RARE TELEVISION ALERT! The 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

9PM
Discovery

Must WatchPreview
Shark Week

"Much like Tracy Jordan, we at EW try to live every week like it's Shark Week. Discovery is making that mission even easier over the next seven days with seawall-to-seawall coverage of the feared fish. The 21st annual salute starts Sunday with MythBusters: Shark Special, in which our hosts answer questions like ''Do dogs attract sharks?'' and ''Does chili powder repel sharks?'' (They also construct a 16-foot-long ''robo-shark,'' which we hope is used to play the Most Awesome Practical Joke Ever on a Discovery temp.) Among the week's other premieres are Mysteries of the Shark Coast, which examines why Jaws is disappearing from the waters off northeastern Australia, and Surviving Sharks, in which Survivorman?s Les Stroud travels to South Africa and the Bahamas to determine the best ways to weather an attack. Our nonexpert advice? Stay on couch, arm self with remote. ?Dan Snierson"


9PM
Discovery

Must WatchPreview
Shark Week

"Much like Tracy Jordan, we at EW try to live every week like it's Shark Week. Discovery is making that mission even easier over the next seven days with seawall-to-seawall coverage of the feared fish. The 21st annual salute starts Sunday with MythBusters: Shark Special, in which our hosts answer questions like ''Do dogs attract sharks?'' and ''Does chili powder repel sharks?'' (They also construct a 16-foot-long ''robo-shark,'' which we hope is used to play the Most Awesome Practical Joke Ever on a Discovery temp.) Among the week's other premieres are Mysteries of the Shark Coast, which examines why Jaws is disappearing from the waters off northeastern Australia, and Surviving Sharks, in which Survivorman?s Les Stroud travels to South Africa and the Bahamas to determine the best ways to weather an attack. Our nonexpert advice? Stay on couch, arm self with remote." ?Dan Snierson

 

9-10:15PM
IFC, TV-MA-LSV

Larry Flynt: The Right to Be Left Alone

"This hagiographic doc about the Hustler publisher and First Amendment obsessive is fueled by wonderful old footage, such as Flynt acting like a complete lunatic while incarcerated during the early '80s. Meanwhile, new interviews reveal today's Larry to be such a drolly mellow character that you'll overlook the one-sided nature of director Joan Brooker-Marks' film. ''There's only two kinds of people that don't like pornography,'' Flynt growls at one point. ''Those who don't know what they're talking about and those that don't know what they're missing.'' B ?Clark Collis"

 

10-11PM
WEtv, TV-14

Secret Lives of Women

A Scientologist, former gang member, Hare Krishna, and vegan are profiled. I get the extreme quality to the first three, but the vegan? What's the secret? That she likes tempeh?
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11-11:30PM
Comedy Central

Must Watch of the Week
The Daily Show: Look Who's Coming to Dinner

"Wooo! Party at 5, 280 feet! Your pals at The Daily Show are bringing their intentionally underinformed brand of journalism to the Democratic National Convention in Denver â?? and they expect mile-high-larity to ensue. ''It's almost like watching a clown car,'' says correspondent John Oliver of the Dems. ''You know there's a self-destruct button in it somewhere, so it's just a matter of pointing a camera and waiting.'' Any chance that Oliver will break a big story, like Hillary stealing the nomination from Barack? ''She's still a favorite,'' he warns. ''I don't think anyone would be that surprised if, come Inauguration Day, she walked onto the podium ahead of whoever just won. And we'd swear her in to avoid the awkward conversation that would follow. The kind of confidence Hillary has cannot be taken away by something as trifling as the will of the people.'' â??Dan Snierson"

 

11-11:30PM
Comedy Central

Must Watch of the Week
Inside Look
The Daily Show: Look Who's Coming to Denver

"Wooo! Party at 5,280 feet! Your pals at The Daily Show are bringing their intentionally underinformed brand of journalism to the Democratic National Convention in Denver â?? and they expect mile-high-larity to ensue. ''It's almost like watching a clown car,'' says correspondent John Oliver of the Dems. ''You know there's a self-destruct button in it somewhere, so it's just a matter of pointing a camera and waiting.'' Any chance that Oliver will break a big story, like Hillary stealing the nomination from Barack? ''She's still a favorite,'' he warns. ''I donâ??t think anyone would be that surprised if, come Inauguration Day, she walked onto the podium ahead of whoever just won. And we'd swear her in to avoid the awkward conversation that would follow. The kind of confidence Hillary has cannot be taken away by something as trifling as the will of the people.'' â??Dan Snierson"

 

Sunday:

8-11PM
ABC
60th-Primetime-Emmy_150

Must Watch of the WeekInside Look
60th Primetime Emmy Awards

"When Survivor's Jeff Probst takes the stage to emcee TV's annual self-congratulatory celebration with his four fellow Outstanding Reality/Competition Host nominees ? Dancing With the Stars' Tom Bergeron, Project Runway's Heidi Klum, Deal or No Deal's Howie Mandel, and American Idol's Ryan Seacrest ? he would like you to keep your expectations firmly in check. ''We feel a little pressure to not be idiots and come out with lame jokes and dumb gags,'' says Probst. ''Which I'm not sure we're going to achieve. [But] we all want to err on the side of self-deprecating.'' Clearly. But he does see an upside to sharing duties with four others: ''At most, I'm only responsible for 20 percent of the show.'' The downside? ''Not winning the Emmy and then having to continue. 'Gee, Ryan, congratulations. Now here's our next set of presenters.''' Despite all that pressure, he's feeling the most heat from his date. ''I'm bringing my mom, and she'll want to meet the guy from House.''

 

Tonight:

9-11PM*
PBS, TV-PG

American Masters: ''You Must Remember This''

"The first in a three-night documentary about Warner Bros., the legendary studio behind Casablanca and Key Largo. And yes, Batman, for all you people who can't cope with black and white. *check local listings"

 

9-11PM
All networks

Presidential Debate

"The focus is on domestic issues in the last debate, so we'll finally get to find out where the two candidates stand on dust ruffles."


I am *incredibly* tired of this, and I'm not even an American. If you want to know why nobody of quality will run for President, just look at the system to find out why.

 

9-10:30PM*
PBS, TV-PG

Soldiers of Conscience

"This thought-provoking P.O.V. doc examines why some soldiers become conscientious objectors and how they are subsequently treated by the military authorities. Chillingly, one vet recalls that after applying for objector status, he was stripped of his body armor, despite still being in Iraq at the time. Aâ?? *check local listings"

 

Sunday:

10-11PM
NatGeo, TV-14

Inside New Orleans High

"Filmed over the course of six months at Walter L. Cohen High School, one of the worst schools in New Orleans, this heartbreaking documentary follows three students struggling to stay in school. With a backdrop of murder, crime, drugs, and teen pregnancy, it's a wonder one of three managed to graduate. B+"

 

9-10:30PM*
PBS

Medal of Honor

"Alfre Woodard narrates a doc about the medal's history by recalling stories of noteworthy recipients (such as Pearl Harbor hero Lt. John Finn, the oldest living honoree). It's a must-see for war buffs, and its tales of valor are an effective boost for those craving optimism about a troubled country. B+ ?Kate Ward"

 

9-11PM
MSNBC

Witness to Jonestown

"Thirty years after the mass suicide in Guyana, this documentary features archival footage."


9-10:30PM*
PBS, TV-14

God on Trial

"A group of Auschwitz prisoners convene a rabbinic court to try God."

 

11:30PM-MIDNIGHT
Cartoon, TV-MA

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II
A

"Seth Green and his cronies go where they ? and a lot of other people ? have already gone before. Luckily for us, Team RC is as brilliantly obsessive about lampooning the Star Wars universe as they were last time, whether it's a stormtrooper bringing his kid to Take Your Daughter to Work Day or the further adventures of Emperor Palpatine and his punk apprentice, Darth Vader. ("There is no try. There is do, or there is f---ing up royal. And you're f---ing up royal.") Plus: Billy Dee Williams doing Lando Calrissian. ?Marc Bernardin"

 

My DVR is set.

Sadly I am old and can not stay up that late anymore.

 

Anyone else notice that they used a lot of Hasbro figures in this one?

 

Lando talking to Boba Fett about Slave I.

Donald Faison as a stormtrooper.

Why would there be a planet based on just one topographical feature like sand, or lava, ice?!

What fun.

 

8-10PM*
PBS, TV-G

The Bible's Buried Secrets

"Leave it to public television to solve the multiple-millenia-old question of whether or not God has a wife. One mystery remains: whether said wife still refers to Mary as ''that hussy.''

 

10-11PM
Comedy Central, TV-14

Must Watch of the Week
A Colbert Christmas

"Most of us would rather chug a gallon of spoiled eggnog than be subjected to a corny Perry Como-y Christmas special. But what if it were hosted by a cardigan-and-turtleneck-clad Stephen Colbert? From the cozy confines of a mountain-cabin set, the faux political pundit says at the start of the show: ''I'm so excited right now, I'm sporting a yule log.'' Indeed, he's decked his halls with a swell bunch of celebs; musical guests include Elvis Costello, Feist, Willie Nelson (''The Little Dealer Boy''), John Legend (crooning a sexy song about nutmeg), and Toby Keith (who declares war on the war on Christmas). Even Jon Stewart drops by for a duet about the potato-pancaked joy of Hanukkah. While a number or two last a wee bit too long, the special nicely blends cheer with cheek. And when a disturbing mistletoe moment occurs between Colbert and a grizzly, you'll definitely grin and bear it. ?Dan Snierson"

 

Actually watched this last night. It started off kinda iffy, but then Colbert found his groove, and it wound up being pretty good.

The bit where Elvis Costello is mauled by a bear was a riot.


And some of the songs were incredibly risque (if you payed attention to them lyrics!)

 

9-11PM*
PBS, TV-PG

The Rape of Europa

"Two hours about the retrieval of art looted by the Nazis."

Of course, some of it was never retrieved at all...

 

A very interesting and terrifying two hours.

Anecdote: A young Jewish worker in Paris is saved from being deported to the camps in Germany so he can help load loot from Jewish families in Paris onto trains to Germany. One day he sees his own families' furniture and household goods and photos. He managed to save the photos, which he later lost when he was deported to Birkenau. He was the only survivor of his parents and four brothers.

The destruction of the frescoes at Pisa was another heart-breaker.

 

I didn't see all of it, but I did watch the second half and it was very interesting. I'd very much like to read the book it was based on.

 

I've read it; it's a very good book, but there's something about seeing the art. The French trembling as they watch "The Winged Victory of Samothrace" come down a wooden ramp (it's situated at the top of a steep set of steps at the Louvre) is a scary moment. And the stuff that was stolen!

 

9-10PM
Sundance, TV-PG

Must Watch of the Week
Series Debut
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...

"You can probably credit David Letterman's shingles for Elvis Costello's new music-oriented chatfest: EC sat in, nervously but not embarrassingly, for the Late Show host when Letterman was struck down with said ailment in 2003. The often acid-tongued singer-songwriter proves both amiable and highly knowledgeable in Spectacle's debut, interviewing Elton John, who exec-produced the series. The conversation can get a little too music-y, as when the pair ruminate at length about obscure singer David Ackles (whose song ''Down River'' they perform). But John's anecdote about fellow piano legend Leon Russell greeting him totally naked is priceless. (''I didn't know where to look. Well, I did, but I didn't.'') Costello's similarly A-list future guests include Lou Reed and Bill Clinton, who, presumably, will discuss his horn. Was that a snicker? Oh, very mature."

 

11-MIDNIGHT
Fox, TV-14-DL

Must Watch of the Week
MADtv's Best of Christmas Sketches Spectacularly Special Spectacular

"For 14 years, MADtv has been the Prancer to Saturday Night Live's Rudolph: It does a fine, workmanlike job bringing sketches to all the girls and boys, but everyone just wants to ooh and aah about the guy in front. With Fox recently announcing that this will be the show's final season, we thought that in the Christmas spirit of giving, we'd take this moment to give this underdog something it's never gotten: a little hype. So won't you help make a Christmas miracle by tuning in as Connie Chung (Bobby Lee) and Barack Obama (Keegan-Michael Key) introduce this retrospective of such holiday bits as creepy man-boy Stuart (Michael McDonald) meeting a mall Santa? Enjoy it before it's gone, because then the only sketch show left to ignore will be Frank TV. ? Josh Wolk"