Nashville

Nashville (1975), Robert Altman's kaleidoscopic vision of American politics and pop music, is his masterpiece and one of the few films that actually involves its audience in the electoral and creative processes. This 24- character ensemble piece, itself an inspired bit of democracy in action, vaulted to screen stardom Lily Tomlin and her humanism, Keith Carradine and his forearms as well as Jeff Goldblum and his motorcycle. It's a movie that both shocks and reassures, most vividly at its violent ending when the ditsily watchable Barbara Harris invites the city of Nashville to sing "It Don't Worry Me" - an ironic anthem marking the twilight of the Nixon era. "Nashville" at Temple Cinematheque, the Screening Room, 1619 Walnut St., at 7 and 9:45 tonight and tomorrow.

"The smartest thing I ever did was move to Nashville; the next smartest thing was moving away from Nashville. " So said country singer Lynn Anderson, who began an engagement at Harrah's on Tuesday that continues through Sunday. She moved to Taos, N.M., several years ago and put her distinguished career on hold for a couple of years. "I'd been there a long time," she said of Nashville. "And with new people arriving all the time, after a while they start taking you for granted.

ABC'S GOING a little bit country this fall. On Wednesdays at 10, Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights") will star in the drama "Nashville" as a country-music star whose career is beginning to flag and whose record label thinks the answer might be having her join forces with a younger singer (Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes"), who turns out to be a bit of a schemer. Callie Khouri ("Thelma & Louise") wrote the pilot, which was directed by documentarian R.J. Cutler ("The War Room"). In November, actual country- music star (and sitcom veteran)

The Flyers have struck out with another marquee free agent - and this one hurt more than the others. Nashville announced Tuesday afternoon that it had matched the Flyers' 14-year, $110 million offer sheet to star defenseman Shea Weber, a restricted free agent. Small-market Nashville had toppled the big-market Flyers, leaving them empty-handed in their search to replace the injured Chris Pronger. Earlier in the day, two sources said the Predators had not been involved in trade talks with the Flyers since the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Weber signed the offer sheet last Wednesday.

OTTAWA - All-star defenseman Ryan Suter, a potential unrestricted free agent on July 1 who has drawn trade inquiries from the Flyers, said that if everything were equal, he would like to remain with Nashville. Suter, who has a $3.5 million cap hit this season, hinted that he would not sign during the season - opening the possibility of a trade before the Feb. 27 deadline - but added that he did not want to be traded. "Nashville is a great place to live and raise a family," he said Friday during an all-star media day interview.

The Rev. Will Campbell, 88, a minister who drew acclaim for his involvement in the civil rights movement, died Monday in Nashville from complications after a stroke he had about two years ago. Mr. Campbell was the Nashville representative of a pro-integration operation called the National Council of Churches. Because he was white, he was allowed entry into rooms unapproachable by some of those at the forefront of the movement. "We knew there was somebody who cared and was concerned about what happened to us," Bernard Lafayette, a civil rights leader in Nashville and close friend of Mr. Campbell's, told the Tennessean newspaper.

For the Flyers, the waiting game continues. From the time restricted free agent Shea Weber signed his 14-year, $110 million contract offer with the Flyers, Nashville had seven days to decide whether to keep him. On Friday, the Predators were still mulling over their decision. They can take until Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. For Nashville, the biggest question is whether it can afford the up-front money - $27 million in the first calendar year and $68 million over the first five years.

An NHL source with knowledge of the situation said on Sunday night that Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren and his Nashville counterpart, David Poile, have talked "just once" since restricted free-agent Shea Weber signed a 14-year, $110 million contract with Philadelphia on Wednesday. That fuels speculation that Nashville is thinking about sending Weber, arguably the league best all-around defenseman, to the Flyers in a trade. If Nashville was going to match the offer, there would be no need for Poile to confer with Holmgren.

Brandt Snedeker learned life's lessons, working at his mom's pawn shop in Nashville, waiting on folks down on their luck. "People work their asses off to make a dollar, and it gave us a good sense of reality," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in January. "My dad always told us that we're just one bad decision away from being on the other side of that counter. "  

Hoping to add a physical, dominating defenseman to replace the injured Chris Pronger, the Flyers have made one of their typically bold off-season moves. They confirmed Thursday that they have signed Shea Weber - a restricted free agent from Nashville who is arguably the NHL's best all-around defenseman - to a 14-year offer sheet for a reported $110 million. If Nashville matches the front-loaded offer, Weber, 26, remains with the Predators. The Predators, who lost all-star defenseman Ryan Suter to free agency earlier this month, have until 11:30 p.m. Wednesday to match.

The Rev. Will Campbell, 88, a minister who drew acclaim for his involvement in the civil rights movement, died Monday in Nashville from complications after a stroke he had about two years ago. Mr. Campbell was the Nashville representative of a pro-integration operation called the National Council of Churches. Because he was white, he was allowed entry into rooms unapproachable by some of those at the forefront of the movement. "We knew there was somebody who cared and was concerned about what happened to us," Bernard Lafayette, a civil rights leader in Nashville and close friend of Mr. Campbell's, told the Tennessean newspaper.

Brandt Snedeker learned life's lessons, working at his mom's pawn shop in Nashville, waiting on folks down on their luck. "People work their asses off to make a dollar, and it gave us a good sense of reality," he told the San Diego Union-Tribune in January. "My dad always told us that we're just one bad decision away from being on the other side of that counter. "  

FIFTY YEARS ago, Mississippi State's men's basketball team defied racist politicians by sneaking out of town to play in its first NCAA Tournament, against Loyola of Chicago, which started four African American players. Unwritten legislation, which prohibited any Mississippi state college from playing against a team that was segregated, stopped MSU from playing in the 1959, 1961 and 1962 tourneys, despite winning the Southeastern Conference in those seasons. But on March 2, 1963, MSU president Dean W. Colvard decided to end the disgrace and accepted the automatic bid to the tournament.

Standings Teams are listed in order of playoff position. The first eight teams in each conference earn playoff berths, with the three division winners in each conference seeded first, second and third.   W   L   OL   Pts.   GIs   Op.    d-Pittsburgh 22   8   0   44   108   80    d-Montreal 19   5   4   42   90   70    d-Carolina 15   11   2   32   83   78    Boston 19   5   3   41   81   57    Ottawa 15   8   6   36   72   62    Toronto 15   12   2   32   86   83    d-Winnipeg 15   12   2   32   77   85    New Jersey 13   10   6   32   72   81    N.Y. Rangers 14   12   2   30   67   68    N.Y. Islanders 13   12   3   29   83   91    Tampa Bay 13   15   1   27   96   86    FLYERS 13   16   1   27   81   92    Washington 12   15   1   25   78   85    Buffalo 10   15   4   24   76   93    Florida 7   16   6   20   70   109      d-Chicago 24   2   3   51   100   62    d-Anaheim 20   3   4   44   90   66    d-Minnesota 15   10   2   32   70   68    St. Louis 16   10   2   34   85   80    Detroit 14   10   5   33   78   75   ...

BLOOD OOZED down Predators captain Shea Weber's face after a high stick clipped him close to his nose, though officials didn't call a penalty. So his teammates helped him take out his pain on the Dallas Stars. Roman Josi scored his second goal 28 seconds into overtime and the Predators rallied from a 4-2 deficit to beat the visiting Stars, 5-4, Monday night in a wild game featuring several fights, six goals and Weber's bloodied face - all in the second period. "There was a lot of blood," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said.

NASHVILLE , Tenn. - The Phillies' brass likely will take part in the Rule 5 draft Thursday morning, board a plane in Nashville early in the afternoon and spend the weekend in Philadelphia. Barring an unforeseen change, they still will have a gaping hole in the middle of their roster, at a position everyone can readily identify as their priority this winter. They won't have a centerfielder. Frankly, the Phils haven't had a centerfielder since they traded away Shane Victorino 129 days ago. Victorino has found new homes on two separate coasts since he last patrolled centerfield for the Phillies.

NASHVILLE , Tenn. - Ruben Amaro Jr. is about 2 weeks away from the 3-year anniversary of what's likely the defining move of his tenure as Phillies general manager. In December 2009, Amaro ended his long, calculated pursuit of Roy Halladay by trading for the longtime Toronto ace. But in doing so, he made a companion deal with Seattle that sent Cliff Lee out west. Despite Halladay's prowess, the trade wasn't very popular with a fan base that saw Lee beat the Yankees twice in the World Series just 2 months earlier.

* NASHVILLE. 10 p.m. Wednesday, 6 ABC. * ARROW. 8 p.m. Wednesday, CW 57. * CHICAGO FIRE. 10 p.m. Wednesday, NBC10. THE FALL TV rollout is not over yet. Three new dramas premiere Wednesday night. One, ABC's soapy, song-filled "Nashville," is my pick for the best new show of the season. Another, a superhero show called "Arrow," from Greg Berlanti ("Green Lantern," "Brothers and Sisters") is the best new show from the CW and stars Stephen Arnell as billionaire-back-from-the-dead Oliver Queen, whom comic book fans may know better as Green Arrow.

Although we are nearly a month into the new TV season, the networks are only now rolling out some of their best series. Take Arrow (8 p.m., CW57), which will debut Wednesday. Adapted from the Green Arrow comic book hero, it features my favorite stock character: the billionaire playboy. In this case, he's the somewhat effeminately named Oliver Queen (played by the anything but effeminate Stephen Amell). After a tragic yachting accident (is there any other kind?), Olly spent five years marooned on a rugged island in the North China Sea. Now he's back in Starling City.

Another dead end in hunt for Hoffa DETROIT - Like many others that came before it, the latest search for former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa has come up empty. Tests on soil samples gathered last week from a backyard in a Detroit suburb showed no traces that Hoffa - or anyone else - was buried there, police in Roseville, Mich., announced Tuesday. "Our department just received the soil sample report from Michigan State University, after a battery of tests; the samples submitted for examination showed no signs of human decomposition," the police statement read.