www.usatoday.com ‘Dancing’ with ... South by Erin, Maksim Southwest and the other Festivals, celebs, ' 10 couples, 4D 1,981 bands, 8D Life Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy by ABC Courtney Love by Getty Images SECTION D a true star in ‘Jackie’ Screening Personal, Second season brings professional: ShoWest Monday, March22, 2010 changes for the better Edie Falco stars as NYC emer- gency room Showtime, tonight, 10 ET/PT nurse Jackie Lifeline eeee out of four Peyton. Domi- 3-D nic Fumusa is For entertainment news as it happens, The next time you’re tempted to re- her husband, clash visit the Lifeline Live blog at life.usatoday.com. fer to some reality fame-seeker as a Kevin, owner of the “star,” think of Edie Falco and refrain. of a neighbor- New films in town no match for ‘Alice’ To be sure, it’s an insult to even the hood bar. theater most minimally talented actor to be Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonder- lumped in with poseurs whose only titans, land remains No. 1 at the box office. The movie took claim to public-figure status is barhop- 3D in $34.5 million to keep the top spot for a third con- ping, hot-tubbing, grandstanding and secutive weekend. Its domestic haul increased to otherwise mismanaging a made-for- By Phil Caruso, Showtime $265.7 million after only 17 days in theaters. Alice TV version of their lives. rigid separation between her personal son was used for cheap comic relief. easily beat a rush of new movies led by the family But to watch Falco’s gorgeously and professional lives, and between This year she’s more grounded, and film Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which opened at No. 2 nuanced star turn in Showtime’s won- her loving and much-wronged hus- while she’s still Jackie’s supervisor, with $21.8 million. The Jennifer Aniston and Gerard derful Nurse Jackie is to realize that any band, Kevin (Dominic Fumusa), and she’s no longer her enemy or foil. Butler action comedy The Bounty Hunter landed word that can be used to describe her equally loving boyfriend, Eddie What’s remarkable is the fine bal- at No. 3 with $21 million. Jude Law and Forest both her and some camera-hog celeb (Paul Schulze). Those walls have been ance producer/writers Linda Wallem Whitaker’s action thriller Repo Men was No. 4 with wannabe on some breached, in part by Eddie, but in part and Liz Brixius maintain between the an opening of $6.2 million. The romantic comedy TV preview TV Dancing show also by Jackie’s own desire to share comic and tragic. Jackie can be a dark She’s Out of My League rounded out the top five By Robert Bianco is a word that has more of herself with co-workers. show, and it’s going to get darker. But with $6 million. Final figures are due today. lost all meaning. Her co-workers have changed, too, there isn’t an episode that doesn’t Jackie has certified Falco’s rank as a mostly for the better. Zoey (Merritt leave you yearning to see the next. Jeff Bridges arrives on disc in April ... star of the first magnitude, through a Wever) has gained a private life and There also isn’t a performance that Did you miss Jeff performance that is beautifully spare confidence, while Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) doesn’t work, from the kids to Nurse Bridges’ Oscar-winning and completely free of all visible signs is about to gain an unexpected roman- Thor () to the now performance as boozy, of vanity. Falco allows us to see straight tic partner. Sadly, Haaz Sleiman’s tweet-obsessed Dr. Cooper (Peter Faci- broken-down country into the heart of this funny, angry, ded- Mo-Mo has departed, but the new nelli). But it all revolves around Falco, singer Bad Blake in Crazy icated, addicted nurse and mother, character in his place — Arjun Gupta’s who stays present and real in every Sam Worthington as Heart? You have another and that includes showing us things recovering addict Sam — is better posi- moment, with no discernable fuss. It’s Perseus in Clash of the chance to see it when Jackie herself may not know are there. tioned as an antagonist for Jackie. aTV performance for the ages — and Titans; Woody (voiced by the DVD ($29.98) and Jackie’s life has changed, though not The best change may be the new re- it’s a reminder that for most other peo- Blu-ray Disc ($39.99) of as drastically as last season’s cliffhang- spect shown to Anna Deavere Smith’s ple on TV, the term “star” is too much. Tom Hanks) in Toy Story 3 the film are released er implied. Last year she maintained a Mrs. Akalitus, who too often last sea- For Falco, it may not be enough. April 20. Among added Top, Disney/Pixar; above, Warner Bros. Pictures features are deleted scenes and alternate music cuts. ... and Celine Dion lands in early May Celine Dion fans can mark their calendars for May 4. That’s when a DVD and Blu-ray Disc of the docu- mentary film Celine: Through the Eyes of the World and Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert, a new DVD/CD of live performances from Dion’s world tour, arrives. Eyes of the World’s home edition will offer an hour’s worth of footage not seen in the movie’s limited run in February. A deluxe two-DVD set featuring the movie and the concert will be available for $34.99 at the singer’s online shop. Visit celinedion.com for details. Nastia Liukin leaps into girls apparel Gymnast Nastia Liukin, 20, is all for girl power. Liu- kin, who won five medals at the Summer Olympics in 2008, is joining forces with Warner Bros. Consumer Products for a line of girls merchandise. The Supergirl by Nastia collection, for girls ages 8-12, will be sold at Warner Bros. JCPenney stores and on Liukin: Message jcp.com beginning July 20. of empowerment. Products will cost $20 to $38 and will include dresses and tunics, knit pants and signature Supergirl T-shirts. “The Supergirl S-Shield is a unique and iconic symbol that has inspired this collection,” Liukin said in a statement. “I believe it will do the same for girls who wear it.”

By Lorena Blas with staff and wire reports

E-mail [email protected] By Anne Ryan, USA TODAY Dailyhealth and diet tips Celebration of life: Marybeth Solinski gets ready to blow out the candles on her 59th birthday cake last fall with her niece Sarah Gaziano, 22. on your cellphone Send atextmessage to 44636 (4INFO) with BEWELL.

Today’s puzzles Aging with Down syndrome Page 5D By Liz Szabo Gene studies USA TODAY

® In 1950, when Marybeth Solinski was born, a diagnosis of USA TODAY Snapshots reveal that the Down syndrome was practically a death sentence. Children with the condition often died before their 10th process is birthday. Top music downloads Yet Solinski, at 59, has outlived her parents. She has even Break Your Heart faster but often joined AARP. Taio Cruz 202,000 Her longevity illustrates the dramatic progress featuring Ludacris Cover for people with Down syndrome. Thanks to bet- protective ter medical care, the average life expectancy for Rude Boy 155,000 story Rihanna achild with Down syndrome is now 60 years, according to the National Down Syndrome Soci- Hey, Soul Sister 154,000 ety, which estimates that about 400,000 people are living with Train A better Aging caregivers the condition in the USA. Nothin' On You are again As they live longer, adults with Down syndrome — who have B.o.B. featuring 153,000 ‘pioneers,’ 7D an extra copy of chromosome 21 — are teaching scientists about Bruno Mars Life the genetic roots of aging, says Ira Lott,head of pediatric neurol- Imma Be 140,000 ogy at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine. Black Eyed Peas Scientists today are searching this chromosome, which con- Photo courtesy of Solinski family tains only about 200 of the body’s roughly 20,000 genes, to Family portrait: Marybeth Solinski, Source: Nielsen SoundScan for week ending March 14 top, with her sisters Lee Cornell, left,

By Steve Jones and Veronica Salazar, USA TODAY Please see COVER STORY next page u and Paulette Solinski.

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www.CrystalLight.com/WorldWaterDay 2D · MONDAY,MARCH 22, 2010 · USA TODAY Cover story Down research may unlock secrets of aging

Continued from 1D learn why people with Down syndrome suffer disproportion- ately from some health prob- lems, such as Alzheimer’s dis- ease, but are spared many others, such as heart attacks, strokes and certain types of cancer. By studying adults with Down syndrome, researchers hope to find new ways to combat dis- eases of aging in the larger pop- ulation as well, Lott says. “It’s an interesting detective story,” says Lott, head of the sci- ence advisory board of the Na- tional Down Syndrome Society. “People with Down syndrome are unique when it comes to many aspects of aging.”

Aging troubles start early

People with Down syndrome tend to age prematurely as they develop conditions such as menopause, brittle bones, arthri- tis, hearing loss, wrinkles and sagging skin about two decades earlier than usual, says Brian Chi- coine, medical director of the adult Down syndrome center at Advocate Lutheran General Hos- pital in Park Ridge, Ill., the leading center of its kind. “People say they seem to age overnight,” says Dennis McGuire, director of psychosocial services at the same center. “They sud- denly develop wrinkles and gray hair.” Solinski, for example, wears a brace on one leg and hearing aids in both ears, and she has had two corneal transplants. “She’s more like a 79-year-old than a 59-year- old,” says her sister, Lee Cornell of Illinois. Photos by Anne Ryan, USA TODAY Yet researchers suspect that Home and family: Marybeth Solinski tends to a simmering pot in the kitchen with her sister Paulette Solinski. this unique genetic profile also protects people with Down syn- drome from many common Down syndrome ailments. A growing number of researchers are asking: vital statistics uWhat protects their hearts? Half of babies with Down syn- Pregnancy risks drome are born with correctable The incidence of Down heart defects, and most adults syndrome increases with the with Down syndrome are over- mother’s age. But because weight with high cholesterol. De- younger women have most spite these risks, however, people of the babies, 80% of children with Down syndrome virtually with Down syndrome are born to women under 35. never develop high blood pres- sure, heart attacks or hardening of the arteries, Lott says. Doctors Births are still trying to learn why. The prevalence of Down uWhy don’t they get cancer? syndrome at birth increased Doctors once believed that more than 31% from 1979 to people with Down syndrome 2002, partly because of an didn’t live long enough to devel- increase in older mothers, op cancer, says Sandra Ryeom, a according to a December study researcher at University of Penn- from the Centers for Disease sylvania School of Medicine in Control and Prevention. Philadelphia Yet, with the exception of a Life spans rare pediatric leukemia, even elderly adults with Down syn- Better medical care is allowing people with Down syndrome drome rarely develop solid tu- to live much longer. mors, such as those of the breast Average life span: or lung. Last May, Ryeom and her col- 1983 leagues found genes on the 21st 25 years chromosome that inhibit the growth of blood vessels neces- 2010 sary for tumor growth. Getting 60 years an extra copy of these genes, and possibly others, may help the Everyday living: Solinski picks out some apples at the grocery store near her house in Chicago. She is learning to cook, she says, body keep cancers in check by to follow in the footsteps of her mother, who died recently at age 92. She also likes to read, like her father. Source: National Down Syndrome Society depriving them of blood, she says. Researchers already are trying to develop anti-cancer treat- ments based on genes found on chromosome 21, says Roger Reeves of Johns Hopkins Univer- sity School of Medicine. uWhat protects their eyes? Although people with Down syndrome are at higher risk for cataracts, they rarely develop a form of blindness called macular degeneration, caused by an over- growth of blood vessels in the retina, Ryeom says. Doctors sus- pect that the same genes that re- strict blood vessel growth in tu- mors may also prevent abnormal Always learning: Solinski, at home with her sister Lee Cor- blood vessel growth in the eye. nell, loves to learn. She even takes flash cards on vacation.

Alink to Alzheimer’s?

uWhy do Down syndrome “It’s an interesting detective patients develop early Alzheim- er’s disease? story. People with Down Adults with Down syndrome syndrome are unique when appear to develop the brain plaques and tangles characteris- it comes to many aspects tic of Alzheimer’s disease very early in life — even as young as 3 of aging.” or 4 years old. For decades, how- ever, their brains also appear to —Ira Lott, head of the science advisory board, repair and compensate for the National Down Syndrome Society Body and soul: Solinski receives Communion from Marlow Comisky, a Eucharistic minister from a damage, says scientist Elizabeth nearby Catholic church who comes to her house once a week. Head of the University of Ken- tucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Significantly, doctors have coine’s patients lived to 83 with- transportation on his own, says progress, Lott says. vents disease, Lott says. It’s pos- Aging. found a gene that increases the out dementia. his sister, Vicki Ploscowe. “There’s no other population sible that getting a 50% larger “Their brains may be clearing risk of Alzheimer’s, called APP, on Solinski, of Chicago, loves “He’s still going strong,” says where you can really study this,” “dose” of a gene affects the the plaques,” says Head, who is the 21st chromosome, Lott says. learning so much that she takes Ploscowe, of Manhattan. Lott says. Although some people body’s susceptibility to a disease, now recruiting Down syndrome The gene, called amyloid precur- flash cards on vacation. She pores If researchers could learn what without Down syndrome carry a he says. Or, it’s possible that the patients for a study on biomark- sor protein, is involved in the cre- over children’s encyclopedias protects certain people, they gene that increases their risk of extra genetic material simply ers of Alzheimer’s. “As they get ation of the brain plaques seen in and Nancy Drew novels. She is might be able to develop a thera- early dementia, “you don’t know makes the entire genome more older, this protective process Alzheimer’s patients. People who learning to cook, she says, to fol- py to prevent Alzheimer’s — both who in the general population is unstable. slows down.” inherit mutated copies of these low in the footsteps of her moth- in those with and those without going to come down with spo- Reeves says he’s grateful to the By age 40 to 45, virtually ev- genes may develop Alzheimer’s er, who died in August at 92. And, Down syndrome, Head says. radic Alzheimer’s. With Down Down syndrome community for eryone with Down syndrome has disease decades earlier than usu- she says, “I want to be a great syndrome, you know that virtu- teaching scientists so much. these plaques and tangles, al- al, says William Mobley, a neuro- reader like my father.” ‘No other population’ like this ally 100% of them will have “If it weren’t for people with though only 12% have dementia, science professor at the Univer- And Brooklyn resident Edward plaques.” Down syndrome having fewer Lott says. By age 65, up to 75% of sity of California-San Diego. Barsky is still healthy and inde- People with Down syndrome For example, doctors don’t yet tumors,” Reeves says, “we never people with Down syndrome Yet not all people with Down pendent at 73, living in a group present doctors with a rare op- know exactly how an extra copy would have thought to look for have dementia. syndrome succumb. One of Chi- home and navigating public portunity to watch the disease of chromosome 21 causes or pre- anything like this.”