12 TV Premieres and Finales airing Feb. 22-28, 2009
Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of Feb. 22.
If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
BEGINNINGS
••“Storm Stories,” 7 p.m. Sunday on The Weather Channel (season premiere).
••“Rampage!” 7 p.m. Sunday on Discovery (series premiere).
••“Hard Time,” 8 p.m. Monday on National Geographic (series premiere).
••“Dark Days in Monkey City,” 9 p.m. Tuesday on Animal Planet (series premiere)(Animal Planet Photo above).
••“The Chris Isaak Hour,” 9 p.m. Thursday on Biography (series premiere).
ENDINGS
••“Rita Rocks,” 7 p.m. Monday on Lifetime (first-season finale).
••“Man vs. Wild,” 8 p.m. Monday on Discovery (third-season finale).
••“True Beauty,” 9 p.m. Monday on ABC (first-season finale).
••“Daddy’s Girls,” 9:30 p.m. Monday on MTV (first-season finale).
••“Privileged,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on CW (first-season finale).
••“The Contender,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on Versus (fourth-season finale).
••“Top Chef,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo (fifth-season finale).
Top 55 TV Programs for Feb. 22-28, 2009
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of Feb. 22:
SUNDAY, FEB. 22
◊The 81st Annual Academy Awards (7:30 p.m. on ABC): “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is up for 13 Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Shawnee-born Brad Pitt. Another nominee with Oklahoma ties is Ron Howard, who was born in Duncan and is up for best director for “Frost/Nixon.” Host Hugh Jackman (pictured above in ABC Photo) is from Australia, but he has worked with an Oklahoman (James Marsden in the “X-Men” movies) and he has been in “Oklahoma!” on stage.
◊“100 Most Outrageous Moments 2” (8 p.m. on NBC): This special features plenty of missteps, misstatements and mistakes from television shows, newscasts, sporting events, political speeches and the like, but it also includes several viewer-submitted videos.
◊“The Barbara Walters Special” (6 p.m. on ABC): Sitting down with Barbara Walters for her 28th annual Oscar special are Academy Award nominees Anne Hathaway and Mickey Rourke, Academy Award host Hugh Jackman and teen pop stars the Jonas Brothers.
◊“HGTV Showdown” (8 p.m. on HGTV): Kim Myles, last season’s “HGTV Design Stars” winner, squares off with this season’s champion, Jennifer Bertrand, as they pull out all the stops to create dazzling children-friendly spaces.
◊“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m. on ABC): The talk show will host his fourth consectuive post-Oscar celebration that will air live from the El Capitan Entertainment Center in Hollywood.
◊“Nature” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): In the mid-1990s, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. “In the Valley of the Wolves” traces three years in the life of the Druid wolf pack with a look at its relations with other packs and the fate of its members.
◊“The Oscars Red Carpet 2009″ (7 p.m. on ABC): Co-hosts Tim Gunn (”Project Runway”), Robin Roberts (”Good Morning America”) and Jess Cagle (Entertainment Weekly managing editor) will interview celebrities and comment on fashions during guest arrivals.
◊“Rampage!” (7 p.m. on Discovery): See firsthand what happens when people, machines and nature to on the rampage in this eight-part series featuring raw footage and the stories behind it.
◊“Storm Stories” (7 p.m. on The Weather Channel, 66 on Cox, 214 on Dish Network, 362 on DirecTV): Storm tracker Jim Cantore returns as host for a new season of stories that chronicle survivors and rescuers battling amazing weather events. The season premiere focuses on the May 2008 Windsor tornado that touched down in northern Colorado and hit a daycare center.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Theatre and Drama Department and include 1968’s “The Producers” (9:45 a.m.), 1954’s “Susan Slept Here” (1:15 p.m.) and 1983’s “The Dresser” (8:45 p.m.).
MONDAY, FEB. 23
◊“American Experience” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): The new installment “A Class Apart” recounts the struggle of Texas field hand Pete Hernandez and his lawyers to get him a fair trial for the murder of his employer. At the time, equal protection covered only blacks and whites, not Mexican-Americans.
◊“Antiques Roadshow” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): A set of 1914 and 1915 Cracker Jack baseball cards is estimated to be worth $30,000 to $40,000.
◊“Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina” (8 p.m. on HBO): This new documentary chronicles what many hardwood observers consider college basketball’s fiercest rivalry. It also examines the different cultures and characteristics of the programs in Durham and Chapel Hill that are separated by fewer than 10 miles.
◊“Daddy’s Girls” (9:30 p.m. on MTV): As Season 1 comes to a close, Vanessa and Angela have learned a lot about what it means to be adults, great friends and successufl entertainers.
◊“Hard Time” (8 p.m. on National Geographic): This new six-part series offers an inside look at Georgia’s prison system, where military-style discipline is the order of business. The series visits with prisoners at all levels, from a boot camp for young offenders to death row.
◊“Man vs. Wild” (8 p.m. on Discovery): In the Season 3 finale, host Bear Grylls reveals the tradecraft and survivla tips needed to stay alive in some of the toughest and most remote locations on the planet, including the salt flats of Mexico and the ice in Siberia.
◊“Rita Rocks” (7 p.m. on Lifetime): In the first-season finale, Rita gets a promotion to manager at Bed & Bath Max, which results in longer hours. She realizes she can’t do it all and quits the band.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Agriculture Department and include 1937’s “The Good Earth” (8:15 a.m.), 1945’s “San Antonio” (2:45 p.m.) and 1955’s “East of Eden” (9 p.m.).
◊“Top Gear” (7 p.m. on BBC America): Mark Wahlberg (“The Departed”) is featured in the “star in a reasonably-priced car” segment.
◊“True Beauty” (9 p.m. on ABC): The contestants in this reality series though they were being judged on their looks, but they were actually being judged on their compassion, sportsmanship, charity, respect for their elders and other qualitiestraits. In the finale, find out who displayed more than beauty to win a spot in People magazine’s “Most Beautiful People” issue.
◊The University of Oklahoma takes on Texas A&M in women’s college basketball action airing live at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
◊The University of Oklahoma takes on Kansas in men’s college basketball action airing live at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
TUESDAY, FEB. 24
◊“Black to the Future” (8 p.m. today through Friday on VH1): David Alan Grier (“Chocolate News”) hosts this four-part special celebrating the contributions of blacks to American pop culture.
◊“Dark Days in Monkey City” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): John Rhys-Davies (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”) narrates this new series that reveals tales of love, treachery, betrayal and triumph among monkeys living in the deserted city of Polonnaruwa on Sri Lanka. It blends live action with graphic novel-style animation to accentuate the stories that are based on the Smithsonian Primate Project, the longest-running study of primates in the world.
◊“NCIS” (7 p.m. on CBS): The death of a NCIS agent leads Gibbs and Tony into the desert to locate a woman who holds the answer to the mystery. Lance Henriksen (”Millennium”) guest stars as Sheriff Clay Boyd.
◊“Nova” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): This new installment titled “Rats Attack” focuses on a horrendous event that happens every 48 years Mizoram, India. The ordeal is known locally as mautam, and it happens when an indigenous species of bamboo blooms and spurs an explosion in the rat population that feeds off the bamboo’s fruit.
◊“Privileged” (8 p.m. on CW): As Marco and Keith prepare for their wedding with the help of wedding planner Olivia (Kathy Griffin, “My Life on the ‘D’ List”), Megan discovers that her father Arthur is drinking again.
◊“The Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion Special” (8 p.m. on Bravo): Bravo programming executive Andy Cohen hosts this special that reunites the ladies of Orange County to give their side of the story on what went on after the cameras stopped rolling.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Languages Department and include 1960’s “Two Women” (5:15 a.m.), 1956’s “Gervaise” (4:45 p.m.) and 1950’s “Rashomon” (9 p.m.).
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25
◊“America’s Ballroom Challenge” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Jean Louisa Kelly (“Yes, Dear”) hosts this two-hour special that features 24 couples competing in the world’s grandest ballroom dancing competition in Columbus, Ohio. All four major dance styles will be featured — American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Standard, and International Latin — and an international panel of judges will decide which couple walks away with the crown.
◊“The Contender” (8 p.m. on Versus): The fourth-season finale will feature a bout between the show’s top two cruiserweights live from MGM Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
◊“Guy’s Big Night” (9 p.m. on Food Network): Chef Guy Fieri cooks up his favorite recipes in this primetime special. Plus, there will be unexpected guests and a DJ spinning music for the feast.
◊“Human Prey” (8 p.m. on Animal Planet): This new series tells the stories of real people who’ve been attacked by wild animals and lived to tell the tale.
◊“Life on Mars” (9:06 p.m. on ABC): Sam recognizes a killer from the future and must find a way to stop him in 1973. Former presidential candidate Fred D. Thompson (“Law & Order”) guest stars as Chief Harry Woolf.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Medical Department and include 1958’s “Cat on the Hot Tin Roof” (9 a.m.), 1936’s “Camille” (3 p.m.) and 1989’s “My Left Foot” (11:15 p.m.).
◊“Top Chef” (9 p.m. on Bravo): The three remaining chef’testants face an extra special challenge in the Season 5 finale. The winner gets $100,000, a culinary tour of the French Alps and a feature in Food & Wine Magazine.
◊Oklahoma State University takes on Colorado in men’s college basketball action airing live at 9:30 p.m. on KOCB-34.
THURSDAY, FEB. 26
◊“The Beast” (9 p.m. on A&E): Barker and Ellis are assigned to go undercover when Chicago Police Department Officer Owens is reported missing. Lou Diamond Phillips (“Lone Rider”) guest stars.
◊“The Black List: Volume Two” (7 p.m. on HBO): Award-winning journalist Elvis Mitchell interviews a host of influential blacks, including Laurence Fishburne (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”), Tyler Perry (“Madea Goes to Jail”), Maya Rudolph (“Saturday Night Live”), Melvin Van Peebles (“Blackout”) and singer Charley Pride.
◊“The Chris Isaak Hour” (9 p.m. on Bio): Singer/songwriter Chris Isaak hosts this new talk and music performance show. Through a blend of storytelling and performance, each guest will be interviewed by Isaak and relive the highs and lows of their careers. The series premiere will feature Trisha Yearwood and will include the first ever performance of “Breaking Apart,” a duet from Isaak’s new album.
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): The CSIs are called to three different crime scenes in one night that are seemingly unrelated, but each case’s forensic evidence reveals a common link. John Schneider (“Smallville”) guest stars.
◊“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC): One of Meredith’s oldest friends becomes an intern at Seattle Grace, causing turmoil at the Hospital. Mary McDonnell (“Battlestar Gallactica”) guest stars in this episode directed by Eric Stoltz (“Mask”).
◊“NEWBOs: The Rise of America’s New Black Overclass” (8 p.m. on CNBC): This new documentary provides a close-up look at the experiences of several self-made black multimillionaires, many of whom grew up poor, are mostly under age 40, and have primarily made their vast fortunes in the sports, entertainment and media industries. Among them are LeBron James, Terrell “T.O.” Owens, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Wyclef Jean and Lil’ Wayne.
◊“Secrets of the Furious 5″ (7 p.m. on NBC): This new animated special picks up where the feature film “Kung Fu Panda” left off, with Po put in charge of training a new class of students.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Geology Department and include 1970’s “Paint Your Wagon” (7:45 a.m.), 1939’s “The Rains Came” (5 p.m.) and 1974’s “Chinatown” (11:15 p.m.).
FRIDAY, FEB. 27
◊“15 Most Unforgettable Hollywood Tragedies” (7 p.m. on E!): This special combines news footage and interviews to count down 15 of the most memorable Hollywood tragedies that made headlines.
◊“The Electric Company” (4 p.m. on OETA-13): Hector mysteriously loses his agility right before his big basketball game in the new episode titled “Trouble Afoot.” Guest star Whoopi Goldberg (“The View”) performs “The Electric Comoany Rap” with Hector and Shock.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Political Science Department and include 1946’s “Notorious” (6 a.m.), 1972’s “1776″ (4 p.m.) and 1949’s “All the King’s Men” (9:15 p.m.).
◊“Yo Gabba Gabba!” (12:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon): Rachel Dratch (“Saturday Night Live”) teaches a “Dancey Dance” to the Gabba gang, who learn the importance of cleaning up in this new episode. Musical guest Chromeo perform a song titled “Nice and Clean.”
SATURDAY, FEB. 28
◊“America” (8 p.m. on Lifetime): Emmy winner Rosie O’Donnell (“The Rosie O’Donnel Show”) executive produces and stars in this new movie based on E.R. Frank’s book of the same name. The film takes viewers on the emotional journey of America, 17, as he navigates the United States foster care system.
◊“Ice Queens” (11 a.m. on MTV): This new special follows the lives of three young female figure skaters as they gear up for the South Atlantic Regional Championships. Along the way, they’ll test out their programs at smaller competitions, work with their coaches to perfect their spins and jumps and somehow manage to fit school into the mix.
◊TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” film festival offers viewers a cinematic education. Today’s course offerings come from the Athletic Department and include 1978’s “Heaven Can Wait” (9:15 a.m.), 1984’s “The Natural” (4:30 p.m.) and 1976’s “Rocky” (8:45 p.m.).
◊“VH1 Storytellers: Kanye West” (8 p.m. on VH1): This hourlong special features Kanye West performing songs from his critically acclaimed album 808’s & Heartbreak in addition to past hits. Viewers also get to hear the inspiration and stories behind each song.
◊The University of Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State in women’s college basketball action airing live at noon on KAUT-43.
◊The University of Oklahoma takes on Texas Tech in men’s college basketball action airing live at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
Oklahoma State University takes on Texas in men’s college basketball action airing live at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
–Penny TV
Program Planner: Nov. 30-Dec. 6
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of Nov. 30:
SUNDAY NOV. 30
◊“Britney Spears: For the Record” (8 p.m. on MTV): Britney Spears granted access to filmmaker Phil Griffin to tell her side of the story in her own words in this 90-minute documentary. It includes footage of Spears recording her new album “Circus” that will be released Dec. 2 on her 27th birthday.
◊“Britz” (7 p.m. today and Monday on BBC America): This two-part drama tells the story of brother and sister Sohail and Nasima (Riz Ahmed, Manjinder Virk), British-born Muslims who have conflicting personal experiences in post 9/11 Britain.
◊“Cheech & Chong Roast” (9 p.m. on TBS): In this new special, friends and fellow stars pay tribute to Richard Anthony “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong. Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) hosts the event and roasters include Tom Arnold (“Roseanne”), television journalist Geraldo Rivera, magicians Penn & Teller and Wilmer Valderrama (“That ’70s Show”).
◊“Cold Case” (8 p.m. on CBS): Rush and the team reopen the 2005 murder case of a young black politician who vowed to rid the lower-class neighborhood he grew up in of drug dealers. Jonathan LaPaglia (”The District”) guest stars as Assistant District Attorney Curtis Bell.
◊“Faith Hill, Joy to the World” (7 p.m. on CMT): backed by an orchestra led by conductor David Campbell, the Grammy winner performs holiday favorites from her upcoming Christmas album “Joy to the World.”
◊“Home For the Holidays” (7 p.m. on HGTV): Monica Pedersen (“Designed to Sell”) hosts this new special that shows viewers how HGTV’s top designers celebrate the season. Among those sharing holiday traditions with viewers are Vern Yip (“Deserving Design”), Kim Myles (“Myles of Style”) and Steve Watson (“Don’t Sweat It”).
◊“Laffapalooza!” (10 p.m. on TBS): Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock”) hosts this comedy show that will feature performances by comedians Mark Curry, Sheryl Underwood, Earthquake, Corey Holcomb and Lavell Crawford.
◊“Mindhunter” (9 p.m. on MSNBC): Former FBI agent John Douglas interviews two of the nation’s most disturbing and violent serial killers, Joseph Kondro and Donald Harvey.
◊“Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood” (9:30 p.m. on E!): The series once again takes viewers inside the heartwarming, hilarious and refreshingly normal home life of this international icon and his family. Visitors to “Tha Hood” in Season 2 include football superstars Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, David Spade (“Just Shoot Me”) and Roy Jones Jr. (“The Matrix Reloaded”).
◊The University of Oklahoma takes on Connecticut in women’s college basketball action airing live at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
MONDAY, DEC. 1
◊“All of Us” (5 p.m. on Showtime): Airing on World AIDS Day, this new documentary profiles Mehret Mandefro, a doctor from Ethiopia who’s studying — and trying to stop — the spread of HIV among black American women.
◊“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (7:32 p.m. on ABC): Boris Karloff (“Frankenstein”) narrates and voices the
green-skinned grouch in this 1966 animated holiday story loved by all tall and small.
◊“Handy Manny” (8 a.m. on Disney): When Manny’s new vintage motorcycle breaks down on a deserted road, the tools are afraid they won’t be able to fix it before it gets dark. They search the motorcycle’s saddlebags and discover Flicker, a talking flashlight, that joins the cast in this animated series recently honored with an Environmental Media Award for best children’s live action/animated television program.
◊“I Am Because We Are” (8 p.m. on Sundance): This new documentary about Malawi’s AIDS orphans was written and produced by Madonna.
◊“I Survived …” (8 p.m. on Biography): Season 2 features all-new first-person survival accounts of ordinary people who encountered extraordinary challenges to their lives and survived to tell about it.
◊“Mom’s Cooking” (10 a.m. on Lifetime): In each episode of this new culinary series, host Joe Corsano follows participants as they surprise and enlist their mother to teach them how to make a treasured recipe step-by-step.
◊“Shrek the Halls” (7 p.m. on ABC): “Twas the night before Christmas and not a swamp rat did creep, as mother and babe played kazoo in their sleep….” That’s the story America’s favorite green ogre tells his family in this animated special featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: Woody Allen was born on this day in 1935, and TCM celebrates by airing three of his films — 1969’s “Take the Money and Run” (1:30 p.m.), 1977’s “Annie Hall” (3 p.m.) and 1986’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” (5 p.m.).
TUESDAY, DEC. 2
◊2008 World Music Awards (7 p.m. on My Network TV): The 20th annual event will include performances by Alicia Keys, Kid Rock, Beyonce, Solange and others. Ringo Starr will accept the Diamond Award on behalf of The Beatles for selling more records than any other recording-artist in the history of the music industry.
◊“According to Jim” (8 p.m. on ABC): Jim Belushi returns for his eighth season as Jim, an all-American guy who is devoted to his wife and their five children. He loves his family, but he continues to test his wife’s patience with his stubborn antics.
◊“The Bad Girls Club” (9 p.m. on Oxygen): Season 3 will bring seven new “bad girls” together in a Los Angeles mansion. They have issues with anger, trust and control, and claim they want to change.
◊“Party Monsters: Cabo” (9 p.m. on E!): This new competition reality series takes nine party planners to the oceanfront LG Villa in Cabo to see who can throw the ultimate party. The contestants will present their party ideas to celebrity guests including P. Diddy, Carmen Electra, Brody Jenner and Lil Jon. The winner will receive a coveted celebrity event-planner position at LG worth $100,000.
◊“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (7 p.m. on ABC): In this perennial favorite created in 1970 by Rankin-Bass Productions, Fred Astaire narrates the story of Kris Kringle, a young boy with a desire to do good things for others.
◊“Shatner’s Raw Nerve” (9 p.m. on Biography): Emmy winner William Shatner (“Boston Legal”) headlines his own edgy and off-beat celebrity interview series. In each 30-minute episode, Shatner will attempt to probe his guest’s most sensitive subjects and touch upon a “raw nerve.”
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3
◊“Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (7 p.m. on NBC): David Cook from Tulsa and Joe Don Rooney from Picher are planning to perform during the 76th annual tree lighting extravaganza at Rockefeller Center. Rooney will be there with his bandmates from Rascal Flatts. The telecast will be in high definition, so it will feel like you are there (except you won’t be as cold as those standing outside). Al Roker (”Today”) will host the event.
◊“Eyes on Kenya” (7 p.m. on My Network TV): Join Sir Roger Moore, Louis Gossett, Jr., Dean Cain, Shannon Elizabeth and other celebrities as they travel through Kenya. They travel through Nairobi visiting children in need, then go on safari to view animals in the wild.
◊“The Grammy Nominations Concert Live: Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night” (8 p.m. on CBS): For the first time, nominations for The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will announced live. The special will also celebrate the grand opening of the Grammy Museum at L.A. LIVE and feature performances by Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, B.B. King, John Mayer and Taylor Swift.
◊“Jacques D’Amboise in China: The Other Side of the World” (5:30 p.m. on HBO): This new special chronicles the dancer’s journey to Shanghai to direct a cross-cultural ensemble in a performance for the Shanghai Grand Theatre. D’Amboise is the founder of the National Dance Institute in New York City.
◊“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (7 p.m. on CBS): The navigational prowess of “the most famous reindeer of all” will again illuminate Santa Claus’ way into the Christmas season with this digitally re-mastered version of the 1964 animated special. Burl Ives narrates the story based on the popular song of the same title by Johnny Marks.
◊“Secret Millionaire” (7 p.m. on Fox): Based on the hit British series of the same name, this unscripted drama reveals the personal return that participating millionaires receive when they leave their fortunes to invest in those less fortunate.
◊“Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …” (8 p.m. on Sundance): This new music/talk series features an intimate conversation between host Elvis Costello and his guests, punctuated by musical performances by Costello, his guests and a wide variety of musicians. Confirmed guests for the 13-part series include Sir Elton John (first episode), Tony Bennett, Lou Reed and President Bill Clinton.
◊“The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” (9 p.m. on CBS): Models Alessandra Ambrosio, Selita Ebanks, Doetzen Kroes, Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller and Miranda Kerr hit the runway for this edition of the special. Heidi Klum is also scheduled to make an appearance, and Usher is the musical guest.
THURSDAY, DEC. 4
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): When a young singer is found dead outside an infamous Las Vegas nightclub, the CSI team uncovers a link between the present day crime and a murder from over 50 years ago. Golden Globe Award winner Tippi Hedren (”The Birds”) and Emmy Award winner Robert Guillaume (”Benson”) guest star.
◊“Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): This list is drawn from the year’s most prominent names in entertainment, sports, politics and pop cultre. A few of the people making the 2008 honor roll include Tom Cruise, Tina Fey, Will Smith, Rush Limbaugh, Miley Cyrus and Michael Phelps. Last year, “Harry Potter” scribe J.K. Rowling took the No. 1 spot.
◊“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC): Cristina is awarded the first solo surgery among the residents, but must give it up and choose her replacement. Guest stars include Melissa George (“Alias”), Mary McDonnell (“Battlestar Gallactica”) and Kevin McKidd (“Rome”).
◊“Eleventh Hour” (9 p.m. on CBS): When college students in Oklahoma begin dying of the bends — a condition of sudden decompression normally seen in scuba divers — Dr. Hood’s investigation uncovers a medical cover-up on campus.
◊Oklahoma State University takes on Washington in men’s college basketball action airing live at 10 p.m. on FSOK.
◊The University of Oklahoma takes on USC in men’s college basketball action airing live at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
FRIDAY, DEC. 5
◊“Greatest Holiday Moments: TV & Film Countdown” (7 p.m. on NBC): This new special counts down the most memorable holiday moments from the big and small screens, from the old standbys such as ‘‘It’s a Wonderful Life” to modern classics such as ‘‘Home Alone.”
◊“Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh” (7 p.m. on Nickelodeon): Drake Bell and Josh Peck reunite to make holiday memories in this original TV movie. Henry Winkler (“Happy Days”) and mixed martial arts fighter Kimbo Slice guest star as a fair-minded judge and good-hearted ex-jailbird who help Drake and Josh keep their Christmas promise to a family of foster kids.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): The bombing of a charity’s headquarters forces the team to sift through various rumors about the true reach of the organization’s power. Paul Michael Glaser (“Starsky & Hutch”) guest stars.
SATURDAY, DEC. 6
◊“The Christmas Choir” (8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel): Emmy winner Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”) and Jason Gedrick (“Windfall”) star in the new movie inspired by the true story of an accountant who convinces a nun to turn members of a homeless shelter into a choir.
◊“CMT Giants: Alan Jackson” (8 p.m. on CMT): This tribute to country music superstar Alan Jackson will feature performances by George Strait, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert.
◊“Flirting With Forty” (8 p.m. on Lifetime): Heather Locklear (“Spin City”) stars as a divorced mother of two on the brink of her 40th birthday who, while on vacation, enters into a romance with a younger man (Robert Buckley, “Lipstick Jungle”).
–Penny TV
Celebrities tell “Ghost Stories”
Actors Gina Gershon (”Bound”) and Ernie Hudson (”Oz”) have seen ghosts. So have musicians Belinda Carlisle (The Go-Go’s) and Sammy Hagar (Van Halen).
They will talk of their personal encounters with the paranormal in the hourlong special “Celebrity Ghost Stories” premiering at 9 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 25) on Bio Channel (119 on Dish Network, 164 on Cox Digital Cable, 266 on Direct TV).
In their on-camera interviews, they said:
♦“I would literally wake up and I would have scratches and some bruises. It was definitely this very violent energy in my room.” — Gershon (pictured at right in “Bound”)
♦“I would hear sounds, sense the presence of things. I just knew there was somebody in that house.” — Hudson
♦“I woke up all of a sudden to this thing. It wouldn’t let me breathe. It just kept choking me. I thought I was going to die.” — Carlisle
♦“I really wouldn’t say I was a believer in ghosts at first, but this was so physical, I was scared.” — Hagar.
–Penny TV
