R Thursday JUNE 20, 2013 WWW.LOHUD.COM Puzzles inside B Justin Lane, Lauren Sandler and Dahlia Lane at their home in Brooklyn. COURTESY OF LAUREN SANDLER The not-so- miserable only child By Leanne Italie Associated Press No kids, one kid, four kids: There’s no end to the debate over why people decide on a certain number. But is one family configuration more scrutinized than another? Lauren Sandler thinks so. She delves into the myths and mis- conceptions about singletons in a new book, “One and Only,” out this month from Simon & Schuster. And she feels strongly about the subject, as a journal- ist and an only child raising an only child with her photographer husband, who’s one of two. The choice of one, the Brooklyn mom said, is often demonized and the pull to have more is strong at times. Based on scores of interviews with academics and only children, the JAMES BADGE DALE book wasn’t intended as memoir, though Sandler’s family — her “lean team” of three — is woven throughout. IS A While she’s content and confident her 5-year-old daughter is doing great, Sandler hasn’t escaped the conflict. Her reaction when her husband sug- gests he get a vasectomy drives home the turmoil. “I burst into tears, run up to our bedroom, and throw myself onto TRIPLE THREAT the pillows like a heartsick teenager,” she writes. “Despite all the rational information Top left: Actor James that supports my reluctance to have an- Former Manhattanville student tackling Badge Dale plays one of other kid, all the research demonstrat- superhero franchises, Westerns, zombie flicks the villains in “Iron Man ing that only children are fine, all the 3.” ZADE ROSENTHAL data suggesting the additional sacri- By Heather Salerno Top center: Dale plays fices another kid would require, mak- [email protected] Captain Speke in “World ing the choice not to have another child War Z,” the zombie is still fraught with conflict. It’s an emo- Just call it the summer of James Badge Dale. thriller starring Brad Pitt. tional struggle that, it turns out, no set In movie theaters right now, the actor is fighting Robert Downey Jr. JAAP BUITENDIJK of numbers and analysis can erase.” as one of the villains in “Iron Man 3,” which has already hit $1 billion in Top right: In “The Lone Aconversation with Lauren Sand- worldwide ticket sales. Next month, he appears opposite Armie Ham- Ranger,” Dale plays the ler: mer and Johnny Depp in the much-anticipated “The Lone Ranger.” title character’s older AP: How has research on raising And starting Friday, he battles killer zombies with Brad Pitt in mega- brother. PETER MOUNTAIN only children changed in recent years? budget action thriller “World War Z.” Sandler: I don’t think it’s really changed. What keeps happening is peo- See DALE, Page 4B ple keep retesting, saying, ‘Oh, how could it possibly be true that all of these See CHILD, Page 4B Which styles fit the 50-plus woman? our age group vanished? Are we mysti- learned over the years that the key to the Embrace fashion and fied about how to dress when the media right look is balance: Don’t dress too old typically only shows fashion ideas more or too young. But what’s the trick to find- your best features with appropriate for a 20-year-old? Yes to all. ing this balance? Blame it on the Internet and Photosh- Our model Irene, a busy mom of two, tips to help you shine opped models and movie stars gracing exemplifies how to wear one summer Two trends magazine covers. The obsession with trend: to try: neon By Susan Huston looking young has created a whole new colors and Fort Worth Star-Telegram (MCT) problem: What does an over-50-year-old Be bold mixing realistically look like today, and what prints with Today’s fashion lines are blurry, and trends can she wear? The trend: Neon colors, and mixing patterns. it’s not my old 60-plus-year-old eyes that As a stylist, fashion show coordinator prints with patterns ROSS are the problem. No, I see the confusion and wardrobe consultant with more than The body challenge: Out-of-shape HAILEY/FORT among many of my fellow baby boomers 40 years of experience, my business is arms; sallow, aging skin; heavy hips and WORTH when it comes to what fashion look is fashion. I visit hundreds of closets of legs; and hot flashes! STAR-TELE right for our age. women of all ages, but especially those of The fashion solution: Try a light- GRAM/MCT Is the line between what is “too young women over 50, who are frantically seek- weight, neon sweater with three-quar- to wear” fading? Have the rules that our ing assistance in finding a look that is moms once held about how to dress for contemporary yet age-appropriate. I’ve See FASHION, Page 4B LIVE MUSIC COMING Rare FRIDAY appearance in Nyack Swords, swash- Latin-jazz piano virtuo- so Bill O’Connell will buckling give a and more rare The 27th Hud- solo son Valley perfor- Shakespeare mance Festival has Friday tragedy, com- at the THEATER edy and WEEKEND Car- ‘Musketeers,’ negie Neil Simon revival in Croton Falls too. Animals & Acrobats Room LoHud Week- at Nyack Library. 7:30 Simon’s “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers” is at the School The circus comes to town with this traveling troupe of end p.m. $25. 59 S. Broad- House Theater in Croton Falls. Through June 30. 8 p.m. Thurs- jugglers, mimes, tightrope walkers and interesting ani- way, Nyack, 845-608- days, Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. The Schoolhouse mals. Free popcorn for children when you buy advance 3593, carnegieroo- Theater, 3 Owens Road, Croton Falls. Tickets $33 Thursday/ tickets online. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 22-23. Admission: m.org. For more live Friday; $35 Saturday/Sunday; discounts for subscribers. $16; $14 for seniors, $12 for children 3-17, free for Historic music, go to even 914-277-8477. www.schoolhousetheater.org. For more on local Hudson Valley members and children under 3. Van Cort- ts.lohud.com theater, visit Peter Kramer’s In The Wings blog, landt Manor, 525 S. Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson. theater.lohudblogs. com www.hudsonvalley.org, 914-631-8200. 4B Thursday, June 20, 2013 R The Journal News lohud.com DALE: Actor enjoys a breakout season CHILD: Writer Continued from Page 1B an actor and Tony Award- nominated choreogra- takes on myths “I take credit for all of pher, and his mother is it,” jokes Dale. “No, you the late Anita Morris, who Continued from Page 1B never plan it that way. starred in “Ruthless Peo- You go in, and you shoot ple” and the 1982 version studies from all of these these things, and a bunch of “Nine.” He began act- years ago have said that of people in an office in a ing at age 10, as one of the only children are just high tower somewhere island castaways in 1990’s fine.’ And so they retest decide when they come “Lord of the Flies,” but and then they find out, out. I looked at it and said, Dale says that he soon ‘Oh yeah, only children ‘You’ve got to be kidding realized that he didn’t are fine.’ me: They’re coming out want to spend his child- AP: So where does the two months apart?’ It’s hood onscreen. notion come from that great. All three movies Instead, he focused on only children are lonely, are very different and playing hockey. Manhat- selfish and maladjusted? I’m proud of all three. It’s tanville recruited him for Sandler: I’ve been been a fun summer so its team, but any dream of puzzling over this for far!” going pro was crushed three years, and the best Clearly, this is a break- when he got hurt during Ican come up with is this out season for Dale, a for- his first month there. sort of three-pronged an- mer Manhattanville Col- “They were talking swer. No. 1, it was a story ies and decades and dec- lege student previously about a massive surgery, that needed to develop in ades of research have best known for his TV and they couldn’t even an evolutionary biology shown that we just aren’t work: He played a Marine promise me I could play sense, that in order to all that different. in HBO’s World War II after that,” he says. “All thrive as a species we had AP: What drives that miniseries “The Pacific,” my energy went into the to have more of us, so that nagging pull to have awidowed intelligence theater department.” was important. And then more? analyst in AMC’s critical- Actor James Badge Dale, a former Manhattanville College Dale left Manhattan- we were an agrarian soci- Sandler: I think that ly acclaimed drama hockey standout, stars in three of this summer’s biggest ville after his sophomore ety, and in an agrarian so- as parents we want our “Rubicon,” and a CTU blockbusters: “Iron Man 3,” “The Lone Ranger” and year, explaining that he ciety children were a kids to be happy and to agent on “24” (whose “World War Z,” which opens Friday. BRIAN HIGBEE was anxious to jump-start work force and a life in- thrive. We want our fam- hand was memorably his career. Less than two surance policy, and if you ilies to be happy, and we chopped off by Jack rewrites and reshoots.