The ShowBuzz Weekly Forecast
Life is full of surprises.
Who ever would have thought that you could get a smash hit movie by throwing together a slightly fey rascal who seems to have taken make-up tips from Tammy Faye Bakker, a repulsive villain with a squid for a face, a leading lady who likes to dress in men's clothes and a plot as complicated as a recipe for Pekin duck?
By now you probably have guessed that "The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" is ready for you to take home on DVD.
But that's not the only new thing this week in the world of entertainment. This isn't exactly a voyage to Tortuga and if we run into a giant sea monster, we'll be the first to flee. But hop aboard the Good Ship Forecast and let's do a little exploring, shall we? (Don't forget your water-wings. Pirate hats are optional.)
MOVIES
In the midst of scandal, Mel Gibson had a movie in production. "Apocalypto" is a historical drama that is full of action and, if it's true to other Gibson-directed films, full of messages. It's set in the ancient Mayan civilization, where a catastrophic event sends a man on a journey to save his way of life.
A rare pink diamond inspires the title of "The Blood Diamond", a movie set in modern South Africa. But it will be Leonardo DiCaprio (as a mercenary) who is likely to draw the movie-going public. He gets help from a farmer played by Djimon Hounsou and a journalist played by Jennifer Connelly.Photos: 2006 Holiday Films
When writing about "Unaccompanied Minors," it is impossible not to make reference to "Home Alone." The movie is about a group of teenagers who are snowed in at an airport on Christmas Eve. When they find themselves confined to a room set aside for unaccompanied minors, they rebel and break free, learning to unite in the face of authority in spite of their different backgrounds.
TV
Here's a holiday treat from Kyra Sedgwick: A brand-new episode of her cop drama "The Closer." Sedgwick is terrific as displaced Atlantan Brenda Leigh Johnson, who heads up the LAPD's Priority Homicide Division with a firm hand, a syrupy drawl and a bunch of personal neuroses. In this two-hour special, titled "Serving the King," Brenda is called upon by her old CIA mentor to assist in an investigation of a would-be defector found murdered in Los Angeles. In the tangled case, she must find the thread connecting a former KGB agent, the murder of several CIA agents, a young Lebanese boy thought to be a terrorist, and 20 pounds of missing weapons-grade plutonium. William Daniels guest stars. It airs 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, on TNT.
What happens when you put seven "bad girls" in a house together — the kind of young women who lie, cheat or try to flirt their way out of every situation. When pent up together, face to face with others mirroring their own bad behavior, will these gals want to change? Or will they stay stuck in the same self-defeating patterns? That's the question behind "The Bad Girls Club," a new reality series that brings together residents who realize their "bad girl" ways have hindered relationships, careers and lives. They've got 22 episodes to make amends. This Oxygen series premieres at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5.
Stanley Donen directed film classics including "Singin' in the Rain," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," and "Charade." Now 82, the legendary filmmaker discusses these and other of his masterworks with Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne in a new edition of "Private Screenings" at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6. This conversation kicks off a month-long, 20-film Donen festival airing each Wednesday through December on TCM. First up, this week at 9 p.m.: "Funny Face" (1957), a Pygmalion story set in the rarefied world of high fashion starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
A Christmas card brings together two strangers from opposite ends of the globe. But will it change their lives for the better or dash some well-laid marriage plans? Hallmark Channel's film "The Christmas Card" tells the story of an American soldier who's deeply touched when he gets a handmade holiday greeting while on duty in Afghanistan. Then, returning home on holiday leave, he resolves to track down his unknown correspondent. He does. And they fall in love.
There's only one hitch: The young woman, Faith, already has a boyfriend who moves fast to propose to her once the soldier enters the picture. What will Faith decide? "The Christmas Card," which salutes sacrifices made by America's men and women in uniform in this holiday season, stars John Newton, Alice Evans and Ben Weber, as well as Edward Asner and Lois Nettleton as Faith's parents. The film premieres at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9.
MUSIC
The big news in music is the release of the soundtrack from "Dreamgirls," the long-awaited holiday movie based on the wildly popular stage musical. Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Hinton Battle are among those who bring their pipes to the table, and there's also knock-out star power from Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Loretta Devine.
Gwen Stefani is out with "The Sweet Escape," with support on a couple of tracks from Akon and Pharrell.
According to the product description, "Eminem Presents: The Re-Up" started life as a street-mix-tape project. Its purpose: to launch Stat Quo, Ca$his and Bobby Creekwater, all new artists on the new Shady Records label. But Eminem says the material was too good to release "rough and unfinished. I thought we should add some other new tracks, make it a real album, and put it in the record stores to give these new artists a real boost." The album was executive produced by Eminem, who also produced the majority of the songs.
Make way for "Ciara: The Evolution," for which the R&B star says, "I took my inspiration from many different influences and the sound really reflects that." A bonus CD features dance instructions for "Get Up," the "Get Up" video, dance instructions for "Promise," and the "Promise" video, as well as some behind-the-scenes moments.
BOOKS
Hannibal the Cannibal is a household name now, but it wasn't always so. He kept popping up in books written by Thomas Harris: "Red Dragon," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Hannibal," and now he's back in "Hannibal Rising," which traces the roots of the villain.
Philippa Gregory did such a great job with "The Other Bolelyn Girl" that she is back with "The Boleyn Inheritance," once again focusing on the ladies of Henry VIII's court. It's narrated in character by Anne of Cleves (the king's fourth wife), Katherine Howard, and Lady Rochford (who was Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law).
It's been out for a week but worth a mention is "Drop Dead Gorgeous," a novel by the popular Linda Howard. This one focuses on Blair Mallory as she deals with a murder attempt while trying to plan her wedding — during the holiday season.
THEATER
"The Voysey Inheritance" has its Broadway opening Wednesday, Dec. 6. It's the New York premiere of David Mamet's version of a 1905 morality play that was written by Harley Granville-Barker. Fritz Weaver is in the cast.
"High Fidelity" is a new musical based on a novel by Nick Hornby. It's directed by Walter Bobbie, a Broadway favorite, and stars Will Chase, Jenn Colella and Christian Anderson. Opening night at Broadway's Imperial Theatre is set for Thursday, Dec. 7.
Ready for another rock musical on Broadway? This time, it's "Spring Awakening," opening Sunday, Dec. 10.
DVDs
If you're buying "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man's Chest," you can choose the basic DVD or you can go for the two-disc collector's edition, with such special features as a production documentary and a film depicting how they created Davey Jones. Both editions feature "Bloopers of the Caribbean," which is bound to be the best "extra" of all.
Here are a few other titles that will be released Tuesday, Dec. 5:
"The Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Film Collection" is composed of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966), co-starring George Segal and Sandy Dennis and directed by Mike Nichols; "The Comedians," co-starring Alec Guinness and Peter Ustinov; "The Sandpiper" (1965), co-starring Eva Marie Saint and Charles Bronson and directed by Vincente Minnelli, and "The VIPs" (1963), co-starring Louis Jourdan. Taylor and Burton were the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt of their day, familiarly known to the tabloids as "Liz and Dick." These days, they'd be referring to them as Lizdick.
If "24" is one of those TV shows that you've always meant to catch up with, here is your chance, as Seasons 1 through 5 are released on DVD.
Fans will be very happy to see "Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season" (1975) finally available on DVD. In addition to the Not Ready For Primetime Players, you get guest hosts like George Carlin, Rob Reiner, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Elliott Gould and Candice Bergen, as well as musical performances by Simon & Garfunkel, ABBA, Patti Smith, Jimmy Cliff and Carly Simon. Bonus features include the screen test of each performer.
If you're in the mood for a 'toon, there is "Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 2," featuring the ditzy lab mouse and the mentally superior rodent who is determined to figure out a plan to take over the world. This cartoon was a spin-off of "Animaniacs," also available on DVD in two volumes.