Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (History Channel, 6am - 8am).
Science fiction movies on TCM during the day
Austin City Limits Presents: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (PBS, check your local listings)
New Torchwood (BBC America, 8pm, 11pm, 2am)
lots of other stuff (see below)

News & Notes

This year “31 Days of Oscar” on Turner Classic Movies runs from February 1st through March 2nd. All the movies they air during this time were nominated for Oscars of some sort (or at least people who worked on the movies were nominated).

Daytime

Indiana has “Adventures in the Secret Service” on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (History Channel, 6am - 8am). Sean Patrick Flanery stars as Indy. Christopher Lee guest stars. You can read about the show and find out more about particular episodes on the History Channel’s website for the show.

Independent Film Channel has stopped airing Zatoichi movies on Saturday mornings, but they are airing samurai movies. This morning we get Three Outlaw Samurai (IFC, 7am) from 1964. “A wandering warrior and two renegade guards help farmers in their united quest for justice from an evil magistrate.” Tetsuro Tamba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijiro Hira, Miyuki Kuwano, and Kyoko Aoi star. First film directed by Hideo Gosha.

Rebroadcasts of the first five episodes of In Treatment (HBO Signature, 8am - 10:30am). Gabriel Byrne stars.

Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, and Samantha Mathis star in Salem’s Lot (TNT, 8am - Noon).

Turner Classic Movies airs a bunch of science fiction movies today letterboxed (in most cases) and uncut (of course): 2010 (TCM, 6:15am - 8:15am), Forbidden Planet (TCM, 8:15am), Them! (TCM, 10am), The Time Machine (Sci-Fi, 11:45am), The Black Hole (TCM, 1:30pm); 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (TCM, 3:15pm), and The War of the Worlds (TCM, 5:30pm). All of these movies feature work that was nominated for the Academy Award. You can read more about them on the TCM website. I’m particularly fond of Forbidden Planet, The Time Machine; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and War of the Worlds.

Emeril talks chips and sip on a new episode of Essence of Emeril (Food Network, 7am).

There are lots of new episodes of cooking shows today on the Food Network, I won’t list them all, you might want to check your local listings if you enjoy shows on this station.

New How Not To Decorate (BBC America, 8am).

Mike Myers and Deepak Chopra sit down together on Iconoclasts (Sundance, 8am and 1pm).

Mushrooms are the subject Jamie Oliver tackles in a new Jamie at Home (Food Network, 8:30am).

Prefer space science to science fiction? The History Channel airs episodes of The Universe: “Mars: The Red Planet” (History, 10am), “Spaceship Earth” (History, 11am), “The Most Dangerous Place in the Universe” (History, Noon), “Astrobiology” (History, 1pm), “Alien Moons” (History, 2pm), and “Dark Matter” (History, 3pm).

Rebroadcast of the latest Inside the NFL (HBO, 10am). I’m guessing there’s some talk of the Super Bowl.

Gardening by the Yard (HGTV, 11am) shows how to prune rose bushes.

College basketball: Syracuse at Villanova (ESPN, 11am), Maryland at Georgia Tech (ESPN2, 11am), Pittsburgh at Connecticut (CBS, Noon), Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (ESPN, 1pm), Rider at Siena (ESPN2, 1pm), Miami at Duke (ABC, 2:30pm), South Alabama at Louisiana-Monroe (ESPN2, 3pm), and DePaul at Notre Dame (ESPN Classic, 5pm).

Another airing of the “Across the Iron Curtain” episode of Michael Palin’s New Europe (Travel Channel, 11am).

New episode of The Batman (CW, 11:30am, though you may want to check your local listings).

Rebroadcast of the new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel, Noon) that debuted earlier this week. Bourdain is in Greece.

Rick & A.J. Simon (Gerald McRaney, Jameson Parker) of Simon & Simon pay a visit to Hawaii and try to break into Robin Masters’ estate in this episode of Magnum, P.I. (Sleuth, 1pm). Then Higgins (Jonathan Hillerman) of Magnum, P.I.) heads to San Diego to meet up with the Simon brothers on Simon & Simon (Sleuth, 2pm). Morgan Fairchild guest stars. Usually when this episode of Magnum, P.I. airs, it ends with the capture of the “bad guy” and all is well. But I suspect since the episode is airing with the right Simon & Simon episode on after it, as it originally aired on CBS, we’ll get the original ending which is “to be continued” onto the other show. They filmed two different endings, knowing that the show would air in syndication and might need to stand alone.

The very first episode of Slings and Arrows (Sundance, 2pm; also on Sunday at 1pm). It’s good to see that Sundance will be airing this excellent show again from the beginning on the weekends. If you’ve not seen this show, you’ve missed something very cool. It’s a Canadian series about a small British theater and the people who work there. Paul Gross stars as the somewhat unstable director of the New Burbage Theatre Festival, I think he’s still best known for playing “Benton Fraser” on Due South). Mark McKinney (of Kids in the Hall) both writes for and acts on the show. Rachel McAdams and Sarah Polley appear on the show. The show is great fun for theater fans and Shakespeare fans. Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection hits stores on Tuesday, it contains all three seasons of the show, plus a bonus disc with extras not previously available in the single season sets.

Figure Skating: U.S. Championships, Exhibition (NBC, 3pm - 5pm). From Saint Paul, Minnesota. This is the fun exhibition skate after the competition is over.

College Football All-Star Challenge (ESPN, 3pm).

Rebroadcast of the episode of Psych (USA, 5pm) that debuted on Friday night. There’s a death at a lodge.

“Smith and Jones” is the first episode of season three of the new Doctor Who (BBC America, 5pm). Where The Doctor (David Tennant) first meets Martha Jones (played by Freema Agyeman). It’s followed by the second episode of season three (BBC America, 6pm) which features William Shakespeare. I enjoyed this season of Doctor Who though the multi-part season finale ended up disappointing me (after starting out very cool). Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series is available on DVD and I’m pretty sure the DVD sets for the show contain the full uncut versions of the episodes (some content is cut to make them fit on American TV on BBC America).

Mark Valley (of Boston Legal) and Sienna Miller star in Keen Eddie (Sleuth, 5pm and midnight). Eddie befriends the victim of a hazing incident at a school and then that boy tries to be like Eddie. Oddly enough this was the fifth episode filmed, but it never aired (seven episodes did air, but this one wasn’t one of them, though it was scheduled and then bumped multiple times).

ESPN2 is airing a big marathon of Super Bowl Highlights (ESPN2, 5pm Saturday - 5am Sunday; 11am Sunday - 1pm Sunday).

Geena Davis stars in The Long Kiss Goodnight (IFC, 5:50pm) as a schoolteacher and mother who doesn’t remember much of her past. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a private investigator who helps her find out who she really is. Turns out she’s an assassin. Eek! And some bad guys are after there; Craig Bierko makes a surprisingly good villain (I just don’t think of him that way). Brian Cox, Tom Amandes (of Everwood), and David Morse (of Hack) also have roles in the film. I like this movie and am pleased to see it air uncut and letterboxed on IFC. Directed by Renny Harlin (who was married to Geena Davis at the time), written by Shane Black (who wrote the Lethal Weapon movies; most recently he wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang after taking a break from writing for film).

Another airing of the “Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece” episode of Monk (USA, 6pm) which debuted on Friday night.

Nikki Blonsky and Annie Potts star in the Lifetime original movie Queen Sized (Lifetime, 6pm). “An overweight teenager becomes a local celebrity when she stands up to pranksters at her high school.”

At The Movies with Ebert & Roeper (syndicated, check your local listings) is a rerun of the episode where Roeper and MIchael Phillips run down their picks for the worst movies of 2007. “Run down” is a good way of putting it.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

You’ll want to check your local PBS listings to find Austin City Limits Presents: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival as a rather impressive group of stars will be performing on the show: Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck, Gillian Welch, and Emmylou Harris. Wow.

Turner Classic Movies switches gears from science fiction to Oscar nominated films from the ’80s: Gandhi (TCM, 7pm), Atlantic City (TCM, 10:15pm), The Trip to Bountiful (TCM, 12:15am), and Mephisto (TCM, 2:15am).

Season two of Torchwood is underway in both the U.K. and the U.S. It’s nice that those of us here in the States don’t have to wait quite so long after episodes debut in the U.K. In any event, if you missed the season premiere last week, you can catch that episode of Torchwood again tonight (BBC America, 7pm, 10pm, 1am). James Marsters (of Buffy, Angel, et al) guest stars as a man who shares quite the past with Captain Jack. I believe he both fights with Jack and makes out with him. Awww. Anyway, when it first aired, I could hear fangirls squeeing all over the world. Torchwood - The Complete First Season is available on DVD if you haven’t yet had a chance to catch-up with this adult spin-off of Doctor Who.

Dog Show: AKC/Eukanuba National Championship 2008 (Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, 7pm - 10pm; airs again at 10pm on Animal Planet and 11pm on Discovery; also on Sunday at 11am on Animal Planet).

Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Michael Moriarty star in Courage Under Fire (Fox Movie Channel, 7pm, 9pm, 11pm). Should be letterboxed and uncut (good for Fox Movie Channel). Washington plays an officer who reviews the records of a female helicopter pilot (played by Meg Ryan) to see if she’s a suitable Medal of Honor candidate. Directed by Edward Zwick, who directed Washington in Glory (Washington won an Oscar for his performance in that film). Matt Damon lost a ridiculous amount of weight for the small (but memorable) part he plays in this movie. Bronson Pinchot (of Perfect Strangers), Zeljko Ivanek (of Damages, Homicide), Seth Gilliam (of The Wire, Oz), Regina Taylor (of The Unit, I’ll Fly Away), Scott Glenn, Sean Astin, and Ned Vaughn (of China Beach) also appear in this movie.

Two new episodes of Flip That House (TLC, 7pm and 10pm, 7:30pm and 10:30pm).

ESPN Classic airs a SportsCentury marathon from 7pm ’til 5am. It starts with episodes that focus on Tom Brady (ESPN Classic, 7pm - 8pm), Randy Moss (ESPN Classic, 8pm), Terrell Owens (ESPN Classic, 8:30pm - 9:30pm), Peyton Manning (ESPN Classic, 9:30pm - 10:30pm), Reggie White (ESPN Classic, 10:30pm - 11:30pm), and John Elway (ESPN Classic, 11:30pm).

New episode of Torchwood (BBC America, 8pm, 11pm, 2am). When a couple survives a burglary, but the burglars end up viciously attacked, the Torchwood folks think that maybe the couple is hiding something. Could one of them be an alien? I’ve seen this episode and it’s pretty good.

A mother who thinks she knows best swaps renovations with a rebel daughter on a new episode of Trading Spaces (TLC, 8pm and 11pm; also on 11am on Sunday. Paige is back on the show this season! Just in case you missed her (I guess I have).

Janeane Garofalo stars in the Lifetime original movie Girl’s Best Friend (Lifetime, 8pm). The character played by Garofalo goes on a cross-country trip with her mother’s dog.

William H. Macy, Maria Bello, and Alec Baldwin star in The Cooler (IFC, 8pm, 2am). Uncut and letterboxed.

There’s a “Great Garage Makeover” on a new episode of Color Splash (HGTV, 8pm and midnight).

Four episodes of Ace of Cakes which may be new to you (they’ve already aired previously): “The Harry Potter Cake” (Food Network, 8pm and 11pm), “Volcano Cakes and Mix Tapes” (Food Network, 8:30pm and 11:30pm), “Tattoos and Traditions” (Food Network, 9pm and midnight), and “Hairspray Premiere” (Food Network, 9:30pm and 12:30am).

Still more college basketball: Arizona at UCLA (ESPN, 8pm).

Rebroadcasts of the first five episodes of In Treatment (HBO2, 8:30pm - 11pm).

A couple update their neglected bedroom on a new Find Your Style (HGTV, 9:30pm and 1:30am).

Late Night

A parody of Avril Lavigne’s video “Girlfriend” and a parody of TV show “24″ are among the sketches on a new Mad TV (FOX, 10pm). I can’t help but wonder if this is really new or if it’s a new show . . . composed of clips.

New episode of the anime series Death Note (Cartoon Network, 10:30pm and 1:30am).

A couple transform their home office on a new Get It Together (HGTV, 10:30pm and 2:30am).

Tom Brady hosts, Beck is the musical guest on a rerun of Saturday Night Live (NBC, check your local listings).

Jimmy Smith and Douglass Anderson (of Fight Quest) on a new Talkshow with Spike Feresten (FOX, 11pm).