THE DAILY NEWS WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``The Book of Ruth'' (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Channel 2; 9 tonight) Think: Christine Lahti stars in an adaptation of the Jane Hamilton best seller as an unthinkingly cruel mother who drives her halting, mousy mous·y also mous·ey adj. mous·i·er, mous·i·est 1. Resembling a mouse, especially: a. Having a drab, pale brown color: mousy hair. b. daughter Ruth (Nicholle Tom) toward a tragic denouement. Don't think: A lout Lout - Lout is a batch text formatting system and an embedded language by Jeffrey H. Kingston <jeff@cs.su.oz.au>. The language is procedural, with Scribe-like syntax. who shows Ruth some affection - and then forces some from her - glibly informs her, ``You'll get to like it, baby - take it from me!'' Not so fast, slick. In a nutshell: Lahti's sharp performance elevates an otherwise uninspired production. ``Golden Gate Bridge'' (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology ; 9 p.m. Monday) Think: ``American Experience'' documentary on the creation of what one historian calls ``a fusion of perfections - it's a perfection of engineering, it's a perfection of social statement, it's a perfection of art.'' Don't think: Maybe filmmakers should reconsider using narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. David Ogden Stiers David Ogden Stiers (born October 31, 1942) is an American character actor, voice actor and musician, most noted for his role in the television sitcom M*A*S*H, and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone. , whose voice has become documentary shorthand for ``The nobility in this story is unfathomable.'' In a nutshell: Writer/director Ben Loeterman uncorks a monumental epic of corruption and payoffs, megalomania megalomania /meg·a·lo·ma·nia/ (-ma´ne-ah) unreasonable conviction of one's own extreme greatness, goodness, or power.megaloma´niac meg·a·lo·ma·ni·a n. 1. and modesty, hardship and luck and good old American ingenuity and wherewithal. ``Two and a Half Men'' (CBS Channel 2; 9:30 p.m. Monday) Think: Charlie Sheen's ``Spin City'' co-star Heather Locklear guest-stars as his brother's (Jon Cryer) man-eating attorney, who gets very unethical with Charlie. Don't think: Something really awful should happen to that little doo-wop group that harmonizes the word ``men'' between scenes. In a nutshell: Fairly funny episode that also manages the neat trick of prolonging Cryer's divorce story line. ``Battle Plan Under Fire'' (KCET; 8 p.m. Tuesday) Think: ``Nova'' report on how technology has altered the face of the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan. Don't think: ``We presented (the enemy) with a problem set that was too sophisticated for their systems to keep up,'' one military adviser explains. What he's saying is: We killed them. In a nutshell: Both marvels in the fashion that war has become a video game writ large and warns that more is required to understand an enemy and achieve peace. ``Scrubs'' (NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. Channel 4; 9:30 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) tie the knot - or do they? - while JD (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) try to reach a point where they can stand to be in the same room with one another. Don't think: With so many other TV series having managed classic wedding episodes (think: ``St. Elsewhere,'' where food-poisoned guests retched their way through a couple's sappy vows), why would a show today even bother to try to compete? In a nutshell: What was once a comedy that deftly negotiated the wide expanse between poignancy and wackiness has assumed an unbecoming, self-satisfied tone. Still, a couple of laughs are to be had. ``Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100'' (KCET; 8 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Beverly Sills hosts this special ``Live From Lincoln Center'' tribute to choreographer George Balanchine, who died in 1983. Performances of his best-known works will be performed by the New York Ballet and Balanchine's own School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet is located in New York City, in Lincoln Center. It is considered one of the most prestigious and notable ballet schools in the United States and teaches some of the most talented young dancers in the country. , accompanied by Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is a constituent company of the Lincoln Center performing arts organization, whose performing arts complex, Frederick P. Rose Hall, is located at 60th Street and Broadway in New York City, slightly south of the main Lincoln Center campus and directly , the Juilliard School, the Juilliard School, The (j  l`yärd), in New York City; school of music, drama, and dance; coeducational; est. Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall and has long been considered one of the best orchestras in the world. . Don't think: Kevin Kline, Wynton Marsalis, Placido Domingo and mistress of ceremonies Sarah Jessica Parker will add glamour to lure in ballet-hating yahoos. In a nutshell: Not available for review, as it's live - didn't you read the title? (For West Coast viewers, it'll be live on tape.) ``Before They Were 'Friends' '' (TV Land; 6 and 10 p.m. Thursday) Think: Tribute, of sorts, to the evening's ``Friends'' finale, offering episodes of old sitcoms featuring the cast members - Jennifer Aniston in ``Ferris Bueller,'' Matthew Perry in ``Who's the Boss?'' and Matt LeBlanc in ``Just the Ten of Us Just the Ten of Us is a situation comedy that aired on ABC, most notably as part of what would become that network's TGIF programming block. The series was a spin-off of Growing Pains, and was broadcast from 1988 until 1990. .'' Don't think: TV Land's not even going to try to compete against the ``Friends'' finale: It'll just show people watching TV and occasionally advise viewers to turn to NBC. And then air all of ``Before They Were 'Friends' '' again. If you actually sit through all of this, perhaps ``Friends' '' departure is a healthy thing for you. In a nutshell: Episodes you might actually be able to stomach with few ill effects: Lisa Kudrow in ``Cheers,'' Courtney Cox in ``Family Ties,'' David Schwimmer in ``The Wonder Years. ``The Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour'' (Nickelodeon; 8 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday) Think: ``The Fairly OddParents'' meets ``Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'': Lazy, dimwitted dim·wit n. Slang A stupid person. dim  witted adj. Timmy becomes three-dimensionally computer animated, while Jimmy is transformed into cheesy flash-animation and is mistaken for a slacker. Don't think: The all-purpose non sequitur has replaced the wanly witless wit·less adj. Lacking intelligence or wit; foolish. wit less·ly adv.wit one-liner as the standard-issue punch line in kids' TV cartoons today. In a nutshell: Frenetic mayhem for the Ritalin generation. ``What I Like About You'' (WB Channel 5; 8:30 p.m. Friday) Think: Romantic complications ensue as Holly (Amanda Bynes) prepares to summer in Paris in the season - perhaps series - finale. Don't think: What's to like? ``In this second season, the show has hit its comedic stride,'' enthuses the WB, which we doubt they could say under oath. In a nutshell: Bynes is as appealing as this show is haplessly written. The network sent this out hoping to drum up some last-ditch support, but let's put it this way - two guys are devastated that Holly's leaving the country. We're not. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) ``SCRUBS'' (2) ``THE BOOK OF RUTH'' |
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