THE DAILY NEWS WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING WEEK.Byline: David Kronke WILDER DAYS (TNT TNT: see trinitrotoluene. TNT in full trinitrotoluene Pale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene. , 8, 10 and midnight tonight) Think: Peter Falk plays a colorful old coot who takes his grandson (Josh Hutcherson) on a road trip against the boy's parents' wishes to prove his tall tales are true. Dad (Tim Daly), emotionally estranged es·trange tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. 2. To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations. from his pop, follows in pursuit; high jinks and cathartic bonding ensue. Don't think: Where does TV find all these vibrant-life-force relatives? Certainly not in my family. In a nutshell: Formulaic, but for fans of the genre, Falk is reliably watchable watch·a·ble adj. 1. Capable of being watched; viewable: watchable wildlife. 2. Good enough to watch: "The fastest modem ... . JACKIE COLLINS' HOLLYWOOD WIVES: THE NEW GENERATION (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. , Channel 2, 9 tonight) Think: Glamorous, verisimilitude-free Tinseltown sex and scandal CBS style (which is to say constantly teasing but tepidly discreet), with Farrah Fawcett, Melissa Gilbert and Robin Givens. Don't think: This'd be a lot better if it were a lot worse. In a nutshell: Ersatz camp about Hollywood phonies has monumentally awful dialogue but lacks good laughs and any semblance of drama. CARNIVALE (HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy , 9 tonight) Think: The carnies exact justice when one of their own is murdered in a creepy, supernatural town. Murder isn't the worst thing that'll happen. And more weird dreams for Ben (Nick Stahl), while Justin (Clancy Brown) abandons his ministry. Don't think: Why couldn't Ben use those healing powers of his? And, halfway through the season, wouldn't it be nice if the producers gave us just an inkling of where all this was going? In a nutshell: Effectively eerie but maddeningly elliptical el·lip·tic or el·lip·ti·cal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or having the shape of an ellipse. 2. Containing or characterized by ellipsis. 3. a. . GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS Goodbye, Mr. Chips (originally Good-bye, Mr. Chips) is a novel by James Hilton, first published in 1934. The story was first published in the British Weekly (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology , Channel 28, 9 tonight) Think: An inspirational Latin teacher (Martin Clunes) at a turn-of-the- 20th-century English boarding school molds men, changes lives, finds love - hell, he does it all except sleep with Farrah Fawcett and kill a carnie. Don't think: This'd make a ripping '60s movie. In a nutshell: Handsomely produced, and Clunes is excellent, but a smidgen too fussy. JOE MILLIONAIRE (Fox, Channel 11, 8 p.m. Monday) Think: Fox's romantic prank returns - this time, the suckers are European women who think the stud is a Texas oil millionaire. Don't think: Isn't Europe hacked off at America enough as it is? In a nutshell: Xenophobia Xenophobia Boxer Rebellion Chinese rising aimed at ousting foreign interlopers (1900). [Chinese Hist. and Fox crassness at their finest. INSIDE MECCA (KCET, Channel 28, 8 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Documentary following several Muslims' pilgrimages to the sacred territory in Saudi Arabia, including a lapsed Catholic blond physiology professor from Texas. Don't think: Mecca has a KFC KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken (restaurant chain) KFC Kenya Flower Council KFC Kitchen Fresh Chicken (Kentucky Fried Chicken motto) KFC Kung Fu Cult (Cinema) KFC Kitchen Fixed Charge ? No, really, there's a KFC in one of the shots of Mecca! And they call that a holy land? In a nutshell: Interesting from a sociological/travelogue point of view, but could explore the ineffability of the subjects' faiths more deeply. KID NOTORIOUS (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Sleazy Hollywood legend Robert Evans plays a sleazy Hollywood cartoon character engaging in daft money-making schemes and globe-trotting misadventures (thankfully, he gives Mecca a pass). Don't think: Isn't Evans pretty much a cartoon character already? In a nutshell: Anarchic, scattershot scat·ter·shot adj. Covering a wide range in a random way; indiscriminate: "his habit of scattershot comment on whatever issue catches his eye" Howell Raines. and meanly cynical, but not terribly funny. Stick with ``South Park,'' which premieres a new season of shows 10 p.m. Wednesday. MIX IT UP (Women's Entertainment, 8 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Yet another home-design show, this one cooked up by Courtney Cox, in which designers tackle homes of couples with disparate tastes in decorating. Don't think: If I see yet another home-design show, I will put out my eyes with ice picks. Unless, perhaps, Courtney Cox actually appears in it. In a nutshell: Yet another home-design show - aaaaggghh! My eyes! CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Farrah Fawcett in ``Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives: The New Generation'' (2) The new ``Joe Millionaire'' masquerades as a Texas oil millionaire. |
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