Here are a few programs to look out for in the upcoming week ...
THURSDAY 8 P.M. History Undercover, The History Channel. "The True Story of the Black Sheep Squadron." The Marine squadron became the most famous aerial fighter group of WWII (the big one). Lead by Maj. Greg Boyington, this group of ragtag pilots inspired a book and short-lived TV series, Baa, Baa, Blacksheep, syndicated as Blacksheep Squadron.
FRIDAY 2 A.M. Diana: Her True Story, TNT. A made-for-British-TV docudrama (1993) gives Princess Di's account of her life in the royal family. Based on Andrew Morton's tell-all book, it paints a rather unflattering portrait of Prince Charles who, in this film, makes Ike Turner look like Dr. John Gray.
FRIDAY 7:30 P.M. College Football: MAC Championship, ESPN. Not a top draw, but there are a lot of MAC alums in the area and, of course, we have a MAC school up the road in Oxford. This will likely be Marshal versus someone who's going to get squashed like a computer geek at the frat mixer.
FRIDAY 9 P.M. The Nightclub Years, A&E. A nostalgic look back at the era when nightclubs were the premier form of live entertainment in America, attracting crooners and comics, mobsters and merrymakers, gamblers and glamour queens. TV and the big screen drained the nightclubs of talent.
SATURDAY 8 P.M. Ancient Inventions, Discovery. Monty Python's Terry Jones looks at ancient inventions of makeup, perfume, beauty contests, contraception, the shower and the kiss. Egyptians used animal dung for birth control and even China's invention of the clock was related to sex.
SATURDAY 8 P.M. Weird Places: Mystery House and Coral Castle, Travel Channel. Balls roll up a Santa Cruz hill (and we all know how painful that can be). There are actually several spots like this in the U.S. where an optical illusion makes it look like gravity has been defied. Also featured is the giant coral castle in Homestead, Fla., built by one scrawny little guy. How did he move pieces of coral weighing tons all by himself?
SATURDAY 9 P.M. Saturday Night Live: The Best of Steve Martin, Comedy Central. A collection of skits featuring the actor/comedian who, without argument, is one of the most brilliant comic minds of our time.
TUESDAY 10 P.M. Search for Alien Life, TLC. Perfect for post-Roswell viewing. Throughout the 20th century, scientists have searched for life in distant galaxies, but they're no closer to solving this mystery. NASA scientists and others are convinced the answer is at hand.
WEDNESDAY 10 P.M. Midway, TCM. A staple on sister station TBS, TCM gives it to you letterbox style and without commercials. A pretty good war movie, even more so when you consider it was made on the heels of the Vietnam War.
-- P.F. Wilson
