Then, on Monday evening, 28 February, M-Net will screen the 83rd Academy Awards, which will be co-hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

Franco, who currently can be seen in "127 Hours," will be making his second appearance on an Oscar telecast. His other film credits include "Eat, Pray, Love," "Date Night," "Milk" and "Pineapple Express." Franco is also known for his portrayals of Harry Osborn in the "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Hathaway will be making her fifth appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. She was recently seen in "Alice in Wonderland" and currently can be seen in "Love and Other Drugs." Hathaway’s other film credits include "Bride Wars," "Becoming Jane," "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Princess Diaries." She was nominated for an Oscar in 2008 for her lead performance in "Rachel Getting Married."

Presenters this year are expected to include Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei and Oprah Winfrey. The Oscars will also be shown live on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv Channel 103) at 03:00 CAT, in the early hours of Monday 28 February.
(James Fanco – host, Anne Hathaway – host)

E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION – THE OSCARS ARE HERE! (DStv channel 124)

Live from the Red Carpet 2011: Cameras flashing, dazzling white smiles, designer suits, trend setting dresses, international accolade, icon awards, showbiz gossip and of course there’s the speeches… the A-listers are about to embark on their favourite time of the year… The Awards Season.

Get ready for the most exciting and glamorous time of the year… who will cry first? Who will wear the worst outfit? Which Actor will smile through gritted teeth as his award goes to someone else? Who will win the most recognition for their outstanding acting contribution?

See all your favourite celebrities live and find out all the showbiz gossip with E!’s red carpet experts providing commentary and offering their insight as the excitement unfolds. The only channel to bring you the most comprehensively up to date coverage, join E! on the red carpet and behind the scenes too, at the most prestigious events of the year.

The 83rd Academy Awards:
Sunday 27 February at 01:00 CAT – Live From The Red Carpet: The 2011 Academy Awards
Wednesday 2 March at 14.30 CAT – Fashion Police:

The 2011 Academy Awards
CHANNEL O (DStv channel 320)
Among the highlights on Channel O in February is Stars Best 10: Shaa on Monday 7 February (21:00 CAT in Southern Africa, 22:00 CAT in East, West and Central Africa plus Indian Ocean Islands). Channel O brings you the biggest stars both local and international, from the comfort of your couch. This week the big O hangs out with one of Tanzania’s leading stars Shaa.

Watch as she counts down her top 10 videos on our celeb countdown show only on Channel O. Plus Top Mais is back for another smoking hot season from 23 February at 21.00 CAT.

This Portuguese Top 10 chart show features hot, sexy and fun music videos from Mozambique and Angola. The show is hosted in Portuguese with English subtitles by the gorgeous Weza. Catch up with Angolan and Mozambican artists and get the gossip straight from the streets.

SONY ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION (DStv channel 113)
Law & Order - Criminal Intent: This spin-off from the phenomenally successful Law & Order series has earned a massive following of its own. It follows the hard-working detectives of the New York City Police Department’s Major Case Squad as they set about investigating and solving crimes. While the series is fictional, the cases are often based on real-life topical news events.

The fifth season channel premiere sees the addition of two big-name stars in the form of Chris Noth (Mr Big in Sex and the City) as Detective Mike Logan and Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos, Jungle Fever) as Detective Carolyn Barek.

They join long-time partners, Detectives Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio – Men in Black, Full Metal Jacket) and Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe – Stir of Echoes, Oz) to bring law and order back to the streets of the Big Apple.

The winner of the 2006 ASCAP Award for Top TV Series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent burrows into the minds of criminals while exploring the ingenious psychological approaches the detectives use to solve the crimes. Season 5 starts Tuesday 22 February at 22.20 CAT, continues weekdays from 22.00 CAT.

Also two must-see movie highlights on Sony Entertainment Television this month:
Forrest Gump: Don’t miss the whimsical tale that gave us sayings like “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get” and, of course, “Run, Forrest, run!” This film won six Oscars®, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan, The Da Vinci Code), who plays an innocent, childlike man who somehow finds himself smack-bang in the middle of many of the seminal events in history. Forrest is a simple soul but he has good intentions.

As he embarks on an extraordinary journey that takes him from Vietnam to meeting JFK, all he can think about is his childhood love, Jenny (Robyn Wright – Beowulf, The Princess Bride).

An inspirational and engaging drama that teaches us to see the world through new eyes (and that ignorance is bliss!). Also starring Gary Sinise (CSI: New York, The Green Mile) and Sally Field (Brothers and Sisters, Steel Magnolias). Directed by Robert Zemeckis (1994). Sunday 13 February at 20.35 CAT.

Terms of Endearment: This classic romantic drama from the early ’80s remains a must-see. It won five Oscars®, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Shirley MacLaine (Postcards from the Edge, In Her Shoes) and best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Departed).

The film follows Aurora (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Debra Winger – An Officer and a Gentleman, The Sheltering Shy) as they look for love and happiness, through ups and downs such as infidelity and terminal illness.

Be warned: although there are warm comic moments, you’ll need to keep the tissues handy for this one. Look out for Jack Nicholson as a retired astronaut who catches Aurora’s eye. Directed by James L Brooks (1983). Wednesday 23 February at 20.30 CAT.

LAUGH OUT LOUD…
AFRICAN COMEDIANS TAKE TO THE COMEDY CLUB STAGE!
February 2011
Africa’s comedians are among the funniest in the world and this month, M-Net’s COMEDY CLUB: LIVE IN MOMBASA pays tribute to some of the most memorable of the current crop of funny people!
The Comedy Club franchise started two years ago on M-Net with two seasons of Comedy Club: Live in Lagos.

This time round, the 13-part stand-up comedy series which debuted to DStv viewers on M-Net earlier this year, is based in the tropically pretty coastal Kenyan city of Mombasa.
Hosted by former Studio 53 presenter and entertainment personality Fareed Khimani and running until the end of March , the series has featured and continues to feature some of the hottest comedians in Africa, with its line-up including performers from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The series format sees two comedians performing their stand-up routine each week, then sitting down to chat with Fareed about their careers in front of the mic, the inspiration for their humor and much more. It you want to laugh, if you like a good joke, if you love razor sharp one-liners, then COMEDY CLUB: LIVE IN MOMBASA is the show for you!

Biola Alabi, Managing Director for M-Net Africa, says that the series was developed to tap into a very important entertainment genre. “Comedy has always been one of the most important foundations of great television around the world. People love to laugh, and so this was our chance to give our audiences fun comedy, direct from some of Africa’s best loved comedians!”

The series screens weekly on M-Net Africa, for one hour, every Tuesday night (18:30 CAT in East and Southern Africa; 22:00 CAT in West Africa). Upcoming performers include:

March 1: Tanzania’s Evans Bukuku and Uganda’s Pablo (episode for West Africa);
Tanzanians Evans Bukuku and Kiroboto (episode for East and Southern Africa)

March 8: Nigeria’s Owen Gee and Emeka Smith
March 15: Kenya’s Abel Mutua and Nigeria’s Baba da Baba
March 22 Nigeria’s Lepacious Bose and Uganda’s Kizito
March 29 Congolese born, British comedian Edi Kadi and South Africa’s Tshepo Mogale

Other performers on the show have included Nigeria’s Seyi Law, Basketmouth, Omobaba, Julius Agwu, A.Y., Gordons and Mandy plus David Oscar (Ghana) Freddie and Maurice Ochieng (Kenya), Bob Nkosha and Ozzias (Zambia) and Bob Nuwagira (Uganda). M-Net is planning on re-screening the full series in 2011 so keep a watch out for that! For more information on M-Net programs and channels, log on to www.mnetafrica.com.