Imagine winding your way through an uproarious crowd of 90,000 people. Legions stand and a lucky few perch in eager anticipation.

When "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" opened to good reviews, I overheard a woman saying she would never see a movie with that title. "How could a movie about a virgin be good?" she lamented.

As America reels from the tragedies brought about by Hurricane Katrina, a new crisis developed: The death of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has opened a second vacancy on the Supreme Court.