Premieres and Notables; Dec 3-9, 2007

Has it been a week already? Yeesh! The tapes and have been building up, so I can't say I'm upset that repeat season is in full swing.

But the strike talks didn't pan out, so maybe I'll be itching for new episodes in a month or so. Okay, probably not. I have a lot of tapes (and DVDs) to watch. The world could end, and all I'd need is a generator and a TV, and I'd be set with "new" episodes for a few years.

Oh yeah-- this week's new stuff:

Monday, 12/3

The Closer (TNT; 7-9 pm CST) and Saving Grace (TNT; 9 pm CST) return with new episodes.

And repeat season is a great time to try something you missed earlier. The funniest new show of the year, Aliens in America, repeats its pilot tonight (CW; 7:30). The scene between the two bullies and Justin when they're talking about his sister is priceless.

And my favorite comedy, How I Met Your Mother, repeats a great episode from last season where Marshall's beloved Fiero dies on him just short of hitting 200,000 miles (CBS; 7:00).

Life (NBC; 9 pm) begins a 2-parter that will be concluded this week in the show's normal timeslot (Wed @ 9).


Tuesday, 12/4

Bad Girls Club; Oxygen. 9 pm. 2nd season premiere.

Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency; Oxygen. 9:30. 3rd season premiere.

Everest: After the Climb; Discovery. 10 pm. (4-part) mini-series.
Phil Keoghan talks to hikers about their adventures.


Wednesday, 12/5

Julia Roberts Tribute; AMC. 7 pm. Special.
The America Cinematheque presents the award to Roberts. Last year's tribute to George Clooney was a hoot (yeah, I said "hoot", so what?), so it's probably a safe bet this one will be funny as well.

Million Dollar Christmas; TLC. 6 pm. Series premiere.
A series that looks at lottery jackpot winners and their first Christmases with the cha-ching.


Thursday, 12/6

Sand and Sorrow; HBO. 7 pm. Special.
A documentary that looks at the plight of the residents of Darfur.

Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007; ABC. 9:02. Special.
Walters gives us her yearly look who she feels are fascinating. Let's take a look: Bill Clinton (hmmm... maybe it's a repeat from ten years ago), David and Victoria Beckham (fascinating because they are, or fascinating because everyone in the media wants us to believe they are?), Justin Timberlake (maybe), Katherine Heigl (ABC does air the special), Jennifer Hudson (okay, props for Babs for going all the way back to the beginning of the year), Hugo Chavez (okay, here we go; I'm fascinated to know what kind of bottles he's got in this medicine cabinet), and MySpace founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe (wasn't YouTube the big web site this year?-- maybe I'm behind). And, of course, the mystery "most fascinating person" (I wonder if she'll consider Rosie O' Donnell for ratings; a 10 round match between the two would be fun).



Friday, 12/7

Christmas Out of the Box; National Geographic. 9 pm. Special.
The secrets of the season. Like: how Santa got the image he has, how stores entice shoppers, and the story behind the Star of Bethlehem.

And I'm not sure if I missed their returns the past few weeks, but I see Monk (USA, 8 pm) and Psych (USA, 9 pm) have new episodes tonight.

Movies Rock! A Celebration of Music and Film; CBS. 8 pm. Special.
Film's most memorable songs are celebrated in this concert performed by popular artists such as Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Fergie, Elton John, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly, Carrie Underwood, and LeAnn Rimes. I normally wouldn't list them all, but doesn't it seem a little odd that all these really memorable songs will be performed by people who probably weren't alive when many of them were written? I mean, you got Elton, who just turned 60, and I was surprised to see J-Lo and Mary J. Blige are older than my 35 years, and then everyone else is younger than me. I guess I don't really have a point...


Sunday, 12/9

Dino Autopsy; National Geographic. 8 pm. Special.
Sounds Alien Autopsy fake, but I'm guessing Nat Geo's look at an especially well-preserved dinosaur fossil will be the real deal.

Robot Chicken's Half-Assed Christmas Special; Cartoon Network/[adult swim]. 10:30-10:45 pm. Special.
The Chicken crew eviscerate the Holiday Season's movies and specials.