Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee (ABC, 7pm – 9pm)
New Modern Marvels (History Channel, 7pm and 11pm)
Season finale of The Sarah Jane Adventures (Sci-Fi, 7:30pm)
New Doctor Who (Sci-Fi, 8pm and 10pm)
New Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11pm)
Lotsa cool guests on late night talk show reruns (see below)

News & Notes

There will be TV Picks for Sunday as I try to get back to providing weekend picks for y’all. Hope to have them online late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, but will have to see how it goes. Of course you can be notified when the picks are posted via feed, email, or twitter.

I’ve seen four episodes of the new series In Plain Sight, which premieres on Sunday on USA so I figure I’ve got to update this weekend to tell you what I think of the show.

I’ve resumed covering stuff other than just late night talk show listings in the “Late Night” section, just in case you don’t usually scroll down there because you’re not into talk shows.

Daytime

Carson Kressley (of Queer Eye) appears in this rerun of the “How to Look Good Naked” episode of Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). The appearance was to promote the series of the same name, of course.

Two wonderful classics directed by Howard Hawks: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Rita Hayworth star in Only Angels Have Wings (TCM, 2:15pm); John Wayne and Montgomery Clift star in Red River (TCM, 4:30pm).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

College softball on ESPN2.

NBA action: NBA Shootaround (ESPN, 7pm), Celtics at Pistons (ESPN, 7:30pm).

Tom Bergeron hosts the final championship round of the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee (ABC, 7pm – 9pm). I suppose it’s possible it could run long given this is a live event. You can find bee action earlier in the day on ESPN starting at 10am.

Back to back episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures (Sci-Fi, 7pm, 7:30pm). The first one is a rerun of part one of this two-part story, the second part is a new (to the U.S.) episode that concludes that story and the first season of this show. There will be another season, though it hasn’t yet started airing in the UK so it will be a while before we see it.

Turner Classic Movies features what they’re calling the “John Ford/Cavalry Trilogy”: Fort Apache (TCM, 7pm), She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (TCM, 9:15pm), and Rio Grande (TCM, 11pm). John Wayne stars in all three of these classics.

The history and technology of the ax on a new episode of Modern Marvels (History Channel, 7pm and 11pm).

The story of Flower is told in Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins (Animal Planet, 7pm – 8:30pm, 10pm – 11:30pm)

Alton Brown makes kabobs in this rerun of Good Eats (Food Network, 7pm and 2am).

Cesar Millan helps dogs and humans yet again. A ridgeback/boxer mix has aggression issues, and some whippets bark and lunge at other dogs on a new Dog Whisperer (National Geographic, 7pm and 10pm; also on Saturday at 10am).

The ghost of a man buried in the wrong grave begins haunting a cemetary in this rerun of Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 7pm) from last season. David Paymer guest stars.

Beauty Queens Gone Wrong: 15 Pageant Scandals (E!, 7pm – 9pm; also on Saturday at 4pm).

The Sontarans continue their evil plot, but of course The Doctor and his friends will do their best to save Earth in this new episode of Doctor Who (Sci-Fi, 8pm and 10pm).

The Doctor: “It’s times like this I could do with the Brigadier. No offense.”
Colonel Mace: “None taken. Sir Alistair is a fine man, if not the best, unfortunately he’s stranded in Peru.”
  from Doctor Who

Clinton and Stacy work with a female firefighter to bring some feminity back into her wardrobe on a new What Not To Wear (TLC, 8pm and 11pm).

Just reading descriptions of new episodes of Shockwave (History Channel, 8pm and midnight) can be entertaining. Tonight’s episode is described this way: “A fireball erupts after a fire captain sends his son into a burning house during a training exercise; an Australian dragster going 300 mph breaks in half; a suicide bomber targets a U.S. Marine convoy in Afghanistan; horrific skateboard spill.”

An elderly woman dies with no apparent symptoms and a man complaining of abdominal pain passes away before they figure out what is wrong with him in a new episode of Dr. G: Medical Examiner (Discovery Health Channel, 8pm and 11pm). Well, Dr. G investigates those deaths. There’s also a rerun of an episode where Dr. G investigates the death of a young girl in a wave pool (Discovery Health Channel, 9pm and midnight).

Bear Grylls visits the Siberian tundra in this new episode of Man vs. Wild (Discovery, 8pm and midnight). Followed by a rerun of the episode where he goes to Namibia (Discovery, 9pm and 1am).

A case involves a dead minor league baseball pitcher in this rerun of Numb3rs (CBS, 8pm) from last season. Guest stars include Bill Nye (the Science Guy), Jon Hamm (of Mad Men), and Jay Baruchel (of Undeclared, Just Legal).

Oswald: “So I almost get shot and you guys respond by doing a lot of math.”
Charlie Eppes: “That’s how we roll at CalSci.”
  from Numb3rs

Six women are caught on tape hiring people they believe are hit men on a new Dateline NBC (NBC, 8pm – 10pm). Oops!

The usual look at pop culture highlights of the week on a new Best Week Ever (VH1, 8pm, 10pm, 1:30am; also on Saturday at 10am and 1:30pm).

We get to meet the scientists and volunteers who work at Meerkat Manor (Animal Planet, 8:30pm and 11:30pm) in this special new episode.

At last, a new episode of Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11pm; also on Sunday at 10:30pm). You missed it last week, didn’t you? Those that watch, that is. As usual, I’ve got nothing to tell you about this new episode because Sci-Fi doesn’t really send out info and one wouldn’t want to get spoiled anyway.

Rosie O’Donnell and Sam Champion join Paula Deen for a “Rainy Day BBQ Party” on a new Paula’s Party (Food Network, 9pm and midnight).

Sometimes it’s quite difficult to tell from their website what the topics are on the next new 20/20 (ABC, 9pm).

A man dies in the boxing ring in this rerun of Numb3rs (CBS, 9pm) from last season (the one before the one that just ended, that is). In case you’ve forgotten, someone from The Wire appeared in almost every episode that year. Gbenga Akinnagbe, who played “Chris” on The Wire, guest starred in this one. Other guest stars in this episode include: Bruce McGill, Steven Culp (of Desperate Housewives, Traveler), A.J. Benza, and Arye Gross (of Ellen).

Joel McHale hosts yet another installment of The Soup (E!, 9pm and 11:30pm; also at 9am and 10pm on Saturday). Talk Soup evolved into this show which now features clips (and jokes about them) from all sorts of shows, not just daytime talk shows.

Three more women are helped to look 10 Years Younger (TLC, 9pm and midnight).

Late Night

Rebroadcast of the series premiere of Criminal Minds (A&E, 10pm and 2am). Looks like A&E will be airing Criminal Minds from the beginning on Friday nights starting tonight. If you haven’t been watching this show or need to catch up, this is a great way to watch it; the series is also available on DVD. Well-written show with good attention to detail and fascinating character development; if you can stomach the plots involving all manner of crime, give it a shot. Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Kristen Vangsness, and Lola Glaudini star in season one; Paget Brewster and Joe Mantegna join the cast later in the series. This first episode has the team tracking a serial killer in Seattle.

Reid: (about Gideon) “Do you know why he always introduces me as Doctor Reid?”
Hotchner: “Because he knows that people see you as a kid, and he wants to make sure that they respect you.”
  from Criminal Minds

Rebroadcast of the second-to-last episode of this past season of House (USA, 10pm). It’s the episode titled “House’s Head” where he loses his memory after being involved in a bus accident. Part one of two, the conclusion of this two-part season finale airs next Friday at 10pm on USA. In case you missed them on FOX or want to see them again.

Dr. Cameron: “You’re staying the night. We need to monitor your brain for swelling.”
House: “How much bigger could it get?”
  from House

Al Pacino, David Wright (of the New York Mets), and golfer Trevor Immelman presents a top ten list on a rerun of The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Conan O’Brien, Anderson Cooper, Allison Moorer on a rerun of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Christina Ricci, Jason Sudeikis, Shooter Jennings on a rerun of Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Felicity Huffman, Mike Doughty on a rerun of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

John Cusack, Sofia Vergara, the Jonas Brothers on a rerun of Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).

Romany Malco, Sheryl Crow on a rerun of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Haxan (TCM, 1am) is a silent movie from 1922 that traces the history of witchcraft from the middle ages to the early 20th century. Well, something like that. For the full scoop on this movie, you can read all about it at TCM Underground. Oddly enough, it looks like Haxan is also scheduled to air tonight on IFC at 11pm.

The featured cult movie in late night on TCM tonight is The Mysterious Island (TCM, 3am) from 1929. In it, “a scientist builds an underwater ship to search for a race of fish men.” Excellent! Lionel Barrymore, Jane Daly, and Lloyd Hughes star. You can read more about it on the TCM website.