THE WEEK AHEAD: A 'Total' Honor

By Serena Kappes

Friday April 09, 2004 01:00 PM EDT

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Will Jack Black or Jim Carrey win the Wet Your Pants prize at MTV's 'TRL' extravaganza? PEOPLE checks in on the awards show, and other pop-culture happenings coming this week:

LIKE, 'TOTAL'-LY: You know it's an MTV awards show when Carson Daly is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award. The NBC late-night host, who first ushered in "TRL" in 1997, is being honored at the second annual "TRL" Awards, airing live at 5 p.m. on MTV Tuesday, April 13. Britney Spears and Clay Aiken will go head-to-head for the "TRL" Gridlock Award -- which honors the star who drew the biggest crowd outside the Times Square studios last year -- and Brad Pitt and Alicia Keys also are set to appear.

EGGS-TRAVAGANZA: That White House Easter tradition, the old-fashioned egg roll, goes down on Monday, April 12, at the South Lawn. Though President Bush won't attend the annual Easter event (he'll be spending the holiday at his ranch in Crawford, Texas and meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday), about 40,000 people are expected to join in on the fun. Unlike last year, when the celebration was limited to military families, this year the Easter Egg Roll (which has occurred annually since 1878) will be reopened to the public.

A DEAL WITH THE DIVA: Can Jessica Simpson hold her own next to Lady Marmalade herself, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight? Find out when "VH1 Divas" airs live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 18 at 9 p.m. The show, benefiting the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, also will include performances by Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Gladys Knight, Ashanti, Eve and British soul sensation Joss Stone. For a little dose of testosterone, chart-topper Usher also will show up for the estrogen-heavy event.

SPEED FREAKS: Celebs will get their motors running at the 28th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on Saturday, April 17, in Long Beach, Calif. The 10-lap charity race -- held on a 1.97-mile downtown Long Beach street circuit -- will feature 17 star racers including Lil' Kim, "Malcolm in the Middle"'s Frankie Muniz, "The Lord of the Rings" star Sean Astin (who proclaimed in practice, "No one can hang with a hobbit," ESPN.com reported) and former "Bachelor" Andrew Firestone. The event will benefit Racing for Kids, a nonprofit program which assists Southern California children's hospitals.

AND FINALLY... Been missing the lads and ladies from "Queer as Folk"? Fret no more: The edgy Showtime drama set to a techno beat about a group of gay and lesbian pals in Pittsburgh will return for its fourth season on Sunday, April 18. Will Ted overcome his addiction to crystal meth -- and take Emmett back? Will Brian get his career back on track and stay with Justin? How will Michael deal with impending fatherhood? Stay tuned.