A few weeks from now, March 7th to be exact, Kathryn Bigelow may be the first woman to ever win the Academy Award for Best Director. The odds are in her favor, especially after winning the DGA competition. Therefore, the announcement that Bigelow will direct the HBO pilot, 'The Miraculous Year,' is a coup for the cable net.

'The Miraculous Year' is the story of a Broadway composer who's popular and successful, but self-destructive, and how he views his eccentric family. Screenwriter John Logan is doing the script, and he's also executive producing with Lydia Pilcher. Logan has worked with HBO before on another show business oriented project, 'RKO 281' which told the story of Orson Welles' battle to create 'Citizen Kane.'

Remember how Sharon Stone first made her claim to fame? No, I don't mean her imitating Cybill Shepherd in the comedy Irreconcilable Differences with Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long and Drew Barrymore. I'm talking about Basic Instinct, of course. As Catherine Trammell, she had perhaps the most famous crossed-knee move ever in the movies.

Well, now the star will be returning to the crime genre. Sharon will be appearing on NBC's Law and Order SVU later this season.

Stone will be appearing in a four-show arc, playing a former cop who's become a prosecutor, an assistant district attorney. That means instead of answering questions, she'll be asking them.

There will be some major star power in the new season of Eli Stone. No, I'm not referring to Katie Holmes' stunt casting. I'm talking big-time star wattage. Sigourney Weaver will guest on Eli Stone as a psychologist. Eli, who is in desperate need of figuring out what he's been experiencing is the result of the brain ailment he's suffering from or something else.

Since he had brain surgery -- or so we think -- at season's end, will Eli still have the visions? Will he fulfill the imperative to Live Brave and become a leader -- prophet -- or was that not a look at the future but something else?

It's all very mysterious, and just the fact that he's going to see a shrink is positive development. Casting Sigourney Weaver is a positive as well. She's a three-time Oscar nominee and carries with her innate integrity and class.