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>> DAGNABBIT, YA VARMINT: Do you speak coot? If you don’t, ya better brush up on it because today is “Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day.” Do not ask the question why there is such a day, just go with it. There’s a whole mighty fine mess o’ fun to be had, confound it, if ye be talking; like ya jest walked out of the mines fer some vittles, we be tellin’ ya. By gum.

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>> OSCAR’S DARLINGS: So, what was your favorite film in 2010? Did you get your mind blown by “Inception”? Did you like “The Social Network”? Did you find the philosophical underpinnings of “Furry Vengeance” thought provoking? … OK, probably not that last one. Well, on Tuesday morning, Hollywood will unveil its picks for best films when the Academy Award nominations are announced. Look for “Inception,” “The Social Network,” and “The King’s Speech” to get some nods. Do not expect “Furry Vengeance” to even be mentioned.

>> TWO TROUBADOURS: A so-far quiet-on-the-concert-scene new year perks up a bit on Thursday when Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt team up for an unpredictable evening of story and song at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. Tickets are selling like hotcakes in some markets and fairly well here, we’re told, but you can still get in on the action if you have at least an extra $42.50 burning a hole in your pocket. Call 826-1100 to see what seats are left.

>> PICK ME! PICK ME!: In a very unique twist to the NHL All-Star Game, team captains Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom will actually get to pick their squads for the 2011 All-Star Game in Raleigh, N.C. The whole extravaganza will be televised Friday night at 8 on VS. That’s the Versus Network for the abbreviation challenged. Even among a pool of the best in the game, it still must sting if you’re among the last guys to be picked.

>> WHAT’S THAT YOU SAY, MRS. ROBINSON?: The Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre will definitely be trying to seduce you this weekend when it stages a production of “The Graduate.” Based on the famed 1967 movie starring Dustin Hoffman, “The Graduate” tells a familiar story: Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy has an affair with the girl’s mother. Not in that order of course. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday.