The next 'Spider-Man'

The next 'Spider-Man'
The villains featured in the next "Spider-Man" movie have yet to be unmasked, but writer-director Sam Raimi says they'll be chosen after they pick apart Peter Parker's angst.
Raimi said "Spider-Man 3" will probably be the final film in the blockbuster franchise for the high-flying superhero.
At the moment the identities of the villains remain a mystery even to Raimi himself. "I'm not supposed to tell you, and in fact I can't tell you -- because I'm still figuring that out with my brother," says Raimi, adding that he and his brother Ivan ("Army of Darkness") don't plan on writing "Spider-Man 3" all on their own. "[We're] bringing in the really good writers like Alvin Sargent, ("Spider-Man 2") and maybe Michael Chabon ("Spider-Man 2") if I can get him -- yeah, the best in the business."
New on screen
The Goosebumps series has gotten the jump on the Halloween season with the DVD release of "The Haunted Mask II," "Night of the Living Dummy III," "Welcome to Dead House" and "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp."
For gamers, "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door" is out this week for Game Cube.
Wacky Web site
Sometimes you just have a lot of time to kill. And what better way to pass the hours than getting a man dressed in a chicken suit to do whatever you want him to do?
Go to www.subservientchicken.com. Type in what you want the chicken to do -- sit, dance, fly, do cartwheels -- and he'll do it.
The chicken is at your command. And you can thank Burger King for the amusement.
Quote/Unquote
h"My hair. I would like to have [actress] Debra Messing's." -- Actress Halle Berry ( & quot;Catwoman & quot;), on the body part she'd change if she could, in People.
j"People come up to me and say, `Let me see your hands,' and I don't want them looking at my knuckles. They're wrecked." -- Former boxer George Forman, on what body part he'd like to change, in People.
h"My head for Penelope Cruz's. She's ridiculously beautiful." -- Actress Nia Vardalos ("Connie and Carla"), on the body part she'd change, in People.
A quick read
With the new school year in full swing, getting in extra reading may not be easy. But here is a fast-paced novel that shouldn't rob you of much study time.
"Bird" by Angela Johnson (Dial, $15.99) is a small book; only 132 pages. Yet it's a tender story that warms the heart. It focuses on a 13-year-old girl who runs away from her Cleveland home to Alabama in search of her stepfather, Cecil, the only father she has ever known.
She lives in an Alabama barn, behind a farmhouse where her stepfather is staying. In the meantime, she secretly becomes friends with a boy about her age, Ethan, who lives in the house. He is Cecil's nephew.
Ethan and a woman who takes Bird in help her see that she never lost the love she's seeking. It's back home and in her heart.
Interesting statistic
The percentage of American children (ages 5 to 17) who speak a language other than English in their home has been rising, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
1979, 8.5 percent
1989, 12.6 percent
1992, 14.2 percent
1995, 14.1 percent
1999, 16.7 percent