It's a week for remembering -- remembering Jackie Robinson in the new biopic "42," remembering the importance of the 1980s in a National Geographic special, and remembering the movies of the past year at the MTV Movie Awards.
FRIDAY: '42'
The memorable life of baseball player Jackie Robinson was told in 1950's "Jackie Robinson Story," just three years after he broke the sport's color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In that movie, Robinson played himself, but in the new film "42," opening Friday, actor Chadwick Boseman will take on the role. Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, the Dodgers president and GM who signed Robinson, and Christopher Meloni is manager Leo Durocher, who famously told the other players that if they objected to Robinson, he'd see that they were traded. Play ball! (Opens April 5.)
SUNDAY: MTV Movie Awards
Sure, the MTV Movie Awards are no Academy Awards -- the gold and black popcorn trophy is nowhere as prestigious as Oscar. But they're fun to watch nonetheless. Where else would you see categories like "best scared as (expletive) performance," or "summer's biggest teen bad (expletive)"? Comedian and actress Rebel Wilson hosts, which should make for a lively night.
SUNDAY: 'The '80s: The Decade That Made Us'
The 1980s weren't all Rubik's Cubes and Pac-Man. The decade spawned a technological and cultural revolution that still affects us all today. Brat Packer Rob Lowe hosts a three-night look at the era that examines its politics, entertainment, cultural changes and more. (April 14, 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel.)
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