Weekend Adviser

Ouch! This is the second Friday 13th in two months. How often does that happen?

I actually looked it up. There's at least one Friday 13th in every calendar year. Some years have two, and a few have three. No calendar year has more than three. Interestingly enough, the 13th day of the month is more likely (only slightly so) to fall on a Friday than on any other day. Who knew?

2009 is one of those unlucky years with three: February 13, March 13, and November 13. So, batten down the hatches.

This only matters if one is superstitious. Which I am. I know better. I know that superstitions are irrational. But, I can't help myself. Better safe than sorry, I guess. I'm not alone though as this piece shows: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/06/superstitious-ufo-alien-conspiracy-opinions-columnists-superstition.html

Anyway, I won't be taking any chances today. But, starting tomorrow, I'll be enjoying the weekend. And, there's a lot to enjoy.

If you want to get out of the house on Saturday night—and have outgrown the bar scene—there's always the multiplex. This weekend sees the opening everywhere of Disney's remake of the 1975 sci-fi classic "Race to Witch Mountain." I haven't seen it, but the early reviews aren't encouraging. Joe Morgenstern, the Wall Street Journal's film critic praises "Sunshine Cleaning" (see next paragraph) while panning "Witch Mountain" here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123689237471111537.html

If you're lucky enough to live in markets where "Sunshine Cleaning" opens today, consider yourself lucky. It's from the same independent studio that brought us "Little Miss Sunshine," and it stars Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as sisters who start a business cleaning up crime scenes. Both are fine actresses and appeared together in "Charlie Wilson's War"—Adams in a supporting role; Blunt in a small (but revealing) role. After this weekend's limited open, the film expands into more theaters next week and should be open everywhere by March 27.

If you'd rather cocoon, the choices are practically endless. New DVDs this week include "Milk," with Sean Penn starring as gay activist Harvey Milk, and "Rachel Getting Married," a dysfunctional-family drama starring Anne Hathaway. Penn won a Best Actor Oscar for "Milk," and Hathaway was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for "Rachel Getting Married."

How about a viewing marathon? I don't do it often, but when a new season of a favorite show comes out on DVD—"Friday Night Lights," "Life"—I hunker down for episode after episode. It's the only way to watch episodic television. This week's new releases include "The Starter Wife: Season One" and "Caroline in the City: The Second Season." That's seven hours of Hollywood ex-wife Molly Kagen (Emmy Award nominee Debra Messing) or nine hours with sexy cartoonist Caroline Duffy (Lea Thompson).

This is a big weekend for sports fans. The World Baseball Classic begins Round 2 on Saturday. The U.S. team has already qualified for a spot in the second round. Games will be televised on ESPN2 and MLB.TV.

And, for college basketball fans, March Madness is upon us. There is no calm before the storm. This weekend is the storm before the storm with most conferences holding end-of-season tournaments. Winning teams go straight to March Madness. The fate of losing teams is in the hands of the NCAA selection committee. With finals in the ACC, Big 12, SEC, Big 10, Big East, and Pac 10, there should be plenty of marquee matchups. Check your local listings.

The weekend's round ball climax arrives at 6:00 p.m. (EDT) Sunday with CBS's "Selection Sunday" program when the 65-team field for this year's NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship will be announced. Seeds, brackets, and initial matchups also will be revealed. Full scale Madness begins next week.

Enjoy your weekend!