Laurel’s TV Picks

Angel (WB, 8pm)
The O.C. (FOX, 8pm)
The West Wing (NBC, 8pm)
Good Eats (Food Network, 8pm and midnight)
Law & Order (NBC, 9pm)
Diane Sawyer, Benjamin McKenzie (of The O.C.) on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)
Andy Garcia, Brittany Daniel, Brini Maxwell on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm)

My friend Pat just told me that this site is the “Minnesota Blog of the Day” over at Twin Cities Babelogue. Cool! Thanks, City Pages! If you’re new to these picks, it’s cool to have you here and I hope you visit again. Sadly, I didn’t get today’s picks online ’til much later in the day today than usual. Which seems to invariably happen on the rare occasion these picks are linked to by a cool site. Apologies for today’s slight delay, I hurt my back and wasn’t up to sitting at the computer as per usual. Should be back on schedule tomorrow. By the way, the easier to remember URL for this little site is www.tvpicks.net, though www.windowseat.org/tv/ obviously works too.

I’ve been putting picks online for almost 5 years now, will be celebrating the big 5 year anniversary in March. Got an idea on how to celebrate? Email me.

Lotsa cool TV DVDs are available now or due out in the next few months. Find out more on the TV on DVD page here at TVPicks.net.

Sci-Fi mini-marathon du jour: Strange World (Sci-Fi, 10am - 3pm).

Allison Janney (of The West Wing), chef Hazel Smith, Liev Schreiber on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Wayne Brady, Kathy Najimy (of King of the Hill), Vanessa Williams (of Soul Food), and a “viewer who married her house” (!?) on The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings; WGN, midnight).

Randy Jackson, Brittany Daniel, Tamara Braun, Ted King, “Celebrity Win Wayne” on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Kick ‘em Out!” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Quirky Ways People Have Gotten Rich” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Welcome to the Hellmouth” and “The Harvest” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, 3pm, 4pm). First two episodes of Buffy.

“Redefinition” episode of Angel (TNT, 4pm).

“A Proportional Response” episode of The West Wing (Bravo, 6pm and 10pm). Third ever episode. I think this is when I decided I liked the show a lot after all (previously I’d been comparing the show too much to Sports Night, I think).

Alyson Hannigan (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Jim Gaffigan guest star on That ’70s Show (FOX, 7pm)

“A remote area is inhabited by gorillas who have never before seen people” and Larry Ellison (those are two separate topics, that is; Larry Ellison isn’t living in a remote area with gorillas) on 60 Minutes II (CBS, 7pm).

Kevin Garnett is profiled on Sports Centuary (ESPN Classic, 7pm and 10pm; 11am Thursday). KG4MVP. I’m just saying.

The Ernie Kovacs Show (Trio, 7pm).

It’s kindof sad (and weird) if Smallville (WB, 7pm) is recycling plots from Chicago Hope. I’m just saying. “A boy straps a bomb to himself and demands a liver transplant for his brother.”

Steven Culp and Daniel Dae Kim guest star on Star Trek Enterprise (UPN, 7pm). Archer and crew find some Xindi eggs or something.

LeBron James guest stars on My Wife and Kids (ABC, 7pm).

Gear up for the forthcoming TV movie with a profile of Natalie Wood on Biography (A&E, 7pm and 11pm).

Who Killed Jesus? (Discovery, 7pm and 10pm).

Another airing of the What Not To Wear special What Not To Wear At Work (TLC, 7pm and 10pm).

The Birds (TCM, 7pm).

Louise Fletcher guest stars on It’s All Relative (ABC, 7:30pm).

Tonight’s new episode of Angel (WB, 8pm) was written and directed by Joss Whedon. It’s chock full of angst, from the looks of the previews. You had to know that Fred and/or Wesley were doomed once they kissed last week, right?

Ryan and Marissa start over (sortof) as friends (sortof). Ryan’s ex shows up again. And lots more soapy developments I’m sure in a new episode of The O.C. (FOX, 8pm) titled “The Telenovela.” Is it wrong that I love this show? Then I don’t want to be right. Would you believe this is the 20th episode already?

Oh-oh. Former Vice President Hoynes (Tim Matheson) is writing a tell-all book about the Bartlet administration on The West Wing (NBC, 8pm). C.J.’s in trouble somehow. Jay Mohr, Jesse Bradford, and James Pickens Jr. guest star.

Anne Meara guest stars (again) on King of Queens (CBS, 8pm), which means she gets to work with real-life partner-in-crime Jerry Stiller.

Cooking with nuts in the “Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut” episode of Good Eats (Food Network, 8pm and midnight).

The 1983 Miss America Pageant (Trio, 8pm and 11pm).

Yet another airing of the series finale of Sex and the City (HBO, 8pm).

Someone witnesses the murder of a drug dealer and then that witness is in a bit of trouble (to say the least) on Law & Order (NBC, 9pm). And it sounds like Jack McCoy takes this case more personally than usual.

48 Hours Investigates (CBS, 9pm) airs a story about gender identity disorder. Includes an interview with Jenny Boylan.

“Mr. Monk and the Paperboy” episode of Monk (USA, 9pm).

Another airing of Bad Apple (TNT, 9pm). Chris Noth, Colm Meaney, Elliott Gould star.

New episode of Chappelle’s Show (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm).

Norah Jones on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Soda pop Unwrapped (Food Network, 10pm and 2am).

“The Dough Also Rises” (biscuits) episode of Good Eats (Food Network, 10:30pm and 2:30am).

Futurama (Cartoon Network, 10:30pm and 1:30am).

Diane Sawyer, Benjamin McKenzie (of The O.C.) on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Bill Paxton, Lil’ J.J. (13-year-old comic), Three Days Grace on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Andy Garcia, Brittany Daniel, Brini Maxwell on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

Co-host Anthony Anderson, Kimberly Williams Paisley, Randy Jackson, Chai Five on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Eric McCormack (of Will & Grace), Amber Tamblyn (of Joan of Arcadia), Sebastian on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (CBS, check your local listings).

James Spader (of The Practice), Ima Robot on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Eddie Fisher guest stars on Ellen (Lifetime, 12:30am). Fisher’s real-life daughter Joely Fisher is, of course, one of the stars of the show.

Steven Cojocaru on Today (NBC, 7am - 10am).

“Cynthia McFadden talks to Michael Jackson’s private videographer about an interview he shot that could rock the criminal case” on Good Morning, America (ABC, 7am - 9am).

Bobby Flay, Andy Garcia, more of the “week of wishes” on The Early Show (CBS, 7am - 9am).

Samuel L. Jackson, and Regis tries to correctly apply make-up to Kelly live on the show on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Bill O’Reilly, hosting the perfect Oscar party, thriving African American communities on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

Sci-Fi mini-marathon du jour: Timecop (Sci-Fi, 10am - 3pm).

Ray Romano (of Everybody Loves Raymond), Dee Dee Davis (of The Bernie Mac Show), Precious the orangutan on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Tisha Campbell Martin (of My Wife and Kids) co-hosts, Eliza Dushku (of Tru Calling, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), A.J. McLean & his Mom, Nelly Furtado on The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Zachary Levi, Van Hunt, David Tutera on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“A Family Divided: Confronting Alex About Dating Again” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

Rodney Peete, Finola Hughes, Mario Lopez, and more celebrities give their spouses “The Spouse Challenge” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

No Buffy reruns on FX on Thursday afternoon.

“Blood Money” episode of Angel (TNT, 4pm).

“Five Votes Down” episode of The West Wing (Bravo, 6pm and 10pm). Early first season episode.

In primetime expect new episodes of Survivor, Friends, Will & Grace, C.S.I. The Apprentice, Without A Trace, ER, Super Millionaire, and more. Plus a Bachelorette special. In late night, I’m looking forward to seeing Mel Gibson and Prince on The Tonight Show (now if only Jay wasn’t on the show). Full details in the picks for Thursday.
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