THE JOB AT WBZ-TV was supposed to be a short-lived thing. Hired by the now-defunct Evening Magazine in 1978, Joyce Kulhawik expected that her tenure would last a few months, and then she’d move on. After all, her background wasn’t in television, it was in education — she’d been working as an English teacher at Brookline High School.

Now, almost a quarter-century later, it doesn’t appear Kulhawik will be picking up the chalk again any time soon. The most recognizable entertainment reporter in the Boston area, Kulhawik presents a mix of local and national arts coverage, appearing equally comfortable in a seat at the Colonial Theatre and on the red carpet at the Academy Awards — from which she’ll broadcast on Sunday night. And over the years, her fame has spread beyond New England: in 1999 and 2000, before a permanent co-host was chosen, Kulhawik was one of three rotating co-hosts of Roger Ebert & the Movies; currently, she’s co-hosting the nationally syndicated Hot Ticket, which also airs on WBZ-TV.

Q: Let’s talk about the Oscars. Predictions?

A: I think I’m predicting Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. It’s the first time on the big screen I think [Berry] has had a chance to really show her chops. She really puts herself on the line, physically, emotionally, intellectually — she’s all there. And it’s a tough, brutal part. She was enormously brave going at it. She has a sex scene that’s just amazing; it’s absolutely required, and it’s got nothing to do with sex and everything to do with how desperate she is, and how longing to connect she is. It was remarkably brave. And it’s not beautiful, not in any way. Even for Halle Berry. So I’m thinking this could be her year. And Denzel Washington, because he’s paid his dues, and because it’s a dark part, and he’s so charismatic as an actor, and that adds a lot of resonance to this bad cop that he plays, because we like him so much. He’s so attractive, and he’s so evil.

Q: Do you ever — or often — wish you could walk out of a movie or a production?

A: Every now and then, when I’m really just so bored. But usually if it’s that bad, you know, it’s just so campy [that] you want to see, where will they go with this? But I actually love movies so much that I like bad movies.

Q: What about sitting in a play that you hate?

A: That’s much worse. I find that much harder. My husband always says that the immediacy of theater embarrasses him. And I think it’s very difficult to pull off convincing theater, because the bodies, the warm bodies, are literally right in front of you. So it takes an awful lot more to suspend disbelief. There’s nothing between you and the actors. I mean, there isn’t that whole world that separates you, right off the bat, which happens in a movie. You can be sucked into that world, no problem — that’s the danger of it, too. That’s the seductive part of it. Theater, you see it warts and all. And, you know, the repertory of theater — you see the same plays over and over and over and over again, in many cases. With just different casts. This doesn’t happen with movies. You’re not going to see — well, unless it’s sequel upon sequel upon sequel — but you’re not going to see Training Day again, or you’re not going to see Iris again. So for me, I find it much more difficult; it requires more of you. It can also give you more back. But I have to say, I’m ultimately really seduced by movies. I love, love movies. I can go to a double feature, break for dinner, go to two more.

Q: Do you ever just crave being out in bright light?

A: I really am a night person, so my job is perfect, in terms of the hours that are required of me. People say, "Oh gosh, that’s awful, you work till midnight." And no, for me, it’s great. As a child, I loved to stay up late. I love Eastern Standard Time. When they set those clocks back in the fall, I think, oh great, we can get cozy around four o’clock when it’s dark, have a cup of tea.

Q: So no seasonal affective disorder?

A: No, no! I really do like the nighttime. I feel more in my own skin, for some reason; just biorhythmically, that’s how I’m wired.

Q: Have you ever refused to interview someone?

A: I did refuse, at the Grammys last week, to interview Ike Turner. I had no interest. You know, after what he did to Tina — forget it.

Q: Anyone else?

A: Yeah, Tommy Lee Jones. Contemptuous. Absolutely contemptuous. I don’t need to subject myself to that. He doesn’t want to talk, I really don’t need to, nor do I want to. I don’t need the abuse.

Q: Who do you think is the most underrated actor?

A: I think Bruce Willis. He may not be the most underrated, but he’s often underrated. He’s always remarkably believable. I find him very authentic, and he conveys a lot very economically. He often takes these high-profile parts that are easy to slam. But then he’ll show up in, you know, he showed up in [a small, uncredited part in] Pulp Fiction. There’ve been a few times that he’s done that sort of movie. He was great in The Sixth Sense. So I like him.

Q: And who’s overrated?

A: Maybe Tom Cruise. He’s better when he’s not smiling so hard and trying so hard and looking so brittle and so controlled. Rain Man was probably one of the best things he’s ever done. And Risky Business, one of the first things he ever did, where he was really unencumbered and let fly. Let it go. Meryl Streep is occasionally overrated. I’ve seen her do bad work. I’ve seen her do mannered work, where she’s very contrived.

Q: Did you ever think you’d be at Channel 4 for this long?

A: No, never! I didn’t think I’d ever be there, ever. Actually, when I got there, on Evening Magazine, I thought that job would last six months, and then I’d get a real job. That’s what I said! It was such a lark. I had no idea this was a market anybody was interested in, I didn’t know about markets, I didn’t know anything. This was my local station. I was not a communications major; I majored in English lit, minored in music, I had a double major in education, and went on to get a master’s in English education. I thought I’d do something serious, I thought some academic work, I don’t know — publishing, writing, something like that, and behind the scenes, even though I was always very enamored of the theater, acting, performing, music, dance, analyzing material. But no, I never thought I would do anything like this.

Q: Were you offered the job on Ebert’s show?

A: We were negotiating with them, and they were negotiating with two of us. They had asked me to move to Chicago — they asked me several times. I said no. I felt that I could commute. They didn’t. And they chose another person. I just do not want to uproot my life here. My family is here, I love this city, I am at home here, and I am not going to go reinvent my life somewhere else. That’s just not what I want to do. I feel very connected to the community here. I wouldn’t mind having a national platform ... the trick has been to try and do that. When the Ebert thing just couldn’t happen, I thought that might be the last sort of opportunity at this stage of the game, and I said, okay, so I am here. And you know what? That’s great! And suddenly I’m doing this Hot Ticket show, and we’ll see what happens with that. It was a blind call, out of nowhere. I did a couple shows, and it’s been working, and they’re changing the format a little, so we’re feeling it out. But again, logistically, I’ve got to see if this really works. I’m here, and they know that. But the show is there.

Q: What are some of your other interests?

A: Reading. I’ve just joined a book club.

Q: When could you possibly have time to read?

A: On airplanes. You know, I love to travel on airplanes. I think it goes back to the first airplane trip I ever took, with my grandmother when I was nine. And I will never forget looking out the window for the first time, and the clouds below me, thinking it was the most glorious thing I had ever seen, and to this day, I get a little thrill when I look out a window of a plane. I embrace it as peaceful time, when it’s just me and a book. It’s uninterrupted quiet time for myself, and I think that’s why I like it. That’s why I like being in a hotel by myself, or ordering room service alone; I don’t make lots of plans to go out and see people; I can’t wait to get back to that room! After the Oscars, I don’t want to go to the parties — I’m sick of those people! I want a nice omelet and David Letterman.

Q: What do you think your reputation is in Boston?

A: Oh, that’s such a hard question to ask a person. You can only end up sounding like the most conceited idiot, or falsely modest. I think people are used to me! I think they know what they’ve got, I think people feel like they can count on me, I think people trust me to really honestly say what I think. I really feel beholden to no one. I am a supporter of the arts, but if a play is crummy, I’m going to say so. If the movie’s horrible, I’ll be the first one to speak up. I mean, I did not like Phantom of the Opera, I won’t get on the bandwagon, and it’s not because I want to be mean or anything. And I think people know that about me; I’m not looking to skewer something to truss up my own ego. I really don’t need that. I think it’s really hard to mount a production of any kind, and people want you to be really mean sometimes when you trash things. I try not to give in to that, even though it’s tempting. It’s tempting to want to slice and dice, when you think something’s done for a really bad reason. I try not to give in to my baser instincts. They’re real people there in the community, and you don’t want to see them ruined, and people are trying to do their best, so you’ve got to review it in a respectful way. And I try to do that.

Q: When’s the last time you fell asleep in a movie or performance?

A: I will fall asleep in the theater if I’m bored. I get more sleep now than I used to, when my daughter was younger and I would be up every day and spend the entire day with her, and then get dressed and go to work from three till midnight; that’s a huge, long day. Something had to be really good — that was my litmus test. And you know what? If the thing is really good, even if I’m exhausted, I’ll be engaged. I’ll get an adrenaline rush, and I’m there. But it’s much easier for me to fall asleep in the theater than in a movie. I’ve done it. We’ve all done it.

Q: Are you aware of people watching you when you’re in the theater?

A: No. Sometimes when I walk in I’ll notice, if it’s not a press night; on a press night, we’re all very used to each other. If it’s not a press night, I’ll forget, and then I’ll notice sometimes people are noticing me. And particularly in the ladies’ room, waiting in line, people want to know, "What did you think?"

Q: Do you tell people?

A: No. I always tell them, "It’s only intermission, I haven’t decided yet. Watch my review tonight and you’ll hear." You don’t want to be overheard saying that this is such a piece of trash during intermission, you don’t want that to get out. And really, truly, act two can turn the whole thing around, or at least be an antidote to act one. It’s probably my least-favorite question in the theater, though — right in the middle of the production, I don’t like to be asked, "What do you think?" I haven’t even formulated my response yet. Or when I’ve just gotten up, and it’s powerful, and someone’s wanting to know right away, and I’m still crying, or still basking in whatever. I don’t want to be outside myself right then.

Q: What do you think is the best on-screen love scene?

A: There are so many where you’re hiding your eyes, you know? I’m trying to think of a scene where I was really turned on while I was watching it. Well, you know what? Risky Business had a really great — I don’t know if it was a love scene, but it was a sex scene, on the train. That scene just worked.

Q: Who’s one of the nicest celebrities you’ve talked to?

A: George Clooney. What a gem. There’s a pro. And believe me, they aren’t all as nice as that. Catch Julia Roberts on a bad day, and it ain’t pretty. In the wrong moment, that’s no pretty woman.

Q: Do you keep a list of people you still want to talk to?

A: The only person I think I’d want to talk to is Katharine Hepburn, but I don’t see much future in that. No, if I never meet another "star," it’ll be too soon.

Tamara Wieder can be reached at twieder[a]phx.com