Season Finales of The WB's Beauty and the Geek and ABC's Dancing with the Stars and Other Watercooler TV

SATURDAY, JULY 2

Live 8 Concerts (MTV , VH1 and mtvU, 12 p.m.-8 p.m. ET) Live. MTV and VH1 from noon until 8 p.m. ET will simultaneously telecast performances from most of the Live 8 concerts taking place today in ten countries. The concerts are intended to attract over 5 billion viewers and put pressure on the eight world leaders who will meet in Scotland at the G8 Summit next week to discuss solutions to extreme world poverty, which claims the lives of over 30,000 children every day. (Learn more about it at www.live8live.com or on AOL, the online partner for Live 8.) Among the performers likely to be included in the MTV/VH1 coverage are Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Destiny's Child, Josh Groban, Coldplay, Jay-Z, U2, Keith Urban, Will Smith and the Dave Matthews Band. Globally there will be approximately 100 artists of note performing live music today for this cause. CMT and VH1 will run highlights from the Live 8 concerts throughout the day on Sunday, July 3.

Helter Skelter (TV Land, 8 p.m. ET) TV Land tops off its week of classic made-for-television movies from the '70s and '80s with the unforgettable 1976 adaptation of Vincent Bugliosi's bestseller about the Charles Manson cult, the Tate-LaBianca murders and the trial that followed. Steve Railsback's portrayal of Manson can only be described as electrifying and will likely give sensitive viewers nightmares. TV Land's Movie-of-the-Week Week has been one of the true television events of the summer. Here's hoping the network will continue to run classic television movies from the past on an ongoing basis. Some suggestions: The Night Stalker (1971), That Certain Summer (1972), The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975) and, for pure camp value, Bad Ronald (1974), Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway (1976) and Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn (1977).

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SUNDAY, JULY 3

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Give Peace a Chance (Nickelodeon, 8:30 p.m. ET) Premiere. Series host and journalist Linda Ellerbee travels to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to talk with Israeli and Palestinian children about the conflicts in the Middle East.

Entourage (HBO, 9 p.m. ET) Eric has the weight of the world on his shoulders trying to steer Vince away from financial disaster and secure for his friend the lead role in James Cameron's movie adaptation of the Aquaman comic book franchise. Bob Saget (Full House, America's Funniest Videos) makes an unforgettable guest appearance as Vince and the boys' new neighbor. But it's another new neighbor who really gets the guys going.

MONDAY, JULY 4

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest (ESPN, 12 p.m. ET) (Live) It's year two for ESPN's live coverage of the annual July 4 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at the original Nathan's Famous location at Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, NY. Host Paul Page will provide commentary along with George Shea and Richard Shea of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. (Yes, that's a real organization.) Among the 20 competitors: Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, who set a new world eating record at last year's event, consuming 53 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. We can only wonder: How does Kobayashi stay so thin?

Primetime Independence Day Celebrations (PBS, 8 p.m. ET, NBC, 9 p.m. ET, CBS, 10 p.m. ET) PBS begins the networks' live coverage of leading Independence Day celebrations at 8 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C., with A Capitol Fourth, hosted by Barry Bostwick and featuring performances by Gloria Estefan, The Beach Boys, The O'Jays, Il Divo and Kimberley Locke, along with a salute to the music of Star Wars performed by the National Symphony Orchestra and a fireworks display over the Washington Monument. (This is the 25th year that PBS has telecast this event.) At 9 p.m. on NBC Today show weatherman Al Roker hosts the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular from New York City, with Mariah Carey as the show's exclusive musical performer and featuring the nation's largest fireworks display. Harry Smith and Jann Carl host Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, CBS' live coverage of the celebration at the Charles River Esplanade in Boston at 10 p.m. ET. Country superstars Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy will sing the new patriotic song Our America, performing with the Boston Pops under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart, before the fireworks begin.

An American Celebration at Ford's Theatre (ABC, 10 p.m. ET) Jeff Foxworthy hosts Bank of America Presents: An American Celebration at Ford's Theatre -- Salute to the Troops, taped June 12 at the historic venue in Washington, D.C., and featuring musical performances by Hilary Duff, Josh Gracin, Jesse McCartney, Julie Roberts, Denyce Graves and the Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the United States Air Force. Geena Davis, star of ABC's upcoming presidential drama Commander-in-Chief, also makes an appearance.

TUESDAY, JULY 5

ESPN Chronicles (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Two episodes. The lives and careers of the most prominent athletes of what ESPN calls "the ESPN generation" -- that would be the last 26 years -- are seen as they were captured through the lenses of ESPN cameras. In addition to archival footage, this series also features past interviews by ESPN anchors and reporters. The two episodes premiering tonight feature Bobby Knight (at 7 p.m. ET) and Mike Tyson (at 7:30 p.m. ET). Future subjects include John Elway, Brett Favre, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods. ESPN's Mike Tirico is the host.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6

Beauty and the Geek (The WB, 8 p.m. ET) Season Finale. Geek Richard -- the one who sounds a lot like a young Woody Allen, sometimes annoyingly so -- has emerged as one of the breakout reality television stars of the summer. In tonight's season finale, Richard and his beauty, Mindi, will square off against Chuck and Caitilin for that grand prize of $250,000.

Kelly Monaco dances with Alec Mazo

Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9 p.m. ET) Live. Season Finale. Like Geek Richard of Beauty and the Geek, Seinfeld alumnus John O'Hurley has also become a breakout reality star this summer as one of the dancing celebrities on this lightweight, entertaining show. He'll compete in the final dance contest in tonight's season finale with Kelly Monaco, the General Hospital actress who has developed a new fan base through this series, not so much for her dancing as for her barely-there wardrobe. The four other celebrities who competed in this series but were voted out of the contest in previous weeks -- Evander Holyfield, Trista Sutter, Rachel Hunter and Joey McEntyre -- will return for a last dance tonight, along with their professional dance partners.

John O'Hurley dances with Charlotte Jorgensen

Cutting It (We: Women's Entertainment, 9 p.m. ET) U.S. Series Premiere. Two Episodes. This scripted BBC series about the complicated lives and loves of two overly ambitious rival beauty salon owners in Manchester, England, makes its U.S. premiere on We with two back-to-back episodes from 9-11 p.m. ET tonight. Beginning July 13, Cutting It will be seen Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.

Mind of Mencia (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. With the future of Dave Chappelle's acclaimed franchise in limbo, Comedy Central is offering up a series starring Carlos Mencia, another hot comedian with controversial views about such hot button topics as ethnic stereotypes, immigration, war, patriotism, race relations and family issues. Mencia is seriously ballsy. His most recent CD features an hour of material about the events of 9/11.

THURSDAY, JULY 7

Big Brother 6 (CBS, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Don't think of this season's houseguests as 14 individuals. Rather, regard them as seven teams of two, because the big twist this time around is that every houseguest is paired with a secret partner -- and every twosome thinks it is the only team in the house. Further, the biggest challenge facing everyone is to keep their twosome a secret from the other players, even as they compete in the usual Big Brother stunts and contests. If one of the teams can keep its secret and both teammates can avoid being voted out and remain in the house until the end, the two will split $1 million, the largest Big Brother payout yet. (If a twosome doesn't make it to the end, the solo winner will pocket $500,000 for his or her prolonged trials and tribulations.) For those who don't know, Big Brother follows a group of people who live together during a three-month period in a house filled with cameras and microphones that record their every moment (except toilet breaks). Every week one houseguest is voted out of the house by the others. Julie Chen hosts. Big Brother will be telecast Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET, Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The Thursday telecasts will feature live evictions.

FRIDAY, JULY 8

Camp Lazlo (Cartoon Network, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Cartoon Network's latest goofy animated series is all about the misadventures of three bunkmates at summer camp: Lazlo, a energetic Brazilian monkey; Raj, a compulsive Indian elephant, and Clam, an eccentric albino pygmy rhinoceros.

Monk (USA Network, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Tony Shaloub continues his award-winning portrayal of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk. Jason Alexander is the guest star in tonight's fourth season premiere, titled Mr. Monk and the Other Detective.