Hot Sheet: Charlize, Whitney, and Sandra

Movies...

- All About Steve: It's the year of Sandra Bullock. Just two months after Sandy had the biggest hit of her career with The Proposal comes this gem, about a slightly off-kilter woman who crosses the country in search of a man she had one date with. Hell, if that man were Bradley Cooper, I might just hop a bus too. But seriously, this movie runs the risk of being too much Two If By Sea and not enough While You Were Sleeping. If All About Steve tanks, Sandy has another chance in November to redeem herself with the football dramedy The Blind Side.

- Carriers: Chances are this Invasion of the Body Snatchers-type horror flick would have never seen the light of day had star Chris Pine not just made it big in Star Trek. Want the proof? Carriers isn't even opening in New York or Los Angeles. But if you're in Boston or Phoenix, now's your chance to see Pine in action -- as he looked in 2006, when this film was made.

- Extract: The man who brought you Office Space is back with another "fucked-up work experience" comedy, complete with Jason Bateman doing his standard bumbling everyman, Ben Affleck in some truly tacky extensions, and Mila Kunis, cleavage to the heavens, as the sexy new girl. Best-looking bit of this movie: Sordid Lives/Donnie Darko star Beth Grant (she of "Sparkle Motion" fame) as the loud-mouthed assembly line employee.

Music...

- I Look to You by Whitney Houston: Whitney releases her first album in seven years, and let us say -- having heard the album at a listening session with a glowing Ms. Houston in attendance -- it's a blast. Highlights include the club-ready "Nothin' But Love" and the Diane Warren-penned first single, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (we know, Warren usually writes treacle, but this song is actually moving). Expect I Look to You to be one of the biggest sellers of the year. Just for fun, here's a little Whitney throwback for you:

- Love Is the Answerby Barbra Streisand: The title is beyond trite, but at least Barbra looks good in the just-released cover art. The album comes out September 29, and will feature jazz standards and collaborations between the legend and sultry singer Diana Krall.

Other albums on our radar include Humbug from English rockers Arctic Monkeys, One Love from French DJ David Guetta (he of the amazing Kelly Rowland duet "When Love Takes Over"), Ellipsefrom former Frou Frou singer Imogen Heap, and No Baggage from Cranberries wailer Dolores O'Riordan.

On Tour: In live music news, gay-friendly pop star Jason Mraz (whose single "I'm Yours" just set a Billboard record for staying on the Hot 100 list for 70 weeks) tours Northern California this weekend. Meanwhile, Britney takes her Circus tour to Boston and Philly this weekend before heading to the Southeast early next week, with stops in Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, and Greensboro, N.C.

DVDs...

- Rudo y Cursi: That sizzling south-of-the-border duo Gael Garcia Bernal y Diego Luna star as poor half-brothers who learn valuable life lessons when their soccer skills take them from a rural banana plantation to glamorous Mexico City. Unfortunately, the actors don't venture into homoerotic Y Tu Mama Tambien territory here, but their undeniable chemistry made this into one of Mexico's biggest box office hits.

- Monster: Pretty woman Charlize Theron De Niro'd herself into an acting heavyweight and collected nearly every imaginable acting honor when she took on the role of Aileen Wuornos, the lesbian prostitute/serial killer who was executed in 2002. The acclaimed 2003 film makes its debut on Blu-ray.

- 17 Again:Let's be real -- at some point or another, you've probably gazed upon those shirtless pics of Zac Efron that seem to circulate the Internet with eerie regularity. So I'll save you the trouble of wondering: Zac spends the first five minutes of 17 Again shirtless, and the next hour and a half attempting to become the next Tom Hanks in this Big-in-reverse comedy. He actually doesn't fare too badly at either.

- Californication: The Complete Second Season: In a case of art imitating life, David Duchovny plays a sex addict who also indulges in booze and drugs. OK, so the X-Files hunk is only guilty of the sex part, but it certainly makes for engaging television -- especially for Southern Californians. Plus, brush up on the series in time for season 3, which boasts a multi-episode arc by Kathleen Turner.