Mike Hughes on TV

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “The Queen”
(2006, AMC) or “Frost/Nixon” (2008, HBO), both 8 p.m.

For moviegoers, Peter Morgan has been a
great blessing. His scripts understand and empathize with people on
both sides; here are prime examples.

One views Queen Elizabeth II, frozen in
indecision and inaction after Lady Diana's death. The other views
David Frost, a talkshow host and playboy who had bought the rights to
interview Richard Nixon.

Michael Sheen is in both films – as
Prime Minister Tony Blair and as Frost. Frank Langella drew an Oscar
nomination as Nixon; Helen Mirren won one for her deeply layered
portrayal of the queen.

Both films drew nominations for best
picture, for their directors (Stephen Frears, Ron Howard) and for
Morgan. During that time, he was also writing “The Last King of
Scotland,” “The Other Boleyn Girl,” HBO's “Longford” and
more, enriching the movie world.

TODAY'S MUST-SEE: Winter Olympics, 1-6
p.m., 8-11:30 p.m., midnight to 1 a.m., NBC.

This is a night of gold-medal
possibilities for key Americans. Barring late changes, it could bring
Shani Davis in 1,500-meter speedskating (in which he won a silver
medal in 2006) and Lindsey Vonn in the Alpine super-G. It also could
bring Apolo Ohno's first shot (via 1,000-meter short-track) at
breaking his tie with Bonnie Blair, as the Americans with the most
winter medals.

Also, there's skiing (jumping, women's
free-style) during the day and two-man bobsled at night.

Other choices include:

– More Olympics, cable. U.S. curling
continues, with the men (against Sweden) at noon on MSNBC and the
women (against Britain) at 5 p.m. on CNBC. Men's hockey has Norway
and Sweden at 3 p.m. on CNBC, then goes to MSNBC for Latvia and
Slovakia (7:30) and Germany and Belarus (midnight).

– “Malcolm X” (1992), 7 p.m.,
BET. This could well be TV's greatest movie night ever. That starts
with Spike Lee's sprawling masterwork, catching the changing times
that surrounded Malcolm, who is superbly played by Denzel Washington.

– “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban” (2004), 8-11 p.m., ABC. The third Harry Potter film adds
Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, an escaped convict who may be linked the
death of Harry's parents.

– “Numb3rs,” 8 p.m., CBS. In a
rerun, murders seem to be copied from a movie that hasn't yet opened.

– ““Close Encounters of the Third
Kind” (8 p.m.) and “Goodbye Girl,” 10:30, Turner Classic
Movies. The year 1977 changed Hollywood – proving that smart, deep
movies could be immensely entertaining. Here are prime examples –
Steven Spielberg's science-fiction classic and Neil Simon's witty
comedy.

– More movies, 8 p.m., cable. They
include the richly emotional “The Notebook” (2004, ABC Family)
and the visceral “Mad Max” (1979, Independent Film Channel).

– And more, 9 p.m., cable. “The
Reader” (2008, Showtime) has Kate Winslet's stunning, Oscar-winning
portrayal of someone alternately warm, cold, sexual and detached.
“Waitress” (2007, Lifetime) is the night's bonus, a gem of
comedy, romance and magic, with Keri Russell as a sweet pie-maker.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “The Life &
Times of Tim” season-opener, 9:30 p.m., HBO.

There's a certain kind of humor –
droll, dry, sneaky-funny – that TV commercials master. So it
shouldn't surprise us that a former ad-maker has created this gem.

Steve Dildarian wrote commercials for
Little Caesar (“Pizza Pizza”), Bud (scheming lizards) and more.
He voiced the droll donkey in the Clydesdales commercial; this
cartoon brings that same feel.

Tim (Dildarian) drifts through life. He
has a dead-end job, a slacker friend, a former (for now) girlfriend.
He also has a scraggly attempt at a beard, setting up tonight's first
mini-story.

It's fairly funny, but the second story
– a pot-dealer tackles serious theater – is much better. The
animation is sparse, but the voice-work is perfect, capturing every
nuance of dark humor.

TODAY'S MUST-SEE II: Winter Olympics,
3-5 p.m., 8-11:30 p.m., 12:05-1:30 a.m., NBC.

Americans have tended to scoff at ice
dancing, a French favorite. That could change now.

Taneth Belbin and Ben Agosto took
silver in 2006, but Meryl Davis and Charlie White topped them in the
nationals and reached No. 1 ranking in the world. Both Amercan duos
(plus Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates) tackle compulsories tonight,
original dance Sunday and free dance Monday.

Also tonight – lots of skiing plus
the gold-medal finals for men's and women's skeleton. The afternoon
includes a rerun of Thursday's finals in men's figure-skating.

Other choices today include:

– Hockey, 3 p.m., cable. The Olympic
men have games at 3 p.m. (Sweden and Belarus, MSNBC), 7:30 p.m.
(Czech and Latvia, CNBC) and midnight (Finland and Germany, MSNBC).
There's also curling, including U.S. and Russian women at noon on
USA.

– “Meet the Fockers” (2004), 8-10
p.m., ABC. This broke the “Ishtar” record for talent wasted.
Brilliant people – Barbra Streisand, Robert De Niro, Dustin
Hoffman, Ben Stiller – were thrown into a witless and clueless
sequel to the fun “Meet the Parents.”

– “House,” 8 p.m., Fox. Here's a
rerun of an OK episode in which House gets his license back and
assembles a “dream team” of doctors. Also, he treats a male porn
star played by Troy Garity, who is related to all the Fondas: He's
Jane's son, Bridget's cousin, Peter's nephew, Henry's grandson.

– “Ghost Whisperer,” 8 p.m., CBS.
We knew the Internet would strike back: In this rerun, a chain E-mail
begins preying on people.

– “Medium,” 9 p.m., CBS. It's too
much information, in this rerun: Allison's sunglasses show numbers,
indicating people's life expectancy.

– “The Ricky Gervais Show” debut,
9 p.m., HBO. Karl Pilkington has a neatly off-center mind. His
theories – sometimes bizarre, sometimes interesting – are fun;
that led to a podcast in which Gervais and his writing partner,
Stephen Merchant, react to him. Now highlights have been animated;
it's a good idea gonr bad. Gervais mocks Pilkington often and loudly,
becoming an annoying interruption.

– “Caprica,” 9 p.m., Syfy. Last
week's episode (rerunning at 8 p.m.) ended with Joseph Adama ordering
the killing of Daniel Graystone's wife. Now he has second thoughts,
but may not be able to stop it.

– “Numb3rs,” 10 p.m., CBS. In a
rerun, FBI agents have been killed in a shoot-out with bank robbers.

– “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” 10
p.m., Starz. Spartacus and his enemy, Crixus, must fight as a duo.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “Fargo” (1996),
8-10 p.m., MyNetwork.

On a night when some bigger networks
shy away from competing with the Olympics, this mini-network offers a
great movie.

Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed
the crime tale, capturing the understated style of their home state
(Minnesota) and North Dakota. Then they got perfect performances;
Oscars went to the Coens for their script and to Frances McDormand
(Joel's wife) for best actress, for her work as a pregnant police
chief, facing killers with Northern calm.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: Winter Olympics,
3-5 p.m., 8 p.m. to midnight, 12:35-2 a.m., NBC.

This has become a bigger day than
expected: The Alpine super combined – originally slated for last
Sunday, as Lindsey Vonn's first medal bid -- was delayed by weather
and rescheduled for now.

That's on a night that also includes
the gold-medal finals for men's figure skating and for women's
halfpipe snowboarding.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: “Reporter,”
9:30-11 p.m., HBO. In an era when newsmen trim foreing coverage,
Nicholas Kristof remains a stirring exception. The New York Times
sends him around the world, as he reports on brutal events that
others ignore.

In this film, Congolese villagers tell
him of murder, rape and pillaging by the soldiers of warlord Laurent
Nkunda. Then they meet Nkunda – an unnervingly charming man who
says he leads daily church services for his men, who belong to the
American-based Rebels For Christ.

Other choices include:

– Hockey, 3 p.m., cable. The American
teams return – men (facing Norway) at 3 p.m. on USA, women (facing
Finland) at 5:30 p.m. on MSNBC. Also, CNBC has a triple-header, with
men (Switzerland and Canada) at 7:30 p.m., women (China and Russia)
at 10 and men (Russia and Slovakia) at midnight.

– “Survivor,” 8 p.m., CBS. After
last week's two-hour opener, this “Heroes vs. Villains” edition
settles into its regular, one-hour slot.

– “The Deep End,” 8 p.m., ABC.
It's a no-rerun night on ABC, starting with this story, in which Addy
(Tina Majorino) is surprised to see her long-distance boyfriend show
up.

– “Grey's Anatomy,” 9 p.m., ABC.
As the new chief of surgery, Derek revives a program of lectures on
past cases. Bailey recalls her timid first days as a resident; Callie
recalls a polio case. And Richard (the former chief) recalls a
long-ago case he tackled with Meredith's mother.

– “The Mentalist” (9 p.m.) and
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (10 p.m.), CBS. With reruns
tonight, the shows flip-flop their time slots. In “Mentalist,”
the team must work with Bosco; then “CSI” concludes the
three-show crossover that has taken Ray Langston to Miami and New
York.

– “SoundStage,” 10 p.m., PBS
(check local listings). After 43 years, Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to
bang out hard-core Southern rock. In the first half of this hour, the
band does several songs from its new album, including one (“God and
Guns”) that many PBS viewers may disagree with. Skynyrd closes the
concert, however, with its turbo-charged classics, “Sweet Home
Alabama” and “Freebird.”
– “Private Practice,” 10:01
p.m., ABC. Naomi still boycotts the wedding of her teen daughter.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “American Idol,”
9 p.m., Fox.

After spending way too much time on
auditions and such, “Idol” finally has something substantial.

At the end of this hour, the show will
have its top 24. The nest two weeks will be the busiest – two-hour
performance shows on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, then four people
eliminated each Thursday.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: Winter Olympics,
3-5 p.m., 8-11:30 p.m., 12:05-1:30 a.m., NBC.

In 2006, Shaun White became an instant
Olympic favorite. Red-haired and zestful, he won a gold medal in
snowboarding, then wept with joy.

This time, the halfpipe snowboard event
has been nudged into prime time for the semi-finals and gold-medal
finals. That's part of a night that has no figure-skating, but lots
of other high-interest events.

Live, there are speedskating events,
with Americans who have won in the past: Shani Davis hopes to repeat
his 2006 gold in the 1000-meter. On the short track, Apolo Ohno
already had a 1000-meter bronze and silver in past Olympics, plus a
bronze in the 5000-meter relay; if he medals in either tonight, he'll
pass Bonnie Blair as the American with the most Winter Olympic
medals.

And on tape, Lindsey Vonn – whose
first event was scheduled for Sunday, then delayed to Thursday –
finally gets a shot. This is Alpine downhill, considered her best
chance for gold.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: “Faces of
America,” 8 p.m., PBS (check local listings).

When the king of Jordan married an
American – a prep-school and Princeton grad – it seemed like a
blend of opposite worlds. Not so, this special says; it simply took
Lisa Halaby full-circle.

Her grandfather was born in Syria,
moved to the U.S. with his dad and prospered; in Dallas, he dealt in
oil, had a rug shop and married a Texan. Their son became head of
Pan American Airways and the Federal Aviation Administration; his
daughter became an urban planner and then Queen Noor.

Part of that is told here, amid many
intriguing tales of immigration. We see the grandfathers of skater
Kristi Yamaguchi (working farms in Hawaii) and chef Mario Batali
(mining in Butte, Mont.).

Other choices include:

– More Olympics, noon. USA, 3 p.m.,
MSNBC, 5 p.m., CNBC. It's a packed day of hockey and curling. The
U.S. hockey teams return Thursday.

– “Human Target,” 8 p.m., Fox. A
weapons manufacturer works out of a high-security high-rise. Now
Chance must get in and rescue a genius engineer being held captive.

– “The Middle,” 8:30 p.m., ABC.
Part of a six-rerun night for ABC comedies, this fun episode has the
kids wanting expensive jeans, a car and a pet. A 9:30 episode has
Mike temporarily out of work.

– “The Inbetweeners,” 9 and 9:30
p.m., BBC America. Last week's episode (rerunning at 9) had things
typically going bad for the guys, at a “Caravan Club” weekend for
recreational vehicles. Now comes a more-upbeat (and fairly funny)
episode, with Will in charge of a school dance.

– “CSI:NY,” 10 p.m., CBS. Here's
the middle of the three-day crossover rerun, in which Ray Langston
(Laurence Fishburne) follows a human-trafficking ring. It concludes
Thursday, on his Las Vegas turf.

– “Leverage,” 10 p.m., TNT. This
smart series wraps up a two-parter (and its season) with the team
trying to scam an evil weapons dealer. That's not easy with Nate's
nemesis, Sterling, moving in to arrest him. It's a good episode,
despite some stretches in credibility.

– “Nip/Tuck,” 10 p.m., FX. This
hour argues that plastic surgery is losing popularity. The guys –
big-money plastic surgeons – grope for their status in a new world;
it's a well-made, but depressing hour.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: Winter Olympics,
3-5 p.m., 8 p.m. to midnight, 12:35-2 a.m., NBC.

One of the most dramatic moments of the
2006 games centered on Lindsey Jacobellis, the free-spirited
snowboarder. With a commanding lead, she celebrated with a little
jump – then fell and had to settle for a silver medal. Now she gets
a chance to finally get gold, in the women's snowboard cross.

Also, tonight has the short program for
male figure skaters – the one figures category (outside ice
dancing) in which the U.S. has front-runners. Earlier this year, Evan
Lysacek, Jeremy Abbott and Johnny Weir were ranked No. 1, 3 and 8 in
the world; then Abbott won the nationals, with Lysacek second and
Weir third.

Also tonight, women have the 500-meter
speedskating; men have the super combine in Alpine skiing.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: “Lost,” 9
p.m., ABC.

The perplexing world of John Locke is
shown in this hour.

There's the alternate reality, with the
plane having never crashed. Locke's back at work, still in a
wheelchair and in trouble: He was supposed to go to a seminar in
Australia, not to a walkabout.

And there's the original reality, in
which Locke's body may be occupied by the island force that becomes
the smoke monster. He says he can tell Sawyer why people are really
on the island. That follows a rerun of last week's episode, with Kate
on the lam.

Other choices include:

– Olympic hockey, afternoon, cable.
The U.S. men face Switzerland at 3 p.m. on USA, Canadian men face
Norway at 5 p.m. on CNBC and U.S. women face Russia at 5:30 p.m. on
MSNBC. Also, curling is today on USA at noon and on CNBC after
hockey.

– “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m.,
Fox. The second half of the Hollywood round starts. By the end of
Wednesday's hour, the Hollywood field will have gone from 171 singers
to 24.

– “NCIS” and “NCIS: Los
Angeles,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. Facing fierce competition tonight, CBS
settles for reruns. First, the death of a Marine makes Ziva re-visit
a crisis from earlier in her life. Then the death of a Russian woman
finally helps show why Callen was shot.

– “Twilight” (2008), Showtime, or
“Some Like It Hot” (1959), Turner Classic Movies; both 8 p.m.
Here are major choices for two generations – the popular
teen-vampire tale and the masterful comedy that puts Marilyn Monroe
with a gender-bending Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Lemmon is also
terrific (this time with Walter Matthau) in “The Odd Couple”
(1968), at 10:15 p.m. on Turner.

– “Westminster Kennel Club Dog
Show,” 8-11 p.m., USA Network. With Mario Lopez hosting and David
Frei doing commentary, the show concludes in Madison Square Garden,
choosing the best of show. Then again, you may prefer a satire of
such things; “Best of Show” (2000), quiet and clever, airs at
9:40 p.m. on the Encore cable channel.

– “Frontline,” 9 p.m., PBS (check
local listings). Here's a rerun of a superbly detailed hour. It looks
at the economic collapse – including an early warning that was
ignored and a concerted effort to avoid regulating the new financial
techniques.

– “The Good Wife,” 10 p.m., CBS.
While preparing to defend a scientist accused of arson, Alicia is
also asked to testify in her husband's appeal.