A quiet back road out past the horse farm; conditions are dry. I stop, then drop the clutch at high r.p.m. The 3,500-lb. Legend Lime Mustang GT sits back hard on its haunches, showing me some "wheel hop" as the tires grip and release, leaving the asphalt for tiny fractions of a second before taking hold.

Relax, this is business. Mostly.

Convertibles beg to be tested for structural rigidity. Without a hard top, they tend to flex. This one, a 300-h.p. V8, shudders - but only a little, not exactly a Labrador retriever straight from a lake. I give it a passing grade.

Something about a Mustang can convert even a car reviewer who's partial to the Prius model of fuel efficiency and the performance characteristics of tight new 2-liter European sport compacts like the Audi A3.

That "something" is power. If you like to drive - don't apologize - then you probably like feeling pressed back in the seat from time to time. But how much is enough to deliver a little exhilaration without getting an average adult driver into trouble?

A power-to-weight ratio comes into play: This Mustang, for example, applies roughly one horsepower to every 11 lbs. That's a spirited pony. Those V-8 pickup trucks and SUVs you see on the highway need considerable horsepower - and wheel-driving torque - to get under way and keep going.

Your family car needs less of each - though families that haul hockey teams or horse trailers are obviously well served by a little more muscle. A rising issue for car-shoppers: When automakers launch new models or redesign old ones to deliver that desired interior space, they sometimes work from existing platforms, and they sometimes use existing power plants.

Subaru's quirky B9 Tribeca, for example, is at its core an Outback - albeit one with the most powerful Outback engine available. Yet Tribeca weighs about 600 lbs. more than the wagon; we found the result just adequate.

The new, bigger Volkswagen Passat's 2-liter four-cylinder seems to offer power aplenty for the bigger 2006. But the Toyota RAV4 - considered the first "cute ute" when it was introduced in 1997 - was upsized considerably for 2006, and frankly feels a little sluggish in a highway merge, at least in its 4-cylinder form. (The V6 is reportedly much more sprightly, and might be Toyota's snappiest whip.)

You won't find power-to-weight printed on a sticker at the dealership, and there are mitigating factors that involve weight distribution and other acts of engineering. But as a general rule of thumb, a vehicle that weighs in at 3,500 lbs. or so and offers an engine in the 200-h.p. neighborhood should deliver what you need, often with decent gas mileage.

Some kinds of performance don't require much fuel-burn at all. If you're committed to the gas-electric hybrid model, remember that a car like the 2,800-lb. Prius makes more than half of its 110-or-so horsepower with its assisting electric motor - and that makes it a torque-happy drive, very quick off the line. And BMW's recent advances with "super capacitors," versus batteries, mean that some vehicles with voltage will also soon be shaving weight. Worth watching.

Disclosure: This might discredit me as your car guy, given all the jokes about the marquee, but in the warm months I play around with my 1979 Fiat Spider - a little more than 80 h.p. and around 2,300 lbs., minus whatever has rusted off - and still wring out a lot of fun. My 18-year-old is one of those after-market modifiers; his 1989 Mazda RX-7 sits on big Racing Hart rims (his rear wheels are 10 inches wide) and his N1 exhaust lets me know late at night when he's home.

Want to share what works for you and yours in the automotive realm - a make to which you're committed, a pimped-out ride of which you're proud, a thirst for alternative fuels? Give us a shout. Over the engine noise, we'll be listening.

By Clayton Collins

Every year when I go to ShoWest in Las Vegas, the waves of astonishingly cheerful, outgoing, hand-pumping theater owners swarming through Bally's and Paris (the host hotels) remind me that these people think of themselves as being in showbiz. It's easy to forget that all those theaters, even the big multiplexes, are still run by folks just regular folk. Every year they get together to give each other big awards for putting on the best lobby display or the best local marketing campaign for a film. So remember that next time you have a complaint about some problem with their theater (like noisy cellphones) you'll be surprised how closely they listen.

The movie studios, both big and small, are keenly aware that these guys are the gatekeepers to the moviegoing public. The studios come to Vegas ready to court and flatter some 6,000 movie theater owners from all over the US and abroad. They hand out cool hats and goody bags and most important for the small studios, they preview the films they think either have a good chance of being hits such as last year's "Crash" or small films they don't want the theaters to overlook. This year, among a number of films, the standout preview was the next film from legendary filmmaker Robert Altman called "Prairie Home Companion." Buzz swirled around this valentine to the Garrison Keillor radio program, so keep an eye on it. Next year, Altman may finally win the Oscar he was awarded on an honorary basis this year.

By Gloria Goodale

Thanks to your mountain of suggestions, our reporter was armed for her trip to Las Vegas this week to find out how the country's theater owners plan to improve your movie-going experience. In addition to running a future story outlining their solutions, we hope to post periodic updates from some owners who agree to implement these changes. So stay tuned.
     In the meantime, our story about FX's Black.White., a reality show about two families who swap skin colors, struck a chord with the viewers. Here's some of what you had to say about it.

I wanted to comment on what the African-American dad said he discovered when he was in white face - that "whites want to keep their neighborhoods pure." So often, because whites are the majority in America, the thought is that most ethnic groups envy them for their white entitlement, and that most people, if they had the choice, would want to be Caucasian. I really believe this is a misconception where blacks are concerned.
   Also, like the whites who discussed keeping their neighborhood pure, many blacks feel this way about whites. When a neighborhood of color is gentrified, the whites come into the neighborhood with this sense of "it's my way or the highway" and begin to form their coalitions to protect their interests. For example in Washington, D.C., when whites began to move back into the city in large numbers six years ago, the demand for more police protection resonated from our new neighbors. Yet blacks who'd lived here for many years recounted not being able to get the type of response from police as our white counterparts.
   A common gripe among inner city residents in the African-American community is that whites think they know it all, and don't respect our culture. They see us as sociopaths and deviants, when the truth of the matter is that many of us are hardworking Americans with the same concerns as our white counterparts: education, terrorism, healthcare, affordable housing, and police brutality are common topics in "black world."
- Dean Kimberly, Washington, D.C.

I think this show is the best thing to hit TV EVER! It is a pure work of art, and everyone involved should win a Emmy for their part in it... It gives me hope that one day, we as a society will get past this issue and look at ALL things a bit deeper. That regardless of race, color, or religion, we are all the same inside. It helped me look at things inside myself and grow. And yes, it hurts to grow.
- Teena Henault

It would be a better idea to put the different families in the SAME scenario. For instance, in the first show, one man went to a shoe store and found he was treated differently as a "white" man. Instead they should have let the "black" man go back in later and see how he was then treated.  Same with the car dealership.
- Jolene Chee, Los Angeles

As relevant as I feel this show is to society today, I can't help but see how scripted it is....   When you put a camera crew 10 feet away, people do not act real. As relevant and potentially productive as this show could be, the fact that anyone can see that it is completely scripted ruins the whole effect.
- Phil Swigart

Stephen Humphries and David S. Hauck

Last week we posed this question to our readers: How would you fix the theater-going experience? Boy, did we get an earful.

The background: For three years in a row, movie attendance has dropped, last year by nearly 9 percent. While some of this can be attributed to poor films (we'll save that topic for another day) and the rabbit-like proliferation of Netflix, going to the cinema these days feels like a sequel to "Scary Movie": Ticket and concession prices are sky high, talking during the movies has hit new decibel levels, and finding a seat on opening night is like negotiating a rugby scrum. Even the Monitor's movie critic agrees.

Next week, our entertainment writer, Gloria Goodale, will be attending ShoWest, the annual meeting of US theater owners. We thought it would be enlightening to bring them your comments/questions/suggestions to see how they might improve things. (Hire bouncers to eject the chatterboxes?) Here is some of what you had to say. We'll let you know the owners' responses in a future Monitor story.

The best thing that theater-owners can do is to take back control of their theaters. As it is, managers make little or no effort anymore to control the behavior of the audiences - which means that the movie-going experience deteriorates more every year. Cellphone use during the movie, yelling, talking, screaming infants, and out-of-control teens (and sometimes all of these at once in the same theater!) should not be tolerated. I used to go to the movies one to three times per week. In the past two years that has dwindled to once every couple of months. I can enjoy films far more if I just wait a couple of months until the DVD release and watch them on my big screen in peace.
– Susan Umpleby, Ontario, Calif.

How about these:

1. During the previews, enable voting. Show all possible previews and let viewers choose what looks interesting. Voting could take place by cellphone or special phones inside the theater.
2. Sell an appetizing dinner. Ask fast-food vendors to establish satellite stores in your foyer. Set up tables and chairs, or counters and chairs, and allow folks to enter 20 minutes before the show starts so they can finish eating during the previews and then settle back to enjoy the movie.
3. Alternatively, for those theaters in malls or near good restaurants, simply charge folks a low import tax to bring food in.
4. Provide mandatory courtesy training for all employees.
5. Make theaters available for private screenings of any movie during slack times. Allow smaller or local filmmakers the opportunity to screen their latest work during a slack time. Help them promote the showing.
6. Host a film-lovers club. Give them a theater to meet in monthly.

– Nathan Smith, Komono, Japan

Some ideas from the top of my head:

1. Family Night: Parent(s) pay full and kids pay $1.00 up to a set number.
2. Couples night: Buy one full-price ticket, second is 1/2 price.
3. Grandparent/seniors special: Bring two or more paying kids and grandparents get in free.
4. Group night: Groups of seven or more pay 1/2-price.

– Jim Dilling, Pennsylvania

I have to bring ear plugs to get through the previews and trailers before the feature. I have had people tell me they don't attend movies any more because of the volume.
– Elizabeth Tang, Anaheim, Calif.

More self-service ticket machines, open when the regular box office isn't. Give a discount for using them instead of the live vendor, or for buying well in advance. Make the tickets available more in advance, for that matter.
– Manny Olds, Silver Springs, Md.

1. Remove commercials from the beginning of the movies. I'm already paying a high price to get into the movie and completely insane prices for the snacks and pop. For what reason do they need to put in commercials?
2. Cellphone jammers.
3. Assigned seating.

– Derek, Canada

As digital movie distribution continues to make progress, the ability to manage the number of screens in a theater complex becomes easier. Local management of complexes should be allowed to adjust the number of screens and times showing well-attended films vs. declining films or special-interest films.
– Arthur Knadler, Santa Ana, Calif.

Bring back the old "double billing. Just think of showing the original Boris Karloff Frankenstein before a modern version. (Slight intermission between, of course.) Plus this could generate additional income for the studios and the theater if the old movie was sold on DVD in the lobby after the show.
– Stan Wood, Norfolk, Va.

The projection quality control is very poor. Put more money into projection quality, both image and sound.
- Scott McGraw, Centerville, Mass.

Theaters should go upscale to justify the soaring price of tickets. They should consider offering more options at the concession stands - items like cappuccino, pizza, brats, burgers, gourmet popcorn (like caramel and cinnamon), ice cream, etc. They should go back to having ushers who patrol the aisles and boot out raucous children or patrons immediately.
- Cindy Sheltmire

Sell something besides grease and sugar at the concession stand. Plain club soda, oil-free popcorn, candy without hardened oils would be a good start. Teach customer-service skills to the staff. How about a simple "thank you" at the sales counter? Routine maintenance. Fix the seats that are broken. Wash the restrooms occasionally. Stock paper towels.
- Kevin O'Brien, New Castle, Colo.

Why must quality movies run on one screen and for such a brief amount of time? The adult, college-educated professional with a spouse and two kids that would like see these films cannot just drop everything and head off to the cinema. I understand that these movies don't draw the revenue of yet another "American Pie," but the industry is growing an entire generation of mothers and fathers who, in turn, will teach their children that the movies are not a place to spend their time or money. Give theaters incentives to block out one or two screens on a slow night, like a Tuesday, and run "grown-up" films that are still showing in the cities.
- Chris Pons, Kingston, Penn.

Start the movie on time. If it's 7:30 let it be 7:30 and not the time that you start running 10 minutes of commercials before the feature starts. Become a place again where a men, women, kids and family will want to go and stay the day instead of feeling like a herd of cattle being fed on one movie and then herd them out after it is over.
- Jomo Uhuru-Adafo, Nashville, Tenn.

When I was younger my family frequented two theaters. One had matinee prices on Monday nights, one had matinee prices on Tuesday nights. We definitely utilized them, and I still would if that were an option, because I just can't afford as many movies as I would like right now. 
– Chelsea Kearns, Seattle, Wash.

Instead of competing with NetFlix, TV, the Internet, and video games, which tend to be solitary or family experiences, theaters should target schools, community groups, and local companies that want to see special screenings. Attendees should be able to book screen times and seating by Internet or cellphones. Make theaters more of a social place celebrating holidays, rites of passage and big events.
- Sheridan Tatsuno, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Theaters could increase attendance by adding childcare facilities at the larger complexes.
– Mirth White, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

Perhaps movies should offer the salon atmosphere where you could sit relax and talk about the film you saw or will see. Have a lingering atmosphere. A gathering place for coffee and dessert after the show. More of an exchange atmosphere.
– Barbara, Port Washington, N.Y.

Stephen Humphries and David S. Hauck

A month ago, in the run-up to Super Bowl Sunday, the Monitor's Weekend section ran a story entitled “Culture’s magnetic forces,” ranking those common subjects where, in an increasing fractured entertainment landscape, we still speak the same language.  Here’s our Top 10 list:

1. Breaking news
2. Super Bowl
3. New Year's / July 4
4. Oprah Winfrey
5. Harry Potter
6. American Idol
7. The Oscars
8. Cyberspace hangouts
9. The Da Vinci Code
10. U2

Needless to say, we received a deluge of reader mail. A few people thought we got the list about right. More felt we were off our rockers. Some even accused us of being 9th-graders. (Our sincere apologies to 9th graders everywhere.) And if you haven’t read the original piece, please do so, and let us know what you think. (Our inner 9th-grader promises not to be offended.)

How could you possibly list the “Da Vinci Code” or Harry Potter over the Bible? More Americans have read the Bible by far, many have read it multiple times, and quite a few read it daily – and they talk about it regularly! Belief is the single most unifying force in our culture, and the one that has the most impact.
– Karen, Sarasota, Fla.

Indeed, the Bible is the most-read book in the world. But the purpose of our story was to look at pop culture only.

If those are our cultural bindings, we have virtually no culture. Americans, at least, if your list is accurate, probably were descended from apes, and now seem to be regressing rapidly to that original state. Your list, if true, is one proof of this regression.
– Wayne Sheridan (address not given)

America, land of Wal-Mart and strip malls, is often accused of having no culture. But the US, indeed, has a rich cultural history: in music (it’s the land of jazz, country, blues, hip-hop), art (painters such as John Singer Sargent, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney), and literature (writers Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Edgar Allen Poe, to name a few). The French Impressionists were once seen as vulgar; now they are seen as Masters. It’s possible that, years from now, some of today’s standout American filmmakers (Quentin Tarantino? Steven Spielberg? David Lynch?) or musicians (Kanye West?) will be seen as part of a great era of cinema and music – and American culture. Perhaps we’re just too close to it right now.

Maybe it’s the cultural bias of New Yorkers on this end, but almost everything you list as pop glue is something that anyone I know would avoid like the plague. I can think of very people who observe the Super Bowl ritual (or care much about football, for that matter). Most share an equal revulsion for the middling views and platitudes of Oprah and her guests. Ditto snooze-inducers “American Idol,” “The Da Vinci Code,” or – IRK! –the dreaded Bono and his U2. And don’t get me wrong, we’re not a bunch of clucking intellectuals – I do know a couple of folks who are into those Harry Potter masterpieces. But in general your list is for the suburban masses we’ve moved away from in the first place.
– Louis Lafreniere, New York

Our list is, to some extent, nonscientific and subjective, but we tried to identify 10 popular-culture phenonema that are common denominators for broad swath s of the population. So, yes, Middle America holds a lot of sway here. (That said, we decided against including NASCAR – it's extraordinarily popular but doesn’t hold much appeal to Americans on either coast.) To make the list, each phenomenon had to be very familiar to everyone.

I thought you covered it pretty well.
Congrats!
– R. Pinkus, Yardley, Pa.

I nominate Warner Brothers cartoons (Bugs Bunny et al.). They’ve united us now for over 70 years, which is more than can be said for most of the items on the list. Who’ll care about “The Da Vinci Code” or “American Idol” in 10 years? I’m pretty sure I don’t already.
– Bob Watson, Elmhurst, Ill.

I thought the first three were dead on, but I would have put “American Idol” after the 4th of July and then Harry Potter. The other five I can’t identify with. I think Instant Messenger or any of the messengers could have been included and also China. I think China already has a huge impact on America culturally and will have even more in the future. iPod, too.
– Dale W. Stemen Jr., Detroit

We debated including Netflix and the iPod (and the same idea applies to IM-ing): We felt that while many people have iPods or subscribe to Netflix (or instant message with friends), those are things that actually separate us – everyone is listening to something different on their iPods or staying home to watch movies.

I’m shocked at the triviality of this list. I refuse to believe that these things “unite” us; certainly they matter to a large audience, but these choices cater to the lowest common denominator. I don’t know a single person who watches “Idol,” for example. This is a 9th-grader’s list.
– Sandra Scofield, Missoula, Mont.

“Unite” may be the wrong word. It’s more like: If you were standing around the water cooler, and someone mentioned Kelly Clarkson (“American Idol” winner from Season 1) or something he saw on “Oprah,” would you wonder who or what they were yammering on about?

Wow, I am really out of it! The only ones I found mildly interesting were the Super Bowl, 4th of July/New Year’s, and U2. And I haven’t been interested in any of them for years either. Maybe I should just crawl back into my cave for another 20 years.
– Ana Byrne, Mesa, Ariz.

Ask not what you left off – ask Monitor readers how many of the Top 10 cultural magnets represent their interests! I certainly enjoyed this article for its cultural/social implications, but I suspect like many Monitor readers, I could only identify with a few of the common denominators. For me it was 1, 3, and 9. 
– Linda Bell, Livermore, Colo.

While I agree these things bond Americans together, it saddens me that these things are completely superficial topics. Breaking news only grabs our attention because the news media make things like car chases through L.A. seem important while other stories that are acutely of some value (government corruption, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and others) get little in depth coverage. I am not saying I don’t love to read “Harry Potter” – and I’m a “Beauty and The Geek” kind of gal myself – but I also care for the more important things. It blows me away in my Santa Barbara City College classes when people don’t know what the IRS stands for or didn’t know that Turkmenistan is actually a country. Sorry for the rant, but I just wish youths like me would actually take the time to learn something and not just gobble up what the mindless box spits at them.
– Elizabeth Cota, Santa Barbara, Calif.

You have left out the Olympics. For that matter since I only follow numbers 1,3, 7, and 8.... no wonder I don’t follow American society as a whole. I can’t believe that we have stooped to classifying ourselves by pop culture interests.
– Curtis Doman, Johnson City, Tenn.

The Olympics almost made our list but we felt that interest in it had waned somewhat. Our decision proved prescient when “American Idol” trounced the Winter Olympics in the TV ratings. Even a repeat episode of “C.S.I.” drew more viewers than that night’s broadcast from Turin.

Where on your list are “The Boys of Summer”? Baseball is still the most played, most watched, most enjoyed pastime/sport in North America.
-Robert Lewis, Barrie, Ontario

Certainly millions of people go to baseball games each year. The same could be said of basketball or NASCAR. The fact is, baseball, like other major sports, has become more of a niche form of entertainment. Its influence has diminished over the past decade or so, surpassed by football as the national pastime.

Stephen Humphries and David S. Hauck