"Live by Request: John Fogerty" (8 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11): You name it, he sings it.
"Godzilla" (9 p.m., WCIU-Channel 26): Svengoolie is your host for this three-hour, 1998 reptilian extravaganza. Watch for a scene in which Matthew Broderick rides in an elevator. The Muzak is "Danke Schein," which he famously lip-synced as Ferris Bueller.
"The Wanda Sykes Show" (10 p.m., WFLD-Channel 32): The "New Adventures of Old Christine" star wants to stay up late with you. Expect panel discussions, pre-taped skits, and plenty of talk about gay rights.
"Saturday Night Live" (10:30 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5): Taylor Swift hosts, and the mind reels at the possible cameos: Kanye West? Taylor Lautner? An angry Jonas brother?
SUNDAY
"Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (7 p.m., E!): If Khloe Kardashian went to all that trouble to marry Lamar Odom, the least we could do is watch the wedding.
"Bored to Death" (8:30 p.m., HBO): In the first season finale, Ted Danson, Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis prepare for a showdown with Oliver Platt and the GQ staff.
"Mad Men" (9 p.m., AMC): Creator Matthew Weiner didn't release any advance copies of the finale, and the JFK assassination was covered last week, so the suspense is killing me. Previews showed a meeting with Conrad Hilton - and he didn't look happy.
]]>Now two of them have been adapted for the Lifetime Movie Network - Lifetime's sister channel - and the titles confirm that she is officially a brand name. "Ann Rule'sToo Late to Say Goodbye" airs Saturday at 7 p.m. and stars Rob Lowe as a dentist whose exes conveniently commit suicide. Lauren Holly plays his sister-in-law, who grows suspicious that her sister's death was a setup.
On Nov. 14, Gina Gershon vamps it up in "Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted" as Pat Allanson, a Scarlett O'Hara wannabe with a bad habit of poisoning her loved ones. On Nov. 15, both movies will air, along with Mark Harmon in an adaptation of Rule's And Never Let Her Go.
Rule could be the patron saint of LMN, which appeals to women who expect the worst from people. Even though men are more commonly killers, Rule is an equal-opportunity journalist. "I have found that my female readers are more interested in women killers than men," she says. Three percent of all males are sociopaths or antisocial personalities, says Rule, while only one percent of women get the same diagnosis.
]]> "Women kill for love, very broadly defined," says Rule, "jealousy or lust or revenge, or for money, and women plan their murders far more carefully than men. They also they tend to kill people who are close to them -- even children."Farrah Fawcett's "Small Sacrifices," in which she shoots her kids in order to appeal to a boyfriend, was based on Rule's 1987 book.
"We're paper dolls to these people," says Rule. "They want what they want, and they'll do whatever is necessary to get it. There are more bad men than bad women out there, but if you get a bad woman, she's really rotten."
Rule, a former Seattle police officer, jumped into the deep end with her first book, [ital]The Stranger Beside Me,[unital] which was published in 1980. After landing a book contract about a series of area murders, Rule learned that the main suspect was a friend of hers; she and Ted Bundy used to both volunteer at a suicide hotline.
"After he was executed I had to change my number, because a lot of young girls were enamored with Ted," says Rule. "They would call me in the middle of the night sobbing about poor Ted Bundy. I'd say to them, 'Doesn't it occur to you that you'd be a prime target for him? Human emotions are strange."
The Stranger Beside Me was made into a 2003 TV movie, starring Billy Campbell - Rule says he's the best Bundy she's ever seen - and Barbara Hershey as the writer herself. "Barbara Hershey doesn't really have my personality, but she's
thinner than I am," says Rule.
Who would she have cast in her place? "Let's just go with Angie Dickinson," says Rule.
She averages one hardcover and one paperback collection a year, and gets at least 5,000 suggestions each year about possible subjects.
But Rule prefers to write about less publicized cases. Don't expect a book about Laci and Scott Peterson. Or the BTK killer. And definitely not Drew Peterson.
"He had his publicist call me and ask me to write a book about his innocence," says Rule. "I thought, no, I don't think so. How could I possibly write a book about his innocence? I think he's guilty."
]]>"Numbers" (9 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2): The boys take on a cyber crime lord in tonight's episode. But they face a far greater threat in real life: CBS has cut the order for the sixth-season drama from 22 episodes to 16. Don't panic; the show is already airing in syndication on TNT.
"White Collar" (9 p.m., USA): "The Sopranos'" John Ventimiglia guest-stars as a mobsters who's missing his Bible, and "Rescue Me's" Callie Thorne plays - what else? - a femme fatale.
]]>One of the most heartening trends in TV has been the ascent of the nerd. Once upon a time, Screech and Urkel were banished to the fringes, trotted out periodically for mocking. But with the mainstream acceptance of such shows as "Ugly Betty," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Glee," dorks are finally demanding equal rights.
Fanboy and Chum Chum, rabid sci-fi/fantasy freaks, are center stage in this new CG animated series, which celebrates friendship as much as the wonder of wizardry. They may not have super powers. They may wear their tighty whities outside their unitards. But by the hammer of Thor, they have each other. "I packed you an extra cape in case you get cold," Fanboy tenderly tells Chum Chum.
They navigate grade school with boundless enthusiasm, oblivious to the anger of Kyle (Jamie Kennedy), the new boy who actually does have the talent to, say, summon a griffin. Maybe if we're lucky, they'll join forces with Spongebob and Patrick in a crossover special. It's gratifying to see losers win. According to this show, we can expect the geeks to inherit the universe.
]]>"Parks and Recreation" (7:30 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5): Megan Mullally, who is Nick Offerman's wife in real life, plays his ex-wife Tammy, a local librarian who has her eye on Leslie's vacant lot.
"Supernatural" (8 p.m., WGN-Channel 9): Irony alert! Sam and Dean are sucked into an alternate universe where they become characters in various TV shows. They look strangely at home in the Japanese game show.
"Real Housewives of Orange County" (9 p.m., Bravo): New season. Even the O.C. is hit by the wilting economy, and Gretchen mourns the death of her fiancé. Maybe Lynne's jewelry show will make it all better.
]]>"America's Next Top Model" (7 p.m., WGN-Channel 9): Erin Wagner of Spring Grove, Ill., is still in the running. This week, swimsuit model Marisa Miller demonstrates how to writhe about the sand in Hawaii.
"Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me" (7 p.m., TCM): Clint Eastwood executive-produced this documentary about the lyricist's life, with archival footage of his tunes sung by Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Barbra Streisand.
"Flowers Uncut With Jeff Leatham" (9 p.m., TLC): If you think celebrities are difficult to work with, imagine trying to wrangle oodles of blooms before they wilt. The drama!
"Strange Sex" (9 p.m., Discovery Health): Four cases of sexual disorders are analyzed in this special. Let's leave it at that.
]]>In a rather stunning turn of events tonight, Aaron Carter found himself in the bottom three after earning his highest score of the season, a 29, on Monday night. While Irvin learned his fate early on in the proceedings, Carter and Dacascos faced off in the dance-off until only one was left standing. It wasn't even close. No matter how much the judges praised Dacascos for his cha cha, it couldn't hold a candle to the fiery jive delivered by Carter and his partner Karina Smirnoff.
On the entertainment side of things: Colbie Caillat turned in a lovely performance. Note to Derek Hough and Mark Ballas aka Ballas Hough: If you want to make your lip synching even slightly believable please dump the hand mikes for headsets. Nothing is more ridiculous than watching, uhm, singer-dancers forget to hold their mikes up to their mouths while concentrating on the dance moves---- and by gosh, don't their vocals just keep on going!
Of course, special guest star Rod Stewart showed the youngun's how it's done with a marvy rendtion of the Four Tops classic "It's the Same Old Song." Not a synching lip in sight!
On to week 8.. I'm thinking Aaron and Kelly are the weakest of the strongest links right now. But Mya has been known to displease the judges (Okay, Len Goodman) with her penchant for "gimmicks" in her dance routines. That's a slippery slope to be on this late in the game. And Donny Osmond needs to start relying more on his footwork and less on showmanship if he wants to be the one holding the mirrorball trophy at season's end. Joanna Krupa has managed to enchant the judging panel, but does she have enough of a fan base to hold up against the rest, including Aaron Carter and Kelly Osbourne who could come on like gangbusters.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
]]>She found a filthy, disorganized establishment, some sloppy habits, and a staff with no direction. "It was a really emotional episode for me, and it was a really emotional episode for everyone else," says Tabatha.
Seven months later, we checked in with the Orbit stylists to find out how the salon is doing now -- and what really happened during filming.
]]> The episode shows: Dusty products, hairballs all over the floor, and stations that hadn't been cleaned in recent memory.The stylists say: "They told us not to clean the salon for a month before we filmed the show," says Bobby Paul, Orbit's artistic director. "Our salon was dirty, I'm not going to say it wasn't, but it wasn't that bad. And they moved s--- around the basement to make it look messier."
The episode shows: Hairdresser Lindsay Giffen getting fired for having a bad attitude and swearing at Tabatha.
The stylists say: Lindsay was hired back almost immediately. "I think she's kind of a joke, actually," says Lindsay of Tabatha. She says that in her interviews with the producers, they nudged her in a negative direction. "It was 10 days of filming and you're hungry," says Lindsay, who was embarrassed when Tabatha criticized her in front of a client.
"I am shocked," says Tabatha, who hadn't heard that Lindsay was rehired. "It's disappointing, but maybe Lindsay has changed and realized that she has to step up her game."
The stylists say that Tabatha actively provoked them to find a villain for the episode. Tabatha says she's just guilty of radical honesty, and besides, she only has a week to get it all done. "Every time that I've walked into a salon, at some point, someone has called me a b----," says Tabatha. "If not to my face, behind my back for sure."
The episode shows: The "Takeover" team giving the salon a makeover that includes a new sitting area, a new break room, and decorative touches.
The stylists say: "They threw a bunch of yellow paint everywhere that made us look tackier than usual," gripes Lindsay. "All they did was turn our wax room into the break room. They didn't do anything. We had blinds that needed to be replaced, a ceiling that was leaking, and a sink that needed to be fixed."
Still, there have been results, says Bobby. "Because we've got so much yellow in here now, people notice us more from the street," he says. "We've gotten some new customers that way."
The episode shows: Endless tears as the staff mends their relationship with Orbit's owner, learn to be accountable, and finally come together as a real team.
The stylists say: "She did bring us together as a team," says Bobby. "But it's a hair salon, girl. There's gonna be drama."
There was just one problem with all the newfound unity, says Andrea Butler, the salon's manager. "There were 17 people working here, but only nine of us got on the show," she says. "Those of us on the show had all this new energy. We were really motivated to make this a new place. But then you had half the staff who felt left out because they weren't chosen by Bravo. They obviously thought they weren't interesting enough."
The experience has been a mixed blessing, says Andrea. "It kind of tore us apart, too."
You're invited...
The Orbit episode airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday, and the staff -- who haven't yet seen the show -- will be watching at their next-door bar, the Stretch, 3485 N. Clark. They'll be there to celebrate and support each other, and they invite all interested parties. Especially those with hair.
"V" (7 p.m., WLS-Channel 7): The aliens come in peace. What a relief.
"The Biggest Loser" (7 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5): Field trip to Washington, D.C., complete with a weigh-in at the Lincoln Memorial. Talk about pressure.
"Secret Celebrity" (7 p.m., E!): Nick Lachey and Kim Kardashian -- E! describes them as "Hollywood heavyweights" -- disguise themselves with prosthetics to find out what people really think of them. I'll let them in on a secret: Most people don't think of them at all.
"Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel" (8 p.m., Bravo): The comeditrix has no mercy, potentially hurting the feelings of the Gosselins, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Barbara Walters.
"The Good Wife" (9 p.m., WBBM-Channel 2): Conjugal visit with Mr. Big!
]]>There was judge Bruno Tonioli awarding a crummy "7" to Michael Irvin, talking about how much the former pro footballer has improved!! Moments later, after loudly pointing out to Donny Osmond that his performance was just riddled with mistakes, Bruno promptly awarded the popster an "8"! I'm sure there's a logical explanation. I'm waiting, Bruno. Still waiting.
Kudos to Aaron Carter for finally picking up a personality at the mall over the weekend. He and Karina finally clicked in their fiery jive!
It was also a night filled with snotty noses... literally. There was Lacey Schwimmer looking like the flu had completely taken over every inch of her being, until Mark smartly told her to JUST GO HOME. Alas, poor Mark had only two days to work with substitute partner Anna Trebunskya and the result was a samba that the judges said was akin to "a mess," or as Bruno so eloquently put it: "It was like Kung-Fu Panda does the samba on Planet of the Apes." Just sit back and let that comment waft over you.
In the team competition, Team paso doble (Mark, Mya, Aaron and Michael) did their stomping best but just couldn't put the sync into their in-sync dancing. The final score: 24. Did you get a look at Michael Irvin's six-pack abs?
And now back to our program....
Over on Team tango, Kelly, Donny and Joanna were just too hot and too coordinated, and their tango was a sizzling success wtih the judges. Score: 29.
Back to runny noses... there was Donny in rehearsal footage going on and on and on and on about how sick he felt. There's something nasty going around the halls of the ballroom.
It's a double-elimination Tuesday night, and I'm thinking Mark and Michael will probably be hitting the road. I for one will be sad to see Michael leaving as his scores have steadily climbed and his dancing really has improved. Mark just hasn't been able to find his stride as the weeks went on. The stunning upset might be Kelly, who has been (up until tonight's solo samba and group tango) just a bit lackluster.(She was my early pick to make it to the finals, btw).
Stay tuned.
]]>MICHAEL IRVIN
The lovable football player earned a season high 23 for a fox trot that Len Goodman called "brilliant."
Design: He confessed that he was inspired by Barney purple.
DONNY OSMOND
He made a few missteps during his quick step, but sold it to the judges, who awarded him a 24.
Design: Equal parts car wash, Las Vegas, and Carrie Fisher in "The Empire Strikes Back."
MARK DECASCOS
Plagued by a missing partner and changing choreography, the chef's samba was awarded a disappointing 19.
Design: Victoria's Secret Dream Bra + a teal chiffon scarf.
MYA
Despite criticism from Len that she's too gimmicky, the singer started her fox trot behind a screen. Len's 7 dragged her score down to 25.
Design: A John Travolta white suit. Yawn.
AARON CARTER
His energetic, precise jive pleased all the judges. He scored 29.
Design: It looked like a feather duster collided with a gay lamp shade.
KELLY OSBOURNE
Still bristling from being called "beige" last week, Kelly's salsa was "flirty and a little dirty," said Bruno. She earned a 24.
Design: Four words: Electric blue tassel pants.
JOANNA KRUPA
She built on her momentum with a dramatic rhumba, and a score of 27.
Design: A white shirt that looked like it was coming apart at the seams. Call it "albino Hulk."
Tomorrow night: Another dance-off, and double elimination.
]]>"Gossip Girl" (8 p.m., WGN-Channel 9): Jimmy Fallon plays himself, interviewing Dan's actress girlfriend (guest star Hilary Duff). Even better, Blair tries to make Serena jealous by BFFing a new "it" girl.
"For the Love of Ray J 2" (8 p.m., VH1): You loved him in the Kim Kardashian sex tape. Now watch him exploit 19 more women.
"I Want to Work for Diddy 2" (9 p.m., VH1): He always has an opening for his Personal Umbrella Holder position.
"American Experience: Civilian Conservation Corps" (9 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11): A special about FDR's Depression-era program that created jobs and helped restore the nation's natural resources. Fittingly, you'll have plenty of time to watch it if you don't have a job.
]]>"The Heart of Hollywood: Chicago in LA" (6 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5): Chicago's Brenda Sexton produced this special about Chicago talent gone west, featuring Harold Ramis, Bonnie Hunt, Joe Mantegna, Jeremy Pivena and more. The Sun-Times's Bill Zwecker and Richard Roeper also make appearances.
"Ghost Hunters Halloween Live" (6 p.m., SyFy): Get your ghoul on as Josh Gates teams with the Ghost Hunters Academy recruits to invade the creepy Essex County Hospital in Cedar Grove, N.J. Keep an eye out for satanic dark energy in Building Five.
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" (9 p.m., WCIU-Channel 26): Svengoolie is your guide to the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola film that contributed to Winona Ryder's (first) breakdown. Keanu Reeves' English accent has to be heard to be believed, and watch for Sadie Frost -- Jude Law's first wife -- as a writhing victim.
"Saturday Night Live" (10:30 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5): Taylor Swift hosts, and if Kanye West doesn't have the sense of humor to make a cameo, we will be mad at him all over again.
SUNDAY
"Sonny With a Chance" (7 p.m., Disney): Comedy Central's resident ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham, guest stars as a security guard -- along with his dummy Walter.
"Masterpiece Contemporary: Place of Execution" (8 p.m., WTTW-Channel 11): Juliet Stevenson stars as a TV journalist who investigates the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl 45 years earlier. Unsolicited advice: Rent her romance with Alan Rickman, 1990's "Truly Madly Deeply."
"Styl'd" (9 p.m., MTV): Four wannabe stylists accessorize and backstab for a shot at success under the judgmental eye of celebrity dresser Jennifer Rade. Because what we really need is more people to hate.
]]>One thing you can say about sci-fi fans: They're not stupid. Each TV show comes with its own history, mythology, rules, science and literary allusions - sometimes it even has its own language. How do you say "My brain hurts" in Klingon?
When sci-fi fans like a show, they really commit. They memorize minutiae, look for hidden themes, link to each other's websites, write fan fiction, and when necessary, dress like the characters.
Now "V" is arriving on ABC, and it comes with plenty of baggage.
Let the obsessing begin.
Quite a bit is established in the pilot episode: Aliens visit the Earth. They are startlingly attractive. They say they want to cure our diseases with complete medical services for all. They say that they're all about peace.
The world's reaction? "Yay!"
]]> We meet the head alien as, in fact, a giant head, projected across the sky - not unlike the way Galaxhaar appeared in "Monsters Vs. Aliens," come to think of it. Her name is Anna, and it turns out that she is plenty media-savvy: She invites a broadcast journalist (the perfectly cast Scott Wolf) to interview her live, just as long as he doesn't ask anything that could make the aliens look bad.Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost's" beloved Juliet) is an FBI agent who has an inkling that the aliens might not be all that cuddly. She gets involved in the underground resistance effort, while her dishy teenage son heads in the opposite direction. Infatuated by the alien babes, he is recruited into a program that's not far off from the Hitler youth.
Judging by the first episode, "V" seems like a solid adaptation. But it doesn't have the mysterious spark it needs to make it compulsory viewing, the way "Lost" lured us in. The problem with a remake is that we already know what lurks beneath the aliens' faux flesh.
What it does have, though, is the potential to start quite a few debates. A few of "V's" hottest topics:
*Is the new "V" as good as the first "V"?
It would be difficult to top the horrific moment in the 1983 original miniseries, when the beautiful alien queen suddenly breaks character to pop an unfortunate guinea pig in her mouth. Don't even get me started on the lizard babies.
But yes, the improved CG effects alone make the new "V" worth watching. And the casting is promising. I loved seeing Alan Tudyk ("Dollhouse," "Firefly") in the pilot, and producers have teased that they will find roles for actors from the '83 "V." Dare we hope for Robert Englund?
*How do aliens fit in with our spiritual beliefs?
The short answer: Uncomfortably. Joel Gretsch ("The 4400") plays a priest who is surprised when the Vatican officially deems the aliens to be "God's creatures." There's not a whole lot of scripture on the subject, after all. But his formerly empty church is now packed with people contemplating their place in the universe. "Who wouldn't welcome a savior right now?" wonders the priest, but he's speaking of the visitors, not Jesus.
Is "V" anti-Obama?
We were relentlessly hit over the head in the original "V" with Nazi references. And now there's considerable buzz that this could be the religious right's new favorite show. For instance, the aliens preach about "hope" and "change," inspiring a devoted following. Obama? "We're all so quick to jump on the bandwagon," notes one character. Obama? We know very little about the aliens' background, and can't be sure of their real motives. Obama?
Personally, I wasn't picking up on any political agendas until the end of the pilot, when - SPOILER! - it's suggested that the visitors are responsible for all the world's unnecessary wars, its extremist movements, and the lousy economy.
It's a genius idea, really, and could be the key to the world getting back on its feet. We'll just outsource the blame. To the cosmos, if necessary.
]]>"Ghost Adventures Live" (7 p.m.-2 p.m., Travel): The crew -- Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin -- will lock themselves in West Virginia's Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, which is particularly haunted. For seven hours, live, they'll investigate any paranormal activity.
"The Perfect Storm" (7 p.m., The Weather Channel): The first movie to ever air on The Weather Channel! 1996's "Twister" must be jealous.
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