The thrilla in vanilla

Awards shows and TV specials will keep eyes glued to the tube

On the Air

Rattaya Nimibutr

I'm sure plenty of you had your noses glued to the tube for the 41st Annual Grammy Awards last week, watching Lauryn Hill win big and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith missing the first two lines of the band's signature song from Armageddon.

Not only that, but a lot of kiddies sat around for Felicity Tuesday night with the what's-his-name's-ex-girlfriend's-coming-back-to-him situation and the very last episode of Home Improvement.

By the way, on the what-the-heck note, Dawson's Creek is really trying to balance the quality of the show now. By adding a gay character, the show is really depending on him to advance it to anywhere near what we would call a good show. Once they get rid of him, the show probably will go downhill.

He's asking for it

When Geraldo Rivera made headlines for opening Al Capone's vault some time back, it was only a matter of time before Maury Povich would have itchy fingers to do something risky of his own to top it.

Now, the ex-talk show host has found a project, opening a lost tomb tonight in Opening the Lost Tombs: Live From Egypt. With the talk that this event could bring curses and mishaps, Povich is more likely to be seeking fame with this one.

What you will see is the dissecting of the pyramid of Khamerernebty II and the newly discovered and unopened Tomb of the Unknown. It should be quite interesting.

The awards month

March is known for Spring Break, but in Hollywood, it is also known as the time for choosing between five different outfits to attend five different awards shows that will only get stars the next gig in the business.

First, the 30th NAACP Image Awards will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday on FOX. Mariah Carey and Blair Underwood will be hostesses. Expect the likes of Will Smith and other celebs to attend.

Fast forward to Sunday, when the Fifth Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air on TNT, honoring those who have been overlooked by other awards shows. Kirk Douglas will receive his Lifetime Achievement Award for performances in motion pictures and on television.

Then there's -- what else? -- the 71st Annual Academy Awards, airing in a couple of weeks. Check the local listings for this one. I'll be rooting for the one and only Roberto Benigni and his brilliant work in Life Is Beautiful.

Shakespeare in Love has been getting kudos, while Saving Private Ryan is racking up for Steven Spielberg and his crew. Also, in my opinion, Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) should at least win over Gwyneth Paltrow, but hey, we'll see. 

The bad boys on TV

Surfacing on television now will be headliners Charlie Sheen and John Cusack, each signing for his own show on ABC for the coming season.

Sheen, whose 13-episode order will be titled Sugar Hill, is set in and around a New York police precinct. Cusack's show is still untitled, though words are buzzing that his crime story will be set in Chicago.

Wait around more, though, because Bette Midler has also been sniffing around for a TV show, so Sheen and Cusack may not be the only new faces on the tube.

She's not tired yet

The Rodeo is still going on, and those who are not tired of it yet can check out tonight's showing of Shania Twain's Winter Break at 7 p.m. on CBS.

Since her stint here, not to mention the sold-out concert Oct. 31 at Compaq Center, Twain and her "twuck" have made country sounds more mainstream than ever. So if you missed it, here's your chance.

Movie trivia

Here we go with this week's trivia. You've got to think about this one for a little bit. Hint: An actress starring in this movie also appeared in Playing by Heart with Gillian Anderson and Sean Connery.

"When the Grey Hair is dead, Magua will eat his heart. Before he dies, Magua will put his children under the knife, so the Grey Hair will know his seed is wiped out forever."