It's the ugliest trophy we know of, but celebrities still compete for it: The "Dancing With the Stars" mirror ball is up for grabs with a whole new cast starting their ballroom bash this week. Also this week: "Zero Dark Thirty" comes to home video, and Tina Fey's new movie, "Admission," arrives in theaters.

Slideshow: 'Dancing With the Stars' season 16 cast

Getty Images

Launch slideshow

MONDAY: 'Dancing With the Stars'
"Dancing With the Stars" always rises and falls on the strength of its celebrity dancers. Not necessarily the ones that are the most talented, but the ones who bring the drama. Comedian Andy Dick has reportedly already done that, reporting that he had a breakdown, cried, and lashed out at his professional partner. He's sure to be one to watch. Also in "Dancing" news: Newly engaged "Bachelor" Sean Lowe has been added to the cast. Gymnast Aly Raisman, actor D.L. Hughley, Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill and Grammy-winning country singer Wynonna Judd will also be competing for the weirdly sparkly mirror ball trophy. (March 18, 8 p.m., ABC.)

TUESDAY: 'Zero Dark Thirty' on home video
The dramatic and intense Oscar nominee "Zero Dark Thirty" comes to home video this week. While the film only won one Oscar (best sound editing) out of the five for which it was nominated, it has received raves from critics. And when Esquire spoke with the Navy SEAL who reportedly fired the final shots that killed terrorist Osama bin Laden, he confirmed that much of the film's detail is accurate, though he took issue with the noise the SEALs made during the raid. The film can be difficult to watch -- especially the much-discussed torture scenes -- but the final hour is spellbinding, and even though you know how it ends, you'll be on the edge of your seat. (Out on home video March 19.)

FRIDAY: 'Admission'
Tina Fey made headlines recently when William Shatner joked at the Oscars that he wished Fey and Amy Poehler were hosting that awards show instead of Seth MacFarlane. But was he really joking? Fey's as popular as ever -- unless you're Taylor Swift and still mad about that Golden Globes crack. In "Admission," Fey plays an admissions officer at Princeton who discovers a gifted student might just be the son she gave up for adoption years ago. Paul Rudd plays the cute single dad who may find himself in a romance with Fey. (Opens March 22.)

Related content:

• Judd, Hamill, more to go 'Dancing With the Stars'
• Tina Fey refuses to consider Oscar gig
• Review: 'Zero Dark Thirty' features stunning final hour

Warner Bros.

Steve Buscemi and Steve Carell star as a Vegas magical team who've fallen on hard times.

REVIEW: If you're a fan of Steve Carell's portrayal of Michael Scott in "The Office," you'll love him as "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone." It's the same character. In both roles, he plays a handsome guy who's landed a position well over his head, and instead of sitting back and savoring the wondrous position he landed, he gets greedy.

In "The Office," he's running a paper company with absolutely no idea how to manage people or business. In "Burt Wonderstone," he's a nerdy kid grown up into a Siegfried-and-Roy style Vegas magician, partnered with childhood pal Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi). And he still has no idea how he got so lucky. Instead of savoring stardom and riches, he's grown cranky, tired of Anton, and of their stale magic show (they still enter to that ancient Steve Miller Band hit, "Abracadabra").

But now there's a new kid in town -- Criss Angel-meets-"Jackass" style street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey, looking like a 20-year-old punk Jesus). Gray goes for the gross-out -- sleeping on hot coals, pulling a bloody playing card out of a hole in his cheek. Burt and Anton aren't into that kind of act, but casino boss Doug (James Gandolfini, wonderfully doltish) is attracted to Gray's younger audience. And so just as Burt and Anton's friendship is falling apart, so is their professional life, the magical dreams they've had since childhood vanishing like coins in a magician's hands.

So now the plot is set: Burt must reunite with Anton, struggle back up the Vegas ladder, and make nice with beautiful assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde, in a nice role). Along the way, he touches base with the man (Alan Arkin) whose magic kit set him on this road when he was just a kid.

Warner Bros.

Olivia Wilde joins the two magicians as part of their Vegas act.

There were a million ways "Burt Wonderstone" could have messed up its tricks. But mostly it doesn't -- the cast is talented and the plot finds ways to surprise. Anton is treated cruelly by Burt, but it's satisfyingly funny that Anton himself turns out to have his own sense of clueless ego, giving starving Cambodian children magic kits instead of food. And while a more standard plot might have pitted Gray against Anton and Burt in some kind of direct battle-to-the-death, here they perform their final competing acts solo, and the bizarre information Anton picked up on his Cambodian sojourn actually comes in handy.

Burt and Anton are presented as an old-school act who never learned to adjust to the times. The movie's a bit old-school too -- light and mostly funny, not edgy and street, but solidly entertaining. Not full-on magic, but you'll pull more than a few laughs out of this hat.

Related content:

• Is 'Oz the Great and Powerful' too scary for kids?
• Ford, Fisher, Hamill in for new 'Star Wars'
• Terrence Howard: 'Iron Man' killed my career

There's a little bit of everything this week in entertainment. Steve Carell has a new movie, "The Bachelor" wraps up another season, and the biggest winner at the Oscars comes to home video.

Warner Bros.

Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde and Steve Carell star in "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone."

MONDAY: 'Bachelor' finale
Ready for two hours of lead-up to a five-second possible proposal? In the season finale, "Bachelor" star Sean Lowe will choose between Catherine, the graphic designer from Seattle, and Lindsay, the teacher and general's daughter from North Carolina. Many viewers feel the real drama went out of the show when this season's mean girl, Tierra, left the show. And some still feel Sean made a mistake by not choosing AshLee, who complained on the recent reunion that she felt blindsided and lied to. There are already rumors out there as to who Sean picks and what happens next, but we won't spoil things here. Tune in if you need to know. (March 11, 8 p.m., ABC.)

TUESDAY: 'Life of Pi'
Best-picture winner "Argo" garnered all the headlines, but it was "Life of Pi" that won the most Academy Awards at last month's Oscars. The film, based on Yann Martel's best-selling book, won four awards -- Ang Lee won for best director, and the film won cinematography, original score and visual effects honors. If you missed the Oscar-winner in theaters, it's now coming to home video. Roger Ebert raved over the film, calling it "a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery." (On DVD and blu-Ray March 12.)

FRIDAY: 'Incredible Burt Wonderstone'
Two Steves, Carell and Buscemi, team up for "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," which comes to theaters this week. They play a famed Vegas magician team who now hate each other, and yet must step up their showmanship to beat an up-and-coming challenger played by Jim Carrey. The one-upmanship gets pretty intense -- Carrey tries to spend a night sleeping on hot coals or attempts to pound a nail in with his forehead, Carell and Buscemi attempt to spend a week dangling inside a glass box. Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin co-star. (Opens March 15.)

Related content:

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• See 'Wonderstone' star Wilde's sexy showgirl picture
• 'Bachelor's' Tierra: I didn't do anything wrong

OPINION: There's no question that the original "Wizard of Oz" features some scary scenes -- we list the five most traumatizing in this story. So parents can be forgiven for wondering: Should I take my child to the new prequel, "Oz the Great and Powerful"? Fair warning: It is rated PG, whereas for all its scares, the original film was rated G, so you've got to expect it's less kid-friendly.

Walt Disney Pictures

Sure, Finley, the flying monkey on the left, is cute as all get-out, but check out that beast on the right.

Warning: Plenty of spoilers for the new movie ahead.

1. Scarier flying monkeys
There is one friendly flying monkey in the new movie. Cute monkey Finley is rescued by James Franco's Wizard and becomes his pal. He's a pretty cute doe-eyed creature, but he doesn't represent the actual army of flying monkeys in the film. They're explained as "flying baboons" to distinguish them from the nicer-looking ones, and they're terrifying, with giant fangs and a much more demonic and threatening look than the 1939 flock. They zoom out of the mist, hunt for our heroes in caves, and generally up the scary factor of the originals by tenfold. Who looked at the original "Wizard of Oz" and said, "That film was great, but you know what it needed? Even scarier monkeys."

2. Witch weirdness
The three witches in this movie all start out appearing good, but we know that, other than Glinda, the other two have to make the leap to the dark side. And there's a very physical transformation of one of them that's pretty Jekyll-and-Hyde like in its painful-looking appearance. The scariest moment for a 5-year-old: When the witch's now-green hand suddenly grabs a table and her talon-like nails drag slowly and painfully into the wood. Like nails on a chalkboard with a satanic twist.

Walt Disney Pictures

For one 5-year-old, the witch's green, taloned hand dragging through a wooden table (you can see it in the previews too) was the film's scariest moment.

3. Glinda is tortured
We love Glinda. She's Glinda the Good! In the original movie, she just floats around in a big poofy prom dress and helps Dorothy out. (Though really, would it have hurt her to mention the thing about clicking your heels to take you home a little bit earlier?) Anyway, it's agonizing to see her chained between two posts so the evil witches can zap her with some kind of supernatural electricity over and over again. She appears unharmed in the end and of course she triumphs, but that's a long drawn-out scene that is not easy to watch.

Walt Disney Pictures

Dear Glinda (Michelle Williams), we love you and don't like seeing you tortured.

4. Minor scares and a battle
There are some weird little scares throughout the film, some which appear to have been thrown in simply to take advantage of the 3-D. In perhaps the biggest jump-scare moment in the film, a random flower-thing with googly eyes leaps into James Franco's face. There are also little buzzing pixie sprites that gnaw at him in that same scene, but they're played for laughs. There's also a scary walk through a dark forest with a bunch of eyes lighting up in the trees behind. Yes, we saw this in "Snow White," but it was nerve-wracking there too. And there's a big battle scene, though it turns out the good army we see attacked is not anything that can be injured, and there's a nice "we won!" moment for the good guys.

5. The destruction of China Town
There's a new element in this Oz, a place called China Town, made entirely of china dolls, dishes and the like. We don't see the town's destruction happen, but it's shattered by the flying baboons and we do see the aftermath. And when we met the character China Girl, her legs have been broken off (they're fixed by the Wizard) and we learn her entire family was destroyed, though that's not dwelled on.

Walt Disney Pictures

China Girl's village of China Town is destroyed, though we don't see it happen onscreen.

6. 3-D
The movie's in 3-D, which not only costs you extra but features things randomly jumping out into the audience. Mostly those aren't too aggressive or scary. But for sensitive kids who don't want to wear the glasses or don't like the extra dimension (or parents who want a cheaper ticket price), seek out a theater playing the film without the 3-D.

7. Length
The original "Wizard of Oz" is only 1 hour, 45 minutes long. "Oz the Great and Powerful" is 2 hours, 10 minutes. That extra half-hour could've easily been cut, as there are numerous scenes where the film just kind of drags, and one child in our screening briefly fell asleep.

8. The good things
All that said, the film treats the legacy of "Wizard of Oz" with respect. It doesn't mess around with the legend we already know, and it's colorful and lively, with some beautiful scenes. China Girl is a darling new character and the Wizard and Glinda are good guides through this strange and bizarre land. Older kids will enjoy it, and it's a good idea to rewatch the original first and discuss the differences together afterwards. We have even more details in our full review.

Should you take your child?
This mom wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 5. For 5- to 7-year-olds, you'll need to use your own judgment. I took my 5-year-old after reading the related picture book with her and making sure she knew things ended happily. She had a few climb-in-mom's-lap moments, but they weren't always what I thought they would be. I don't think she understood the bit about Glinda or China Town, it was the witch's hand dragging her fingernails into the wooden table that scared her the most. Kids over 7, unless they're very sensitive, will probably understand that it's a movie, that good triumphs and it does end happily. I still wish they'd come out with a director's cut that chops out a half-hour of unnecessary exposition -- although it does make bathroom breaks easier.

Related content:

• Review: 'Oz' prequel lacks heart, has courage
• Five 'Oz' traumas from original film: Flying monkeys, melting witch
• Slideshow: A mom's guide to kid movies

REVIEW: You've got to have courage to take on a film that's as beloved as "The Wizard of Oz," but a heart and a brain help, too. Prequel "Oz the Great and Powerful" could use a little more of both.

Walt Disney

James Franco plays the young Wizard of Oz in the prequel to the classic film.

That's not to say it's terrible. If you're off to see the Wizard, you won't feel that the 1939 original has been dissed here. And some of the new creations, especially China Town, a marvelous town made of china dishes and dolls, are as memorable as the poppy fields of old.

The story poses an intriguing question: How did the cranky braying Wizard get to be the faker behind the curtain? James Franco plays Oscar "Oz" Diggs, a dashing young Kansas carnival magician who breaks hearts and fakes out audiences with his illusions. The early scenes are played in black-and-white just as Dorothy's Kansas scenes were, and the people Oz mixes with will return once he gets to the Land of Oz, just as her farmhands do. That's a nice throwback, and there are others.

But once Oz gets to Oz and the world turns into sparkling color, things get too complicated and go on for way too long. The three witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams) don't really stand out, except to note that costuming Kunis in skintight leather pants, trotting around Oz's wilderness in spike-heeled boots was a decision made for much crasser reasoning than Oz tradition or logic.

Walt Disney

In "Oz the Great and Powerful," at least one flying monkey is friendly.

Instead of the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, the future Wizard pals up with Finley a flying monkey, sweet little China Girl, and to a lesser extent, two forgettable characters dubbed the Master Tinker and Knuck. Finley is a cute idea -- take those flying monkeys that traumatized us as kids and make them likable -- especially since the majority of the flying monkeys in this film have been given a horror-movie twist and are creepy baboons. But to play off another throwback to a Kansas friend, he's voiced by Zach Braff, whose whiny tone never fits cuddly looking Finley's role.

Say this about the original "Oz," the plot was simple. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to ask the Wizard for home, a brain, a heart, and courage. This one's all over the place, with the witches conniving against each other, China Girl's hometown destroyed and never avenged, and extraordinarily complicated battle-prep scenes. The movie is a groaningly long two hours plus, and one youngster in my screening fell asleep.

The film's in 3-D, apparently so things can fly at the screen randomly, but it rarely lives up to the jacked-up ticket price. Kids under 7 are going to face some scary scenes, including the more-terrifying monkeys, a weirdly frightening googly-eyed flower, and a creepy scene where the good witch Glinda is tortured.

In the original film, the Wizard was a big faker, hiding behind a grander image because he knew he wasn't what he pretended to be. "Oz the Great and Powerful" can't live up to a grander image either, but there's enough magic to make it enjoyable for what it is.

More from movies:

• Flying monkeys! 5 ways 'Oz' traumatized us
• Critics list 113 problems with 'Twilight'
• Terrence Howard: 'Iron Man' killed my career
• Mila Kunis soothes, praises rookie interviewer

In "Oz the Great and Powerful," opening March 8, James Franco plays a young Kansas magician who ends up the wizard of that magical land. Thinking of bringing your child to the new "Wizard of Oz" prequel? Parents, take note: The two-plus hour movie is rated PG "for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language."

Everett Collection

We hate you, flying monkeys of Oz.

Action and scary images, huh? Yeah, we saw the original 1939 "Wizard of Oz," and we're here to tell you: Some of those "scary images" stayed with us for life. Here are five that we've clawed out of our memory banks.

1. The flying monkeys
It doesn't seem that terrifying when you write it down. Monkeys, eh, not the most frightening member of the animal kingdom. Why does adding wings make them the worst thing this side of Freddy Krueger? They're unnatural, of course, and just creepy. And when the witch sends them en masse after Dorothy and friends and they darken the sky with their numbers, well, any kid who had nightmares knew exactly what caused them.

Walt Disney

Finley, a flying monkey from "Oz the Great and Powerful," isn't as scary as the 1939 flying monkeys.

2. 'How about a little fire, Scarecrow?'
Scarecrow was the most beloved of Dorothy's Yellow Brick Road companions. Yet he was also the most vulnerable -- it's a lot easier to beat up on a guy stuffed with straw than an axe-wielding tin man or a lion, even a cowardly one. Early on, he confesses that fire is his nemesis, and the witch teasingly pelts him with a fireball. Later on, his legs are literally torn off, and in a super-heart-rending moment near the end, the Wicked Witch taunts him with "How about a little fire, Scarecrow?" before setting his arm on fire. Thankfully, Dorothy's mad splash saves him, leading us to ...

3. The melting witch
Oh, we all wanted the Wicked Witch to get killed, no question about it. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a little jolting to see her slowly sizzle and melt into the ground, screaming all the while. More than a few of us felt the same way about water when Mom insisted we take a bath, so we could relate.

Everett Collection

She's mellllllting!

4. Miss Gulch takes Toto
One little nip, and that's all it took to condemn Dorothy's sweet little dog to death at the hands of evil Miss Gulch. We have to say, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry were zero help here. We were completely traumatized until sweet little Toto escaped the Bike Basket of Death and was once again reunited with Dorothy. It doesn't get a lot better for dog lovers on the Oz side of the curtain, where the witch threatens to drown the little pup.

5. The Wizard's floating giant head
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! No problem, we're too busy staring at the creepy giant floating green head that the Wizard somehow thought would be an impressive and majestic representation of himself to keep Oz in line. Are we sure this was supposed to be a kids' movie?

What's your scariest "Wizard of Oz" memory? Vote in our poll, and share with us on Facebook.

Related content:

• Review: 'Oz the Great and Powerful' could use more heart
• Dorothy's blue 'Oz' dress sells for $480,000 at auction

And now, Han Solo with the news. Yes, that's Han/Indiana Jones/Harrison Ford, joining star Will Ferrell on the set of "Anchorman: The Legend Continues," the long-awaited sequel to the 2004 comedy "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

Pacific Coast News

Will Ferrell and Harrison Ford are seen on the set of "Anchorman: The Legend Continues."

Ford is reportedly playing a legendary newsman who's being compared to Tom Brokaw. But since the "Anchorman" series will do anything for a laugh, his role will surely be given a twist.  The actor reportedly arrived on set with a full head of grey hair, but had it dyed dark before heading out at Ferrell's side. He's no scruffy-looking Nerf-herder here.

Ford's addition has some movie fans excited. "My, my, the prospect of this is miles more thrilling than his reprisal of Han Solo," wrote Nick Newman at The Film Stage. 

Wrote Geoff LaTulippe on Twitter, "Harrison Ford is in ANCHORMAN II. I don't even know how to handle the joy of the world anymore."

Ford's sat behind a fake news desk before -- he won praise for his role as an anchorman in the 2010 comedy "Morning Glory."

"Anchorman: The Legend Continues" opens Dec. 20. Joining Ferrell and Ford are stars Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden and David Koechner.

Will you see "Anchorman: The Legend Continues"? Tell us on Facebook.

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Children of the 1970s, you remember "Schoolhouse Rock," the short catchy musical bits that taught kids how to unpack their adjectives, helped them memorize the preamble to the constitution, and taught us all how a bill becomes a law.

Now "Schoolhouse Rock" has met up with another 1970s powerhouse, "Star Wars," in a smashing viral video. The video sets scenes from the "Star Wars" movies (the originals, please, not the sad sequels) to that "Grammar Rock" song "Interjections."

So instead of Reginald being home with flu (uh-huh!), it's Luke Skywalker getting his new prosthetic hand. Princess Leia is the "Geraldine" who played hard to get (ah-ha!), though "Geraldo" (Han Solo) knew he'd woo her yet. And when the "game was tied at 7-all," it's not Home vs. Visitors in a football stadium, but the Empire vs. the Rebels in a galactic brawl-for-it-all.

Wrote one viewer, "This is hysterically funny. I grew up w/ School House Rock and Star Wars in the 70s and am NOT easy to impress when it comes to things nerdy and comical. This had me in tears I was laughing so hard."

Another poster was hoping for a mashup set to History Rock's "Shot Heard Round the World." And he or she may get their wish for more content. The video was posted Feb. 24 by the YouTube account One Minute Galactica, and the poster says another mashup, using "Schoolhouse Rock's" camp-themed "Unpack Your Adjectives," could be on the way. He was a hairy Darth, he was a scary Darth...

What's your favorite "Schoolhouse Rock" ditty? Tell us on Facebook.

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• Chewbacca, Yoda makeup artist dies at 98
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The Oscars are over, and so are the January-February new-release doldrums. Good films are starting to roll out again, including James Franco as the Wizard in "Oz the Great and Powerful." Here's a look at our three top entertainment picks for the week ahead.

TUESDAY: 'American Idol' goes live
The "American Idol" auditions are always crazy, but the show really kicks into gear when the live episodes begin this week. The show's narrowed its talent pool to 20, 10 men and 10 women, and will cut that group in half by Thursday. On Tuesday, the women will show their stuff, and on Wednesday, the guys -- whether or not they all deserve it -- get a chance. (March 5-7, 8 p.m. each night, Fox.)

TUESDAY: 'Wreck-It Ralph' on home video
Parents with fond memories of early video arcades and games can bond with their tech-generation kids this week when "Wreck-It Ralph" comes out on DVD and blu-Ray. In this charming animated film, John C. Reilly voices a video-game bad guy who's tired of being the villain. When he goes "game jumping" and ends up in a candy-themed race game, he bonds with little Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) and learns that his game role isn't what really matters. (On home video March 5.)

FRIDAY: "Oz the Great and Powerful"
The Wizard himself got short shrift in "The Wizard of Oz," which played him off as a kind of dumpy little dude behind a curtain. In this new take on L. Frank Baum's classic, James Franco plays a Kansas magician who takes a hot-air balloon into the magical land, meets its witches and Munchkins, and discovers the people of the troubled land need him to become someone else in order to save them. (Opens March 8.)

Related content:

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• Did all 10 male singers deserve to be in 'Idol' top 20?
• Zoanette beats 'Idol's' Sudden Death round

Children of the 1980s, you remember "Pretty in Pink." Molly Ringwald's bizarre home-sewn prom dress. "His name is Blane? That's a major appliance, that's not a name!"  "What's this? We don't have a candy machine in the boys' room!" "WHAT ABOUT PROM, BLANE?"

The 1986 John Hughes classic came out 27 years ago Thursday, meaning that had Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) actually stayed together with either rich pretty boy Blane McDonnagh (Andrew McCarthy) or (our preference) quirky best friend Duckie Dale (Jon Cryer), they might even have kids of their own by now. Possibly adult kids. Maybe even a grandkid.

Everett Collection

"Pretty in Pink" came out 27 years ago Thursday.

Some say "Pretty in Pink" pales next to some of Hughes' other work, such as "Sixteen Candles" or "The Breakfast Club," but there's no doubt it's made its mark on pop culture. Years ago, Jon Cryer told TODAY.com that he's played Alan Harper on "Two and a Half Men" for years, but when he walks down the street, fans who recognize him never yell "Alan!" They always yell, "Duckie!"

In 2012, Jimmy Fallon asked Cryer if the beloved character couldn't be resurrected for a "Duckie Holiday Speclal." Cryer wasn't so sure, pointing out the innate uncoolness of his alter ago. "People forget that Duckie wore lederhosen!" he admonished.

And when McCarthy's memoir came out last fall, TODAY anchor Savannah Guthrie asked him if he felt it was true that Duckie was better for Andie than his own character of Blane. "That is an outrageous theory," McCarthy joked.

It's famously known that "Pretty in Pink" was supposed to end with Andie leaving Blane and ending up back with Duckie, her faithful, fashionable friend. But that ending was reportedly rejected by a test audience (someone find these people and interrogate them about what they were thinking), so Andie got the "happy" ending with richie Blane.

And perhaps that's as it should be. As much as we support Duckie's eternal faithfulness and fire, a 2012 TODAY.com poll showed that a slight majority of readers chose Blane over Duckie anyway. So let's pretend they're content, whoever and wherever they are. And happy anniversary.

Duckie or Blane? Take our new poll, and tell us what you think on Facebook.

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Oh, Oscars. We love you, we hate you. You're the king of all awards shows, but you still bring with you all the problems of any awards show.

Gary Hershorn / Reuters

Oh, Oscars. We love you, we hate you.

Maybe we're just jealous. Jealous because we worked really hard on that TPS report last spring, and yet were neither paid millions of dollars for it nor invited to a glamorous televised ceremony a year later to be praised for it. But then again, we didn't have our fashion choices mocked by a thousand bloggers, or have our disappointed face made into a meme when we lost to Jim from Accounting.

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THE OSCARS:

1. The fashion
Yes, it's getting weirder all the time, but still, stars clean up for the Academy Awards in a classier way than they do the other awards shows. Jennifer Lopez's famous cleavage-splitting, double-taped green dress? She wore that to the 2000 Grammys. Grace Kelly's breathtaking ice-blue satin Edith Head gown? She wore that to the 1955 Oscars. Advantage: Oscars.

2. The In Memoriam segment
Hollywood's been around long enough now that some of our favorite players have left us for that great stage-door canteen in the sky. In 2012 alone, we lost Whitney Houston, Ernest Borgnine, Andy Griffith, Jack Klugman, Nora Ephron and so many more. Seeing them, even so briefly, as the screens of the In Memoriam segment flash by, gives us a last chance to remember the joy they brought to our lives.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Liz Taylor was included in the 2012 In Memoriam segment.

Amy Sancetta / AP file

Angelina Jolie's leg went to the 2012 Oscars.

3. The random storylines that pop up
The Oscar producers try to make everything run like clockwork, but humans are human, and delightfully so. People mess up.  Angelina Jolie weirdly juts her leg out of her gown on the red carpet and the world doubles over with laughter. Sacha Baron Cohen dumps fake Kim Jong-il ashes on Ryan Seacrest and Seacrest lets his professional facade down for a second and looks legitimately ticked off. It's all the weirder for happening at the Oscars, that rehearsed-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life gala, kind of like when the snooty lady at church tucks her dress in her pantyhose by mistake.

WHAT WE HATE ABOUT THE OSCARS:

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

James Franco and Anne Hathaway were criticized for their 2011 Oscar hosting attempt.

1. The hosts
This year, it's "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, so we're holding out hope things could be lively and even entertaining. But in the past, many Oscar hosts have been snore-worthy. No one dares push the envelope as Ricky Gervais did at the Golden Globes, and the less said about James Franco and Anne Hathaway's 2011 attempt, the better.

2. The listy speeches
The best speeches come when the winner appears to speak from the heart, even if their remarks are prepared. Share a sweet little anecdote about the film, or how you practiced for this day as a kid by delivering your speech into a bottle of Love's Baby Soft, and you'll find the audience rapt. But recite a list of everyone from your eight managers to your dog-sitter to your pool boy, and we're wishing we could yank that statuette back from you and give it to someone else.

3. The Academy's voting habits
The stereotypes about Academy voters being old and boring and in love with their own industry still hold up. "The Artist" was a fine film, but did Hollywood reward it so heartily in 2012 for its high quality, or for being about Hollywood? Was 2006's "Crash" really the best film of that year? And who can't sing, or at least hum, "Blame Canada" from the 1999  "South Park" movie? Yet it lost the best original song Oscar to a bland Phil Collins love song from Disney's "Tarzan." Who's responsible for that outrage? We blame Canada.

Love the Oscars? Hate the Oscars? Tell us why on Facebook.

Related content:

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All the other awards shows have been leading up to this one. The Academy Awards are coming, and they're the one bright spot in a dull entertainment week. You can prepare for the show by watching the film that might just win best picture, "Argo," which hits home video this week. And if you prefer your history a little older and more fantastical, the second season of "Game of Thrones" is also coming to home video.

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"Argo," "Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Les Miserables" are all Oscar contenders.

TUESDAY: 'Argo' on home video
Even before it started snatching up all the film awards, "Argo" was garnering great word-of-mouth and excellent critical reviews. No American who was alive in 1979 could not know about the Iranian hostage crisis, but somehow, "Argo" picked up on a dramatic sidebar -- the rescue of six embassy employees who had snuck out of their workplace and hid in the Canadian ambassador's home. The tale is slightly fictionalized, but it's a fascinating tale, with John Goodman and Alan Arkin delivering memorable performances as the moviemakers who help out CIA agent Ben Affleck. And yes, Affleck got robbed when he wasn't nominated for a best director Oscar. (Out on home video Feb. 19.)

TUESDAY: 'Game of Thrones' season two on home video
Need to catch up on the hit HBO fantasy series before it returns on March 31? Scoop up the DVD set this week and fall back into the world of Westeros. The Lannisters and Daenerys are back, of course, with plenty of new characters introduced in the second season, including Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre, Craster, Gilly and the fan favorite, Brienne of Tarth. (Out on home video Feb. 19.)

SUNDAY: Academy Awards
Here we are, movie fans. The night of the year. Forget all the awards shows that have come before, this is the Big Kahuna. We all know Ben Affleck was snubbed in the director category, but will his film, "Argo," steal best picture from "Lincoln"? Can young upstart and "Silver Linings Playbook" star Jennifer Lawrence take home the best actress honor so many thought belonged to Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty"? Can anyone stop Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day-Lewis? And how will Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" fame do as host? Pop the popcorn and the champagne, make your Oscar pool picks and settle in. (Feb. 24, 7 p.m. ET, ABC.)

Related content:

• 'Argo' wins best film at BAFTAs
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