She Likes to Watch

Steve Kutcher loves bugs.

A renowned entomologist and Hollywood bug wrangler, Kutcher has worked with insects on more than 100 movies, TV shows, music videos and commercials. He’s trained cockroaches to do back flips, made bees swarm indoors and had a live wasp to fly out of an actor’s mouth.

He’s even turned insects into miniature artists by putting paint on their feet and coaxing them to crawl across canvases.

As Kutcher told National Geographic in 2002, he discovered his love of insects as a toddler summering in the Catskills.
After studying insects at UC Davis and Long Beach State University, Kutcher was invited to work on the set of “Exorcist 2.” His job? Playing babysitter to 3,000 live locusts.

Kutcher’s been a Hollywood bug wrangler ever since.

His creepy-crawly credits include “Arachnophobia” (filmed right here in Cambria), “Alien,” “Jurassic Park” and “Wild Wild West.”

Kutcher’s biggest job to date, however, was casting the radioactive spider that bites Peter Parker in “Spider-Man.”

Working with director Sam Raimi, the entomologist found the perfect spider — Steatoda grossa — and even painted it blue and red to match Spider-Man’s suit.

Bugs, as Kutcher says, are definitely his business.

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Steve Kutcher makes two appearances today at the Paso Robles City Library, 1000 Spring Street in Paso Robles.

At 2 p.m., he gives a free presentation at the library conference room. (Due to the size of the venue, free tickets are required; they’ll be distributed one hour before the show in the children’s section of the library.)

Kutcher speaks again at 4 p.m. at the library student center. No tickets are needed.

For more information, call 237-3870 or visit the library’s Web site.

To learn more about Steve Kutcher, click here.

Who says education has to be boring?

The National Geographic Society has long championed the cause of knowledge and understanding. It’s also captured some of the most stunning sights known to man on film.

National Geographic offers a number of amazing videos on its Web site, such as this Czech church decorated with thousands of human bones.

There’s also a National Geographic channel on YouTube. Its slogan? “Inspiring People to Care About the Planet.”

Here’s a video about the annual rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas.

Security specialists learn how to “drive like a spy” at a special training school.

And, in one of National Geographic’s more popular videos, a shark tussles with an octopus. (Just ignore the goofy narration.)