Past Lives

How does one become a Dalai Lama? The process is more mystical than democratic. Tibetan Buddhists believe that each Dalai Lama is a semi-divine being, a reincarnation of Avalokitsevara, the god of compassion. Each is a single soul, heir to the wisdom of many lifetimes. After the first Dalai Lama died in 1475, monks set out to find a child believed to have been chosen by Avalokitsevara for his next incarnation. Signs, dreams and visions direct them to his general whereabouts, age and physical characteristics.

You don't need a crystal ball to guess that "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger" is Woody Allen's latest cynical, curdled take on the human condition. This time his target is faith - he pokes fun at a lonely, elderly divorced woman (Gemma Jones) who comes to believe a spiritualist's mumbo-jumbo about past lives and future events. This has problematic effects on the woman's relationships - with her daughter (Naomi Watts), who's in a troubled marriage to a blocked writer (Josh Brolin)

The spice-scented fragrance of burning incense fills the air, only to be parted by the brisk entrance of Shirley MacLaine into her wood-beamed East Side living room. Wasting but a moment to primp her turquoise dress, she plops to the floor, assumes the lotus position and appears ready to consider the World of Shirley MacLaine. It is a strange, complicated, exciting world, part breathtaking adventure, part eerie exploration. One both of exhilarating show business success - as an actress, author, dancer, singer and comic - and serious metaphysical experience - as warrior, princess, monk and pirate.

That a former mayor's wooden leg caught fire one night as he helped extinguish a fire might have been one of those historical gems lost in the passage of time. Likewise the Indians who once trekked what is Stokes Road, staying with settlers along the way and leaving venison as a thank-you. Township "old-timers," as they call themselves, have come together to make sure this community's rich past lives on long after they depart. In a half-hour video retrospective, these local historians - including Betty Trumbower, Ed Gager, Bill Dyer and Tom Chavis - pay tribute to the many mills, cemeteries, farms and meetinghouses and even one ghost.

Black Swan , Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller set in the competitive world of ballet and starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder, will open the 19th annual Philadelphia Film Festival on Oct. 14. 127 Hours , Danny Boyle's true-life tale of the adventurer Aron Ralston (James Franco), who cuts off his arm to save himself, will be the festival's closing-night movie on Oct. 23. In between Aron and Aronofsky, some 108 films will show at six venues in the region, from the Ritz Five to the Prince Music Theater to the Zellerbach Theater at the University of Pennsylvania to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson said Sunday that she was "very sorry" for her "lapse of judgment" after she was recorded apparently offering to sell access to her ex-husband Prince Andrew in return for 500,000 pounds ($724,000). The duchess said in a statement that she had financial problems. "I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused," she said. On a video posted on the tabloid News of the World's website, Ferguson is heard to say "500,000 pounds when you can, to me, open doors.

Life may be a mystery. But past lives sometimes are more puzzling for Ricki Lucas, Kathy Waters, Joan Lanphear, and other members of the Burlington County Genealogy Club. "It takes a lot of patience and detective work. You never know what you'll find, but that's why I like genealogy so much," said Lucas, who has been tracing her family lineage for more than 20 years. While doing research on branches of her family in the library of the Burlington County Historical Society, Lucas met Waters, who was also doing research, and Lanphear, the society's librarian.

"Location, location, location" is the proverbial key to success in real estate. But it can be just as important to filmmaking. A case in point is Neil Jordan's The Miracle - a small wonder of a movie that might have been a debacle were it set anywhere but Ireland. The seaside town of Bray is a place which, like so many settings in Irish fiction, lies somewhere on the blurred and ever-shifting boundary between fantasy and reality. As the waves pound against its pebbled shoreline, we soon discern the downside of the Irish soul - the rage and guilt drowned in a sea of booze.

Happy Halloween. The treat this year is that there's something other than horror shows to watch. The trick is the horrible thing that has happened to Night of the Living Dead. EVENING HIGHLIGHTS THE A-TEAM (8 p.m., Ch. 3) - Robert Vaughn and David McCallum of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. reunited three years ago for a telemovie, and tonight they re- reunite for a one-shot episode. Vaughn, now the boss of The A-Team, is kidnapped by McCallum, who plays Vaughn's "former partner.

If you've ever wanted to learn more about how archaeologists retrieve artifacts, a new class at Burlington County College will show you how. The college also is offering a new associate degree program in food-service management in cooperation with the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association. And then there's another new course, women in literature, at the college's Mount Laurel campus. The class will discuss how women are seen by male writers, whether men and women view relationships differently and the opinions of well-known writers.