Thursday 6
R.I.P. “Friends”
Friday 7
30 Days Until I'm Famous (VH1 7 p.m.) In this made-for-TV flick, a record company exec (Sean Patrick Flanery) bets he can turn a random plain Jane (Camille Guary, “American Family”) into a pop sensation in just 30 days. The network calls it a musical romantic comedy; I think of it as a frightening true-life story.
“Live by Request: Blondie” (A&E 7 p.m.) Long-time pop rockers Blondie show up at John Jay College to school some youngsters how pop music is done. This live, intereactive show will feature call-in requests from viewers.
Saturday 8
“Museum of Moving Image Awards” (USA 8 p.m.) The Museum of the Moving Image salutes actor and humanitarian Richard Gere. Which is all fine and dandy, but in my book it's gonna take a lot more than that to live down First Night.
Sunday 9
“Survivor: All-Stars” (KRQE-13 7 p.m.) The final episode of this season, pitting past “Survivor” players against one another, comes to us live from Madison Square Garden, which—despite the word “Garden” in the title—hardly seems appropriate.
Monday 10
A Wrinkle in Time (KOAT-7 7 p.m.) Coming as it does between the release of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the next Harry Potter movie, this three-hour adaptation of Madeline L'Engle's junior sci-fi/fantasy classic may just land itself some big ratings among hungry viewers. Alfre Woodard, Kate Nelligan and Kyle Secor are among the TV-friendly cast. Like the book, the story concerns three kids who warp their way across the galaxy with the help of three magical women to rescue their father, an astrophysicist who has disappeared during a cosmic experiment.
Tuesday 11
“The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited” (KRQE-13 8 p.m.) Astonishingly, the original cast and the original writing/producing team have reunited to bring together what is being described as “the 159th episode” of the long-gone “Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961-66). Creator Carl Reiner returns as Alan Brady, host of the fictional “Alan Brady Show,” who wants his eulogy penned in advance so he can have script approval on it. Naturally, long-suffering writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) is on the receiving end of Brady's ego-driven paranoia. Look for cast regulars Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Ann Morgan Guilbert and Jerry Van Dyke to appear as well.
“America's Next Top Model: The Runway Ahead” (UPN 8 p.m.) So what awaits willowy Yoanna House now that she's won “America's Next Top Model?” This one-hour special will give us all the gory details. I'm thinking it involves putting on clothes, walking and getting photographed.
Wednesday 12
“The Mentalist” (KOB-4 7 p.m.) Gerry McCambridge has made a name for himself as the “Mentalist to the Stars.” Having wowed the Hollywood elite with his mind-reading act, McCambridge is stepping up to the big time with a prime time TV special. McCambridge is an entertainer, not some money-grubbing hoaxer (John Edwards, I'm looking your way). His act is pretty jaw-dropping nonetheless.
