Sunday, February 3, 2008
Best Bets
Oscar nominated films on TCM
Plenty of marathons
Puppy Bowl IV (Animal Planet, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm)
Super Bowl XLII (FOX, 5pm)
New episode of The Wire (HBO, 8pm, 9:30pm)
New episode of House (FOX, after Super Bowl)
News & Notes
I try to highlight some sporting events, but can’t cover it all. I kinda figure any sports fans out there are already keeping up with their favorite sports, teams, etc.
Daytime
Turner Classic Movies is airing musicals today, all of which were nominated for Oscars or feature work that was nominated for an Oscar: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (TCM, 1:15pm, letterboxed), Gigi (TCM, 3pm, letterboxed), and An American in Paris (TCM, 5pm). As always, movies that air on TCM are uncut and air without commercials. Some are letterboxed.
MythBusters marathon (Discovery, 1pm – 2am).
The Closer marathon (TNT, 1pm – 10pm).
Law & Order: Criminal Intent marathon (USA, 1pm – 5pm; Bravo, 5pm – 1am).
Star Trek: Enterprise marathon (Sci-Fi, 1pm – midnight).
Murder, She Wrote marathon (Hallmark, 1pm – 2am).
Super Bowl Sunday Pre-Game Show (FOX, 1pm – 5pm).
Hockey: Rangers at Canadiens (NBC, 1pm).
Bathroom Renovations marathon (DIY, 1:30pm – 2am). These episodes are new or at least new to DIY if I read things right. Episodes are repeated multiple times during the marathon, sometimes even in a row. You should probably check listings if you’re interested in seeing/recording any episode(s) in particular.
NBA Basketball: Mavericks at Pistons (ABC, 1:30pm).
The first showing of Puppy Bowl IV (Animal Planet, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm) starts early enough you can watch it before the other big game. Airs again plenty of other times. In case you haven’t seen the Puppy Bowl before, it’s a bunch of puppies running around and playing in a space done up to look like a football field. Complete with “water bowl cam” and other nifty innovations. Different groups of puppies play at different times. There’s also a kitty half-time show that features cats playing with toys. Um. It’s ridiculously cute and cool. You can read all about it on the Animal Planet website and vote for your favorite puppies and plays.
Figure Skaing: ISU Grand Prix Final (ESPN, 3:30pm).
Super Bowl XLII (FOX, 5pm). You may have heard about this. The undefeated New England Patriots versus the New York Giants
“Three Men and Adena” is one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street (Sleuth, 5pm and 4am). Tom Fontana won an Emmy for penning this episode. Moses Gunn guest stars as the prime suspect in the Adena Watson case (based on the real life LaTonya Wallace case).
Rebroadcast of the five week one episodes of In Treatment (HBO, 5:30pm – 8pm).
Primetime Grid
| Mon | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos Rerun | Meet the Fockers | ||||
| CBS | 60 Minutes | Shark Rerun | Cold Case Rerun | |||
| NBC | Biggest Loser:Couples Rerun, starts at 6pm | The Biggest Loser: Couples Rerun | ||||
| FOX | Super Bowl XLII starts at 5pm | Postgame Show | House starts at 9:15pm or so | |||
| CW | Life is Wild Season finale | Crowned Rerun of season finale | Local Programming | |||
| HBO | In Treatment Rerun | In Treatment Rerun | The Wire | Def Comedy Jam | The Wire | |
| Show | The Tudors Rerun of 2nd episode | The L Word | The L Word | |||
Primetime
Lots of marathons continue through primetime (you can see them mentioned in the “Daytime” section).
Figure Skating: European Championship (ESPN, 6pm).
CBS Reports: Fathers, Sons, and Brothers (CBS, 6pm). This special looks at the lives of National Guardsmen serving in Iraq and their families back home. A special report takes the usual 60 Minutes timeslot, with 60 Minutes airing at a special later time (7pm).
Masterpiece continues to feature the works of Jane Austen. Gillian Anderson has been hosting these. Tonight’s feature is docudrama Miss Austen Regrets (PBS, check your local listings) which is about the life of Jane Austen. With Olivia Wiliams as Jane Austen. Samuel Roukin and Hugh Bonneville also star.
60 Minutes (CBS, 7pm) airs at a special later time. Features a new special double-length segment about Dubai. And a rebroadcast of a classic Mike Wallace interview with Gordon Hinckley (leader of the Mormon Church). Wallace also interviews prominent Mormons Steve Young and Senator Orrin Hatch.
Primetime and late night on Turner Classic Movies brings us Oscar-nominated films of the ’90s: Sense and Sensibility (TCM, 7pm, letterboxed), Quiz Show (TCM, 9:30pm, letterboxed), Kundun (TCM, 11:45pm, letterboxed), and Wings of the Dove (TCM, 2:15am, letterboxed). Really good movies; all airing uncut, sans commercials, and letterboxed. Excellent! As they should be. (I’m surprised that it’s so rare that premium cable stations air movies letterboxed. Seems that if you want uncut letterboxed films, you’ve gotta watch TCM, Fox Movie Channel, and IFC. Sometimes Sundance).
Debut of a new episode of The Wire (HBO, 8pm, 9:30pm). Fifth episode of the fifth and final season (that will be just ten episodes long). Episode title is “React Quotes” and let me just say, it’s another great one. Episodes are also available on HBO On Demand, about a week before their debut on HBO.
Carter Oosterhouse and Michele K co-host the special Ultimate Bedrooms for Romance (HGTV, 8pm).
Miss America Live 2008 (TLC, 8pm).
A new episode of House gets the coveted post-Super Bowl timeslot. Mira Sorvino guest stars as a psychiatrist at the South Pole who falls ill. House and his team try to help her from afar, via webcam. It’s anybody’s guess when the show will actually air, FOX is guessing at around 9:15pm but it really depends on how long the game goes and how much postgame coverage there is before the show starts. If you don’t watch the game, but want to watch House, I recommend checking FOX frequently after 9pm or else setting up a recording to record a good long time period starting at 9pm and running ’til 11pm or so. But I’m just guessing here.
Jenny throws a party to introduce her friends to their film counterparts and Alice outs a sports star on a new episode of The L-Word (Showtime, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm).
Rebroadcast of the first two episodes of Breaking Bad (AMC, 9pm and midnight, 10pm and 1am). Next new episode debuts next Sunday. Much as I usually love the work of Vince Gilligan (series creator, writer of these episodes), I found the second episode too dark and gruesome– to the point I had to take a break in the middle of the episode and haven’t finished it yet. Bryan Cranston (who was the dad on Malcolm in the Middle) stars as a science teacher who is diagnosed with lung cancer and then he begins cooking meth to make money for his family, I guess.
Wil Sylvince, Cory Fernandez, and Ted Carpenter on a new Russell Simons’ Def Comedy Jam (HBO, 9pm). Hosted by D.L. Hughley.
Late Night
Plenty of marathons continue past primetime into late night.
House (FOX, after Super Bowl) will probably run ’til at least 10:15pm and may start and end later than that.
Another fine rerun of Mad Men (AMC, 11pm). Third episode of season one.
