THE DAILY NEWS WATCH-O-RAMA THE HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (Nickelodeon; 7 tonight) Think: It's up to Aang, an irrepressible 12-year-old boy, to save the world in this anime series. All he wants is be a regular kid. Don't think: Props to Nickelodeon for using the word ``Avatar'' in a show's title. How many kids do you think will look it up in a dictionary? In a nutshell: Lots of mythology to wade through here: The evil Fire Nation wants to enslave en·slave tr.v. en·slaved, en·slav·ing, en·slaves To make into or as if into a slave. en·slave  ment n. the Water, Air and Earth Nations, and they
- oh, you don't really care, do you? Can't say I blame you.
Pretty average, of its type.
``Homeless in Paradise'' (Discovery Times Channel; 8 tonight) Think: Portraits of four of Santa Monica's 4,200 homeless people. Don't think: If you're going to be homeless, this documentary points out, Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. is the place to be. It offers programs that neighboring cities, loath to invite the problem, decline to participate in. Besides, there's that nice, cheap view of the beach. In a nutshell: Sensitive examination of an enduring tragedy. ``Live From New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , It's 'Saturday Night!' '' (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 tonight) Think: The first five, funny years of the TV perennial are recalled by Lorne Michaels, Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd CM (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Canadian/American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and musician. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live , Chevy Chase, Larraine Newman and Garrett Morris (no Bill Murray or Jane Curtin, though) and some of the show's guest hosts and writers. Don't think: Would anyone watch a documentary about any other ``SNL'' cast? No, I don't think so, either. In a nutshell: A fond reminiscence rem·i·nis·cence n. 1. The act or process of recollecting past experiences or events. 2. An experience or event recollected: "Her mind seemed wholly taken up with reminiscences of past gaiety" of those famous, well-documented days when a network really did something countercultural, with good interviews and hilarious clips. ``Stone Cold'' (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Channel 2; 9 tonight) Think: Tom Selleck stars as a small-town police chief (whom one character calls ``the simplest person I've ever met'') transplanted from L.A. who must set aside his scotch bottle - and whiskey bottle and vodka bottle - to solve a series of murders and the rape of a teen. Based on Robert B. Parker's novel. Don't think: This yarn takes place in Paradise, Mass., which, unlike the paradise mentioned above, has no homeless problem, just a homicide and rape problem. Another thing in Santa Monica's favor. In a nutshell: Warhorse Selleck reliably exudes that gruff charm that lures the ladies in a wry melodrama that's not so much a mystery - we see the thrill-killers early on - as an effective mood piece. ``The Sarah Jones Show'' (Bravo; 9 tonight) Think: The versatile actress portrays a variety of characters on stage and out in public, scripted and improvised, in this one-woman show. Don't think: Are actors who do multiple-character shows people who have learned how to transform their multiple personalities into gainful gain·ful adj. Providing a gain; profitable: gainful employment. gain ful·ly adv. employment?
In a nutshell: Jones is a natural chameleon; more focused material could propel her to stardom. ``The L Word'' (Showtime; 10 and 11 tonight; 9 p.m. Monday; 10 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Second-season premiere of the series about the swinging L.A. lesbian scene: Pregnant Tina (Laurel Holloman) and Bette (Jennifer Beals) are seriously on the outs. Kit's (Pam Grier) hot for the goateed adj. 1. having a small pointed chin beard. Adj. 1. goateed - having a small pointed chin beard unshaved, unshaven - not shaved Ivan (Kelly Lynch), who has a not terribly well-concealed secret. Shane (Katherine Moennig) continues her impersonation Impersonation Patroclus wore the armor of Achilles against the Trojans to encourage the disheartened Greeks. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad] Prisoner of Zenda, The of '70s/'80s-era Warren Beatty. Jenny (Mia Kirshner) is feeling blocked - in her writing, that is; she's still straddling strad·dle v. strad·dled, strad·dling, strad·dles v.tr. 1. a. To stand or sit with a leg on each side of; bestride: straddle a horse. b. the fence otherwise. And so on. Don't think: Everyone should look into becoming a lesbian, as they seem to hook up so easily. In a nutshell: Depending on what you watch for, it's either a high-end soap opera interrupted by hot action or hot action interrupted by high-end suds. ``Robot Chicken'' (Cartoon Network; 11:30 tonight) Think: Animated action figures parody pop culture in all its oddity in this crazed blackout comedy series from Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Don't think: It plays like a channel surfer with ADD has the remote. In a nutshell: A Transformer contracts prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. . Rachel Leigh Cook shows us her brain on drugs and in a whole lot more distressful configurations. A reality show demonstrates disturbingly one-sided battles, and the insanely genial host of a bloopers/funny-home-videos show reveals the soul-drenching nature of his work. Cranky crank·y 1 adj. crank·i·er, crank·i·est 1. Having a bad disposition; peevish. 2. Having eccentric ways; odd. 3. humor that fits in well with the Adult Swim bloc. ``Birth Day Live!'' (Discovery Health Channel; 1 p.m. Monday) Think: Third annual 10-hour, coast-to-coast procreation PROCREATION. The generation of children; it is an act authorized by the law of nature: one of the principal ends of marriage is the procreation of children. Inst. tit. 2, in pr. festival, with cameras hanging out in Baton Rouge; Silver Spring, Md.; and San Diego, expecting expectant women to make with the nativity. Don't think: They're missing a good bet by not showing ``Conception Day Live!'' nine months earlier. In a nutshell: Surgeon General The U.S. Surgeon General is charged with the protection and advancement of health in the United States. Since the 1960s the surgeon general has become a highly visible federal public health official, speaking out against known health risks such as tobacco use, and promoting disease Richard Carmona will participate, but not by having a baby: He'll discuss medical advances helping premature infants survive. I suppose one could say: ``This show delivers.'' ``Veronica Mars'' (UPN UPN User Principal Name (Microsoft Windows 2000) UPN United Paramount Network UPN Unión del Pueblo Navarro (Navarrese People Union) UPN Umgekehrte Polnische Notation Channel 13; 9 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Veronica (Kristin Bell) has a lot on her plate: looking into a pal's mother's disappearance while searching for her own mom, seeking a Russian bride's missing husband and discovering the identity of a classmate's secret admirer. Alyson Hannigan guest stars. Don't think: Seems as if this was intended to be the Valentine's Day theme show. Valentine's Day for the Zoloft set, that is. In a nutshell: Typically zippy episode; oddly truncated conclusion. Curious, however, that the producers haven't realized they don't need to tart Bell up, as they do here, to amp up her appeal. `` 'One Day at a Time' Reunion Special'' (CBS Channel 2; 9 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli sit around and discuss their 1974-85 sitcom about a divorcee di·vor·cée n. A divorced woman. [French, feminine past participle of divorcer, to divorce, from Old French, from divorce, divorce; see divorce. and her teenage daughters, the female self-empowerment show that was ``Oprah'' before there was an Oprah. Don't think: This clip job is borderline, but we'll let it pass. But the genre will be dead once ``Goodnight Beantown'' gets a reunion show. In a nutshell: The three strangely discuss series plotlines as if they were real, while glossing over the actresses' true stories, and seem fairly phony when Pat Harrington (Schneider the super) appears. ``The Catherine Tate Show'' (BBC America; 8:30 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Sketch-comedy series starring a versatile British comedian essays any number of oddballs
The Oddballs is a comedy act in the United Kingdom. It is best known for their "Naked Balloon Dance". It has caused controversy, including an attempt to ban the show from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. . Don't think: Someone's missing a huge bet in not getting Tate to Hollywood, like, now. In a nutshell: Tate's often funnier than her material. Her characters are frequently amusing, and several of the bits (parodies of American TV, a harried mother and her finally sleeping infant, an office employee bullying her co-worker into petty guessing games) are often inspired. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Chevy Chase (2 -- color) no caption (``Robot Chicken'') |
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