WATCH-O-RAMA THE HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``Cold Case'' (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Channel 2; 8 tonight) Think: Did a prison inmate die twice in 1968? Given how sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. the warden was, it seems a distinct possibility to Lily (Katheryn Morris). Don't think: Johnny Cash's live classic ``At Folsom Prison'' serves as an important plot point - or a red herring Red Herring A preliminary registration statement that must be filed with the SEC describing a new issue of stock (IPO) and the prospects of the issuing company. Notes: . Remember how the crowd of convicts cheered when Johnny sang, ``I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die?'' Now we have TV to help us watch people die. In a nutshell: Cash's music will have to serve as the main draw, because despite an intriguing setup, the resolution ends up kind of silly. ``Inside the U.S. Secret Service'' (National Geographic Channel
Think: Inside the clandestine operations of those charged with protecting the president. Don't think: One agent says, ``I used to think, what's the worst thing that could happen when I'm out with the president?'' Well, duh; here's guessing it's not a hangnail hangnail /hang·nail/ (hang´nal) a shred of eponychium on a proximal or lateral nail fold. hang·nail n. . In a nutshell: ``Every time (the president goes out), it's our Super Bowl,'' an agent gravely intones, and while that's certainly hyperbolic hy·per·bol·ic also hy·per·bol·i·cal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or employing hyperbole. 2. Mathematics a. Of, relating to, or having the form of a hyperbola. b. , it's pretty fascinating seeing the hyperbole come to life and beholding the no-stone-unturned extent the Secret Service goes to in securing sites - entire cities, even states - for a presidential visit. ``Long Way Round'' (Bravo; 10 tonight) Think: Road trip: Che Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado - er, Ewan McGregor and his pal Charley Boorman traverse several continents (none of them South America) on motorcycles in this reality series/travelogue. Don't think: When a reality show's producers are also participants, the likelihood of big laughs at their boobery plummets exponentially. Too bad. In a nutshell: What is it with reality programs that think their simple premises are so exotically rarefied that they require ungodly amounts of explanation? This week's episode is all set up, so the trip doesn't really begin until next week - after yet more setup. For people who find others' holiday videos compelling viewing. ``Amnesia'' (BBC America; 8 p.m. Monday) Think: A cop (John Hannah) who suffers from blackouts and searches for his missing wife pursues an amnesiac (Anthony Calf) who may have killed his first wife before losing his memory. Jemma Redgrave (``The Grid'') plays the wife of the latter whose happy obliviousness toward her husband's past devolves into paranoia. Don't think: Redgrave and Calf are one cliche - the couple so happy that something must be wrong - while Hannah's the flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). : a guy so filled with torment he must be pure. Or are they? In a nutshell: An almost too cleverly, sinisterly and conveniently coiled plot - just who is the wife murderer here, or is it reaching epidemic proportions? - but absorbing and well acted. ``Drawn Together'' (Comedy Central; 10:30 p.m. Wednesday) Think: Parodies upon parodies: Wicked variations of Superman, SpongeBob, a Disney princess, Pokemon, Betty Boop and other cartoon characters take up residence in a swanky swank·y adj. swank·i·er, swank·i·est Swank. swank  i·ly adv.swank home in an animated ``reality show'' a la ``The Surreal Life.'' Don't think: Someone at Cartoon Network's Adult Swim is kicking themselves over not cooking this up. In a nutshell: Fairly amusing, but would've been funnier had the producers eviscerated more of reality TV's banal cliches. ``Tempting Adam'' (Oxygen; 9 p.m. Saturday) Think: After a one-night stand of sympathy sex, typical romantic-comedy characters/platonic friends Lauren (Joelle Carter) and Adam (Jayce Bartok) dabble dab·ble v. dab·bled, dab·bling, dab·bles v.tr. To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid: "The moon hung over the harbor dabbling the waves with gold" with others before discovering they're - well, you know. Don't think: This movie may set the land-speed record for giving away its (admittedly apparent) outcome - under three minutes. The opening credits haven't even finished. In a nutshell: Breezily vapid. ``Presidential Conversations on the Constitution'' (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology ; 9 p.m. Saturday) Think: Gerald Ford (9 p.m.), Jimmy Carter (10 p.m.) and George H.W. Bush Noun 1. George H.W. Bush - vice president under Reagan and 41st President of the United States (born in 1924) George Herbert Walker Bush, President Bush, George Bush, Bush (9 p.m. Oct. 31) ostensibly discuss their feelings on our country's most important document, but they also give an overview of their tenures in power, as well. Don't think: If host Cokie Roberts interviewed me, I wouldn't be able to give very good answers. I'd be too preoccupied with trying to figure out what radio messages she was picking up from distant planets. In a nutshell: You don't watch something like this for its production pizazz. Alternately dry and edifying ed·i·fy tr.v. ed·i·fied, ed·i·fy·ing, ed·i·fies To instruct especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement. . ``The Political Dr. Seuss'' (KCET; 11 p.m. Saturday) Think: ``Personable PERSONABLE. Having the capacities of a person; for example, the defendant was judged personable to maintain this action. Old Nat. Brev. 142. This word is obsolete. zealot'' Theodor Geisel's early career as a political cartoonist and the allegories within his children's books are explored in this ``Independent Lens'' documentary. Don't think: Good thing he's dead or Bill O'Reilly would be suing him for ripping off his life story in ``Fox in Sox'' and ``One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.'' In a nutshell: Surprisingly earnest and shockingly serious; the good doctor's own wit would've made it delirious. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) ``DRAWN TOGETHER'' (2) no caption (Book: ``THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS'') (3) ``DRAWN TOGETHER'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion