The ShowBuzz Weekly Forecast
Oscars are coming up on Sunday, which means this week will be chock full of speculation, predictions and red-carpet ruminations.
Awards shows have sprouted up all over the place in the last 20 years or so. But the Academy Awards are still the main event.
One special DVD note: If you haven't had a chance to catch "Babel" in theaters, you can take it home this week, just in time for the Oscar telecast Sunday. In addition to best picture and best director, two of its supporting actresses, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, are up for the gold.
MOVIES
Jim Carrey continues his evolution from rubber-faced comedian to serious actor in "The Number 23," in which he plays a man whose life goes off the rails when he develops an unhealthy obsession with a weird book. Don't go looking for Ace Ventura here.
If you are seeking plain silliness, get a ticket to see "Reno 911: Miami." If you are familiar with the Comedy Central TV series from which this movie has sprung, then you already have a pretty good idea of what to expect. This is a seasoned comedy troupe that blends improvisation with scripted plots to construct the totally out-of-left-field misadventures of a group of law enforcement officers based in Reno, Nev. As the title of the movie suggests, they are transplanted to Miami to pick up the slack when a national police convention there comes under attack.
Photos: "The Number 23" Premiere
Finally, in wide release, there is "The Astronaut Farmer," starring Billy Bob Thornton as a guy who used to be an astronaut. Still yearning for space travel, he cooks up the idea of building himself a rocket ship — in his barn.
TV
Did we mention the Oscars?
Anyway, they'll be telecast Sunday, Feb. 25, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, but not before Barbara Walters has her annual pre-Oscar interview special, this time throwing her questions at big catches Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson and Helen Mirren, all nominees who are the favorites to win their categories. She's also talking to this year's Oscar host, Ellen DeGeneres. Walters' show starts at 7 p.m. ET, and then there's a half-hour pre-Oscar show at 8.
But well before Oscar night, on Monday, Feb. 19, you can see a two-hour special interview with Diana Ross, conducted not by Walters, but by the ever-intense James Lipton on "Inside the Actors Studio" (8 p.m. on BRAVO). Certain fans of Miss Ross remember well that she herself was up for an Oscar in 1972 for her performance as Billie Holiday in "Lady Sings the Blues." Unfortunately, those same fans also will remember that she lost the trophy to Liza Minnelli, who won for playing Sally Bowles in "Cabaret."
Photos: Oscar Nominees Luncheon
"The O.C." calls it a day for good on Thursday, Feb. 22 (9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX). It's the series finale, so tune in if you want to find out what happens to the Cohens, the Coopers and Ryan and Taylor.
MUSIC
At this year's Oscars ceremony, the honorary trophy for lifetime achievement is going to composer Ennio Morricone. And if the name doesn't ring a bell, let us just say: the theme to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and you should get an idea right away of just how good this guy is.
"We All Love Ennio Morricone" is the title of the CD that is being released in tandem with the Academy Award, and the "We" refers to such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Renee Fleming, Chris Botti, Celine Dion, Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones, and Andrea Bocelli, all of whom contributed tracks that highlight Morricone's compositions.
And, speaking of Andrea Bocelli, he's releasing a new one this week on his own: "Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana" ("Rustic Chivalry"), a fierce operatic tragedy set in the hills of Sicily. Of course, Bocelli doesn't do it alone; he sings the role of Turridu, but gets plenty of support from the likes of Paoletta Marrocu, Enkelejda Shkosa and Elena Belfiore.
Getting back to Hollywood, there's the release of the remastered original recording, "The Very Best of Judy Garland," composed of many of Garland's recordings on the Capitol Records label from 1955 to 1964. There are 70 tracks in all, of course including standards like "Over the Rainbow" and "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody," but also such treats as "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" and the poignant "Little Girl Blue."
BOOKS
If you're into the true crime genre, keep an eye out of "Final Analysis: The Untold Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case," written by Catherine Crier, a staple of Court TV. Polk murdered her husband by stabbing him 27 times and then simply went to bed. She was tried twice, acting as her own attorney the second time. She was convicted in 2006 but people are still talking about her defense, which centered around the claim of abuse.
Those who go for the fictional side of crime will welcome the return of Lt. Eve Dallas in "Innocent in Death" by J.D. Robb. She investigates the poisoning death of a teacher at a private school who may or may not have been murdered by his wife, and the story leads her into the expanded world of the victim's work life.
THEATER
"Carnival!" is a 1961 musical that is being revived at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in a limited engagement that has its opening night Saturday, Feb. 24. The cast features Ereni Sevasti as Lili, Jim Stanek as Paul, Sebastian La Cause as Marco, Natascia Díaz as Rosalie, Michael Arnold as Jacquot and Jonathan Lee Iverson as Schlegel.
In New York, "Journey's End" opens Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Belasco Theatre. It's a drama based on the World War I experiences of playwright R.C. Sherriff, with a cast that includes Hugh Dancy, Boyd Gaines, Jefferson Mays and Stark Sands.
DVDs
Just in time for the Oscars, "Babel" is released on DVD. As the official Oscar Web site describes it: "Several interwoven storylines unfold across four countries as difficulties in communication and understanding complicate life in the shrinking global village. A Moroccan shepherd, a pair of American tourists, a deaf Japanese teenager, and a Mexican nanny and her two young American charges are among the characters whose lives connect in unexpected ways."
Creepy shenanigans in the world of magicians and their secrets are at the heart of "The Prestige," starring Hugh Jackman and Michael Caine.
Photos: "Babel" in Hollywood
Finally, they were the belles of the ball at this year's Grammy Awards, and now the documentary that spotlights their art and their politics is out on DVD: "Dixie Chicks – Shut Up and Sing" affords fan and foe alike the chance to take a closer look at what makes this musical trio tick on stage and off.
Photos: Dixie Chicks