Boston Legal ends its run, Anderson Cooper swims with the sharks, and more.
WEDNESDAY DEC 10
Whitney Port's Hills spinoff doesn't start until December 29, but MTV's celebrating early with the 90-minute preview, Whitney: From the Hills to the City, chronicling the doe-eyed blondes' move from L.A. to New York, and presumably Diane von Fursternberg's justification for giving her a "job." Totally unscripted, people! (10 p.m.)
It's been 13 years since Welcome to the Dollhouse, and check out Heather Matarazzo, all grown up, and Vivica Fox (still grown up) guest-starring on Law & Order. (NBC, 10 p.m.)
We hope Bravo got her a really nice gift: Top Chef airs a 75-minute special episode, in which the competing cooks cater judge Gail Simmons' bridal shower. Because every little girl dreams of one day meeting her prince and planning a wedding while surrounded by rabid competitors and camera crews. (10 p.m.)
Sundance’s Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… completes this week’s ellipses with Lou Reed, “widely regarded since his Velvet Underground days as music’s Prince of Darkness,” and Reed’s friend and collaborator on the film Berlin, Julian Schnabel. (9 p.m.)
THURSDAY DEC 11
CNN's environmental seires Planet in Peril, with Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Lisa Ling, "delves into deepest Africa, dives into shark-infested waters and confronts poachers and corporate greed." Anderson Cooper, shark diving, sans protective cage? Dangerous AND sexy. (9 p.m.)
We normally eschew holiday specials, especially if Jim Carrey and green face paint are involved, but we'll tune in to 30 Rock's Christmas Special, where Broadway legend Elaine Stritch will guest-star as Alec Baldwin's overbearing, husky-voiced mom. (NBC, 9:30 p.m.)
FRIDAY DEC 12
Double Meryl! Ms. Streep makes nice with the ladies on The View (ABC, 11 a.m.), then stays up late to talk softly and earnestly on The Late Show with David Letterman. (CBS, 11:35 p.m.)
Can’t remember which damn DVR channel offers satellite holiday songs? NBC to the rescue, with Greatest Holiday Moments: Songs of the Season Countdown. From Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" to John Lennon's "Happy Christmas" -- and Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas"—you can leave it on while molding the fruitcake. (8 p.m.)
SATURDAY DEC 13
Did y’all know that House is British? Check out his accent when Hugh Laurie hosts Saturday Night Live, alongside megalomaniacal musical host Kanye West, who will perform selections from his just-released 808s & Heartbreak.
And WE brings the legs with The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, in which the world-famous Rockettes display their “signature eye-high kicks, precision choreography and exciting show stopping numbers that will delight the whole family.” (8 p.m.)
Previously:
SUN DEC 7
Barack Obama grants his third sit-down interview to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press. He’ll discuss the economy, foreign policy and the transition of power on what will likely be Brokaw's final appearance before he disappears into the wilds of his Montana ranch. (10:30 a.m. in most East Coast markets)
"The economy crashed, crime raged, national confidence gave out, and even the president gave up." That’s not CNN’s Year in Review, it’s the intro to The History Channel's two-hour special, 70's Fever, a lovingly rendered (and sound-tracked!) examination of drugs, disco and drag queen riots. (8 p.m.)
HBO and the BBC joined forces to painstakingly research everything there is to know about Iraq's fallen dictator. Home movies! Interviews with former menservants! The four-part House of Saddam chronicles Hussein’s violent takeover of Iraq in 1979 to his capture in 2003. (Parts 1 and 2 premiere Sunday at 9 pm; parts 3 and 4 continue a week from tonight.)
Showtime premieres the documentary Jump!, which follows five young teams of jump-ropers as they leap their way to the national jump-roping (yes) championships. The athleticism is astounding, and the kids' dedication--obsession?--plays double-dutch with your heartstrings. (5 p.m.)
MONDAY DEC 8
Who knew L.A. had depth? The History Channel’s Cities of the Underworld examines subterranean Los Angeles, where Charles Manson hoped to create a haven, corrupt cops built their own subculture, and a century-old subway system lies in waste. Oh, and giant rat people, of course. (9 p.m.)
Two genders? How limiting. The National Geographic Channel’s Taboo series examines “The Third Sex,” from transgender men in India who cut off their genitals and live as women, to Albanian women who live as men to gain equality. (10 p.m.)
Let's hope the two-hour series finale of Boston Legal will close one door while throwing open many, many more for talented, pasty James Spader. (ABC, 9 p.m.)
TUESDAY DEC 9
The Yes Men are a group of culture jamming activists who practice “‘identity correction’ by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent organizations.” The IFC Media Project examines how they’ve brought politics to punking. (8 p.m.)
PBS’s fabulous Independent Lens focuses on “Doc,” filmmaker Immy Humes’ profile of her father, acclaimed novelist Harold L. Humes (1926-92), who co-founded the Paris Review, ran Norman Mailer’s 1961 run for New York mayor, and “drifted into mental illness following a 1965 LSD experience.” (10 p.m.)
Please, please let him jump on the couch again: Tom Cruise spends The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos trying to convince us of his sanity. (CBC)
Nicole Ankowski just earned her MFA in Creative Writing and has been published in Beeswax literary journal. She is unable to resist good writing or bad TV.
