thursday
Featured pick:
I’ll watch Harrison Ford on any talk show simply because he’s Harrison Ford.
C’mon, you know what I mean. He’s been Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Jack Ryan. He’s also done other underrated work in both dramas and comedies. And yes, he gives wry, funny interviews. I find him charming, I can’t help it.
So when Ford made his first appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm), I had to watch.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
Conan was giddy, as he often is when he gets a Big Star on the show for the first time.
And his other guest was Caroline Rhea . . . who is always, always funny. But especially when she’s a guest on Conan’s show.
It’s one of the more memorable episodes in recent history of a consistently funny and entertaining talk show.
More picks & possibilities:
Very cool: Emmy award winner Allison Janney and Tony award winner Kristin Chenoweth on The Rosie O’Donnell Show (syndicated, check your local listings).
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Arnold, and Esther Williams in Take Me Out To The Ballgame (TCM, 11am).
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Indiscreet (AMC, 11am).
Knots Landing (SoapNet, Noon weekdays) reruns cycle back to the beginning. The pilot episode airs today. (If you can’t catch the weekday episodes, they all run in a block on the weekend– I’ll mention the Knots block in the weekend picks).
Jeremy (Joshua Malina) goes hunting on “The Hungry and the Hunted” episode of Sports Night (Comedy Central, 1:30pm).
Xena makes her debut in “The Warrior Princess” episode of Hercules, the Legendary Journeys (Sci-Fi, 5pm).
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (TCM, 5pm).
I think Stephen Furst is just wonderful as Vir Cotto on Babylon 5 (Sci-Fi, 6pm, letterboxed) so it figures that I like the episode “Sic Transit Vir” more than most B5 fans do.
If you get HBO, you could just embrace your inner-geek tonight by watching Galaxy Quest (HBO, 6pm) and The Matrix (HBO, 7:30pm). Of course the coolest geekiest geeks already own both movies on DVD.
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand (FOX, 7pm-9pm). Yes, this AFI tribute is on FOX (the others that I recall were on cable). You know the drill, right? Was recorded back in February. Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Shirley MacClaine, and Dustin Hoffman are among those who pay tribute.
Lorelai loses Rory’s baby chick and calls Luke for help. Rory dresses up a la Donna Reed and prepares a homecooked meal for her boyfriend to prove a point. It’s cute, it’s really cute. It’s the “That D@mn Donna Reed” episode of Gilmore Girls (WB, 7pm).
Phoebe learns to ride a bike on Friends (NBC, 7pm).
It’s a Dog’s Life (TCM, 7pm) is a 1955 film that is narrated by “an amiable bull terrier.” Really.
Outtakes from past and present CBS series on Funny Flubs and Screwups (CBS, 7pm). Hilarious? Probably not. But I bet some of those Everybody Loves Raymond outtakes are funny.
Will & Grace (NBC, 8pm) pretend their in the market for a condo just so they can snoop around Sandra Bernhard’s digs. Hijinks ensue. Alas, much as I love Ms. Bernhard, the hijinks aren’t all that much fun. (I just felt painfully embarassed for Will and Grace).
Grissom and Catherine investigate a bombing, and there’s a link between Nick and a murdered prostitute on C.S.I. (CBS, 8pm).
Art Linkletter on Larry King Live (CNN, 8pm). Art Linkletter is still alive? Wow.
Series premiere of A.J. After Hours (E!, 9pm). A.J. Benza (of Mysteries and Scandals) hosts this new series that is at least somewhat inspired by Playboy After Dark. Heath Ledger, Joey McIntyre, Luther Vandross, and some underwear models (really!) are the guests on his first show.
James Belushi and Jared Padalecki (Dean from Gilmore Girls) guest star on ER (NBC, 9pm).
Mike Connors is Joe Mannix on Diagnosis Murder (PAX, 9pm).
“Quo Vadimus” is the final episode of Sports Night (Comedy Central, 9:30pm). ::sniff::
Chris Meloni (of Law & Order:SVU and Oz) guest stars as a bounty hunter on Homicide: Life on the Street (Court TV, 10pm). Part 1 of a 2 part episode.
Renee Zellweger, Stephen Malkmus on a rerun of The Late Show w/ David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).
Jennifer Aniston, Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera on a rerun of The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).
Countdown (AMC, 11:30pm) is Robert Altman’s movie about the space race.
Casey is jealous when Dana starts dating Gordon. Dan gets in trouble for singing “Happy Birthday” on the air in the “Intellectual Property” episode of Sports Night (Comedy Central, 12:30am; repeats tomorrow at 1:30pm).
