Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

The Natural (TCM, 7pm)
Season finale of Women’s Murder Club (ABC, 8:02pm - 9:02pm)
New Friday Night Lights (NBC, 8pm)
Series premiere of How To Look Good Naked (Lifetime, 8pm, 10pm, 11pm, 1am))
Leonard Nimoy, Lyle Lovett, Dean Edwards on a new episode of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm)

News & Notes

I haven’t done much for picks on weekends in recent weeks, but I will post my thoughts on the season premiere of The Wire and the series premiere of Cashmere Mafia on Sunday in a full edition of ye olde TV picks for that day.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

NBA hoops: Pistons at Raptors (ESPN, 6pm) and Heat at Mavericks (ESPN, 8:30pm).

Find yourself missing baseball? Watch The Natural (TCM, 7pm) and you’ll feel a bit better as it’s a great baseball movie. Film is letterboxed and uncut, which is part of why I love Turner Classic Movies. Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, and Wilford Brimley star. Directed by Barry Levinson, based on the novel by Bernard Malamud, screenplay by Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry, released in 1984. It’s a good movie even if you don’t care much for baseball. Runs 135 minutes. First of three Robert Redford movies featured on TCM tonight, you can read all about them.

Iris Gaines: You know, I believe we have two lives.
Roy Hobbs: How . . . what do you mean?
Iris Gaines: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.
  from The Natural

Winter premiere of Flash Gordon (Sci-Fi, 7pm and 10pm). In case any of you care (I don’t).

“Battle of the Sexes” is the theme for the season premiere of 1 vs. 100 (NBC, 7pm). Bob Saget hosts. Barry Williams (of The Brady Bunch) and Dawn Wells (of Gilligan’s Island) make special appearances.

Rerun of the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 7pm - 8:02pm). Runs two minutes long. The (mostly) new interns meet up with the residents. Cristina searches for book, the chief returns to work as chef, and Izzie treats a deer.

Meredith: You see that girl out there? The dopey, wide-eyed one? Apparentally, we’re related.
George: Oh, you met Lexie?
Meredith: So, you knew. You knew about it and didn’t tell me.
George: Kinda had a lot going on.
  from Grey’s Anatomy

Rerun of Bones (FOX, 7pm) from last season. It’s the one where an Asian woman’s body is found . . . without any bones in it. Ew.

Angela: (to Zack and Cam) “You know what you people lack? Whimsy. It’s a genuine handicap.”
  from Bones

The tenth episode of Women’s Murder Club (ABC, 8:02pm - 9:02pm) becomes the season finale due to the WGA strike (13 episodes were originally ordered). In this episode, the Kiss-Me-Not Killer is back and some fear Lindsay may be the next target. Written by series creators Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, directed by Michael Schultz. No word yet on if the show will be back for another season, but I’m optimistic about this show’s chances. DVR/VCR Alert: Show starts at 8:02pm, runs ’til 9:02pm.

A tornado hits Dillon country on a new episode of Friday Night Lights (NBC, 8pm). As a result, a team from a nearby school ends up sharing the Dillon’s weight room, football field, and lockers. This should be fun!

Carson Kressley (of Queer Eye) is the star/host of the series premiere of How To Look Good Naked (Lifetime, 8pm, 10pm, 11pm, 1am). It’s based on the UK series of the same name. In this show, women who have low self-esteem are taken by the hand and shown that they’re being unreasonable when it comes to how they view themselves. It’s a big self-esteem boosting show which tells real women that they don’t need to lose weight or have plastic surgery to look good– they can look and feel good the way they are. They hear what others think of their bodies, get new underwear that fits right, get some new clothing and lessons in style, get a haircut, have some spa treatments, and do a photo shoot. All while being told they’re beautiful. It’s actually pretty darn cool (I’ve seen the first couple of episodes). A positive show with a good message– who’d've thunk it? It focuses on the positives, even more so than What Not To Wear.

A gay man who has AIDS collapses in front of House (FOX, 8pm) in this rerun from back in season two when Sela Ward was still around. And I think this may be the episode where Chase and Cameron get together for the first time.

Mick hunts a renegade vampire on a rerun of the third episode of Moonlight (CBS, 8pm).

When I went to watch the series premiere of Matched in Manhattan (Lifetime, 8:30pm, 10:30pm, 11:30pm), I discovered that my DVD player ate the last disc I viewed. Um. So my DVD player is out of commission right now. Eek! This is a matchmaking show, supposedly with a twist of some sort.

What Not To Wear (TLC, 8pm and 10pm; also on Saturday at 1pm) takes a look at some of their greatest transformations.

The team sets out to eliminate all Replicators on the winter premiere of Stargate Atlantis (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11pm).

Danny and Mike head to Wyoming to buy a horse for their boss on a new episode of Las Vegas (NBC, 9pm). Plus stuff happens in Las Vegas, of course. Guest stars include JC Chasez and Ted Allen.

New episode of 20/20 (ABC, 9pm). More info on their website.

Actress Maureen McCormick and former American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis join Paula in the kitchen to cook a few of their favorite dishes on Paula’s Party (Food Network, 9pm and midnight).

Series premiere of Top This Party: Orange County (Lifetime, 9pm and midnight). I’ve screened the first two episodes and so far they seem to be mostly about observing bizarre out-of-it rich people and their crazy ideas. I’d love to see a show that goes into more detail about what party planners do, these are just quick half-hour episodes where you don’t get much of that.

Rerun of the first episode of this season of Numb3rs (CBS, 9pm). It’s a rather intense episode as Colby escapes from custody and claims things aren’t as they seem. Val Kilmer guest stars.

Late Night

I imagine the guest lineups are a bit more subject to change than usual.

Donald Trump, Shooter Jennings on a new episode of The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm). With writers and the blessing of the WGA.

No word yet on guests on tonight’s new episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm). No writers, is being picketed by WGA.

Leonard Nimoy, Lyle Lovett, Dean Edwards on a new episode of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm). With writers and full support of WGA.

New episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm). No writers, is being picketed, I’m not sure who the guests will be.

Ice Cube, Carrie Ann Inaba (of Dance War), Xavier Rudd on a new Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings). No writers here either.

Girls Next Door, 2 Dudes Catering, David Gray on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).