Red Carpet

There's something to be said for a hotel room with a heart-shaped swimming pool, a sauna and a swirling, 7-foot champagne-glass whirlpool tub: Don't pack a lot of clothing. Although I was traveling solo, I was strangely drawn to the outlandish kitsch of a resort with heart- and stemware-shaped tubs. So, I dropped into the Caesars Pocono Resorts' Cove Haven along Lake Wallenpaupack to explore the territory on my own. There was no missing the two-story champagne glass as I entered my suite - it was next to a fireplace in the living room.

The events were a day and a continent apart, but the jewel-toned ruched ballgowns and slinky metallic dresses donned by Philadelphians at the annual Academy Ball Saturday night were right on trend with what Hollywood stars wore at the following evening's Screen Actors Guild Awards. The resemblances were everywhere. Actress Eva Longoria's white, wide-strapped and glittery Naeem Khan gown was very similar in style to 24-year-old Karen Bruccoleri's Night Moves dress. A very pregnant Cate Blanchett turned heads in a heavily embellished gown by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga, while Philadelphia's Daria Pew chose a capped-shoulder red gown by Oscar de la Renta with similar embroidery.

THE ONSET of the new year makes me nostalgic for earlier time: a different time, a simpler time. Maybe what I really need is to be transported to sometime back in the day. But when exactly was "back in the day"? Was it a few months ago? A few years ago? Decades ago? Maybe it was even a century ago. Or maybe it stretches back to the Middle Ages. I don't know. All I know is that whatever day is back there is different for everyone who's remembering or talking about back in the day. Back in the day is one of those words or phrases that, after years of increasing use, finally achieved total oversaturation last year - while still managing to communicate almost absolutely nothing.

For several years now, the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards have served as the link between the fashion and beauty industry and the rest of us. Remember Angelina Jolie's sleek white Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit? Jennifer Lopez's barely there green Versace gown? America Ferrera's cute and classy Brian Reyes debut? Now that Sunday's ceremony is a news conference and the fate of the 2008 Academy Awards, slated for Feb. 24, is in limbo, that connection has been temporarily severed.

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway will turn into a holiday highway on Sunday, with programs and attractions for friends and families. With seven institutions participating, there is bound to be something for everyone, and for those who want to indulge in more than one event, another is just a block or two away. The Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul at 18th Street and the Parkway will present its Christmas Concert of Sacred Music at 2 p.m., featuring the Cathedral Basilica Choir, Brass Quartet, Percussion and Handbells.

I HAVE THIS recurring dream. I'm on the red carpet at the Academy Awards, poised to win the Oscar for best screenplay adaptation of a humor column. My tuxedo is perfectly tailored. My mustache is precisely trimmed. I look like the Hollywood phony I've always wanted to be. "How does it feel to be here tonight?" a reporter asks as I stop for the cameras and flash my newly purchased porcelain smile. "Wonderful," I say, turning to my lovely wife and co-writer, LaVeta. "How does it feel to you, honey?"

NOW THAT A "Sex and the City" movie is finally close to cameras rolling, what about a movie about four HBO men whose lives consist of parties and sex? TV Week says that an "Entourage" movie isn't off the table, according to creator Doug Ellin. There just needs to be a table. "If people were interested in that, and somebody wanted to finance it, I would be all for it," he said. "But it's never been discussed. I hope we have four or five good seasons left of this show before that were to be the case.

Bahamas burial for Anna N. A Florida appeals court yesterday upheld a judge's ruling that allows Anna Nicole Smith to be buried in the Bahamas, agreeing that the evidence indicates that was what the former Playboy Playmate wanted. The starlet's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, challenged last week's ruling by Judge Larry Seidlin, who gave control of the body to an advocate for Smith's 5-month-old daughter. Arthur wanted to bury her daughter in her native Texas. But Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, had argued that she had wanted to be buried in the Bahamas next to her 20-year-old son, who died last year of apparent drug-related causes.

Hooray for Hollywood! The 79th annual Academy Awards will be given Sunday to actors, directors and all kinds of creative people on Hollywood's biggest night. If you don't have plans, why not throw an Oscar party? With just two days to go, it can be a challenge for even the most creative host or hostess. Here's an official "how-to" guide on throwing The Ultimate Last-Minute Oscar Party. Scene One: Theme How do you select a theme, especially if this is your first Oscar shindig?

There aren't many women of a certain age happy to look their years, but last night, with 150 birthdays under her red-velvet belt, Philadelphia's "Grand Old Lady of Locust Street" positively beamed. Thousands of roses lined the old hall's stage, and a red carpet out front welcomed Prince Charles and Camilla as they climbed the Academy of Music's brownstone steps to help celebrate its 150th anniversary. Klieg lights swept the sky as hundreds of gawkers lining Broad Street cheered the entrance of the royals.