Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm)
New Men in Trees (ABC, 9pm)
New Law & Order (NBC, 9pm)
New Project Runway (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, midnight, 1am)
Amy Adams, Jamie Oliver, Liam Finn on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)
Natalie Portman, Robert Schimmel, James Blunt on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm)

News & Notes:

If you know HTML, I could use a little help bringing some of my older pages up to speed (to match current design). I can’t pay you, but would give credit (with a link if you have a site) and might have some TV swag I could give you. Contact me if you’re interested.

Men in Trees returns tonight (see below). It doesn’t bode well that ABC pulled this show from the schedule for sweeps despite the fact that they have lots of new episodes of this show that haven’t aired yet. If you like Men in Trees, support it any way you can (watch it, tell your friends to watch it, write to ABC via their website to tell them you like the show, and so on).

Daytime

“Living on the Edge: Lisa Ling Reports How Far Would You Go?” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). Ling goes inside the “freegan” lifestyle. And a suburban Mom who works as a stripper.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

College basketball: Kansas at Iowa State (ESPN, 6pm), Georgia Tech at Duke (ESPN, 8pm), West Virginia at DePaul (ESPN2, 8pm).

Finale of America’s Ballroom Challenge (PBS, check your local listings). The champion couples of each category now must perform in all four categories. Jasmine Guy and Ron Montez host. I’m told that this has been amazing, it certainly puts Dancing with the Stars to shame.

Everyone from Bob Dylan to the Dixie Chicks relays the story of folk singer Pete Seeger in Pete Seeger: The Power of Song on American Masters (PBS, check your local listings).

Some pretty amazing Oscar-nominated films from the ’50s: On the Beach (TCM, 7pm, letterboxed), High Noon (TCM, 9:30pm), Seven Samurai (TCM, 11pm), and Rashomon (TCM, 2:30am). Read more about them.

The women check out their new apartment in New York City, there’s an impromptu Badgley Mischa fashion show, and Paulina Porizkova is introduced as the new judge on America’s Next Top Model (CW, 7pm).

The ten remaining women perform on American Idol (FOX, 7pm - 8:30pm).

A traditional stay-at-home mom from the backwoods of Kentucky swaps places with a mom from a “family of ghost hunters who all have paranormal abilities” on Wife Swap (ABC, 7pm). I guess the father in the ghost-hunting family is a stay-at-home dad.

Cedric the Entertainer shows up on Deal or No Deal (NBC, 7pm).

“Chile’s Angles” and “The Big Chili” episodes of Good Eats (Food Network, 7pm and 2am, 7:30pm and 2:30am).

Garcia is probably my favorite character on Criminal Minds (CBS, 8pm), so I hate to see her in the hospital in this episode (”Penelope”), but also love seeing her in the spotlight for a change. Guest stars include Nicholas Brendon (who was “Xander” on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Bailey Chase (of Saving Grace, he was also “Graham” on Buffy and one of the many actors to play “Chris Hughes” on As The World Turns).

Garcia: When I was in the ambulance I could hear the song “Heroes” playing in my head. I kept flashing in and out of consciousness, everything was really bright and I remember thinking, “Wait, is David Bowie really God?”
  from Criminal Minds

A dead woman is found tied up in a hotel room on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC, 8pm). Detectives Logan and Falacci investigate. Guest stars include Amanda Detmer (of What About Brian) and Lola Glaudini (who was “Elle” on Criminal Minds).

Rerun of the classic “Diet Coke and Mentos” episode of Mythbusters (Discovery, 8pm and midnight).

Supernanny (ABC, 8pm) Jo Frost is appalled when she encounters a mother who makes her son swallow liquid soap to teach him a lesson. Yikes!

HGTV airs new episodes of Deserving Design (HGTV, 8pm and midnight), Design on a Dime (HGTV, 8:30pm and 12:30am), House Hunters (HGTV, 9pm and 1am), and Sleep On It (HGTV, 9:30pm and 1:30am).

DIY airs new episodes of Sweat Equity (DIY, 8pm) and Man Caves (DIY, 8:30pm).

A young news anchor from a rival station asks Kelly out on a date on Back To You (FOX, 8:30pm). Chuck worries the other station is trying to woo Kelly away, but he may also be a bit jealous too. Reporter Gary (Ty Burrell) is asked to cover a convention for people who wear animal costumes (furries, that is). And Marsh (Fred Willard) experiments with some new sign-off lines. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton star.

It’s Sophie’s turn on a new In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm); last week’s episode airs tonight as well (HBO, 8pm). I think Sophie is my favorite of those who receive treatment from Paul and I can’t wait to see what happens tonight.

Men in Trees (ABC, 9pm) finally returns with a new episode. Jack is still out to sea (and actually lost at sea, though Marin doesn’t know that yet). Cash returns to stay with Marin. Pastor Eric (Nicholas Lea) ends up staying with Sara for a while. Plow Guy and Jane have a fight of some sort. And Buzz tries to help Patrick regain his memory. And so on and so forth. I’m very happy to have a new episode to watch.

A high school girl is killed and the suspects include a prostitute and a pimp on Law & Order (NBC, 9pm). Guest stars include Lisa Joyce, Molly Ephraim, Maria Dizzia, and Pedro Pascal. It sounds like Jesse L. Martin will be leaving the show at the end of this season (or beginning of next season); Anthony Anderson (of K-Ville, The Shield) has been mentioned as a possible replacement though it’s all just speculation at this point.

The “finalists take to the tents” to determine who’ll be the next winner on Project Runway (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, midnight, 1am).

“The team experiments with space-shuttle technology for the road” on Smash Lab (Discovery, 9pm and 1am) and since the episode is titled “Runaway Trailer” I’m guessing it doesn’t go as well as it could.

Stephen Root, Monica Potter, and David Alan Grier guest star on Head Case (Starz, 9pm, 10pm).

The deputies go to work as fast food employees in order to stop a string of robberies on a new Reno 911! (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm).

Chris Kattan thinks he may know of a part for Tony in his new movie on Hollywood Residential (Starz, 9:30pm and 10:30pm). But, unsurprisingly, Tony does not do well at the audition.

Late Night

Brian Williams on The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Ingrid Newkirk on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Amy Adams, Jamie Oliver, Liam Finn on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm). If you don’t know who Liam Finn is, maybe it will help if I tell you he’s the son of Neil Finn of Crowded House, Finn Brothers, and Split Enz. Liam Finn has been touring with Crowded House, but he’s also had a band of his own and solo releases that are pretty darn good. Find out more about him on his official website or find him on MySpace.

Wanda Sykes, Bryan Cranston (of Breaking Bad), Cat Power on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Natalie Portman, Robert Schimmel, James Blunt on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Natasha Henstridge (of Eli Stone), Carl Bernstein, Steve Mazan on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Martin Lawrence, Judy Greer on Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).

Miss Dakota, Rob Stewart, Josh Kelley on a rerun of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).