WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``Cold Turkey'' (Pax; 10 tonight) Think: Reality series: Posh house, 10 contestants (who all think they're appearing on quite different shows); instead, they're all challenged to stop smoking. Don't think: Trying to come up with the most repugnant REPUGNANT. That which is contrary to something else; a repugnant condition is one contrary to the contract itself; as, if I grant you a house and lot in fee, upon condition that you shall not aliens, the condition is repugnant and void. Bac. Ab. Conditions, L. reality-TV concept ever, we concocted ``Intervention.'' And Pax, of all people, sort of stole it. (But just wait: Fox will have ``Intervention'' on within a month.) In a nutshell: It's come to this: A show centered on not doing something. After the initial prank, it loses steam: Even the participants themselves are disappointed. ``RFK'' (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology ; 9 p.m. Monday) Think: Documentary portrait of America's most famous first brother, Bobby Kennedy. Don't think: Most loyal henchman, too, though Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician, and was the 43rd Governor of Florida as well as the first Republican to be re-elected to that office. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the younger brother of current President George W. gives him some competition for that title. In the Top 5 for Most Beloved Martyr, as well. In a nutshell: Well-traveled territory; reverential rev·er·en·tial adj. 1. Expressing reverence; reverent. 2. Inspiring reverence. rev but proficiently produced. ``Plain Truth'' (Lifetime; 9 p.m. Monday) Think: A powerful but burned-out attorney (Mariska Hargitay) defends an Amish teen accused of murdering her own infant. Don't think: In Rolling Stone's next Hot Issue, the Amish, coasting on this and ``Amish in the City Amish in the City is an American reality television series by UPN. The plot revolved around five Amish teenagers experiencing "Modern" (non-Amish) culture by living in a house with six mainstream American teenagers. ,'' should be a shoo-in for Hot Scandalized Religion. In a nutshell: If you're watching a legal drama and someone says, ``Maybe this case is exactly what you do need - do you even remember why you became a lawyer?'' and you keep watching, well ... ``And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip Hop'' (VH1; 10 p.m. Monday through Friday) Think: The history of the music and social phenomenon in five breezy hours, with insights from OutKast, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and others. Don't think: Yet another music born out of poverty and misery: Does that make suffering a good thing? In a nutshell: Illuminating, well-researched, efficiently constructed and entertaining. ``Tanner on Tanner'' (Sundance Channel; 9 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Michael Murphy returns as the malleable former presidential candidate, helping his earnest daughter (Cynthia Nixon) create a documentary about politics in this sequel to Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau's ground-breaking 1988 satire. Don't think: Control your enthusiasm: Filming the filming of a film! Navel-gazing at its finest. In a nutshell: Where the original series showed the soul-draining wretchedness of politics, this one simply baldly explains it, less artfully and amusingly. ``Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of `Smile' '' (Showtime; 9 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Documentary on the Beach Boys, its tormented genius and the legendarily lost pop masterpiece, recently re-recorded and released after 37 years. Don't think: Remember when '60s artists could say something like, ``One day I will write songs that people will pray to,'' and people wouldn't snicker? No, I really don't, either. In a nutshell: Workmanlike work·man·like adj. Befitting a skilled artisan or craftsperson; skillfully done. workmanlike Adjective skilfully done: a neat workmanlike job Adj. 1. retelling re·tell·ing n. A new account or an adaptation of a story: a retelling of a Roman myth. of a famous story of monumental madness, brilliance and self-indulgence. ``Wanda Does It'' (Comedy Central; 10:30 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Comic Wanda Sykes takes on a variety of professions - tonight she tries her hand at repossessing cars - with sundry degrees of success to the consternation of her nervous manager (Tim Bagley) in this hybrid of improvised comedy and reality TV. Don't think: No wonder the unemployment rate is so high - Wanda's hogging all the jobs. In a nutshell: Future episodes find Wanda as an airplane pilot, a WNBA WNBA Women's National Basketball Association WNBA World Ninepin Bowling Association WNBA Wannabe Nasty Boys Association WNBA Women's National Book Association, Inc. WNBA Warszawski Nurt Basketu Amatorskiego coach and yes, even a call girl. A significant improvement on Sykes' Fox sitcom. ``Cop Shop'' (KCET; 9 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Two one-act plays about police life starring Richard Dreyfuss, Blair Brown, Rosie Perez and Rita Moreno. The first concerns a community meeting with panicky civilians concerned about a serial rapist; in the second, a grizzled griz·zled adj. 1. Partly gray or streaked with gray: a grizzled beard. 2. Having fur or hair streaked or tipped with gray. cop seeks a human connection at a brothel. Don't think: Precisely what you'd expect if PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, had a one-night stand with the cop-show genre. In a nutshell: An actor's showcase, so you know what that means: schematic, talky talk·y adj. talk·i·er, talk·i·est 1. Talkative; loquacious. 2. Containing or given to too much talk: a talky, boring play. and earnest. ``Party Politics and the Movies'' (Turner Classic Movies; 8 p.m. Thursday) Think: Politicians try their hand at movie criticism. Tonight, vice presidential candidate John Edwards discusses ``Dr. Strangelove,'' which will be shown afterward. Don't think: Both Edwards and John McCain's explication ex·pli·cate tr.v. ex·pli·cat·ed, ex·pli·cat·ing, ex·pli·cates To make clear the meaning of; explain. See Synonyms at explain. [Latin explic next week of ``Paths of Glory'' (they both like Stanley Kubrick! Perhaps Democrats and Republicans can achieve a rapprochement) seem thinly veiled attacks on the current administration's war with Iraq. In a nutshell: On Oct. 21, Joe Biden talks up ``Dead Poets Society'' and Orin Hatch venerates ``To Kill a Mockingbird mockingbird: see mimic thrush. mockingbird Any of several New World birds of a family (Mimidae) known for their mimicry of birdsong. The common, or northern, mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) can imitate the songs of 20 or more species within 10 .'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) ``PLAIN TRUTH'' (2) ``WANDA DOES IT'' |
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