WE HAVE A BUSY WORK SCHEDULE, BUT we?re making sure that we?ll be able to catch these should-see events:

The Bb. Pilipinas finals Saturday night are high on our list, because we watched the pre-pageant show last week and were struck by the generally high level of pulchritude of face and figure in this year?s batch of beauty-queen aspirants. A number of them look like winners in our book, including a literally outstanding bet who topped the tape at a towering 6 feet flat!

Now, to see if, aside from being tall and lovely, the lissome ladies possess the personality-plus, presence of mind and quick wit required to be able to answer ponderous questions while shivering and clad in nothing more than a wee bikini. We?d like to see the judges doing that without making cringe-worthy mistakes all over the place!

Theme

On the movie screen, quite a number of productions merit our attention: First off, we?ll be heading for ?Up in the Air,? George Clooney?s latest starrer, because we?re quite taken by its theme of tragic amorality in high places.

?Alice in Wonderland? should also be a treat. We?ve caught other film versions of Lewis Carroll?s psychologically provocative fable, and we think that Tim Burton?s new version will be right up there with them in terms of visual and thematic provocation.

As for ?Crazy Heart, ? we?ll be watching it for Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal?s acclaimed portrayals.

Next Saturday, we?re looking forward to attending the ?Saturday Nights Live? musical show at our favorite Salcedo Market in Makati. That?s right, the fun and fave morning market has a special evening treat in store for its habitues, a concert directed by Floy Quintos and produced by Women of Bel-Air Foundation and Barangay Bel-Air.

The show starts at 6 p.m. and stars The Company with baritone Andrew Fernando and mezzo-soprano Clarissa Ocampo. A memorably tuneful evening should be had by everyone. (Via Mare specialties will be on sale from 6 p.m. onwards.)

?Friendly confrontation?

Back to this weekend: Also choice is the ?friendly confrontation,? or more properly ?cross-pollination? between popular programs of top US female talk-show hosts, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres, on Monday, March 8, on the Etc. channel. The unique TV interaction starts at 7 p.m., with the airing of Oprah?s show, and Ellen?s show returns the compliment at 8 p.m.

The Oprah-Ellen interaction began as a joke a couple of years ago, when Ellen mounted a campaign to ?persuade? Oprah to invite her to share the cover of a special issue of Winfrey?s O magazine. Oprah finally acquiesced, and the issue became a best-seller, inspiring the conceptualization of the unique tit-for-tat shows on view on Etc. on March 8?and every weekday evening thereafter!