Ferrell goes deep; a last ‘Lost’

What you’ll be talking about: Will Ferrell’s place in the comedic cosmology. In Ferrell’s new film “Stranger Than Fiction,” he ditches the “What if Will Ferrell were a ... (race car driver, anchorman, elf)” formula for a slightly more complex comedy about a man who hears his life narrated to him. But is a subtler Ferrell a funny Ferrell? (Friday)

What you’ll be swooning in public about: Alice Munro gets intimate. At 75, with works inevitably displayed in the bookcases of aspiring literati, the grandmaster of short fiction releases “The View from Castle Rock: Stories” -- her 15th book. The work, says the author, is her most personal to date. (Tuesday)

What people will be talking about so much your TV might explode: Red states, blue states, the political future of our country. Expect election-night chatter to keep you warm all week. Ann and James, Jon and Keith, Bill and Brit plus all your favorite pundits opine like it’s 1999. (Tuesday)

What baby boomers will be talking (and air guitaring) about: “Road to Escondido,” the CD duet between Eric Clapton and the reclusive J.J. Cale. Clapton scored major hits with Cale compositions such as “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.” The famously sober-living Clapton still performs both in concert but now claims the latter is a cautionary song. (Sure it is). (Tuesday)

What you won’t be able to stop talking about: The “Lost” midseason cliffhangers. Wednesday night’s episode is the last one until February, so expect some answers and even more questions. Satisfaction is promised when Losties finally understand exactly what the Others want from Jack, Sawyer and Kate. But more questions arise when Kate goes all the way with one of the two guys. The last two women who consummated a relationship on the island didn’t live to dish. Will hooking up be Kate’s death sentence? (Wednesday)

What’s begging you to talk about it just a tad too much: The imagined life of Diane Arbus. “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus” has all the talking points a film could want: Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. costar, Steven Shainberg (best known for the S&M; “comedy” “Secretary”) directs, and it’s about the life of the diminutive but daring Arbus -- photographer of freaks. But perhaps a few too many hot buttons actually cool the temperature. (Friday)

What might secretly be worth talking about: ‘90s nostalgia. How can it be that the complete first seasons of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place” were not available on DVD until now? Gen-X’ers pretend not to care but quietly hope to get one of the box sets as a “joke gift” for Christmas. (Tuesday)

-- Deborah Netburn