That’s the Dog Days of Summer for Ya

August can be so hot – and so not in a hot way.

The days are long, the heat is out of control – as it is its wont, I s’ppose – and the fall movies and TV season are still a good six weeks away (The Closer, Saved, and Entourage have been terrific summer companions, but I cannot wait for the return of Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, and The Office).

Speaking of The Office, have you seen the webisodes NBC has been playing on the show’s official site? They make up a 10-part whodunit that’s just too funny to miss. If you’re a fan, this is definitely for you.

Anyway, the eighth month of the year is really for the dogs, but it could be worse. So here are a few of the things I’m looking forward the most from now until September.

Quinceañera, the indie darling that won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival this year, made its grand entrance today (so look for it as it expands). World Trade Center debuts next Wednesday, with Pulse, a horror movie starring Veronica Mars herself, Ms. Kristen Bell, following suit two days later. Then on Friday, Aug. 18, Little Miss Sunshine and Snakes on Plane arrive and hiss their way into a movie theater near you.

However, if you can’t be bothered with getting out of the house, worry not: the second season of Showtime’s Weeds sprouts Monday, Aug. 14 at 10 p.m., and the one and only season of HBO’s underappreciated The Comeback is now out on DVD.

Note to self: I really wanna see more of that! So will you, though, if you give the Lisa Kudrow laugher a good chance, which, by the way, earned the erstwhile Friend a much-deserved Emmy Award nomination. See her win – she better win – when the Emmys are presented live on NBC on Sunday, Aug. 27.

The MTV Video Music Awards – a different kind of awards show if you and I ever saw one – will air live from New York's Radio City Music Hall the following Thursday. Don’t forget to vote, vote, and vote for Madonna’s “Hung Up,” which is up for five awards, including Video of the Year. I said go vote. Jeez, people!

Now, on the music-for-purchase side, Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics drops Tuesday, Aug. 15. Justin Timberlake’s sophomore effort, FutureSex/LoveSounds, won’t be out until mid-September, but you’ll be able to purchase this import of his contagious new single “SexyBack” on Aug. 29.

So that’s my August in a nutshell. I feel like I should probably read a book – in October.

Photo: Amazon.com.