Apparently, people are swallowing the Sony Pictures hype for "2012," starring <b>John Cusack.</b> The film, opening Nov. 13, is based on an ancient Mayan prophecy saying doomsday will come in, you guessed it, the year 2012.</p><p>So NASA is doing damage control with its Web site <a href=" http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-astrobiologist/intro/nibiru-and-doomsday-2012-questions-and-answers" target="_new">Ask an Astrobiologist</a>. </p><p>Scientists have fielded almost 1,000 questions about the movie's premise. Our favorite response, from NASA's David Morrison: "Calendars, whether contemporary or ancient, cannot predict the future of our planet or warn of things to happen on a specific date such as 2012. I note that my desk calendar ends much sooner, on Dec. 31, 2009, but I do not interpret this as a prediction of Armageddon. It is just the beginning of a new year."</p><p>| Sharon Hoffmann