That's it, We're Swearing off 'Sex'

Ladies, grab those ridiculously high heels because "Sex and the City 2" is hitting theaters. As any devotee of this wildly successful HBO series knows, heels are a must for every occasion. But the real fashion show took place on the big screen, with enough bling and female bonding to please a die-hard "SATC" fan — and horrify just about everyone else.

The first "Sex and the City" film (2008) seemed to tie up loose ends for the beloved group of friends: Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) finally got married, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and her husband (Evan Handler) have a family, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Steve (David Eigenberg) made their family work, and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) happily gave up on monogamy.

New 'Robin Hood' Right on Target with Modern Tastes

No way were they going to put Russell Crowe in green tights.

Now that we've got that out of the way, rest assured that's not the only liberty Ridley Scott and his band of merry men took with their reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. They've swapped the pointy feathered hats and felts with chain mail, metal-militia adrenaline and sly sexual innuendo. And frankly, it works.

It is with the same gusto with which he created "Gladiator" that Scott retells the English myth. Everything feels more epic than the quaint-by-comparison swashbuckling Hood of Errol Flynn's era.

This "Robin Hood" follows the evolution of the titular character from king's army archer to vigilante scourge of Sherwood Forest. The plot is immediately plunked into the throes of war, as Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) and his warriors sack French strongholds. Robin Longstride, as he is originally known, proves his mettle with his bow, but puts his foot in his mouth when he admits to his highness that God won't take kindly to the Crusades.

One Hot Night on the Town

"Date Night" follows a burned-out married couple as their routine night on the town turns into the adventure of a lifetime. Not that you should care. All you really need to know is that it stars Tina Fey and Steve Carell, both big stars on NBC's Thursday Night lineup ("30 Rock," "The Office").

If you're a fan of either show (as this reviewer is), you've probably already decided that you'll buy a ticket and go with the same people you trade quotes with on Friday mornings. Imagine it: Liz Lemon and Michael Scott. Married with kids. I want to go to there.

In the wake of revelations about Sandra Bullock's cheating husband, I'm wondering about your take on why she's with him. She doesn't seem like the usual low self-esteem type who goes for bad boys. — In Bad Boy Recovery Myself

It seems women have a crafting gene. Martha Stewart taps into hers, and like a one-woman swarm of rickracking, sponge-painting locusts, transforms everything in her path. Other women start by perking up flowerpots and end tables and move on to unsuitable men. There's no rush like walking into a room with a changed man on one's arm (even better than the feeling of having much better shoes than all the other women at the party).

Polanski's 'Ghost' Intriguing but Elusive

A ghostwriter is tasked with turning someone else's story into a readable and relatable book — and then walking away with a paycheck and none of the credit. A good one should be unobtrusive, yet inquisitive and able to scratch away at the truth without making too much of a mess. Director Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" uses a similar approach, taking us on suspenseful excursions just under the surface of a juicy story, yet never quite claiming responsibility when it's all said and done.

The ghostwriter in this film (Ewan McGregor) fits the job requirements. He's so unobtrusive that the screenwriters (Polanski and Robert Harris, author of the 2007 novel on which the film is based) never even give him a name (he's credited only as "The Ghost"). But he's known enough for a publisher (a surprising Jim Belushi) to offer him a high-paying gig ghostwriting the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan).

HOLLYWOOD - Mickey Rourke is set to play a famous barbarian's father in the feature film "Conan," the fantasy franchise that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star. The project will shoot in Bulgaria, and the plot is that Conan sets out to avenge the slaughter of his people. It's all a bit complicated at the moment, as is the career of that other Conan, last name O'Brien, who traveled from New York to California to host a TV show. ... And speaking of TV shows, I truly wonder why Letterman thinks it's entertainment and fun to drop things from tall buildings to the street below. Recently, huge weights were dropped from a rooftop onto the top of automobiles below, completely destroying the vehicles.

Aside to Gisella T. of Santa Monica, Calif.: You ask how Oscar got the name. As far as I know, when the little gold man was created and shown to Academy members, Margaret Herrick, a prominent member, said, "He looks just like my Uncle Oscar." From then on, that's what the Academy Award prize has been named.

Ozzy's Book Full of his Memories, Some of Them Untainted by Reality

The first thing Ozzy Osbourne does to set the record straight in his autobiography, the best-selling "I Am Ozzy," is to acknowledge that his recollections of the past may differ from those of, well anyone and everyone else.

"Over the past 40 years," writes heavy metal's Prince of Darkness, "I've been loaded on booze, coke, acid, Quaaludes, glue, cough mixture, heroin, Rohypnol, Klonopin, Vicodin, and too many other heavy-duty substances to list in this footnote. On more than a few occasions I was on all of those at the same time. I'm not the (expletive) Encyclopaedia Britannica. ... What you read here is what dribbled out of the jelly I call my brain when I asked it for my life story. Nothing more, nothing less."

HOLLYWOOD - Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Sinatra? Yup, Leo will play "Ole Blue Eyes" in a film directed by Martin Scorsese. But Leo will NOT do the singing. I'm told Sinatra recordings will supply the music. I knew Frank. Personally, I would never have picked Leo for the part, but we'll wait and see if he can pull it off. P.S. They were much more alike in their personal lives. Both Frank and Leo had, and have, a No. 1 priority -- GIRLS.

Yes, the town is still praising John Travolta for his trip to Haiti bringing food, medicine and many other needs to that ravished country. AND in the many interviews he has been undergoing on TV, radio and in newspapers, the sadness of losing his son, Jet, has not been mentioned -- hopefully not to bring up his hurt. AND take it from someone who knows, he has really been hurting.

I'm not a big Conan O'Brien fan, but I feel he got a raw deal from the Peacock Network. After bringing him out here from the East and having him bring his family, they kick him off and say he can't appear elsewhere. I don't know what the situation is at this point, but he does have my sympathy.

Q: Is it true that someone is making a film about Facebook? How is it possible to turn that into a film? -- Frank J., via e-mail

A: Production has begun on "The Social Network," which stars Rashida Jones, Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg, and is directed by David Fincher ("Fight Club," "Se7en," "Panic Room" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"). Shelby Young ("Days of Our Lives" and "Wild Child") recently finished shooting her supporting role in the film. While she couldn't tell me much about the movie or her role in it (they have all signed confidentiality agreements so the story doesn't leak out), what she could tell me is that the movie is about the founders of the social-networking site Facebook. Like many of the film's stars, Shelby admits, "I am such a huge fan of 'Fight Club,' so the chance to work with David Fincher, I just couldn't pass that up." Look for "The Social Network" in theaters come October.
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Q: At the end of last season it was stated that "Friday Night Lights" was coming back this year. Has that changed? I haven't been able to find anything about it. -- Phillis M., via e-mail

A: Season Four of "FNL" is slated to premiere Friday, April 30, on NBC. Per an agreement with DirecTV, the fourth season already aired on The 101 Network from October 2009 through this past February, with NBC re-airing the season coming next month. If you want to be surprised by what happens this season, beware of online spoilers from those who already saw the episodes on The 101!
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The Long Hello: Zac Brown Band

LOS ANGELES — The Zac Brown Band made history in at least two ways when it won Best New Artist honors at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 31.

The six-man group became the first country-music band — as opposed to solo artist — to ever win a Best New Artist trophy at the Grammys. Equally notable, this year's Best New Artist winner isn't exactly new, although Grammy Award rules are flexible in defining who qualifies for such a designation.

That's a good thing for Brown, who formed his Atlanta-based band in 2000, several years after launching his music career, and released his group's first album on his own label in 2003.

Or, as the bearded singer-guitarist said backstage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the Grammys were held: "We've been very blessed to do what we love for a living. After 13 years, to be recognized on this level is one of the greatest pleasures of my life."

'Island' is Psychological Thriller Worthy of Hitchcock

Aboard a ferry in the choppy Boston Harbor, U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) approach a looming rock of an island where a hospital for the criminally insane awaits them. The year is 1954 and they are coming to investigate a missing inmate who mysteriously escaped her locked cell. A storm is approaching as the men step off the boat. They are greeted by officers who disarm them and deliver strict guidelines of behavior. Get your straitjackets ready. You're now on "Shutter Island," the new movie from director Martin Scorsese.

As the marshals interview the hospital's chief psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley) and staff, Teddy knows something isn't right with the story. He begins having disturbing flashbacks to when he was a soldier liberating Nazi concentration camps and visions of his dead wife (Michelle Williams). As the storm becomes a hurricane, Teddy starts to wonder if he hasn't become a prisoner there himself. Where is that straitjacket again?

HOLLYWOOD - There is some news beside Oscar. How's this for a combination: Kathy Bates and Whoopi Goldberg? The ladies have joined the cast of "Earthbound." The film stars Kate Hudson and is shooting in New Orleans. And speaking of my hometown, it has certainly been in the news what with the Saints winning the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and all those big names in film located in The Big Easy. When I lived there, it was known as The City That Care Forgot.

Then along came Hurricane Katrina, and that title was "forgot." Now it's Hollywood on the Mississippi, what with Brad and Angelina, Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage, Helen Mirren, Frances Ford Coppola, John Goodman and others having homes there.

Rob Reiner has come a long way from the role of Meathead in "All In the Family." He has been receiving all manner of awards for all manner of "doings."