WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``Unstoppable'' (Black Starz!; 8 tonight) Think: Some of the arts' most celebrated African-American men - director/screenwriter Melvin Van Peebles Melvin Van Peebles (born August 21, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and composer, and the father of actor and director Mario Van Peebles. , photographer/author/filmmaker/composer Gordon Parks and the late actor/author/director Ossie Davis - discuss their careers and their impact on civil rights with filmmaker Warrington Hudlin. Don't think: Hudlin spends an awful lot of time explaining who these guys are before letting them speak for themselves. If people don't already understand the influence these men have on black film, they're probably not watching in the first place. In a nutshell: Parks tells of being warned off a film location at gunpoint. Peebles recalls his first job offer in Hollywood - as an elevator operator. Davis offers dreamers inspirational advice. Hudlin should have edited himself out at least somewhat and turned it more into a conversation between the men rather than offering prolonged anecdotes. Nonetheless, an absorbing chat, unfortunately made more resonant by Davis' recent passing. ``Blue Collar Tour Rides Again'' (Comedy Central; 8 tonight) Think: Improbable WB comics Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy Daniel Lawrence Whitney (born February 17 1963 in Pawnee City, Nebraska), better known by the stage name Larry the Cable Guy, is a stand up comedian, actor, and one of the co-stars of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and the subsequent series Blue Collar TV. , Ron White and Bill Engvall discuss their impact on civil rights - or not; anyway, they tell a bunch of jokes. Don't think: ``Men are basic, just basic - not a whole lot of frills Frills see frilled. ,'' says Bill Engvall, explaining why they find these guys so funny. In a nutshell: Wal-Mart humor - toilet gags; drunk jokes; men and women, they just don't get along! etc. - delivered amiably enough (except by White, who seems kind of sinister for this bunch). The mock-earnest ``I Believe'' finale uniting the quartet genially mocks their good-ole-boy sensibility. ``Arrested Development'' (Fox Channel 11; 8:30 tonight) Think: Martin Short guest-stars as an aged fitness guru from whom Michael (Jason Bateman) hopes to get financing for the foundering family business. Meanwhile, everyone else's love lives become exponentially more complicated. Don't think: Given the amount of slapstick in tonight's episode, it's astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, to think that anyone would be avoiding this show because critics think it's smart. In a nutshell: All the big-name guests - such as Short and Liza Minnelli tonight - are fine, but most of the show's comic gold comes from Bateman's hilariously deadpan long-suffering. ``Crossing Jordan'' (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; 10 tonight) Think: A suicide in Boston leads Jordan (Jill Hennessy) to suspect she botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. a murder case in Los Angeles. To which she returns to prevent an unjust execution, only to discover the bridges she had burned there may prevent her from saving the Death Row inmate in time. Don't think: Casting Sandra Bernhard as an edgy (of course) detective would've been an intriguing casting choice - 15 years ago. In a nutshell: Serviceable mystery, but the allegedly jaunty jaun·ty adj. jaun·ti·er, jaun·ti·est 1. Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk. 2. Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. 3. Archaic a. Stylish. b. Genteel. banter between characters when they're not actually concerned with their cases is nothing short of appalling. ``Cuts'' (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; 8:30 p.m. Monday) Think: ``Barbershop: The TV Series,'' with the deadly omissions of Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer Cedric the Entertainer (born Cedric Antonio Kyles on April 24, 1964) is an American actor and comedian. Biography Personal life n 1992, he made his first TV appearance on It's Showtime at the Apollo. . Marques Houston and Shannon Elizabeth star as bickering co-managers of a hair salon and day spa - he's a former hotshot hairstylist, she's a spoiled ditz ditz n. Slang A scatterbrained or eccentric person. [Back-formation from ditsy.] . Don't think: The title refers to what you'll be finding on a lot of TV critics' wrists after sitting through this. In a nutshell: Tonight the two sweat any number of construction obstacles en route to their grand opening. Overly obvious yet wan whimsically, ``Cuts'' itself never gets up to code. ``24'' (Fox Channel 11; 9 p.m. Monday) Think: Kiss the ``San Gabriel Island'' area goodbye: A nuclear reactor leak spews radioactive fallout onto a traffic-clogged populace, with five more reactors across the country ready to melt down at any moment. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) must locate the gadget terrorists are using to wreak havoc; in his custody, he has Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who just might be persuaded to cough up some information. Don't think: Everyone whines about the ending of ``Million Dollar Baby,'' but no one blinked at ``24's'' assisted-suicide story line last year - nor will they gripe gripe v. To have sharp pains in the bowels. n. 1. gripes Sharp, spasmodic pains in the bowels. 2. A firm hold; a grasp. about a similar subplot in tonight's episode, except that it detracts from the main plot. In a nutshell: Taut, tense episode with yet another terrific cliffhanger cliff·hang·er n. 1. A melodramatic serial in which each episode ends in suspense. 2. A suspenseful situation occurring at the end of a chapter, scene, or episode. 3. . ``Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs'' (BET; 9 p.m. Monday) Think: Mockumentary offering three case studies of dysfunctional romantic relationships. Don't think: Genius programming: Women home alone watching this on Valentine's Day will definitely be able to relate. In a nutshell: As the screenplay was written by men, women are more than a little complicit com·plic·it adj. Associated with or participating in a questionable act or a crime; having complicity: newspapers complicit with the propaganda arm of a dictatorship. in the war between the sexes. Amusing at times, but could use a little more punch and zing. ``Kinsey'' (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology ; 9 p.m. Monday) Think: ``American Experience'' portrait of the Indiana University researcher who helped demystify de·mys·ti·fy tr.v. de·mys·ti·fied, de·mys·ti·fy·ing, de·mys·ti·fies To make less mysterious; clarify: an autobiography that demystified the career of an eminent physician. sex and recently inspired both a T.C. Boyle novel and a movie that was kind of snubbed by the Oscars. Don't think: More perversely appropriate Valentine's Day programming. In a nutshell: Surprisingly, well, limp portrait of a genuinely fascinating man who was in equal measure obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. and ahead of his time. ``Miracle's Boys'' (The N; 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Feb. 20) Think: Three brothers in Harlem - Ty'ree (Pooch Hall), a hyper-responsible 20-year-old; Charlie (Sean Nelson), a brooding, irresponsible 16-year-old just out of a juvenile detention center; and Lafayette (Julito McCullum), a lively 14-year-old caught between the two - struggle to remain a family after being recently orphaned. Directors include Spike Lee, Ernest Dickerson and Bill Duke. Don't think: Given Charlie's behavior, this should be called ``Debacle's Boys.'' In a nutshell: Involving character portraits and dilemmas, if somewhat earnestly melodramatic. ``School of Life'' (ABC Family; 8 p.m. Saturday) Think: After many years in his popular father's shadow, Matt Warner (David Paymer) hopes to be named middle-school teacher of the year - just imagine how tormented this guy is if this is what drives him - until a new renegade instructor (Ryan Reynolds) shows up. Don't think: Reynolds must be serving basic-cable penance after appearing in the lame theatrical releases ``National Lampoon's Van Wilder'' and ``Blade: Trinity.'' In a nutshell: Admittedly schematic, but some genuine moments of humor and warmth, and Reynolds' and Paymer's performances leaven leaven (lĕv`ən), agent used to raise bread or other flour foods. Physical leavens include water vapor, which is released as steam at high temperatures (as in popovers), and air, which is incorporated by beating. the rote uplift. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) ``SCHOOL OF LIFE'' |
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