MUSEUMS

'Animal Grossology'

At the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park through New Year's Day. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Tickets/information: rhfleet.org or (619) 238-1233

BY ROSIE D'AMATO

Review: Did you know that a potato beetle larva covers itself in excrement poop to make it look less appealing to predators? Did you know that frogs give birth by belching out their babies? These are just a couple of cool facts you learn at the "Animal Grossology" exhibition at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. Based on the best-selling book by Sylvia Branzei, the 5,000-square-foot exhibit incorporates scientific facts about the "yucky" side of the animal world into interactive and fun entertainment while teaching at the same time.

Sixteen colorful, three-dimensional exhibits include informational displays such as “Stupor Fly,” which provides visitors with a lot of information about a fly's life, such as favorite foods, hygiene, etc.; and “Transfusion Confusion,” where you can discover which animals have what color blood. There are interactive video games such as “Dung Ball Rally,” where visitors can compete against each other to push a giant dung ball into a nest; and you can squeeze a ball down a squishy tube resembling a cat's digestive system in “Hack a Hairball.” Kids will love the “Underwater Adventure,” a combination submarine/slide where you learn “gross” facts about underwater creatures; and the “Chew Chew Express,” a life-size cow with an animated head and tail and a mechanical model of the cow's digestive tract.

One of my favorite exhibits was the game-show simulation, “Let's Play Animal Grossology,” where visitors can compete against each other answering questions regarding all the just-learned gross and disgusting facts. A literal “hands-on” experience was the real-life bug display, where you could hold creepy crawly insects such as millipedes and giant cockroaches.

My only quibble was the setup of the exhibits. There were two entrance areas, and it should have been made clearer which were the starting and end points. Overall, I recommend the exhibit to all ages because of its entertainment as well as educational value.

My rating: A-

DVDS

'Leatherheads'

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

BY SONIA ASITIMBAY

Review: Since it's football season, I was excited about seeing the new DVD release of ŠLeatherheads.‰ This is a movie about how football got started in the United States, when it was played only at colleges and there was no such thing as a professional team. Even though this movie stars George Clooney as a football hero and ReneĐe Zellweger as a tough reporter, I'm sorry to say I was very disappointed.

The “Leatherheads” title comes from the old helmets, which were made of leather instead of today's hard plastic. The strange-looking helmets the players wore, along with no knee and shoulder pads, made the movie seem more historical than anything. When the football players slipped in the mud and tackled each other, as the game was played without any rules for about 20 minutes, it looked horrible, because they were just showing a couple plays and the rest were clips, so it wasn't a type of game that you would get excited over at all.

Most of the movie was in black-and-white, which took you back to the 1920s. Because it was in the 1920s, the movie was filled with swing music in the background at times, and most of the people used motorized bikes because having a car was not very common.

I guess the comedy part is supposed to be when two football players – Clooney as “Dodge” Connelly and John Krasinski as the football star Carter Rutherford – were always challenging each other with a fistfight or knocking each other down over the girl, Zellweger. She plays Lexie Littleton, a fast-talking reporter who has a comment for everything George Clooney says.

In general, this movie isn't for kids, because it wasn't very funny, and I don't think they would enjoy the historic part of it. Even though it's supposed to be all about football, there isn't as much football as romance. If you want to rent a movie tonight, this shouldn't be one of your choices.

My rating: D+

LOOKING AHEAD

A perfect way to learn about classical music is through Prokofiev's “Peter and the Wolf,” which the composer created in 1936 for his own children. It will be performed at 3 p.m. Oct. 19, by the Pacific Coast Concert Band at Mission San Luis Rey, 4050 Mission Ave., Oceanside. The concert, part of the seventh annual Oceanside Music Festival, will raise money for youth performing arts scholarships. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children, $12 for students, seniors and military, or $25 for a family. To order, call (760) 422-3632 or e-mail melanie@cox.net.

– JANE CLIFFORD, RATED 'G' EDITOR