Ah, now we know where M.I.A.’s been

You should talk about: M.I.A. When we first heard M.I.A. in 2004, we couldn’t believe our ears. Her music was so awesome and fresh and tough and fun. Now she’s back with her second album, “Kala.” It’s a mishmash of styles, from Bollywood disco to a song that samples the Clash, made as she traveled the world when her U.S. visa got revoked. As the music writer in the family put it, “She made the album she wanted to make.” (Tuesday)

You could talk about: “The Starter Wife” (again). You could not possibly have missed the aggressive ad campaign for this miniseries starring Debra Messing (hey, she spells Deborah wrong!), but maybe, like us, you missed the actual show. Well, now you have a chance to check it out this week when USA embarks on “The Starter Wife” marathon. (Wednesday)

You might talk about: “The Nanny Diaries.” We know this book was a bestseller, but we never quite understood why. (We tried reading it once and couldn’t get past Chapter 2). This week, the movie comes out starring Scarlett Johansson and Laura Linney. Well . . . we like Laura Linney. (Friday)

It’s always fun to talk about: Beauty pageants. Especially when they are hosted by Mario López. The guy we know best as A.C. Slater from “Saved by the Bell” is slowly building a career as a beauty pageant host. This week, he handles the mike at the Miss Teen USA pageant, which will take place in sunny Pasadena. His last gig was hosting the Miss Universe pageant this year. Weird! (Friday)

We suggest you talk about: Amy Bloom’s new novel. Back in college, we read a short story by Bloom that sticks with us to this day. It was about a fat, mentally retarded girl with an incredible singing voice, and it was one of the most gorgeous pieces of writing we’d ever read. So when we saw she has a new book coming out called, simply, “Away: A Novel,” we thought we should let you know. And our instincts appear to be right. Early reviews of this epic tale of a Jewish Russian immigrant declare, “It’s stunning.” (Tuesday)

-- Deborah Netburn