Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 7pm)
Part 3 (of 3) of Tin Man (Sci-Fi, 8pm, 10pm, midnight)
New Reaper (CW, 8pm)
New Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm)
New Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm)
New Costas NOW (HBO, 9pm)

News & Notes

Thank you to Judith, Stephanie, Kelly, and Jeremy who each made donations to the “Laptop for Laurel” fund yesterday. Their four donations totalled $50 for the fund, which is a decent start. You can find out about ways to support this site on the support page. You can use this link to make a donation.

Today’s deal of the day at Amazon is nifty, it’s for The Complete Calvin and Hobbes for just $67 or so. Not a TV-related thing, but a cool deal that I approve of so I figured I’d mention it. Deal is good today only, while supplies last.

Amazon has a new TV on DVD sale going on right now in addition to the Big TV on DVD Sale I mentioned a while back. There’s also a giant DVD box set sale that covers movies, television, and all sorts of stuff.

TV DVD sets that hit stores today:
24 - Season Six
Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition)
Battlestar Galactica - Season One [HD DVD]
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - The Fourth Year
Saturday Night Live - The Complete Second Season
The Wire - The Complete Fourth Season
More TV DVD releases for December 4th, 2007

Primetime Grid

Primetime

If you’ve ever felt like a misfit, you probably have a warm spot in your heart for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 7pm). I know I do.

Rerun of an episode of Bones (FOX, 7pm) from last February. A man who donated quite a bit of money to the Jeffersonian is found dead, the case is complicated by the fact that he was an old friend of Hodgins’ and at first Hodgins tries to hide that fact. This is also from the period of time when Booth was seeing a psychiatrist played by Stephen Fry. Episode was written by Christopher Ambrose, directed by Dwight Little.

Dr. Wyatt: I’ve already certified you as fit to carry a gun and go back to work.
Booth: Ok, then why are we meeting?
Dr. Wyatt: Well, because you discharged your weapon at an ice cream truck. My provisional certification of your mental health only holds as long as you continue to meet with me.
Booth: Great. For how long?
Dr. Wyatt: ‘Til I’m satisfied that you won’t start firing at confectioneries again.
  from Bones

The teams all return and a winner is announced on the season finale of Beauty and the Geek (CW, 7pm).

Looking for some inspiration for planning holiday menus? You might want to check out Rachael Ray’s Holiday Entertaining in 60 (Food Network, 7pm and 2am), A Barefoot Contessa Holiday (Food Network, 8pm and 11pm), and An Italian Christmas With Mario and Giada (Food Network, 9pm and midnight). I’m hungry just thinking about these shows.

Marvin Winans hosts Christmas Glory: In the Key of Love (MyNetworkTV, 7pm) which features performances by Al Jarreau, Wynton Marsalis, Brian McKnight, Kirk Whalum, Donnie McClurkin, and others.

Part 3 (of 3) of Tin Man (Sci-Fi, 8pm - 10pm, 10pm - midnight, midnight - 2am). Part 2 airs again tonight in case you’re behind (Sci-Fi, 6pm - 8pm). All three parts will air on Sunday (Sci-Fi, Sunday from 4pm ’til 10pm). Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough (of Medical Investigation, Boomtown), Richard Dreyfuss, and Zooey Deschanel star in this “cyber-twisted” update of The Wizard of Oz.

Sam secretly starts dating Cady, even though he worrie she may be the devil’s daughter on Reaper (CW, 8pm). The escaped soul is a bank robber who has returned for his money; as you might imagine, when the guys find the money, they don’t agree about what to do with it. This new episode was written by Yolanda Lawrence and directed by Stephen Cragg.

A passenger falls ill on a flight with House and Cuddy in this rerun of House (FOX, 8pm) from last April. And Wilson is in charge of the team while House is gone. Written by David Hoselton, directed by Elodie Keene.

Dr. Cuddy: Not funny!
House: Wasn’t supposed to be funny “ha ha.”
  from House

A Marine Colonel dies in an explosion at a golf course in this rerun of NCIS (CBS, 8pm) from November 2006. The Army’s investigative unit and the CIA get involved. Susanna Thompson appears in this one as Lt. Col. Hollis Mann. And Scottie Thompson makes her first appearance on the show as Jeanne Benoit, Tony’s girlfriend. Written by Robert Palm, directed by Dennis Smith.

Colonel Mann: Of course, we’ve got a lot of land to cover.
Gibbs: Eighteen holes on a golf course.
Colonel Mann: Yep. You wanna divide them up?
Gibbs: Sure. We’ll take the crime scene. You and your people can take the other seventeen holes
  from NCIS

While I’m a fan of Grey’s Anatomy and do remember that the last new episode was part one of a two-parter, I’ve honestly been having a little trouble remembering exactly where that episode left us. Part two airs on Thursday, if you need a refresher course on part one (which aired on November 22nd), it airs again tonight (ABC, 8pm). Once I remembered that there was an ambulance crash and that Seth Green (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) guest starred, it all started to come back to me.

Rene Auberjonois returns to Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm) for at least one episode as Paul Lewiston. Denny is arrested, yet again, under unusual circumstances (are there any other kind when it comes to Denny?) and he asks his flamingo Alan to defend him. Shirley takes on a case involving a “shock jock” which makes me wonder if anyone still uses that term. Katie has some suspicions about Lorraine. Robert Wuhl and Loretta Devine also guest star (Devine is not playing the character she played on Boston Public just in case you were wondering, as I was). This episode was written by David E. Kelley and directed by Mike Listo.

One of the wives of a (presumably known) polygamist is found murdered on Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm). Method Man guest stars, he’s shown himself to be a pretty darn good actor on The Wire.

Rebroadcast of last night’s special new two-hour episode of The Closer (TNT, 9pm - 11pm).

Seal, will.i.am, and the Spice Girls perform on The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2007 (CBS, 9pm). Yes, in case you haven’t heard, the Spice Girls have reunited for a tour. Heidi Klum also returns to the catwalk.

A profile of ballplayer David Ortiz, cheating in sports, the year in sports on a new Costas NOW (HBO, 9pm).

New episode of Nip/Tuck (FX, 9pm, 10pm; also on Fri at 10pm and Sun at 9pm).

Late Night:

Link to Sue’s Late Night Lineups page where you can find out who is on the various late night talk shows.

They’re all reruns except for Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings) which has returned with new episodes. I must say, I don’t approve and won’t be watching, but then I never cared for the show anyway.

Last night’s rerun of The Tonight Show was from 1995, I do think it could be fun if the late night talk shows started airing some classic reruns from years ago.

Wednesday Daytime

Laura Linney, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Thompson on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Randy Jackson (of American Idol) on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

A couple of heroic kids, Jenna Bush, Ryan Shaw on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Traditional New Orleans cuisine with chef Susan Spicer, how to make one-of-a-kind felt Christmas stockings, how to trim a tree, and a visit from some reindeer on Martha (syndicated, check your local listings).

Tim Gunn makes over Rachael’s staff, the winner of “So You Think You Can Cook,” Kristan Cunningham brings a couple together for a holiday surprise on The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“How To Spot a Fake” on The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated, check your local listings). It’s a look at the counterfeit fashion business, plus how to tell a fake diamond from a real one, and other stuff like that.

“How Would You Spend One More Day with Someone You Loved?” is the question that’s talked about on a new Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). Guests are Mitch Albom (presumably talking about his book For One More Day and the TV movie based on it), the widow of Richard Carlson (author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff), and Nick Lachey.

“Internet Dangers” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings). Oh boy, here we go again with a story about the perils of ye olde internet– what is this, the ’90s? Just because some people have internet affairs or end up disappearing with strangers doesn’t mean the internet itself is bad, just that bad stuff can happen anywhere– including on the net, so one should be careful.