Brief SURF today to ease you into your weekend.
EARLY HEADS UP FOR MONDAY AUGUST 16: WEEDS returns, THE BIG C premieres on Showtime
WEEDS doesn’t veer far from familiar territory as last season closed with Nancy’s son Shane whacking Pilar on the head with a polo mallet after she threatened Nancy and the family. From the season opener, Nancy and the family take it on the lam so Shane won’t go directly to jail. The vibe of the show is the same and Mary Louise Parker remains pretty wondrous to watch as she always has a vague sense of disbelief at what her own life has become. Justin Kirk also remains a reason to tune in as Nancy’s brother-in-law Andy. The chemistry between Nancy and Andy is crucial to the show’s appeal. I’ve also grown to love both Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould as Nancy’s sons; both have grown by leaps and bounds in terms of presence and acting chops. Look for Richard Dreyfuss to turn up in at least four episodes of the show as a man from Nancy’s past. WEEDS premieres Monday night at 10pm.
THE BIG C: The show stars Laura Linney as Cathy, a suburban housewife/mom/teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the pilot episode, she tries to deal with the diagnosis before sharing it with anyone else, even her husband (Oliver Platt) and son. She’s a teacher and we meet one of her students played by Gabourey Sidibe. John Benjamin Hickey plays Linney’s brother Sean, who lives on the edge of society and refuses to conform to any kind of middle-class lifestyle. The show is best summed up by the line in the promo when Sean says to Cathy, “Nice to see you’re getting your weird back” and she responds, “You have no idea.” The pilot has the requisite amount of exposition in it and though not everything in it works, Linney and Platt are reason enough to tune in. Look for Reid Scott (MY BOYS), Liam Neeson and Idris Elba in future episodes of the show. THE BIG C premieres right after WEEDS Monday night at 1030pm.
TODAY’S SURF WRITTEN WHILE LISTENING TO: Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCy-z3e4D9A
From Brian Wilson’s website: This Sunday, August 15, there will be a special listening party for Brian’s new album at 12:00 noon PST. The complete album will be streamed once for everyone to listen to before its release next Tuesday, August 17. Here’s the kicker: immediately after the album ends, Brian will be taking your questions on his Facebook page for one hour (12:45pm – 1:45pm PST). During this time, you can ask Brian any and all questions you have regarding this remarkable new album. Don’t miss this very exciting and exclusive opportunity to discuss the music with Brian himself!
Here’s how it works: On Sunday 8/15 at 12:00noonPST, go to http://www.brianwilson.com and click on the “Listen Live” button at the top of the page. You will be taken to a special Album Preview page where you can enjoy the completed album, streamed in high-quality audio. Immediately after, go to Brian’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/officialbrianwilson and Brian will be ready to answer your questions. Yes, it really will be Brian, and he’s charged up to talk about his latest creation.
Time for the weekend rundown:
Tonight – Friday 8/13: As FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ended their season last week, here are my Friday night picks:
Syfy – 9pm: Eureka, 10pm: Haven
E! – 10pm: The Soup
Saturday 8/14:
HOT IN CLEVELAND MARATHON SATURDAY: TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, which concludes season one on Wednesday, August 18, will be rebroadcast in a four-and-a-half hour marathon tomorrow, Saturday August 14 beginning at 8pmET/5pmPT.
Sunday 8/15 - the Sunday highlight is the David Hasselhoff Roast on Comedy Central, in addition to all the other great Sunday night TV fare.
ABC: 7:00 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos (R) 8:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (R) 9:00 p.m. Scoundrels (season or series finale) 10:00 p.m. The Gates
CBS: 7:00 p.m. 60 Minutes 8:00 p.m. Big Brother 9:00 p.m. Undercover Boss (R) 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami (R, new day)
NBC: 7:00 p.m. Dateline
8:00 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (originally aired on USA) 9:00 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (originally aired on USA) 10:00 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (originally aired on USA)
FOX: 7:00 p.m. American Dad (R) 7:30 p.m. The Simpsons (R) 8:00 p.m. The Simpsons (R) 8:30 p.m. The Cleveland Show (R) 9:00 p.m. Family Guy (R) 9:30 p.m. Family Guy (R)
AMC: 10pm: Mad Men, 11pm: Rubicon
This week’s MAD MEN episode is titled “The Rejected” which has Roger and Lane issuing an edict that puts Pete in a personal dilemma.
I’m going to try again this weekend to catch up on RUBICON — I’ve tried to watch episode 2 twice and only got part of the way through it.
Food Network: 9pm: Next Food Network Star (season finale), 10pm: Great Food Truck Race (series premiere)
Food trucks are all the rage in L.A. when permits allow and Tyler Florence hosts GREAT FOOD TRUCK RACE where food trucks from across the country compete with each other for a big cash prize.
Comedy Central: 10pm: The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff (90 mins)
Seth MacFarlane is the Roast Master. Participating comedians include: Jeffrey Ross, Whitney Cummings, Lisa Lampanelli, Gilbert Gottfried and Greg Giraldo. There’s also a Twitter party planned Sunday night if you want to tweet while you watch.
Lifetime: 9pm: Drop Dead Diva – Jane is accused of stealing someone’s husband in this week’s episode.
TBS: 10pm: My Boys – this week’s episode is titled “The NTO”: An article about couples and sex leads PJ to believe her relationship with Bobby has hit a plateau. The economy has an effect on Kenny’s business, prompting Mike to look for new career opportunities. Brendan connects with Stephanie’s sister.
That’s a wrap for this week.
