Role Reversal

WE WANT our students to be taught by people who look like them. Why? Because the data shows that students excel at a higher rate. If a white man, protesting for more white teachers in the Philadelphia School District, had said this, cries of racism would ring the land. Yet those words came from Mukasa Afrika, who apparently reflects the thinking of Pam Africa (seen above in her negative glory) of MOVE and others who protested for more black teachers this week. No wonder not a single public school student reportedly join Africa's farce.

In 1991, Connecticut made its only women's NCAA Final Four appearance and ended up being just a footnote to the University of Virginia's season. Their roles should be reversed today when the unbeaten Huskies (32-0) host the Cavaliers (27-4) in sold-out Gampel Pavilion for the East Regional title and a trip to Minneapolis. Now, the momentum seems to be with Connecticut, while Virginia is being treated as one of the Huskies' stepping stones. "It's not quite the same situation," said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma.

A retelling of the Cinderella story tops this week's list of new movies on video. Ever After 1/2 (1998) (Fox) $19.98. 101 minutes. Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Patrick Godfrey. Breathing fresh air into the stale saga of Cinderella, Ever After stars Barrymore as the resourceful chargirl who doesn't need a prince to save her, but does have a hand in saving a certain Prince Henry. Enough derring-do for adventurers, and enough courtship to send romantics into raptures.

The only thing certain about politics is that nothing is certain. Consider World War II: When it began, Germany and the Soviet Union were allies; when it ended, they were fighting each other to the death. As soon as Germany attacked the Soviet Union, the Russians, who were "lousy Reds" to Americans, became "our gallant allies. " Italy entered the war as an ally of the Nazis, and ended it as an ally of the democracies. There are hundreds of such examples, but I don't believe there ever has been a reversal quite as unexpected as that which has taken place in the world's perception of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Age: 26. Neighborhood: Bala Cynwyd. Job: Market manager, Nuvo sparkling liqueur. "I love, love, love marketing, promotions and building brands. " What she does exactly: "Hire, staff, train and manage all of the fabulous Nuvo Girls. " If her love life were a reality TV show, it would be called: "Keeping Up with Mundy. " Embraces her unusual surname: "My last name defines me, my family is strong. I am a Mundy. " Nominated by: Jenice Armstrong, who met her when she was mixing up Nuvo cocktails at a "Girlfriends Night Out" earlier this year.

Controversial rapper Flavor Flav played peacemaker instead of peacebreaker yesterday, when a fight broke out at a Christmas party that he was attending. The New Jersey nightclub brawl sent one patron to the hospital. Witnesses said the rapper, whose real name is William Drayton, grabbed the DJ's mike and pleaded for calm after a fight erupted around 2 a.m. at Saint's Cafe. "He was trying to calm everybody down," said party promoter Grege Morris. "It's Christmas. There's no need for everybody acting wild.

The Archbishop Wood girls' soccer team is hoping for a little role reversal. Last season, the Vikings sailed through the Catholic League regular season undefeated, but lost to rival St. Hubert's in the championship game. This season, it's St. Hubert's that escaped with the regular season title, and Wood is hoping Sunday's championship game, scheduled for noon at La Salle University, will go its way. The only time these teams played this season, a mere two weeks ago, Wood saw a 3-1 lead go astray in what ended up as a 3-3 tie. Wood (13-0-3)

It's hard not to pay attention to fashion trends, no matter how liberated a woman is. My female friends and I spent a fair amount of time dissecting the fashions at the Clinton inaugural. There were Hillary's hats and Aretha's furs, but the costume that really got to me was worn by Barbra Streisand at the gala. It sent a disturbing signal to - and about - American women. And then came the rumor that Streisand was contemplating a run for the Senate. "Several people have approached me and I find it very flattering," she said, only to reverse herself hours later.

Lucia Vigil admits that she really didn't have to travel more than 2,000 miles to spend a year helping people in need. "There's plenty to do in New Mexico," she said in the lilting accent that is a hybrid of her Hispanic heritage and her Southwest upbringing. But travel she did. Two years ago, she came east to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament convent in Cornwells Heights, far away from the aspen trees, the adobe missions and the sweeping skies of her home state. And what seemed like continents away from her three children.

A man walking along North Broad Street yesterday squinted toward the New Freedom Theater, where hundreds upon hundreds of people - babies in strollers to women leaning on canes - formed a line that looped and twisted its way around two blocks. "What's going on in there?" he asked. "They giving away money?" Actually, no. But the producers of Beloved were looking for extras for the movie based on the best-selling novel by Toni Morrison, who wrote of Sethe, a former slave haunted by her past and the infant daughter she sacrificed.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants boasted a physical, intimidating defense with athletic linebackers and stout linemen capable of stifling the NFL's most productive offenses. San Francisco featured a high-powered passing attack led by an eventual Hall of Fame quarterback in his prime with receivers capable of turning short passes into big gains. When the San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants in the NFC championship game Sunday for a shot at the Super Bowl, the matchup conjures memories from a previous era of this great rivalry - even if the roles are somewhat reversed.

PHOENIX – Moments after watching his team got crushed, 8-1, in Game Three of the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks, manager Ron Roenicke of the Milwaukee Brewers did a little role reversal with the media. "Can I ask you a question to start off?" begged Roenicke. "Did you guys think that was the wrong move or the right move?" What the first-year manager was referring to was his decision to intentionally walk Arizona cleanup hitter Miguel Montero with two out in the fifth inning, instead deciding instead to face rookie Paul Goldschmidt.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You have an unusual bag of tricks, and you'll have the opportunity to show off one or two. This will impress your peers. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). People depend on you. You will enjoy this as long as you are satisfied that you can deliver what they need. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You're a treat to be around, as you act on your whims and follow through on your impulses. CANCER (June 22-July 22). What a loved one wants from you feels more like a dare than a request.

The Flyers were a great story in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. This year, they will have to try being a great team, instead. The role of gritty underdog, backing into the playoffs then reaching the Finals despite waves of adversity? It has been recast. These Flyers can surprise only by losing in the early rounds. The expectations are different, and they should be. "How many chances in your life are you going to get to play with this kind of team?" defenseman Kimmo Timonen said after Wednesday's practice.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - "I saw the ball in the air and I just went and got it," Eagles rookie wide receiver Riley Cooper was saying. He was not doing the moment justice. In a different situation, Cooper's 37-yard reception in the second quarter against the Titans, and the play surrounding it, might have been a much bigger deal. Instead, it is a small, smiling footnote at the end of a dour, 37-19 defeat. Cooper, returning from a concussion that kept him out of the last two games, had three catches for 51 yards against the Titans, including a 5-yard touchdown catch, the first of his NFL career.

Age: 26. Neighborhood: Bala Cynwyd. Job: Market manager, Nuvo sparkling liqueur. "I love, love, love marketing, promotions and building brands. " What she does exactly: "Hire, staff, train and manage all of the fabulous Nuvo Girls. " If her love life were a reality TV show, it would be called: "Keeping Up with Mundy. " Embraces her unusual surname: "My last name defines me, my family is strong. I am a Mundy. " Nominated by: Jenice Armstrong, who met her when she was mixing up Nuvo cocktails at a "Girlfriends Night Out" earlier this year.

If you ask why I loved Nancy Meyers' new movie, the answer is a twist on the title: It's not that complicated. I loved being transported to sunny Santa Barbara on a cold and snowy night. I loved the enchanting house with the water view, the lush vegetable garden, even the gorgeous wine goblets. But most of all, I loved the fiftysomething protagonist, Jane, the devoted mother and hardworking career woman, the classic good girl whose piggish lawyer husband leaves her for a stunning thirtysomething with tight abs - I loved that the good girl gets to be a bad girl.

From: Gonzalez, John To: Ford, Bob; Sheridan, Phil Subject: Schill Ford's boy Curt Schilling was on the radio talking about how he'd like to pitch another season. Go ahead and take a guess about which team is right at the top of the free agent's list. Considering everything you know about Schilling, would you bring him back to Philly if the price was reasonable? Hmmm. Intriguing issue. I don't share Ford's Schill aversion. I really don't. I'm always fascinated by athletes who are also genuine characters, and he's certainly one of them.

The 76ers, who have had trouble winning at home and winning anywhere against Toronto, reversed those trends last night after playing one of their most impressive quarters of the season. They scored the final nine points of the second quarter to go into halftime leading by 42-40, then broke the game open with a 34-16 third quarter en route to a 99-95 win over the Raptors at the Wachovia Center. "We picked up our energy in the third quarter, and it was good to turn into another gear," said Willie Green, who scored a team-high 23 points.

If polls are accurate, Sen. Hillary Clinton's once-sure bid for the Democratic presidential nomination is now not so sure. Her lead vanished without warning in Iowa and New Hampshire - and maybe elsewhere as well. Was it due to her waffling on issues like the Iraq war and driver's licenses for illegal aliens? Or was her campaign too smug - like that of similarly sputtering Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani - assuming she should be coronated by the polls and media rather than having to fight for the nomination tooth and nail?