tv

next week 3/30

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New and notable in the week ahead… procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Greek (ABCFam, 8pm) Season Premiere – They’re back from summer break in this fun college show.

Tuesday

  • Osbournes: Reloaded (Fox, 9:20pm) – When you think Osbournes, you think variety show, note the annoying start time following an annoying end time for American Idol.
  • Cupid (ABC, 10pm, repeats Sat) Series Premiere – I will try not to hold my love of the previous version against them but Bobby Cannavale is no Jeremy Piven, though I might be a sucker for good matchmaking.
  • My Boys (TBS, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Another round of amusement, I understand the guys have a mustache growing contest.
  • Pretty Wicked (Oxy, 11pm) Series Premiere – In another take on the usual reality, some pretty on the outside girls compete to become pretty on the inside.

Wednesday

  • I Get That A Lot (CBS, 8pm) – An April Fools special where celebrities take everyday jobs to ‘trick’ folks.
  • Rate My Space (HGTV, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – Something about spaces, that are maybe rated…
  • The Ultimate Fighter (Spike, 10pm) Season Premiere – They’re scouting for the US vs UK teams.
  • Life on Mars (ABC, 10pm) Series Finale – Will Sam return to 2008 as this series goes off the air?
  • Reno 911 (Com, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Looks like some new officers join the force.

Thursday

  • ER (NBC, 8/9pm) Series Finale – First a look back at the 15 seasons and then a two hour wrap up.
  • Free Radio (VH1, 11pm) Season Premiere – Dimwitted intern is apparently still running the morning radio show.

Friday

  • Escape to Chimp Eden (AnPl, 9pm) Season Premiere – Getting chimps integrated can be tricky.
  • Mistresses (BBCA, 9pm) Season Premiere – Things are still complicated.
  • Bang for Your Buck (HGTV, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – Renovations with a lot of bang for the buck.
  • Unsellables (HGTV, 11:30pm) Season Premiere – Things like bad color can make a house look bad.

Saturday

  • Sony Ericsson Open (CBS, 9:30 am, Sun, 10am) – The men’s and women’s tennis finals follows a week of earlier rounds on CSNBA.

Sunday

  • Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom (AnPl, 7pm) Season Premiere – Doggies protecting tigers!
  • The 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (CBS, 8pm) – Reba hosts and the country folks gather and sing.
  • Food Network Challenge (Food, 8pm) Season Premiere – This four part ‘Last Cake Standing’ challenge will award some cash and glory.
  • In Treatment (HBO, 9/9:30pm) Season Premiere – Therapist and patients are back in business.
  • The Tudors (Show, 9pm) Season Premiere – Henry VIII takes his third bride.
  • My First Place (HGTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – The latest couple is paying for a wedding and a house…
  • River Monsters (AnPl, 10pm) Series Premiere – Where does one go after piranhas?
  • Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices (HBO, 11pm) Series Premiere – Young poets compete.

* All times are PST, always check your local listings.

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tv

next week 3/16

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New and notable in the week ahead… procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Kyle XY (ABC Fam, 9pm) Series Finale – Things wrap up as Kyle tries to thwart a bad plan.
  • Dhani Tackles the Globe (Trav, 9pm) Series Premiere – NFL linebacker heads to Bangkok to do some Muay Thai.
  • Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi, 10pm) I’m only on about season two but this finale special salutes the series as it wraps.

Tuesday

  • Modern Toss (IFC, 11pm) Series Debut – A partially animated British comedy is apparently not for the easily offended.

Wednesday

  • Inside the FBI (Disc, 8pm) – Following the FBI…
  • Better Off Ted (ABC, 8:30pm) Series Premiere – Sitcom set in an ethically challenged R&D co with Jay Harrington and Portia de Rossi, follows Scrubs in its new time slot.

Thursday

  • Taking the Stage (MTV, 10pm) Series Debut – Real life Fame, students at the School for Creative Performing Arts.

Friday

  • Battlestar Galactica (SciFi, 9pm) Series Finale – The series may be done, but you can always stay tuned for Caprica.
  • Head Case (Starz, 10pm) Season Premiere – This improvised original comedy showcases a therapist to the stars.
  • Party Down (Starz, 10:30pm) Series Debut – Comedy with actors catering or catering actors… by VMars creator Rob Thomas.

Saturday

  • The Locator (WE, 9pm) Season Premiere – Real life looking for people all season long.
  • Nora Roberts (Life, 1pm) – Start the marathon of movies based on her books with Blue Smoke and work your way through Carolina Moon, Montana Sky, Angels Fall and the latest, Northern Lights at 9.

Sunday

  • BNP Paribas Open (CSNBA, 12pm) – The men’s and women’s tennis finals following earlier rounds throughout the week.

* Always check your local listings (times noted are PST).

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sports, tv

australian open

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Well my vow not to watch the first week of this tennis tournament was thwarted by a cold, so here I am in week two totally engrossed. Three important things to note: 1) it’s all on ESPN2 so if you’re looking for network coverage you’re out of luck 2) it is in Australia so live tv is totally out of time zone whack 3) it’s been 100-120 degrees and they’ve only shut the roof (and turn the AC on to get it down to a balmy mid 70s) for a couple of the day matches, the night matches might still be in the 100s, let’s just say there’ve been some fried folks.

So what are we looking at:

  • Men’s Semifinals – Thurs 1/29, 12:30am, Roddick vs. Federer (replays at noon); Fri 1/30, 12:30am, Nadal vs. Verdasco (replays at noon)
  • Women’s Final – Saturday 1/31, 12:30am, S. Williams vs. Safina (replays at 6am and 5pm)
  • Men’s Final – Sunday 2/1, 12:30am, tbd (replays at noon)

* All times are PST, check your local listings

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sports, tv

next week 1/19

2 Comments

New and notable in the week ahead… procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Australian Open (ESPN2, 12:30am, through next week*) – The open continues!
  • Electric Company (PBS, 3:30pm*) – A new generation of whatever it was this show did.
  • House (Fox, 8pm) – If you’re not a season pass sort of person you should note the new time and rumor has it we will eventually see more of the original casties Cameron and Chase.
  • Will Work for Food (Food, 8:30pm) Series Premiere – Next Food Network star competitor Adam Gertler checks out food related jobs.
  • Momma’s Boys (NBC, 10pm) Season Finale – Will the mommas and the boys agree on their romantic choices?

Tuesday

  • Inauguration (Check Your Local Listings*) – This looks like it goes on all day and night but as I understand it the actual oath taking and inaugural address happen around noon DC time.
  • Tour Down Under (Vs, 1pm*) – Lance is back and you can check him out in this tour that runs through Sunday.

Wednesday

  • Lost (ABC, 8/9pm, repeats Saturday) Season Premiere – Recapping the previous seasons at 8 then the two hour premiere at 9, I’m kind of curious as to when we’ll be and whether we’ll be doing flash backs or forwards.
  • Lie to Me (Fox, 9pm) Series Premiere – If you’re down with The Mentalist, Monk, and/or Psych, this latest guy with great observational skills put Tim Roth in the lie detector seat.

Thursday

  • Winter X Games (ESPN, 6pm, ESPN2, ABC*) – The stars of snow compete in Aspen through Sunday.
  • Bones (Fox, 8/9pm) – New time slot for our crime solving duo and the squints.
  • Burn Notice (USA, 10pm) Season Premiere – Our ousted spy is still trying to get answers while helping people in this mostly cheesy but fun caper show.

Friday

  • Wolverine and the X-Men (Nicktoons, 8/8:30pm) Series Premiere – Nothing much going on a friday night so I have stooped to noting cartoons.

Saturday

  • Gone Country (CMT, 8pm) Season Premiere – Non country folks like Justin Guarini and Micky Dolenz try out their country chops.
  • Miss America Live (TLC, 8pm) – Being on The Learning Channel I might think Miss America would teach me something.
  • US Figure Skating Championship (NBC, 9pm) – If you’re down with the tiny girls spinning around…

Sunday

  • SAG Awards (TNT, 8pm) – Film and TV actors honor each other.
  • The Last Templar (NBC, 9pm) – The miniseries continues on Monday as Mira Sorvino and Scott Foley do the sort of find the secret museumy, archaeological kind of thing.

* Check your local times.

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sports, tv

next week 1/12

6 Comments

New and notable in the week ahead… procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Kyle XY (ABCFam, 9pm) Season Premiere – Kyle might be in love, trouble must follow as his lady friend gets kidnapped.

Tuesday

  • American Idol (Fox, 8pm – also Wed at 8pm) Season Premiere – This season we’ve added a judge as we start with the cattle call of terrible songsters.

Wednesday

  • Lost (ABC, 8pm) – Last season’s finale reminds us how confused we were last season.
  • Friday Night Lights (DirTV, 9pm) Season Finale – The kids create drama on and off the field.

Thursday

  • CSI (CBS, 9pm) – Say goodbye to Grissom.
  • Saw for Hire (TLC, 9pm) Series Premiere – A tree removal service is the latest reality focus, yes you read that right, tree removal.
  • The Beast (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Patrick Swayze is veteran undercover cop taking his new partner through the paces.
  • Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – The crews, they are a dancing.
  • Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House (VH1, 10pm) Series Debut – If you were addicted to Celebrity Rehab this might be the next step in your addiction.
  • Treasure Quest (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Ready to explore ship wrecks?

Friday

  • Friday Night Lights (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – For those of you who missed the direct tv version, season 3 is kicking off network style.
  • Battlestar Galactica (SciFi, 9pm) Season Premiere – The final season continues the cylon battle.

Saturday

  • Solitary (Fox Real, 9pm) Season Premiere – They volunteer for torture on television, in solitary.

Sunday

  • Australian Open (ESPN2, 4pm) – Day one of the first tennis slam of the season, because today is tomorrow in Australia.
  • The Mentalist (CBS, 9pm) – Don’t miss a new episode of Simon Baker on a special night.
  • Big Love (HBO, 9pm) Season Premiere – The polygamists are back for another season.
  • United States of Tara (Show, 10pm) Series Premiere – Toni Collette stars as a housewife with personality disorder, written by Juno’s Diablo Cody.
  • Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Show, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – What happens when you mistake a regular guy for a client?
  • Flight of the Conchords (10pm) Season Premiere – The boys are back with songs and general hilarity!
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tv

next week 9/1

2 Comments

New and notable in the week ahead, procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Gossip Girl (CW, 8pm — repeats Sun/6pm) Season Premiere – What has become of split couples Blair/Chuck and Serena/Dan? Something tells me someone will be doing it as we greet our gang in the Hamptons before we return to school.
  • Prison Break (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – This two hour premiere continues the ridiculous brothers and others criminal chase, now apparently they’re working for homeland security… loved this show first season and can’t tune in now.
  • One Tree Hill (CW, 9pm – repeats Sun 7pm) Season Premiere – I think that Lucas is still deciding between Brooke and Peyton and some other girls.
  • The Middleman (ABC Fam, 10pm) Season Finale – I actually found this show pretty enjoyable with its mix of comicy humor and sarcastic fun as the Middleman and his trusty sidekick Wendy fight the weird.
  • Raising the Bar (TNT, 10pm- repeats 9/2) Series Premiere – This courtroom drama is getting average reviews, but if courtroom dramas are you thing it might not be all bad with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, and Jane Kaczmarek.

Tuesday

  • 90210 (CW, 8pm – repeats Th/8pm) Series Premiere – This two hour event returns us to beloved West Beverly Hills High School along with a returning principal and his transplanted family, and Brenda is on for at least 4 eps and Kelly is the guidance counselor, apparently they’re more mature now.
  • The Shield (Fx, 10pm – repeats) Season Premiere – This final season starts with more drama, I have yet to catch this cop series but it’s in the queue as folks say great things.

Wednesday

  • America’s Next Top Model (CW, 8pm – repeats Sun, 8pm) Season Premiere – The latest ladies (and one preop transgender gal) are cast in the two hour launch for another round of ridiculous drama and surprisingly engaging modelicious challenges that always promise to bring out the fierce.
  • Bones (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – This show returns with a two hour premiere as Booth and Bones do their special forensic anthropologic fbi investigations in England, promises lots of good fun.
  • Ghost Hunters/Destination Truth (Sci fi, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Ghost hunting and paranormal mosques oh my.
  • Sons of Anarchy (Fx, 10pm- repeats) Series Premiere – This one hour+ show starts out with family issues and rival motorcycle gang hijinks.
  • Top Design (Bravo, 10pm – repeats) Season Premiere – This 75 minute starter has the gang designing a loft, of course with limited time and money.

Thursday

  • Kitchen Nightmares (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Gordon takes two hours to revisit kitchen’s he’s harassed before.
  • Republican National Conventions (Various channels) – The convention wraps up its Minneapolis coverage that started Monday.

Friday

  • Stand Up to Cancer (ABC/CBS/NBC, 8pm) – A big gang of celebs support cancer research (and oppose cancer).
  • Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Kathy Ireland and the State Superintendent of Georgia meet the new 5th grade class in the 2 hour premiere.
  • Samurai Girl (ABC Fam, 6/8pm – Sa/Su 8 and various times) – This six-part miniseries follows a girl whose marriage is interrupted and must avenge her family’s honor, or something like that.

Saturday

  • Cops/America’s Most Wanted (Fox, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – The folks they are criminals and must be gotten.
  • US Open Tennis (USA, throughout the week, CBS Fri-Sun) – The gang raps up this hard court run with a champ Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday

  • Hole in the Wall (Fox, 8pm) Series Premiere – This is the one where contestants have to shape their bodies to fit through holes they’re thrust through.
  • America United: Support of Our Troops (ABC, 9pm) – Folks like Pam Anderson and Jessica Simpson honor the troops.
  • MTV VMAs (MTV, 9pm – repeats) – Host Russell Brand keeps it moving, we hear no Britney but I’m sure the Jonas Brothers will show.
  • True Blood (HBO, 9pm) Series Premiere – Alan Ball of Six Feet Under takes another pass at tv with this vampires live among us but they’re drinking synthetic blood, or are they, series based on books by Charlaine Harris.
  • Entourage (HBO, 10pm) Season Premiere – The guys are back as Vincent Chase and buddies deal with business and pleasure.

Check your local listings for final times and repeat showings.

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sports, tv

next week 8/25

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New and notable in the week ahead…

Monday

  • Deal or No Deal (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Don’t ask me how they can make people randomly picking briefcases filled with money last an hour.
  • America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – From the creator of Deadliest Catch and Iceroad Truckers real folks get a dose of overly tough reality in this multi job competition.
  • Saving Grace (TNT, 10pm) Summer Finale – What will we do until Grace comes back?
  • Exiled (MTV, 10:30) Series Premiere – So apparently the over indulged previously shown celebraters from My Sweet 16 are now being sent to see how the other half lives.

Tuesday

  • Gavin & Stacey (BBCA, 8:40pm) Series Premiere – A comedy following a couple from England and Wales who try to mix their lives.
  • Greek (ABC Fam, 9pm) Season Premiere -I’m excited for this fluffy college show to return, though Casey should get over Evan and Kappie.
  • Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency (Oxy, 10pm) Season Premiere – This season models new and old, the oldest being Janice, move in together.

Wednesday

  • Shear Genius (Bravo, 10pm) Season Finale – The final cuts are in.

Thursday

  • Democratic National Convention – Starting Monday through Thursday the convention can be seen on many a channel at many a time… check your local listings.

Friday

  • Grizzly Man Diaries (Anim Pl, 6pm) Series Premiere – An eight part series documenting the life of Timothy Treadwell (from the creepy Grizzly Man movie) in the decade before his death.

Saturday

  • Starter Wife (USA, 9am) – A little marathon of the start of Debra Messing’s freshly single series.

Sunday

  • US Open Tennis (USA starting Mon, CBS Sa/Su) – So what are the chances the final will be Nadal (1) vs Federer (2) and Ivanovic (1) vs Jankovic (2)… let’s see how this goes.
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tv

next week 6/30

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Monday

  • Bachelorette (ABC, 8/9pm) – After the final three go to the Bahamas the ‘Men Tell All’.
  • Wimbledon/Update (NBC, 11:35pm) – For those of you who don’t have enough time or channels to watch all the coverage this is the update time that runs through Friday, you can catch NBC and ESPN2 full coverage throughout the week.

Tuesday

  • Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Fam, 8pm) Series Premiere – Done by folks of 7th Heaven, Molly Ringwald is mom to what looks like a girl who gets pregnant at band camp.

Wednesday

  • 2008 Tour de France Preview (Vs, 1:30pm) – Catch the preview to find out who’s in and who’s out (for drug related and other issues) then catch the tour in nearly 24  hour coverage starting Saturday for Stage 1.
  • Pussycat Dolls Presents (CW, 9pm) – Did you miss this the first time around? Did you care? Check out the fifteen women who started, again.

Thursday

  • Burn Notice (USA, 6:30am) – For those of you who missed season one start with the pilot and get a whole marathon of the first season shows through the evening.
  • CSI (Spike, 9am) – For an alternate marathon option start with the CSI that started it all (in 2000 if you can believe it) and stay put for a day of crime solving.

Friday

  • US Olympic Swimming Trials (NBC, 8pm – Sat 8pm – Sun 7pm) – Lots of events… also shown on USA throughout the previous week.
  • 4th Of July Fireworks (NBC, 9pm – CBS, 10pm) – Macy’s on NBC and Boston Pops on CBS and of course check your local listings or actually go outside for some fireworks near you.

Saturday

  • Beach Volleyball (NBC, 12pm – Sun 1:30pm) – AVP Crocs tour take us to Boulder for the men’s and women’s finals.
  • US Olympic Track Trials (NBC, 2pm – Sun 7pm) – Lots of events here too… also shown on USA throughout the previous week.

Sunday

  • Wimbledon (Sat/Sun, 6am) – Breakfast at Wimbledon with the Championship coverage.
  • I Love Money (VH1, 9pm) Series Premiere – “Stars” of Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, and I Love New York compete for $250k.
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tv

next week 6/23

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Monday

  • Hard Times at Douglass High (HBO, 9pm) – A follow up on no child left behind.
  • Wimbledon (ESPN2 m-f, NBC s-su) – Can Federer get back in the groove and repeat his victory over Nadal, or will someone else get in the game?

Tuesday

  • BET Awards (BET, 8pm) – DL Hughley honors achievements in sports, music, and entertainment.
  • Celebrity Family Feud (NBC, 8pm) – Celebrities like Ice T, the Rivers, and Wayne Newton guess the most popular answers.
  • Wipeout/I Survived a Japanese Gameshow (ABC, 8/9pm) Series Premiere – Contestants compete in a crazy obstacle course and seem to wipe out in a big tub of mud and then japanese game show… who knows.

Wednesday

  • Baby Borrowers (NBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Teenage couples take care of babies, while apparently the real parents live next door.
  • Farmer Wants a Wife (CW, 9pm) Season Finale – Farmer picks a wife.
  • Shear Genius (Bravo, 10pm) Season Premiere – I’m going to go with hair cutting competition.

Thursday

  • Hopkins (ABC, 10pm) – This six part documentary takes a look into the lives of some of the staff at Johns Hopkins.

Friday

  • Glaad Media Awards (Bravo, 8pm) – Celebrating the representation of the gay community in the media.
  • Dance Machine (ABC, 8pm) Series Premiere – Each episode features six folks from real life dancing it off.

Saturday

  • Eli Stone (ABC, 10pm) – Catch the first of Eli Stone, what turned out to be a fun show of a lawyer who follows his visions to help folks.

Sunday

  • US Olympic Track Trials (NBC, 7pm) – Run, jump, throw.
  • US Olympic Swimming Trials (NBC, 8pm) – Can Michael Phelps compete in everything?
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tv

next week 6/2

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Monday

  • Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods (MTV, 10pm) Series Premiere – I assume this is like where they looked for the new leads in Grease.
  • The Mole (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – It’s reality, it’s a competition, does anyone care?

Tuesday

  • 30 Days (FX, 10pm) Season Premiere – Morgan Spurlock returns to 30 days in the lives of others starting with coal mining.

Wednesday

  • She’s Got the Look (TVLand, 10pm) Season Premiere – Ladies over 35 do their own version of ANTM.

Thursday

  • NBA Finals (ABC, 6pm/pst) – The series starts tonight.
  • Fear Itself (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – A host of directors, actors, and writers create episodes for this series of suspense and horror shows.
  • Swingtown (CBS, 10pm) Series Premiere – A new couple moves to a Chicago suburb where the 70s are in full swing.

Friday

  • French Open (NBC, 10am/pst and s/su 6am/pst) – Wrapping up another fortnight of tennis following ESPN2 coverage throughout the week.
  • Charlie Jade (Scifi, 8pm) Series Premiere – A rogue PI deals with mysteries and parallel universes.
  • Meerkat Manor (Animal, 9pm) Season Premiere – Last season’s posters made the meerkats look like the sopranos, I haven’t seen any this season.

Saturday

  • America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV, 2/4:30pm) – The casting special is followed by some performances, the real competition starts on Thursday.
  • Sybil (CBS, 8pm) – Not sure that Sally Field’s multiple personalities need to be revisited in an update but here it is.

Sunday

  • When We Left the Earth: The Nasa Missions (Disc, 9pm) – This special presentation kicks off the multi part series.
  • L&O: Criminal Intent (USA, 9pm) – Returning from strike hiatus as Vincent D’Onofrio returns from a break, probably because Big is promoting Sex and the City.
  • Army Wives (Life, 10pm) Season Premiere – I got the impression this was wives of people in the army, but maybe it’s women in the army who are wives… maybe it’s both.
  • This American Life (Show, 10pm) Season Finale – Ira’s talking to guys named John Smith.
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