"Lost" Season Finale, "The Andromeda Strain" and More TiVoWorthy TV for the Week Ahead

 

Four Hours. GAC this afternoon will run a four-hour block of music videos that includes taped dedications from men and women serving our country in Iraq and elsewhere, along with messages submitted by viewers for family and friends in the military. “Big” Kenny Alphin, American Idol alumnus Josh Gracin, Jason Michael Carroll and James Otto will host.

 

Premiere. Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), Tim Guinee, Tom Skerritt and Betty Buckley star in this adaptation of the novel by A. Manette Ansay about a down on her luck schoolteacher and her husband who are forced to move in with his parents and are shocked to learn that the older couple has a bitter, loveless marriage. Ansay’s novel was an Oprah’s Book Club selection, so expect this story to explore family dysfunction at its darkest and most disturbing.

 

Premiere. Hallmark Channel has scheduled a real nail-biter for the start of the holiday weekend. It’s a three-hour thriller about a former FBI hostage rescue specialist who finds himself aboard a domestic flight hijacked by a member of a radical organization known as the People’s Separatist Movement. The hijacker wants the group’s jailed leader to be set free or he will begin killing passengers. Meanwhile, on the ground, the FBI and the ATF learn that the situation is even more dangerous than it appears and that the only way to end it may be to blow the hijacked airliner out of the sky. Dean Cain, Anthony Michael Hall, Lea Thompson, Ernie Hudson, Richard Roundtree and Tracey Gold also star.

 

 

 

 

Live. Today’s the day that the Phoenixis scheduled to land on Mars and begin sending pictures from the planet’s surface back to Earth. According to Science Channel you’ll be able to witness its descent and landing and be among the first people to see the images from the Phoenix if you tune in at 7 p.m. ET. The telecast will actually originate from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, and the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. NASA Chief Scientist Dr. James B. Garvin will be on hand to offer live, in-depth analysis throughout. After this live telecast, Science Channel will run two previous specials about earlier missions to the Red Planet: Revealing Mars at 9 p.m. ET and Roving Mars at 10 p.m. ET.

 

Premiere. If you’re still mourning the loss of Whiskers family matriarch Flower, who died protecting her pups from a cobra in what had to be one of the most upsetting moments of television in 2007, you might be interested in this docudrama that depicts her early years, pre-Meerkat Manor. Whoopi Goldberg is the narrator.

 

Premiere. In a thriller one might expect to see on Sci Fi Channel on a Saturday night, rather than Hallmark Channel on a Sunday, a scumbag land developer tries to force residents of a coastal California town to sell him their land by dumping toxic waste into the local bay. But he only succeeds in creating a mutated swarm of man-eating Great White sharks that terrorize the community. Daryl Hannah, Armand Assante, John Schneider and Heather McComb star.

 

Premiere. The behind-the-scenes drama of the 36-day Florida presidential vote recount in November and December 2000 – up to and including the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of George W. Bush over Al Gore -- is the subject of this HBO Original movie. Kevin Spacey stars as Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore; Denis Leary plays Michael Whouley, national field director during the Gore campaign; Laura Dern portrays Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, and Tom Wilkinson plays James Baker III, former Secretary of State to President George H.W. Bush. Bob Balaban, John Hurt, Ed Begley Jr. and Bruce McGill also star.

 

Premiere. National Geographic Channel gets in on the big Mars story today (see Science Channel highlight above) with a documentary of its own that reveals everything we have learned to date about the red planet.

 

Premiere. Once you’ve learned a few things about Mars, stay with National Geographic Channel and find out about the raging electrical storms and wild weather systems that cover huge areas of Saturn’s surface. Much of this information comes from NASA’s Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Saturnian System since 2004.

 

 

 

 

What could be better than digitally re-mastered episodes of the Seventies comedy classic Monty Python’s Flying Circus? How about a ten-hour marathon of same? It starts at 9 a.m. ET. (BTW, BBC America recently acquired the rights to all four seasons of MPFC. That’s yet another reason to love this network, which marks its 10^th anniversary this week.)

 

If you came late to Gossip Girl, which didn’t seem to generate any kind of media buzz until after its WGA strike-induced hiatus, you might want to check out its first episode on The CW tonight. See how it all started, with the high drama of Serena van der Woodsen’s return to Manhattan after a mysterious and self-imposed exile to boarding school (for reasons that weren’t made clear until very late in the season) and her rocky reunion with former BFF Blair Waldorf. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester star.

 

Premiere. First of Two Parts. The storyline in A&E’s adaptation of the 1969 science-fiction novel by Michael Crichton (which was first produced as a theatrical movie in 1971) has been updated to include the latest technology, but that hasn’t compromised its thrill-factor. It’s the story of a deadly, highly contagious alien virus brought to Earth when a small military satellite crashes that kills almost everyone in a small southwestern town -- and the government’s increasingly desperate efforts to stop it from spreading. TV fans will love this cast: Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost), Ricky Schroeder (NYPD Blue), Christa Miller (The Drew Carey Show), Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life in the Street) and Viola Davis (Law & Order: SVU). Ridley Scott and Tony Scott (Numb3rs) are among the executive producers.

 

Series Premiere. Ain’t nothin’ in this observational reality series about Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife and tabloid magnet Denise Richards that will be nearly as entertaining as that moment on The View last week when Whoopi Goldberg grilled her about putting her young daughters Lola and Sam in a trashy reality show while also claiming that she wants her family life to be private. Richards receives a reported $52,000 per month in child support. Why in heaven’s name is she doing this?

 

Series Premiere. If a reality series about Denise Richards isn’t sleazy enough for you, how about this one? It follows publicity hog Dina Lohan and her other daughter, Ali, as they go about the business of being related to a popular young actress with significant substance abuse issues.

 

 

 

 

Series Return. Hard to believe this dreadful and dreadfully slow paced game show is the No. 1 new series of the 2007-08 season, but that appears to be the awful truth. It returns tonight after a two-month break, during which we happily forgot all about it. If you enjoy the sorry spectacle of watching people reveal secrets about themselves that will make their loved ones feel bad, all in the interest of possibly winning $500,000, then by all means tune in. Mark L. Walberg is the host.

 

Premiere. What would happen if an asteroid traveling more than ten thousand miles per hour were to slam into the Earth’s surface? How many billions of lives would be lost? Can anything protect people from such a catastrophe and, if so, what exactly is being done to put such protection in place? Learn the answers to these and other burning questions in this NGC special.

 

Conclusion. A&E’s swell adaptation of the 1969 science-fiction novel by Michael Crichton (which was first made into a theatrical movie in 1971) concludes tonight. It’s the story of a deadly, highly contagious alien virus brought to Earth when a small military satellite crashes that kills almost everyone in a small southwestern town -- and the government’s increasingly desperate efforts to stop it from spreading. Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost), Ricky Schroeder (NYPD Blue), Christa Miller (The Drew Carey Show), Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life in the Street) and Viola Davis (Law & Order: SVU) star. Ridley Scott and Tony Scott (Numb3rs) are among the executive producers.

 

If you’ve had your fill of quarterlife, the terminally serious Internet series featuring a young woman who vlogs incessantly about herself and her circle of friends, check out this recent arrival at Hulu, which explores the same subject matter but wisely plays self-generated twenty-something angst for laughs. And after you’ve enjoyed all five episodes from Season 1 of 2/8 Life, head over to the Independent Comedy Network and watch the witty teaser trailer for Season 2.

 

 

 

A storyline this week on the National Geographic Channel’s observational reality series America’s Port involved an imperiled harbor seal, which lead me to an Internet search on the subject, which brought me to this clip. You need to see it to believe it.

 

Premiere. If you enjoyed the recent HBO miniseries John Adams and want to know more about David McCullough, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the best-selling historical novel on which the production was based, don’t miss this brief biographical documentary (which will be included as a bonus feature on the John Adams DVD, set for release June 10). You’ll see McCullough travel to a number of locations of profound historical significance as he reflects on the research he has done for several of his novels, and you’ll see the “sancta sanctorum” where he does his writing.

 

Time Period Premiere. Fox’ popular summer competition series, which began last Thursday, settles into its regular time period with another of this season’s audition episodes. Cat Deeley is the host.

 

Christopher Guest re-creates his classic role of rock star Nigel Tufnel from the 1984 cult classic This is Spinal Tap for this five-part online interview in which he shares his views about the origin of one of the most iconic structures in the world, Stonehenge. (It was an obsession of his in the movie.) Tufnel also allows a camera into his garage, where he conducts secret experiments intended to reveal the true purpose of Stonehenge. Yes, this is a publicity stunt for National Geographic Channel’s upcoming documentary Stonehenge Decoded, which premieres June 1. But it’s witty and well worth your time.

 

 

 

Two Hours. The auditions continue.

 

Season Finale. Two Hours. We saw the Oceanic 6 arrive “home” in last week’s episode. In tonight’s two-hour season finale, presumably, we’ll see how they got there -- and why the rest of the survivors didn’t. Guest stars include Sonya Walger as Penny Widmore, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, John Terry as Christian Shephard, Malcolm David Kelley as Walt, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert and L. Scott Caldwell as Rose.

 

Premiere. The awesome telescope at the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world, allows scientists to see farther into the universe than through any other land-based telescope. Interestingly, those who built this amazing device owe a debt to the creators of such comparatively modest inventions as the sand blaster and the refrigerator. Learn why in this documentary.

 

Premiere. MTV’s outstanding documentary series tackles a subject that country singer Brad Paisley addressed in his wildly popular song Online, which brought him CMA, CMT and ACM Awards: Taking on an alternative identity when chatting online. Follow the experiences of three young people whose Internet alter egos are far removed from their true selves.

 

 

 

Live. Tom Bergeron hosts live primetime coverage from Washington, D.C., of the final championship rounds of The 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee. It’s the nation’s largest and longest running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis by the E.W. Scripps Company in tandem with 280 local sponsors, most of them daily and weekly newspapers. You can catch the preliminary rounds live on ESPN and ESPN360.com earlier today.

 

The final six duos perform on stage with a full band at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Naomi Judd, vocal coach Brett Manning and songwriter Aimee Mayo are the judges. Rossi Morreale is the host.

Conclusion. The battle continues between the Unified Intelligence Task Force and the Sontarans, a race of warmongering aliens first seen 35 years ago during the third Doctor Who story, The Time Warrior, and not seen since 1985’s The Two Doctors. (No franchise in the history of scripted television pays more careful attention to continuity and shows so much respect for its own history than Doctor Who.) David Tennant and Catherine Tate star, with Freema Agyeman as the always welcome Martha Jones.

 

Premiere. This special focuses on the behind-the-scenes humans who live among and silently record the every move of those marvelous meerkats for Animal Planet’s hit series without ever interfering – even when they see that something horrible is going to happen.

 

President Roslin has been abducted by the Cylon Hybrid – setting off a power struggle within the Colonial fleet.