.

“From a very young age, Jonny would take apart his toys and try to rebuild them into something better,” says his mother, Jakee Cohen, 51, recalling how her son once tested his homemade rockets by strapping his younger sister’s Barbie dolls to them as passengers.

In 2007, he studied aerodynamics at a summer science camp at nearby Northwestern University in Chicago, setting the stage for a light bulb to go off in his head when that bulky school bus rumbled past him on a chilly February afternoon. Jonny ran home, sketched a rudimentary design and showed his idea to his older sister, Azza, an honors student at Highland Park. The siblings took Johnny’s idea to Azza’s physics teacher, Kunal Pujara, who was impressed by the youngster’s concept.

“I thought, ‘Wow! Why has no one considered changing the design of a school bus?’ It took a seventh-grader to have the idea!” recalls Pujara, 42.

Under Pujara’s guidance and with the help of Azza and several classmates, Jonny built and installed a GreenShields prototype on a toy school bus. He tested the design in his garage in a homemade wind tunnel fashioned from a plywood box, a leaf blower and a fog machine, which allowed the young scientist to see how air moved around the bus.

Interested in developing a full-size model, Jonny sought assistance from Stacy Benjamin, his former aerodynamics camp instructor and a director at the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University’s School of Engineering.

“I remembered him because he had never-ending ideas,” says Benjamin, 43, who happily recruited two of her interns “to help Jonny make [his concept] real.” Together, they designed, built and tested various prototypes, making adjustments to address challenges such as window fogging and glare.

After winning a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project, which awards money to people making a positive impact on their communities, Jonny appeared in 2010 on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America.” The wife of John Benish, director of Cook-Illinois Corp., which supplies and maintains the state’s school buses, happened to be watching. “The next thing we knew, Jonny was road testing his invention on a real school bus,” his mother says.

Resembling an airfoil on an airplane, GreenShields is made of fiberglass and easily attaches to the roof of a school bus. The 8-pound shield costs $30 and increases gas mileage by up to 20 percent.

Jonny’s entrepreneurial efforts have earned him national accolades. Twice named to Forbes “30 Under 30” list in the energy category, he also has been featured in “Scientific American” magazine. The notoriety has prompted inquiries from school districts around the world.

Despite all of the years of tests and redesigns, Jonny says his biggest challenge has been gaining approval for a new idea.

“School districts and bus companies are not focusing on the benefits; they’re worried about liabilities,” says Jonny, who plans to study mechanical engineering at Columbia University. “We’re still working to get safety approvals. It’s frustrating, but we won’t give up.”

Training. Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, is famous for training dogs into obedient and secure pets. According to Cesar, start training your puppy right away. Go with your puppy’s natural instinct to think of you as pack leader. Maintain your role with calm, assertive confidence. Don’t wait for your puppy to misbehave or make a mistake to assert your role. Gentle guidance from the start will provide the necessary foundation you’ll rely upon when things like chewing, leash pulling, barking and other bad behaviors crop up.

Housebreaking. Your puppy must be trained to eliminate waste in the appropriate locations. As dogs do not want to go where they sleep, this natural instinct will help your training. Provide a comfortable, safe place for your puppy to do his or her business. Be consistent. Bring your puppy to the same general area and reward your puppy with love, attention and even a small treat to reinforce the good behavior. If your puppy begins to act like he or she is ready to go, calmly remove the puppy to the right spot. Be sure to thoroughly clean any accident sites, as they will become repeat spots if the scent lingers.

Exercise. One of the most important things you can do with your puppy is offer lots of exercise potential. Take your dog on a walk every day. Be sure to let the puppy expend plenty of energy on that walk. Using your calm and assertive posture, don’t allow your puppy to drag you; rather, gently but firmly lead your puppy on the journey. Make sure you are the first out the door and first one in the door at either end of the trip to underscore your standing as pack leader.

Check-ups. Just like any other family member, your puppy will need regular medical care and vaccinations. Routine care, a healthy diet and good exercise will ensure the healthiest possible puppy. Ask lots of questions at veterinary appointments, and familiarize yourself with the vaccinations and common health concerns during your puppy’s transition into adulthood.

Jones, 35, who has played the character for six seasons now, very much enjoys it, adding that in playing Betty, she tries not to judge her, because sometimes Betty makes choices that Jones wouldn’t make.

“That’s the cool thing about my job,” she says. “I get to do things I would never do. That’s why I do what I do.”

The Sioux Falls, S.D., native adds that if she had grown up in an earlier era, like Betty, she might better understand those choices.

“I feel very fortunate,” Jones says. “I see myself as a very independent, modern woman and would struggle very much if I was put in that situation. I wouldn’t know how to cope with that—unless I did what I do now—unless I was an actress and had a bit more freedom. But they had studio contacts [back then], so it would have been very hard.”

One thing the two women do have in common is they are both mothers, but Jones, who gave birth to son Xander on Sept. 13, 2011—and has yet to reveal the identity of the father—says she definitely does not look to Betty for parenting tips. In fact, the opposite it is true.

“She struggles with it,” Jones says. “I think that because of her emotional immaturity, she’s just not as great at it as some people are. I think that maybe she thought it was a good idea to be a mother and have children—she has this idea of what was expected of her—and not everyone is a natural at it. But I think she tries; I think she’s trying harder. I think that she was daddy’s little girl and found it very hard to be unselfish.”

Being a superhero comes with super-sized problems. That’s certainly the case with Iron Man and his cocky creator, Tony Stark, who’s suffering from a mega case of job-related stress at the beginning of this third movie spun from his Marvel comic exploits.

After saving the world in his previous adventures with his fellow superheroes last year in “The Avengers,” Stark is a neurotic mess. Nightmares and flashbacks keep him from sleeping. And his obsessive late-night tinkering down in his billion-dollar basement, making new high-tech Iron Man outfits and smart-suit upgrades, is starting to chill some of the warmth out of his relationship with his loyal live-in gal Friday, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

But there’s no rest for the weary. A new villain, the Bin Laden-esque Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is terrorizing the U.S. president (William Sadler) through a series of increasingly destructive bombings, taunting via videotaped messages that “You’ll never see me coming.”

And just as troubling, there’s also a cool but creepy scientist (Guy Pearce) who can’t forget that Stark snubbed him, and his idea, years ago…

A new director, Shane Black, takes over this time from Jon Favreau, who steered the first two movies. A hot Hollywood property for his action-movie screenwriting on four “Lethal Weapon” movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Last Action Hero” and Bruce Willis’ “The Last Boy Scout,” Black also helped craft the script, which clearly shows his gift for snappy dialogue and a story that doesn’t sag or drag.

Though he’s not behind the camera, Favreau returns in his recurring role as Happy Hogan, Stark’s former bodyguard. Also back in the iron saddle is Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodes, continuing to use Iron Man technology for the U.S. military. New faces include Rebecca Hall as a brilliant bio-scientist whose research has led her down a dangerous path, and young Ty Simpkins, whose role as Stark’s temporary accomplice brings a new level of pint-size charm to a story that otherwise doesn’t have much of a natural niche for kids.

But for pure entertainment, you can’t surpass Ben Kingsley, whose Mandarin holds quite a surprise.

Black enjoys playing with all the toys to which his mega-million-dollar special-effects budget gave him access. As you might expect, the movie dazzles with computerized whoosh and whap. And it’s generally well-orchestrated, particularly an attack on Starks’ California seaside mansion that sends it plunging to the bottom of the ocean, and an eye-popping sequence during which Iron Man is challenged to figure out, on the fly, how to save a plane-full of passengers blown into the air when Air Force One explodes.

A prolonged grand finale seems to stretch on for several boomy minutes too long, however, reveling in its own bigness. But “Iron Man 3” wisely keeps its focus on Stark, giving Downey lots of room to quip and rip, and even setting up an entire third of the movie where his computerized, flying armor fails him, leaving him stranded some 2,000 miles from home and forced to go without using it.

Here, it’s not the suit that makes the man; it’s the man that makes the suit. It’s quite a suit, for sure, but Downey is still the star that keeps it—and this multi-million-dollar movie franchise—roaring and soaring.

Online adoption sites. The Internet provides invaluable resources when searching for a pet to adopt. Several nationally recognized organizations and companies offer online pet adoption. These include the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States, BreedersAssociation.net and Petfinder.

Adopting through the ASPCA. The ASPCA provides adoptions for cats and dogs through the ASPCA Adoption Center located in New York City, as well as from local shelters throughout the United States. To adopt a dog or cat through the ASPCA Adoption Center, visit its site online and begin viewing the various animals waiting for a home. You can sort by dog or cat, ages and gender.

Humane Society adoptions. To begin your pet adoption search through the Humane Society of the United States, click on the “Find a pet today” prompt located on the site’s homepage. The Shelter Pet Project provides a searchable database via ZIP code areas. You can search for dogs or cats. The Shelter Pet Project was established in 2009 and strives to reduce the number of animals living in shelters throughout the country.

BreedersAssociation.net. If you are searching for a pet other than a cat or dog, BreedersAssociation.net may be the solution. The site offers a way for adoptive families and individuals to search a large pet classified database that includes cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, birds, reptiles and more. All pet ads at BreedersAssociation.net are free to view.

Petfinder. Petfinder offers adoptive families and individuals a connection to more than 13,000 pet adoption groups. You can search by location, type, breed, age and gender. In addition, there is a separate tab for Shelters and Rescues, helping you to connect with a group in your area. Petfinder also provides information for starting your own rescue group and links to multiple ways to help pets and other animals awaiting adoption.

Not surprisingly, Silas Weir Mitchell, 43, who plays Monroe, would have to say the Blutbad, because he morphs into the wolf-like being. But he does have other favorites among the NBC cop drama’s mythical creatures, or “Wesen,” as they are called.

“I just like their names,” he says. “Like the Volksthiville, which is sort of a Rumpelstiltskin character. It’s just a fun name. I did like the bat creature—the Murciélago—that I really thought looked good.”

And while the majority of the work of turning the human actors into their Wesen counterparts is done by computer effects, the Philadelphia-born Mitchell says that there are things he does as an actor to help it appear more realistic.

“If Monroe is scared versus angry, because there are several situations under which a Wesen will reveal himself, and one of them is an aggressive, angry, purposeful morph,” he explains. “Then sometimes if you’re really, really sad, or scared or nervous, your inner self will burst out because your guard is down.

“So in the event that you do it one way versus the other, you’re going to have a different aspect. And the CGI is able to capture that. So it’s not just a big thing that goes on top of you and obfuscates your emotional life. It’s prime enough that it can see what you’re feeling. It can react to your face.”

Fans in the audience shake maracas, pound drums and clap hands while founding artist Jim Cosgrove, known as “Mr. Stinky Feet,” urges them on from the main stage of the Jiggle Jam Family Music Fest in Kansas City, Mo.

“I like that he doesn’t just sing the song,” says 8-year-old Taylor Cozart while dancing to the beat. “He makes songs funny and fun. Dinosaurs do silly stuff; they dance in their underwear.”

Cosgrove, 48, of Prairie Village, Kan., helped found Jiggle Jam in 2008 to showcase a new generation of family-friendly music. Last Memorial Day weekend, the two-day outdoor event drew 21,000 people to Kansas City’s Crown Center to hear some of the world’s best kindie music by dozens of bands.

Not just for children, kindie also appeals to parents and grandparents, who appreciate how far the genre has come since the song “I’m a Little Teapot” was first recorded in the early 1950s. Scott Levich, 49, who listened to Disney tunes as a child, smiles broadly as his daughter Kristina skips to a lively bluegrass tune and later bops to the Cosgrove beat.

“We didn’t have any funny kids’ songs like ‘Stinky Feet’,” recalls Levich, of Overland Park, Kan.

Creative renaissance

Music for children has evolved during the last century and began shifting about a decade ago to appeal to entire families, says Mindy Thomas, 34, program director of children’s music for Sirius-XM satellite radio, based in Washington, D.C.

Thomas cites rockers and other artists who began having children and making music for their own families, spawning an underground kindie movement. “[Bands such as] They Might Be Giants, The Verve Pipe, Barenaked Ladies, and Dan Zanes of the Del Fuegos helped legitimize the genre,” Thomas says.

Not easily defined, kindie encompasses diverse musical styles, from folk to funk, rap to rock, bluegrass to international sounds. “Artists are staying true to what’s authentic for them,” Thomas says. “There’s a lot of quirkiness here; songs that are a little absurd in nature work really well.”

Kindie venues are equally eclectic and range from town libraries to urban nightclubs that open their doors for afternoon jams. Such exposure often leads young fans to start making music of their own, further expanding the genre. Thomas, who once struggled to find songs for the Sirius children’s playlist, says “now it’s hard to decide what to choose.”

With his raspy voice and untamed mane of hair, Dan Zanes is a leader in today’s family-friendly

folk music movement. Once the front man for the Del Fuegos, a 1980s garage-style rock band, the singer/guitarist began looking for music to play for his daughter, Anna, who was born in 1994. Finding few contemporary songs in the tradition of Lead Belly, Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie, Zanes decided to write his own.

“I wasn’t interested in making children’s music,” recalls Zanes, now 51 and living in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I was looking for a shared experience.”

In the years since, he’s encouraged children and parents to join in the fun. “Music is not just for professionals,” Zanes says. “Music-making is a joyous experience that brings us together. It’s a way to tell our stories to each other; we can use it to build bridges.”

His career evolution has brought rewards that Zanes never expected, including the 2007 Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children for “Catch That Train!” “The universe had a better plan for me than I had for myself,” he says.

Kindie journeys

The path to family-friendly music is different for every artist.

Frances England, 39, of San Francisco, recorded her first kindie-folk CD in 2007 as a fundraiser for the preschool attended by her son Liam. She never dreamed anyone outside of family and friends would hear it.

“I wrote the songs while my son was taking baths and we were talking about what we did that day,” recalls England, who burned that first CD on her home computer.

Her songs clicked with listeners, however, and three college credits short of becoming a librarian, England saw her musical career take off. Now sharing songs that reflect the points of view of both parents (“Oh, How You’ve Grown”) and children (“Mind of My Own”), she ranks among the top kindie artists.

The Okee Dokee Brothers are the Minneapolis-based duo of Joe Mailander, 27, and Justin Lansing, 28, who grew up as best friends and bandmates in Denver, Colo. After years of touring with their bluegrass band, they decided to take their folk music back to its roots—their childhood imaginations.

“We still think we’re kids ourselves. Not so much harkening back [to childhood] but maintaining a playful mentality,” says Mailander, during a break from performing at last year’s Jiggle Jam.

The duo wrote their album “Can You Canoe?” while paddling down the Mississippi River in 2011. This year, their effort won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album. “Our whole mission is to inspire families to get outside and explore together,” Mailander says.

Silly and successful

Songs inspired by children can produce surprising results for adult musicians.

Cosgrove grew up with a silly streak and, while in college, began writing tunes for his nieces and nephews. Years later, enthusiastic feedback when he sang at a Kansas City bookstore prompted him to quit his job in corporate public relations to make music with and for children.

“I always want to treat kids and interact with them in a way that honors their smarts, in a way that honors their intuition,” he says.

As Mr. Stinky Feet, Cosgrove often brings parents on stage during his shows. “Some parents don’t know how to act silly,” says Cosgrove, who is there to help.

Cosgrove travels with his wife, Jeni, and their daughters, Lyda and Willa, to shows across the nation, but one of his most memorable gigs occurred not far from his home when he performed with the Kansas City Symphony at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.

“I’m not a trained musician, and here I am playing in a world-class venue that’s nearly sold out,” he recalls. “It was overwhelming: 80 pieces behind you doing ‘Sammy the Snail.’”

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; whisk well. Makes 3/4 cup.

Serves 12

Nutritional facts per serving: 70 calories, 7g fat, 5mg cholesterol, 0g protein, 1g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 140mg sodium

—Recipe by Laraine Perri, a food writer in New York City

What's in a name? The Betta takes its name from an ancient clan of warriors in Southeast Asia known as the Bettah. Betta fights became very popular in Siam with the winner being declared based on bravery. The Betta fish was discovered initially in Southeast Asia, calling rice paddies, drainage ditches and floodplains home. Its habitat was subject to floods and droughts, however, and the Betta fish developed into a labyrinth fish, a fish that can take oxygen directly through air and through its gills. Because of this ability, Betta fish can survive in smaller containers than a normal fish.

What's in a shape? Bettas have several different tail shapes, including the "veil tail," "half moon" and "double tail." Bettas come in many colors, the most common being red, blue and green. Other color variations also exist.

To be or not to be alone? That is the question inexperienced fish owners ask when considering purchasing a Betta. The afishionados at Pet Sitters International explain that the Betta fish is not a schooling fish and prefers to swim alone. In fact, when placed with other Bettas, they will fight. In addition to being alone, Bettas need a comfortable place to hide such as an aquatic cave or dense, planted corners. Female Betta fish are not as aggressive as males. If you are determined to have multiple Bettas, make sure they're female and have adequate hiding places. Two male Betta fish in the same tank will produce an eventual fight to the death.

Double, double, toil and trouble? Betta fish are one of the easiest breeds to care for. Systematic changing of water, about one-third the amount of water for small containers, will keep your fish healthy. Bettas prefer slightly acidic, warm water. Bettas usually live two to three years.

Dawson, 34, who plays hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb in “Trance,” had never tried hypnosis before landing the role for the movie, but she, as well as her co-stars James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel, agreed to be test subjects before filming began.

“We all very much wanted to go under, but we were all very distracted to see if anyone else had gone under,” she recalls. “James had a moment when he couldn’t pry his fingers apart. Vincent doesn’t believe it and thinks [the hypnotist] was just messing with us. But James has talked about it since in the press, and he is very serious, so I take him seriously.”

While Dawson says she didn’t experience not being able to move a body part, she definitely entered the state between sleep and wakefulness, where your body lulls and gets cold because it starts to shut down and goes, “Okay, you’re resting.”

“It was important for me to see those types of physiological changes and also see how important it is for the [hypnotist’s] voice to be kind of warm and relaxed,” she says. “It was really helpful to me, but I didn’t actually go under.”

That said, she is a believer, as she knows people who have successfully used hypnosis to break a bad habit.

“So many people that I know quit smoking for a year because of it,” says the native New Yorker. “They say after a year, you should go back in and do it again. My friends who did, they stayed off cigarettes. My friends who didn’t, they got back on. It was amazing to see those types of transformations in people.”

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Place fish in shallow baking dish, drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

3. Bake fish 10 to 12 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork.

4. To make salsa verde, combine remaining oil, parsley, shallots, capers, garlic, lemon juice and anchovy paste (if using) in a small bowl. Add remaining salt and pepper.

5. Place fish on serving dish and spoon salsa verde on top of each fillet.

Serves 4

—Recipe by Joyce Best, Sebring, Fla.

Nutritional facts per serving: 221 calories, 9g fat, 84mg cholesterol, 34g protein, 1g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 412mg sodium

Tank size. Goldfish should not be kept in bowls or jars. They need to be put in an adequate size tank. The general rule is to provide 10 gallons of water for each goldfish. This may seem excessive at first, but goldfish grow. They're fish. They like to swim. They can't swim if they have no room.

Tank placement. Goldfish are cold water fish. They have no need to tan, and they don't need a tank full of algae. Keep the tank out of direct sunlight. Sunlight promotes the growth of algae and heats up the water. Placement near vents, doors and windows can cause harmful fluctuations in temperature. Make sure the tank is placed close enough to outlets in order to plug in lights and filters. Tanks are heavy once they're full, so make sure the tank is placed on a sturdy table or stand.

Tank setup. Rinse the tank with plenty of water. Everything that goes in the tank should be rinsed thoroughly, even if it's new. Wash the gravel thoroughly. Place decorative rocks, ornaments and other decorations in the tank before filling it. Provide hiding places for the fish. Hiding reduces stress. Most goldfish can survive in tap water, but a tap water conditioner might not be a bad idea. If you opt for tap water, let it run for about 30 seconds before you use it for the tank. Fill the tank about halfway, readjust anything that may have been disrupted by the flow of water and continue filling it until it's about an inch from the top.

Acclimate the fish. Although life at the pet store isn't the most glamorous life, getting taken from that home and transported to a new home can be a shock. Goldfish are sensitive to light, so place the clear bag full of water inside a paper bag when you bring it home. Float the clear bag in the aquarium so the water temperature can adjust. Add a little tank water to the bag every few minutes until the bag contains mostly aquarium water. Then, open the bag and welcome the fish to its new home.

Goldfish care. The water in your aquarium needs to be changed regularly. Remove and replace about 25 percent of the water weekly. Let the new water set out about 24 hours so it can get to room temperature. A properly fed goldfish is livelier, healthier and happier. Specially formulated goldfish food can be found at pet stores. Flake food, because it floats, is easier for the fish and for the person responsible for cleaning the tank. Feed the fish only as much as they'll eat in a few minutes and remove excess food, which will pollute their environment. If you clean the filter regularly, the tank should remain clean.

The 1934 movie was “David Harum,” in which Rogers played a small town banker and horse trader. A cowboy, vaudeville star, syndicated columnist, humorist and actor, Rogers made nearly 50 silent films and 21 talkies before he was killed in 1935 at age 55 in a plane crash with famed aviator Wiley Post. Rogers’ hometown of Claremore, Okla., boasts a 19,000-square-foot museum called the Will Rogers Memorial.

Train travel offers eye-level sights, sounds and service

10 Best Long-Distance Train Rides in America

What is National Train Day?

Building Wooden Barrels

Minnesota woman embraces age-old coopering trade

Facts and fiction about Fluffy and Fido

Debunking common myths about pets

Dave Says: Make student loan payoff a priority

10 Quotes from famous TV moms

Mama & Side Effects Sweepstakes

Recipe of the Week

Breakfast Squares

Celebrity Q&A

What’s Tom Wopat doing these days?

Learn about Larry David

Why Lisa Kelly left Celtic Woman

With riveting first-person accounts in the interwoven words of 15 U.S. Marine Corps veterans about the spectrum of their WWII experience—from boot camp, through battles on Guadalcanal, Okinawa and other Pacific islands, and finally to their return home and assimilation to civilian life—this inspiring collection of real hero stories is a roll call of honor, a tapestry of unflinching honesty, and a sobering reminder of the dwindling number of survivors from that era’s conflict who remain to tell their tales.

Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) on finances:
“This is my system for paying bills. See, I throw ‘em all up in the air, and those that land face-up are the winners!”
—“The Quiz Show,” I Love Lucy, Season 1, Episode 5 (1951)

Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore) on assertion:
“I realize you have to do what you think is right. I wouldn’t respect you if you let yourself get pushed around by anyone, including me. “
—“Washington vs. the Bunny,” The Dick Van Dyke Show, Season 1, Episode 4 (1961)

Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) on humility:
“You shouldn’t put down a loser, Cindy, because you might be one yourself someday. Just remember that.”
—“You Can’t Win ‘Em All,” The Brady Bunch, Season 4, Episode 22 (1973)

Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones) on tolerance:
“People aren’t as different as we think. We may have different beliefs, but we’re all pretty much alike.”
—“Danny Converts,” The Partridge Family, Season 4, Episode 17 (1974)

Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) on domestic bliss:
“I ain’t taking no orders. I can be a sunshine lady if I wanna be. And I wanna be. And I am.”
—“Edith Breaks Out,” All in the Family, Season 6, Episode 8 (1975)

Thelma “Mama” Harper (Vicki Lawrence) on disagreements:
“From now on if we have any backstabbing to do were going to do it the way we have always done it face to face.”
—“War of the Roses,” Mama’s Family, Season 6, Episode 12 (1983)

Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) on ambition:
“Theo, we never said become a doctor, become a lawyer, we say go to school, we say study, we say become something.”
—“I’m ‘In’ with the ‘In” Crowd,” The Cosby Show, Season 6, Episode 3 (1989)

Jill Taylor (Patricia Richardson) on bullying:
“It doesn’t matter. It’s what’s inside of you that counts, don’t sell yourself short.” –Slip Sleddin’ Away,” Home Improvement, Season 3, Episode 13 (1994)

 Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) on blessings:
“You know, actually, this could be a good lesson for me. To learn to be content with what is and not hope for what could be.”
—“The Will,” Everybody Loves Raymond, Season 4, Episode 5 (1999)

Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) on in-laws:
“Every time Marie says something mean or insulting, I get mad. Maybe that’s why she keeps doing it. I should just change the way I react to her. God, that’s in every book.”
—“No Thanks,” Everybody Loves Raymond, Season 4, Episode 5 (1999)

Released just in advance of the highly promoted HBO “Behind the Candelabra” mini-series starring Michael Douglas as the flamboyant piano-playing superstar, this double-DVD documentary takes a much more historical approach, edited together from segments of shows taped the late 1960s by the real-life Liberace to live studio audiences in London, England, for airing later on American television. Guest stars George Gobel, Minnie Pearl, Jack Benny and Phyllis Diller join in the music and comedy skits; bonus content includes Liberace’s home movies, a look at his eye-popping wardrobe, and a Liberace-narrated history of the piano.

Three basic rules. Animal Planet lays out three basic rules for making sure the tank is properly maintained and that the fish in it remain healthy. If removing dead or diseased fish is a regular part of your tank maintenance, there's a good chance you're neglecting one of these three basic rules.

• Don't overstock the tank. It's much better to have four live, healthy fish than seven dead ones. When increasing the fish population, do so gradually. When introducing new fish, it's best to provide a quarantine tank so you can observe the fish before it enters the main tank. Buying your fish from reputable sources doesn't guarantee your fish will be free of disease, but it does increase the chances of purchasing a healthy fish and preventing a new fish from polluting the tank.
• Don't feed the fish too much. They don't need a feast. As much food as they can eat in a few minutes is sufficient for most types. Remove excess food once those few minutes are up. Using flake foods makes this task much easier. You'll have more success with a regular feeding schedule. This not only helps the fish, it also helps the fish guardians maintain the tank.
• Do partial water changes regularly. Change out 10 percent to 25 percent of the tank water every seven to 10 days. How much water you change depends on the tank size—the smaller the tank, the higher percentage of water you need to change. Large fish that eat a lot of food and produce a lot of waste need a higher percentage of water replaced also.

Filters. If the three basic rules of tank maintenance are followed, taking care of the filter and other equipment becomes considerably easier. According to the Fish Channel, most filters need to be cleaned every four to eight weeks. Because there are different kinds of filters, it's important to check manufacturer recommendations for proper filter cleaning and changing. It's important to observe the water when determining how often to clean the filter.

Other regular maintenance. In addition to partially changing the water each week, you'll want to clean the aquarium glass every seven to 10 days. If the three basic rules of tank maintenance are followed, glass cleaning can be done every other week. It's also important to regularly check water temperature.