Princess

'A Princess for Christmas' Where: Hallmark When: 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday Rating: Not rated

Time magazine once dubbed it one of the 1 0 most memorable state-dinner moments : Princess Diana in a "midnight blue velvet gown and sapphire and diamond choker" dancing with John Travolta at a gala dinner at the White House in 1985. For the first time, Diana fans can have their photo taken with the stunning halter-top gown dubbed the "Travolta dress" at the Southern Women's Show in Raleigh, N.C., through Sunday. It's part of "Diana, the People's Princess," a touring exhibition that includes five gowns and other memorabilia about the royal who died in 1997.

'The Princess of Montpensier' Rating: Unrated Running time: 2 hours, 19 minutes Playing: At Laemmle's Royal, West Los Angeles

"The past is never dead," Faulkner famously wrote in "Requiem for a Nun. " "It's not even past" - and nothing demonstrates that maxim better than the discovery of a "new" painting by a revered, long-dead artist. Suddenly, it is as if that person is alive and well again and walking among us. Art collector Peter Silverman had such a jolting recognition concerning a painting he saw in the late 1990s and again at a New York City auction in 2007. He was convinced it must have been executed by the one and only Renaissance master from Vinci - a story he relates, with Catherine Whitney, in "Leonardo's Lost Princess: One Man's Quest to Authenticate an Unknown Portrait by Leonardo da Vinci" (Wiley: 256 pp., $25.95)

If you don't have kids at home, this probably isn't on your movie to-do list. So grab a pen (no changing your mind) and jot it down, because this return to the liquid beauty of hand-drawn animation from Disney, with big production numbers set to a Randy Newman jazz-infused beat, is the best movie musical going. Hit a late-night screening, OK 10 is about as late as it gets, but that's past bedtime for little ones, so you'll find it a mostly adult affair. Settle in and consider these questions: Are you swept up by the brilliant artistry as the story unfolds -- starry-eyed dreamer, frog prince, fateful kiss, bad mojo, good mojo?

A good day is when Luc wakes up and wants to be a tractor for Halloween. Or a helicopter. Or Hercules. Or anything other than a princess, bounding door-to-door in tiara and tulle. A few weeks ago, the 4-year-old boy's desire to trick-or-treat as a princess sparked a dilemma for his two moms, Anna and Louisa Villeneuve: Which do you honor and protect, your child's independent spirit or tender feelings? "My first reaction was 'He wants to be a princess? We're there!' " said mama Anna.

In reference to the article " 'Little Princess' Has Lackluster Return" (Calendar, Aug. 10), I would like to correct both a quote and an overall impression attributed to me. First of all, I never said that the original advertising of "A Little Princess" was "atrocious"; I said that the original poster of "A Little Princess" was "atrocious." There is a big difference. Both Alfonso Cuaron, the director, and I not only agreed with, but also enthusiastically endorsed, all of the Warner Bros.

Thank you for giving front-page coverage to the problem of small-budget, quality, uplifting films drawing in an audience ("Little Lost Princess" by Peter Reiner, Calendar, June 1). The problem, as you said, is lack of advertising support. I am a constant TV-watcher, and I saw exactly two commercials for "A Little Princess." Compare that to the advertising blitzkrieg for "Casper," "Braveheart" and "Die Hard With a Vengeance." Of course, these small-budget films cannot afford major advertising campaigns.

"Brave," its filmmakers at Pixar Animation Studios would like you to know, is not your mother's fairy tale, beginning with its unruly heroine, Merida. Deft with a bow and arrow and crowned with a massive mane of curly red hair, Merida (voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald), defies her parents King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) and disregards an ancient custom, inadvertently setting off calamity in the lush, fog-shrouded Scottish highlands where she lives.

'A Princess for Christmas' Where: Hallmark When: 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday Rating: Not rated

After appearing as James Bond in seven hit films beginning with 1973's "Live and Let Die" and concluding with 1985's "A View to a Kill," Roger Moore put his acting career on the back burner. For two decades, he has devoted much of his time to being a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, and was knighted in 2003 for his charity work. But Saturday, he returns in Hallmark Channel's holiday fantasy "A Princess for Christmas. " Moore, 84, plays the fabulously wealthy Edward Duke of Castlebury, who invites his estranged young American niece, nephew and their aunt to his castle in the snowy countryside of a fictional European country (the film was shot in Romania)

SeaWorld Orlando has announced a multi-year plan to add a 3-D movie, a swim-with-sea-life attraction and a new themed land in an effort to counter increasing competition in Florida's crowded theme park marketplace. The largest and most expensive expansion in the marine park's 38-year history comes on the heels of the successful debuts of Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010 and Legoland Florida in 2011. During that same period, Walt Disney World announced plans to open a Fantasyland makeover at the Magic Kingdom starting in 2012 and Avatar Land at Disney's Animal Kingdom starting in 2015.

After spending more than a week defending himself against mounting allegations of sexual harassment, you'd think Herman Cain might try not to appear condescending toward women. Or, that after announcing during a televised debate that "Princess Nancy" blocked Congress from taking up a Republican healthcare bill, his campaign might hope the comment would fade away. Nope, not the Herman Cain campaign. Moments after Cain uttered the comment, this popped up on the candidate's official Twitter page, THEHermanCain: "The answer to Health Care: HR3000, the bill killed by 'Princess Nancy' in committee.

It didn't take long for the subject of Herman Cain's alleged improprieties to surface in Wednesday evening's GOP presidential debate in suburban Detroit. And Cain may not have helped himself with regard to his views toward women by mocking House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as "Princess Nancy. " There was some thought that the topic might be off-limits in the economy-themed debate, but moderator Maria Bartiromo didn't hesitate to confront Cain on the accusations. The CNBC host asked that if corporations care about the character of their chief executive officers, why shouldn't Americans care about the character of their presidential candidates?

A good day is when Luc wakes up and wants to be a tractor for Halloween. Or a helicopter. Or Hercules. Or anything other than a princess, bounding door-to-door in tiara and tulle. A few weeks ago, the 4-year-old boy's desire to trick-or-treat as a princess sparked a dilemma for his two moms, Anna and Louisa Villeneuve: Which do you honor and protect, your child's independent spirit or tender feelings? "My first reaction was 'He wants to be a princess? We're there!' " said mama Anna.