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The article presents an interview with Marc Forster, director of the movie "The Kite Runner, Khalid Abdalla, the star of the movie, and Khaled Hosseini, the author of the book upon which the movie is based. The interview discusses the the inspiration and making of the movie and the process of adapting the book to the movie screen.

The article highlights the reasons why some children don't fit into behavioral norms as well as others. It is difficult even for behavioral experts to distinguish between children with eccentric personalities and those with more serious problems, like autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The article focuses on gender and transgender people. The article suggests that the rising number of transgender people in the public realm is forcing the re-examination of gender and the definition of male and female. The article focuses on several individuals who have undergone sex reassignment surgery, taken hormone treatments, or are transgender.

The article presents a profile of rapper and music mogul Jay-Z, who runs Def Jam Records. Jay-Z has maintained credibility among his audience and succeeded in the business world by remaining relatively low key and personable. He is reentering rapping with the album "Kingdom Come," despite the fact that he "retired" in 2003.

The article reviews the film "World Trade Center" directed by Oliver Stone and starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña and Maria Bello. INSET: Inspired by the Unthinkable.

Discusses the outlook for profiling as a means of preventing terrorism in the United States. Issue of privacy; Effects of terrorist attacks against the U.S. on security measures; Role of the government in examining possible terrorist suspects; Issue of race discrimination; Outlook for the war on terrorism.

The article reviews the motion picture "The Kite Runner," directed by Marc Forster and starring Zekiria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada.

The article focuses on forthcoming motion pictures for the Fall 2006 season. A chart reviewing various movies is included. Title, release date and a description of each film is included. Among the films discusses are included "All the King's Men," "The Queen," "The Departed," "Little Children," "Man of the Year," "Flags of Our Fathers," and "The Prestige."

The article presents an interview with singer Christina Aguilera. The singer has released "Back to Basics," an album inspired by classic jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, who have also inspired her 1950s Hollywood glamour look. Aguilera has transformed herself from a Mouseketeer to a popular music phenomenon to a sophisticated singer, all on the power of her astonishing voice.

This article profiles the rock band Pearl Jam and discusses their self-titled album. It also discusses Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder's highly politicized lyrics, which contribute to Pearl Jam's success as a live act, and mentions band members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament's involvement in a 1994 Supreme Court anti-trust investigation against Ticketmaster.

Looks at the forthcoming album "Late Registration," by Kayne West. Review of West's work as a producer on records by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys; Influence of West's faith on his music; Comments regarding West's work from co-producer Jon Brion; Influence of Kayne's visit to China as a child on his career; Career history of West.

Focuses on the musical group the Rolling Stones and their release of a new album, "A Bigger Bang." Description of their tour for the new album; How they have been preparing for the tour in Toronto, Canada; Collaboration between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Focuses on the loyalty of Michael Jackson fans even though he is on trial after accusations of child molestation. Web sites and rallies organized by fans in defense of Jackson; Jackson's use of invitations to his Neverland ranch as a way of pampering his most devout fans; Ways in which Jackson has been very generous with fans.

Looks at the Swedish rock band, the Hives. Their ecstatic guitar riffs, matching black and white suits and charisma; The band's new label, Interscope, which is banking on their follow-up album to "Veni Vidi Vicious" named "Tyrannosaurus Hives" to become the rock album of the year; Formation of the band as anti-grunge in 1994; Blend of nervy punk and new-wave quirkiness in their new single "Walk Idiot Walk".

The article discusses the Iraqi musical rock-and-roll band Acrassicauda. Interest in the band has grown since it was featured in the 2007 documentary "Heavy Metal in Baghdad," directed by Spike Jonze. Band members include Marwan Hussein, Faisal Talal Mustafa, Tony Yaqoo, and Firas Abdul Razaq. They are among some 30,000 refugees who have fled Iraq for the U.S. since 2003.

In this article the author discusses the music release "American Idiot," by the band Green Day, which she considers to have been influenced by the administration of U.S. president George W. Bush. Aspects of the recording are compared to signal events during the Bush years including the economic misfortunes of the U.S. middle class and administration untruths about the reasons for the Iraq War.

The article reports on "Walking With Dinosaurs--The Live Experience," a live show featuring moving dinosaurs inspired by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) show. Unlike most live shows for children, this one is based on an adult show, and is hosted by a stage paleontologist who explains the dinosaurs' millions of years reign. "Walking With Dinosaurs" will have to compete with other live children's entertainment such as "Dora the Explorer" and "The Wiggles."

This article profiles author Ayaan Hirsi Ali and reviews her memoir "Infidel," the story of her growing up in a strict Muslim household in Somalia. A discussion is presented about her criticism of Islam and her renunciation of the Muslim faith following the 9/11 attacks. The author presents her opinion of Hirsi Ali's memoir and criticises her position.

The article focuses on singer John Legend. Legend's forthcoming second album, entitled "Once Again," is discussed. The success of Legend's debut album "Get Lifted" is discussed. Comments from Legend regarding his work are included. Details related to legend's early life and career development in music are reviewed. Also included is a chart reviewing forthcoming albums from Beyonce, Audioslave, Bob Seger, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, Janet Jackson, Tom Waits and The Killers.

Reports on the band Franz Ferdinand from Scotland. Discussion of their upcoming album "You Could Have It So Much Better"; Comments from band member Alex Kapranos on the sound of their first album; Comparison of Franz Ferdinand's music to that of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin; Explanation of the name of the band.

Presents an interview with singer Bjork regarding her instrument-free album "Medulla." Report that the album is done a cappella; Discussion of the song "Oceania," sung by Bjork at the opening of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Looks at women and infidelity. Past United States laws that used to punish women who cheated; Fact that today women have more opportunity to cheat; Use of technology to facilitate their affairs including the Internet and cellular phones; Paradoxes in American culture surrounding sex; Unfaithful wives in popular culture; Fact that most women find boyfriends at the workplace; Unmet expectations about love, marriage and sex; Why online romances have a special appeal for married women.

Offers a look at the music release and tour of "Musicology," by the performer known as Prince.

Profiles singer Avril Lavigne. Lavigne as the tomboy hero of numerous teenagers; Her free promotional mall tour before her new album's May 25th release; Why she is considered the anti-Britney Spears; Ways in which she has matured; How Lavigne is like her fans, even though she older than most of them.

Ten-year-old Hallie Wilson used to be popular musician Britney Spears' fan, but that was eons ago, when she was a kid of eight. Now, instead of dancing around her house in Brooklyn, New York, to Spears' syncopated beats, the fifth grader listens to popular punkster Avril Lavigne and makes fun of Spears. While discerning music fans are celebrating the downfall of over-choreographed pop, the failure of these former consumers has spelled disaster for the record industry. With a sluggish economy and music piracy still rampant, compact disc sales slipped for the second consecutive year, from 763 million in 2001 to 681 million in 2002, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Industry analyst Lee Black of Jupiter Research estimates that Kazaa.com, an online piracy site, is one of music's busiest crossroads.

Profiles Sacha Baron Cohen who is also known as a British hip-hop journalist named Ali G. Public figures and politicians Ali G. has interviewed including Newt Gingrich and Ralph Nader; Debut of 'Da Ali G Show' on the HBO cable television channel; Examples of crazy questions he asks people; Cohen's background; Reasons why Cohen is having difficulty finding people to interview in Great Britain.

Discusses the release of a music recording in Italy that celebrates the romance and violence of the mafia. The malavita CD 'La Musica della Mafia'; Local mafia culture in Calabria; History of the songs, many of which were passed on through generations; Why the CD is not for sale in Italy; Comments of a mafia don; Author's reaction to the music.

Discusses the rave dance scene. Travel packages aimed at ravers; Popular rave spots, including Ibiza; Drug use and sexual activity associated with the scene; Travel agencies which are offering the packages, including BringItOn!; Discussion of international drug laws and penalties; Music at raves.

Focuses on the cable music station MTV. How 2001 is the station's twentieth anniversary year; Plans for promotional specials; Comments of past and present MTV personalities, including Tabitha Soren, Carson Daly and Kurt Loder, regarding the station's programming; Side ventures, including MTV2 and MTV2.com, perceived to offer edgier programming than MTV.

Presents a guide to Oscar nominations and Grammy nominations. Categories of Oscar nominees, including best motion picture and best actress; Categories of Grammy nominees, including record of the year and best rap album; Nominees.

Focuses on Latin pop singer Ricky Martin and his second English-language album, 'Sound Loaded.' Popularity of the Puerto Rican native in the United States; Review of songs on the album; Comments of Martin about how he has changed his image and his musical sound.

Focuses on the increased popularity of adolescent popular musical groups. Debut of musical group Hanson, and the surge of similar groups that followed; Opinions regarding Hanson's album 'This Time Around;' Comparison of Britney Spears' managers to those of Hanson.

An interview with musicians Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson is presented. When the interviewer notes the iconic status of the two musicians, they respond with humor and comment on the attention they have received. Nelson says he is offended if people do not recognize him in public, and Marsalis tells of his experience with being less widely known. The musicians also describe their experience of making music together.

The article reports on the common practice of performing Internet searches of prospective employees and notes that services can be hired that will remove damaging information from the web. In addition, the same services can be used to burnish the reputation of businesses and individuals, according to the article.

This article discusses artificial insemination by single mothers as detailed in the book by Louise Sloan called "Knock Yourself Up: A Tell-All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom." Fairfax Cryobank, one of the biggest sperm banks in the United States, says its single-female clientèle jumped 20% in the last decade and now accounts for 60 percent of its customer base.

The article reports on the 2007 revival of the Stax record label. The history of the soul music recording company, which enjoyed its heyday in the 1960s and its subsequent collapse, is recounted. Musician Isaac Hayes, who recorded with the original company and is slated to have a 2007 release on the Stax label, is quoted.

The article focuses on the "Nancy Drew" series which has not had a theatrical release since 1939. It states that the character was in a short-lived television series in the 1970s and a couple of made-for-television movies. The article speculates that Hollywood was reluctant to create a strong female lead which could explain the lack of movies. It mentions the upcoming "Nancy Drew" movie which is described in the article as a classic family film.

The author presents a review of the motion picture "Idlewild," directed by Brian Barber and starring André Benjamin and Big Boi.

The article reviews producer Pharrell's new album "In My Mind," featuring Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg.

This article reviews the music release "Broken Boy Soldiers," by the band "The Raconteurs."

This article reports on music protesting against U.S. President George W. Bush and the Iraq War. Pop musician Pink has a song which takes aim at Bush on her album "I'm Not Dead." Songs on upcoming CDs by Merle Haggard, Dashboard Confessional and Paul Simon also protest against the Iraq War and Bush.

This article reviews a newly released music CD by the Flaming Lips entitled "At War With the Mystics, " featuring lead singer Wayne Coyne.

This article discusses the changing world of Muslim women. While the West focuses on the extreme cases of oppression of Muslim women, such as Taliban-dominated Afghanistan, Wahhabi-ruled Saudi Arabia, and postrevolutionary Iran, there is another world where Muslim women are educated and involved in professions and jobs usually held by men. Many Muslim women, like the late Muslim feminist Doria Shafik, don't like the way they are portrayed by both the Islamist fundamentalists and the West.

Looks at how the children of Muslim immigrants to the United States are changing Islam in America by combining their faith with the American tradition of diversity. Review of how children of immigrants are the fastest growing group among the nation's estimated seven million Muslims; Comments on the modern Muslim identity in America from Haider Javed, a youth coordinator; Challenges facing the American Islamic community.

Reviews the music album "Nothing Is More," by the group Go Betty Go. Style of the Los Angeles pop-punk quartet; Sample lyric.

Reviews the music release "Fijación Oral 1," by Shakira.

Reviews the music release "Mighty Rearranger," by Robert Plant.

Interviews Hayder Daffar, director of an Iraqi-made documentary, "The Dreams of Sparrows". The difficulties of making the film, which is being shown at U.S. film festivals, in post-Saddam Iraq; The reason for his lack of film experience in film school; Dedication of the film to Saad Fakher who was killed in cross-fire, a scene included in the film; The variety of people in the film; How American audiences have reacted to the film.

Reviews the music albums "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize," by System of a Down, featuring songwriter Daron Malakian.