Monday
Several companies with plenty to prove kick off the new trading week, perhaps none more intriguing than Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Wall Street expects flat year-over-year earnings growth from the pioneer in DVD rentals by mail. Investors will be even more curious about the service's subscriber count. Netflix began the second quarter with 6.8 million members. However, it lowered its full-year targets earlier this year, pegging its subscriber base tally at the end of June between 6.7 million and 6.9 million subscribers.

In other words, this may be the first quarter in the company's colorful history where sequential growth clocks in flat, if not negative. Netflix usually delivers more than it promises; then again, that's also what investors thought before the company talked down its 2007 subscriber targets.

Tuesday
If it's Tuesday, it must be Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN). Retailers are usually pretty quiet this time of year, but not the multidimensional Amazon. Analysts expect second-quarter earnings to triple to $0.15 per share. And just think -- the 1.4 million copies of the final Harry Potter book heading out this weekend to Amazon shoppers won't be booked as revenue until the third quarter.

Wednesday
An Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) earnings report a day will keep the bears away. With another hit product on the company's hands -- the sleek new iPhone -- investors are as giddy as ever over Apple's prospects.

Wall Street expects the Mac daddy to earn $0.72 a share, but take a look behind you. Apple has trounced analyst targets in each of the past 17 quarters. Mortality will come one day, but the trend is an Apple bull's friend at the moment.

Thursday
You may associate Thursday with stuffing -- especially on Thanksgiving -- but this time's a little different. Stuffed plush bears will be the name of the game when Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) reports. It should be a challenging quarter for the company, but investors will be eager to hear how the company's quest for "strategic alternatives" is panning out. The specialty toy retailer hooked up with Lehman Brothers last month to smoke out any possible suitors. Let's hope a potential buyer is sniffing around. If not, shareholders will have to "bear" with the disappointment.

Friday
Energy stocks aren't making the same kind of headlines they were back when worrywarts were warning of $4 gallons of gasoline over the summer. Things have been tame, but the market can turn to Chevron (NYSE:CVX) for a little industry insight when the oil firm posts its quarterly report to wrap up the trading week.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz

Amazon.com and Netflix are Stock Advisor recommendations. If you want to be prepared for the future, dig into the newsletter's past with a free 30-day trial subscription.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz recommends windshield-wiper fluid when trying to look forward. Rick owns shares of Netflix. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.