WHAT'S COOL WHAT'S HOT.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

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WHAT TO SEE

Disgusting. Filthy. And more laughs per minute than any other movie out there. That's ``The Aristocrats.'' Something like 100 professional comedians wax philosophical about an old vaudeville routine in which a family performs the most vile exploits imaginable. For decades, comics have competed with one another to see who could come up with the longest, most depraved descriptions their sick minds could muster. The results shared here make ``The Wedding Crashers'' seem as tame as Winnie the Pooh. Of course, if you're easily offended by synonyms for Winnie's nickname, this isn't the movie for you. But if you appreciate a good dirty joke, told 100 different smart ways, ``The Aristocrats'' is in a class by itself.

Let nobody ever say that Christopher Reeve didn't go out fighting. One of the final screen appearances by the paralyzed actor/director is in the documentary short, ``The Last Wild Place With Christopher Reeve.'' In it, Reeve argues forcibly against development plans near Mount Greylock, the highest peak in southern New England. The 15-minute film concludes a one-week run today at the Laemmle Grand Theatre, 345 S. Figueroa Ave., Los Angeles. [phone].

LIFTING AND STRETCHING

The writers of the racy FX series ``Nip/Tuck'' are real cutups. Season two (out on DVD Tuesday) has the plastic surgeons of Florida's trendy and dysfunctional plastic surgery center - Drs. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) - dealing with a serial killer known as the Carver, the usual strange episodes on the knife, from possibly messing up Joan Rivers' face to giving a man breasts to a former patient (Jill Clayburgh) with revenge on her mind after bad lipo, to the mundane things like turning 40. Joely Richardson is terrific as Sean's estranged wife, who isn't happy with her life. Neither is Sean, but Christian, who's the real father of one of his partner's kids, is cutting his own way through life. Famke Janssen plays a life coach, who, besides having her own little secret, knows how to get a teen boy to do his homework, if you what we mean. Others dropping in for the season were Alec Baldwin, Vanessa Redgrave (Richardson's mother) and ``Deadwood's'' Sarah Paulson. ``Nip/Tuck'' is nasty and soapy but with an edge.

LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!

Every year around this time, the Perseids meteor shower hits its peak. Watching it requires a clear night in the country, a few blankets and maybe some binoculars. But a night spent looking skyward usually results in neck pain. The StarSeeker chair from Bigha (bigha.com), an admittedly geeky contraption, aims to make stargazing comfortable. The $1,950 package consists of a rugged aluminum base, collapsible lounge chair, adjustable binocular mount and small battery-powered motor. It fits easily into a car trunk and assembles in a couple of minutes.

The chair reclines smoothly under body pressure, and the viewing controls are easily operated in the dark. The counterweighted binocular bar allows a range of vertical motion, from just above the horizon to directly overhead. The motor, controlled by a small joystick, gently rotates the chair at variable speeds. A green laser sight is also part of the package, casting a powerful beam that can help fix the binoculars on a particular spot.

Coupled with Canon's 18 x 50 image-stabilizing binoculars (an optional $1,175 accessory from Bigha) and an open area, the StarSeeker makes the entire night sky available for crisp, pain-free viewing.

EMMYS, GRAMMYS ... NOW THE YAMMYS

Is it cool, is it hot, or is it a public nuisance? The people will decide when Yahoo begins hyping its first-ever short video contest, known as the Yammys. This week, the popular search engine will be projecting the 25 finalists on assorted public sites, starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday with the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and continuing through Saturday on walls and buildings around the Los Angeles area. Videos will be judged by celebs Kelly Monaco, Jenny McCarthy and Pauly Shore, as well as by bystanders who also get chances to win decent prizes. The categories include pets, road trips, office humor and the ever-popular bloopers. Yammy winners get a red-carpet premiere of their video back home and other prizes.

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(1 -- color) ``Nip/Tuck''

(2 -- color) StarSeeker chair