Best Bets: Clooney movie, Beatle biopic, Ellen memoir
The movie that opened the Venice Film Festival and created buzz in Toronto is coming to a theater near you on Friday.
George Clooney directed and starred in "The Ides of March," which earned serious Oscar cred at the two film festivals last month. The political thriller also stars heavy hitters Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman, all previous Oscar winners or nominees.
Pictures: The Venice Premiere
Pictures: The Toronto Premiere
Pictures: The U.S. Premiere
Also opening this week is "Real Steel," Hugh Jackman's movie about sparring robots. Among the DVDs coming out Tuesday is "The Lion King" (the 2-D version).
Now that most network shows have premiered and reality TV competitions have yet to heat up, it is documentaries that highlight the week in TV. On Wednesday, HBO debuts its two-part biopic on the "quiet" Beatle, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World." Olivia Harrison, George's widow, served as a consultant on the movie, produced by Oscar-winning movie legend Martin Scorsese, who is getting a reputation as a rock documentarian.
And on Sunday, you can take a seat for the domestic wedding of the year when E! airs the two-part "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event."
Also coming up this week is the season finale of "Breaking Bad," the season premiere of "Say Yes to the Dress," with Kelly Ripa as guest dress consultant, and the debut of the creepy haunted-house drama "American Horror Story," starring Dylan McDermott and Jessica Lange.
Music lovers can look for the release Tuesday of new albums by Feist ("Metals") and last spring's "American Idol" winner Scott McCreery ("Clear as Day").
Also coming out Tuesday is "The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams." Bob Dylan, Holly Williams, Merle Haggard, Norah Jones, Jack White, and Alan Jackson are among the many musicians taking part in this tribute - completing and recording Williams' unfinished works - that has been years in the making.
And if you don't get enough of Ellen DeGeneres on her daily talk show, you can curl up with a book of her reminiscences this week. Her memoir, "Seriously...I'm Kidding," is being published Tuesday, as is a new work by Alice Hoffman, author of "Practical Magic." Hoffman's latest novel, "The Dovekeepers," is set in Biblical times and is about strong women (what else?) who tend doves.