March 17, 2006

''I'M no gangster, I'm a gagster,'' crows Giacomo (Jackie Dee) DiNorscio, the goombah antihero of Sidney Lumet's gripping courtroom drama ''Find Me Guilty.'' Wearing a reddish-brown wig, his gut protruding over his belt loops, a goofy leer spreading across his mug, Vin Diesel's Jackie could be the cutup baby brother of Tony Soprano. The role of a wisecracking wise guy embellishes Mr. Diesel's menacing force field with stand-up comedy and macho sentimentality. At last he plays a real character instead of a swaggering cartoon of testosterone on the rampage.

Inflation slowed sharply last month, the Labor Department reported yesterday, providing comfort to many investors that the Federal Reserve might be moving closer to ending its campaign of raising interest rates. In another report also suggesting that interest rates might not need to go much higher, the Commerce Department said construction of new homes slowed sharply in February from the frenetic pace set in January. The number of homes under construction continued to rise, though, reaching a 32-year high.

I WANTED to kiss Lori Austin, the waitress behind the counter of August 25, a diner near Wales Center, N.Y. I had been pretending to look at the wall art -- a sunset landscape painted on a circular saw -- but was actually straining to listen in on the conversation three elderly women were having at a nearby table. I was not having any success. The more I listened, the more quietly they talked. ''Thee-at painting?'' Ms. Austin suddenly said. ''A man from around here made it. Can I get you some more coffee? How 'bout this cold snee-ap?''

Mexico defeats US, 2-1, in World Baseball Classic; photos (M)

Boston College defeats Pacific University, 88-76, in double overtime of men's NCAA tournament first round; photo (M)