Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New Modern Marvels (History, 7pm and 11pm)
New In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm)
New Lost (ABC, 8pm - 9:02pm)
New Eli Stone (ABC, 9:02pm)
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

I messed up yesterday and accidently listed the guests for Thursday night late night talk shows as if they were the guests for Wednesday night. Eek! Sorry about that. If the “Late Night” section seems terribly familiar today, that’s why. I feel bad about this, it’s amazing I don’t make mistakes more often (given I don’t have an editor, often write these things in haste, etc). Still. My bad. Sorry about this.

Daytime

“The Age of Miracles: The New Midlife” on Oprah (syndicated, check our local listings). Marianne Williamson appears again on the show.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

College basketball: Notre Dame at Louisville (ESPN, 6pm), St. Louis at St. Joseph’s (ESPN2, 6pm), CIAA Tournament, Second Quarterfinal (ESPN Classic, 6pm), Michigan State at Wisconsin (ESPN2, 8pm), CIAA Tournament, Third Quarterfinal (ESPN Classic, 8pm), and another game that’s still TBA (ESPN, 8pm).

The New York Philharmonic performs music by Dvorák, Gershwin and Wagner in North Korea on Great Performances (PBS, check your local listings).

NBA hoops: Mavericks at Spurs (TNT, 7pm), Heat at Lakers (TNT, 9:30pm).

Four more competitors are sent home (two women, two men) on American Idol (FOX, 7pm).

A new Dunder Mifflin website is launched in this rerun of The Office (NBC, 7pm). Michael hopes he gets to go to New York for the launch party.

Michael: “Well the website is the brain-child of my brain-child, Ryan. It is my brain-grandchild.”
  from The Office

Clark frees his mom and encounters blue kryptonite in this rerun of Smallville (CW, 7pm). Helen Slater guest stars.

One clever castaway finds an immunity idol and then makes a copy on Survivor (CBS, 7pm). Sneaky!

Gordon Ramsay goes to Hampshire to help a supper club that is so exclusive it hardly has any customers on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (BBC America, 7pm, 10pm, midnight). Followed by a rerun of “The Curry Lounge” episode (BBC America, 8pm, 11pm, 1am). If you’ve only seen the FOX version of this show, that’s just sad as this is a much better show.

Modern Marvels (History, 7pm and 11pm) takes a look at superhighways including a 20-lane project in Houston, China’s 28,000 mile National Trunk Highway System, and the High-Five interchange in Dallas. They also look at the anatomy of a traffic jam. Sounds fascinating.

Eddie (Mark Valley) is asked to protect a German opera singer in this rerun of Keen Eddie (Sleuth, 7pm and 10pm; also on Saturdays at 5pm). The assignment may not be all bad as the opera singer takes a liking to Eddie and he kinda likes her too. Fiona (Sienna Miller) doesn’t like any of this.

Rerun of last week’s interesting episode of Lost (ABC, 7pm). With text commentary.

Ben: “What makes you think I have access to that kind of money?”
Miles: “Do not treat me like I’m one of them. Like I don’t know who you are and what you can do.”
  from Lost

Carter Oosterhouse uses bold colors, new cabinets, and a custom-built wine rack to update a kitchen on a new Carter Can (HGTV, 7:30pm and 11:30pm).

10,000 B.C.: HBO First Look (HBO, 7:45pm).

Desmond gets the flashbacks or flashforwards or whatever in tonight’s new episode of Lost (ABC, 8pm - 9:02pm). We get to see Sayid and Desmond’s trip to the freighter. Have you noticed that Harold Perrineau’s name has been in the credits each week? I keep trying to guess when Michael will show up (it’d be sneaky of them if he never does). DVR Alert: Runs ’til 9:02pm.

Transforming a hockey player’s boring basement into a relaxing family retreat on a new Divine Design (HGTV, 8pm and midnight).

Melinda Clarke, who played “Julie Cooper” on The OC, guest stars as the Devil’s longtime girlfriend in this rerun of Reaper (CW, 8pm). But does she know who he is? The vessel is a hair dryer. Ben’s mother and grandmother visit the store and things get interesting in unexpected ways.

The guys take on a double build, then travel to South Africa and immerse themselves in the local bike culture on a new American Chopper (TLC, 8pm and 10pm).

This week the celebs create a print ad for a body wash on The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC, 8pm - 9:01pm). DVR Alert: Runs ’til 9:01pm.

Sara Sidle works a tough case and then decides to leave Las Vegas and C.S.I. (CBS, 8pm). Bummer. Is Jorja Fox’s last episode, unless she guest stars at some future date. Douglas Smith (of Big Love) and Juliette Goglia reprise roles they played in a previous episode.

A hit man considers laundering money for his boss by buying a rare baseball card from the Players (Sleuth, 8pm and 11pm). Ice-T and Costas Mandylor star in this shortlived series.

Jack and Amy keep on visiting Paul on In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm and 10:30pm). Preceded by a rerun of last week’s episode with Jake & Amy (HBO, 8pm and 10pm). Additional airings throughout the week on the various HBO stations, check your local listings.

You knew it would happen eventually, Eli Stone (ABC, 9:02pm) has one of his visions while in court. Yikes! Tom Amandes continues his guest stint on the show as a lawyer at Eli’s firm.

Nico’s in big trouble if Kirby goes ahead with his lawsuit on Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 9:01pm). Wendy hosts an extravagant premiere party and gives Victory a shot at designing for a big star.

New episode of Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV, 9pm, 11pm).

The models are challenged to stay focused under rough circumstances when they have a photo shoot that involves speed and snow on Make Me A Supermodel (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, midnight, 1am).

Kat consults a doctor and gets a scare on a new L.A. Ink (TLC, 9pm, 11pm). Or else she has a scare and then consults a doctor, I’m not sure which. This is the new night for this show.

Rebroadcast of the latest episode of The Wire (HBO, 9pm). The ninth episode (the one that follows this one) is available now via HBO On Demand in case you can’t wait ’til Sunday (and have HBO On Demand).

Catherine Dent (who plays “Danny” on The Shield) guest stars as an ex-con who disappears on Without A Trace (CBS, 9pm). James Marsters (”Spike” on Buffy and Angel) continues his guest stint on the show as a police detective working with Viv.

Another airing of the new episode of Breaking Bad (AMC, 9:30pm and 12:30am) which debuted on Sunday. Walter attends a party for a former colleague, Jesse tries to go straight, Skyler organizes an intervention.

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).