The Oscars — or as they’re known in France, Les Oscars — take place Sunday night in Hollywood. You can grab your own piece of red carpet glory with not one but two viewing parties in Birmingham.

Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival will hold a fund-raiser party at 7 p.m. at WorkPlay [map]. Free food, free glass of champagne, music by Matt DeVine and prizes including restaurant gift certificates and swag bags. Tickets are $15 (plus $3 service charge if bought online).

Seven blocks north of there, and one hour earlier, Young Professionals of Birmingham kicks off its fete at Steel [map]. Free food and drinks, music by Just a Few Cats and prizes including a trip, a diamond necklace and more. Tickets are $25, $40 per couple (plus $3 to $4 service charge if bought online).

The Hoover Bucs: scary on the field? Sure. Scary in practice? Sometimes.

Scarily dramatic? Yawn. “Two-a-Days” without drama is just a bunch of kids sorta staying out of trouble and leading humdrum lives on camera. Halloween week brings few tricks and sad little treats, including Coach Propst chasing his 100th victory. Or his 100th burrito. We lose count. (more…)

Hoover vs. Homewood … Brittany vs. Mark … Brandon vs. Ross … Charlie vs. the English language. It’s a “Two-a-Days” showdown between these young foes.

Who will yell louder? Who will cave in? Who will slink away in defeat? And who will wear the T-shirt of Destiny? Let’s meet our pugilistic pairs. (more…)

Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival named its new staff at Monday night’s monthly Salon. Catherine Pfitzer, right, has become the new executive director after having served as program manager.

Erik Jambor, left, will become executive director of BendFilm Festival in Bend, Ore., on Feb. 15. A Sidewalk co-founder, he resigned in November after having served as director for eight years.

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The bitch is back. Coach Propst is in full-tirade mode this week, as he and the Hoover Bucs face longtime rival, the Vestavia Hills Rebels. It’s a hatefest on “Two-a-Days,” and everybody’s coming.

The parents are fired up. The players are fired up. The cheerleading coach is fired up. Their fury is so, so delicious. This episode is so … dare we say … blogtastic?! We shall.
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A gray-haired dude from Hoover sings his way to “Idol” stardom. Two single moms from Birmingham race around the world to place third.

That was 2006.

Reality TV for 2007 has more fierce faces on the way. Not one but two state residents will compete on the eighth edition of “America’s Next Top Model.” The two women are the first in show history to hail from Alabama.
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Birmingham dominates the tube tonight, on network and cable television. First, see how August’s first ever local auditions for “American Idol” turned out. Our guess: screechingly bad. An AP reporter shares her experience trying out for the singing reality competition. It airs at 7 tonight on Fox 6.

Then, at 9, flip over to MTV for the season premiere of “Two-a-Days,” with a shocking start to the reality drama about the Hoover High football squad. (Check out our review, complete with spoilers, free previews and advance airtimes.)
• Associated Press: Reaching for the American (Idol) dream
• New York Times: In High School Football, Crunch Time Can Be Literal

• • •

More headlines | send us your news tips.

Forget basketball. Who cares about hockey? On MTV, it’s football season … again.

“Two-a-Days” is back, with a semi-new crew of players, cheerleaders and a more sensitive(!) Coach Propst. Don’t believe us? Drop and give us 20, slacker. Um, pretty please?

We’ve got the inside scoop on Tuesday’s premiere — including how to watch it for free, how to get a leg up on your fellow Bucs fans, and the exciting (read: creepy) new cheerleading coach.

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Your January fun continues tonight …

Instead of a photo finish, let’s have photos first. Our pal Philip exhibits his work at the first Artwalk Brewhaha of 2007. (Don’t bother with the official Artwalk Web site — it’s on sick leave.) See more samples on his Flickr page. 5-9 tonight at Starbucks in Five Points South. Free, plus complimentary refreshments. [map]

Walk on over to Zydeco for A Black Tie Dye Affair for performances by Ryan Kinder, Rick Carter and the Justin Johnson Band. The event by Young Professionals of Birmingham benefits Gateway, a nonprofit organization that assists at-risk families. 5:30-12:30 tonight. $25. [map]

And hop on over to Speakeasy 1920 to lend a hand to Kid One Transport, a nonprofit agency that provides free transportation for children to medical care. (Hat tip: Pretty Helmet.) $5. [map]

If your self-esteem is dangerously high, perhaps you need a good cussin’. Have we got the guy for you …

His name is Rush Propst, and in case you lived under a rock (or in Gardendale) this past season, he’s the loud, large, LOUD football coach at Hoover High. And he’s back for a second season of “Two-a-Days,” the MTV reality series tackling (football metaphor) the behind-the-scenes drama of a championship team.

Listen closely. He’s yelling at you right now.

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Your January fun begins tonight …

Our pals at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute wanted you to know that the first Sixteenth and Sixth of 2007 takes place at 6:16 tonight. It’s $10 for the evening of “Galleries Alive” (which sure beats the opposite), with performances by Shariff Simmons and R-Tist. [map]

Our pal Charles opens his new exhibit, See Block City, at Naked Art Gallery in Forest Park. Opening receptions are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. [map]

Our pal Eartha wanted you to know that Rojo [map] will hold a silent art auction to benefit the family of Shane Hulsey, paddler and envrionmentalist. The auction runs 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Also, Bottletree [map] will hold the Raindrop Music Festival at 2 p.m. Sunday. Performances by Ferocious Bubbles, Duquette Johnston, Sunny So Brite, the Saturdays and more. Tickets are $10.

And coming up later in the month, the Artwalk Brewhaha at Starbucks in Five Points South (featuring our pal Philip’s photography) and the YP Birmingham monthly event (from our pal Amy), A Black Tie Dye Affair at Zydeco, both on Jan. 26.

After a successful tour for “American Idol,” does Taylor Hicks have anything left to prove?

Well, he has yet to put out a CD under new management.

That changes Tuesday with the release of “Taylor Hicks” [Amazon | iTunes], a pop/blues/soul album that tones down the numerous “woo!” and “yeah!” interjections to which TV fans have grown accustomed.

Hicks delivers what he has long promised: a fun, lively set of songs that play to his strengths of performance and precision.

Updated with free song download …

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Lyn and Karlyn. Tyler and James. Rob and Kimberly. After four continents, 13 countries and 40,000 miles, one of these teams has won the 10th edition of “The Amazing Race.”

Birmingham duo Karlyn Harris and Lyn Turk have beaten the odds to make it to the Final Three. Would it come down to a footrace, a taxi standoff or an airline waiting list?
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The path isn’t clear.

Board president Alan Hunter talked today about changes behind the scenes at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Last week’s sudden departure of co-founder and director Erik Jambor has raised questions about the status and future of the downtown film festival.

In addition, Hunter announced next week’s Sidewalk Salon will be an open discussion with board members about questions, concerns and suggestions from the public.

Updated with new time for Salon.

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Our fair ladies, Lyn Turk and Karyln Harris of Birmingham, have survived fierce competition, tough tasks and wild rides — but can they survive each other? It’s the battle for the Final Three on the penultimate episode of “The Amazing Race.”

Four teams headed to Spain to contend with tomatoes, titans and touchiness. Would Team Birmingham implode en route or keep it together long enough to reach the Pit Stop?
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