News & Notes

Tonight, ABC has a two-hour America United: In Support of Our Troops, FOX has a preview of Hole in the Wall, and NBC has the third season premiere of Football Night in America.

Over on cable, ABC Family has the miniseries finale of the Samurai Girl, Discovery Channel has a 9/11: The Towers and the Pentagon special, Food Network has the series premiere of Feasting on Waves, HBO has the series premiere of True Blood and the fifth season premiere of Entourage, History Channel has the second season finale of Ice Road Truckers and Sandhogs, MTV has the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, TLC has a Painted Babies at 17 and a Toddlers & Tiaras special, and WE has the series premiere of Amazing Wedding Cakes.

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Prime Picks

Hole in the Wall (The CW): Preview. Some sort of game show with two teams competing against each other, as they have to jump through different shaped holes in walls coming at them and if they don’t they get knocked into a pool below.
The Simpsons (FOX): Repeat. Homer is sneaking snacks on the side after Marge hires a nutritionist that puts him on a diet, in “Dial N for Nerder” from this past season.

America United: In Support of Our Troops (ABC): Special. Various celebrities perform to honor U.S. troops. They include: Janet Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson, Toby Keith, Jessica Simpson, D.L. Hughley, ZZ Top, Clint Black, Kathy Griffin, Ne-Yo, Girls Next Door, Ali Landry, Carlos Mencia and more. Runs two hours.

Solid Selection

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC): Repeat. A family with a father serving in Iraq gets a home makeover. Toby Keith performs.

Cold Case (CBS): Repeat. Evidence is found in a drug dealers freezer and the team investigates the case, in “Bad Reputation” from this past season.

Without a Trace (ABC): Repeat. A female ex-con goes missing and the team thinks that maybe her past has caught up with her, in “One Wrong Move” from this past season.

Cable Choices

Samurai Girl (ABC Family): Miniseries Finale. Part three of three plays twice tonight. Runs two hours. The first two parts replay right before. Based on the young adult novel series.

True Blood (HBO): Series Premiere. Created by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under). The story is set the future with vampires now able to live in the open because of the invention of a synthetic blood that keeps them from wanting to feed on people. Anna Paquin (X-Men) stars as a young waitress that is a telepath and who becomes attracted to one of the vamps, played by Stephen Moyer (The Starter Wife). Plays again later. Based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. She is also a writer on the series.

Mad Men (AMC): New. Don gets a new car. Pete, Harry and Ken are trying to figure out how to get some new business. Don’s secretary makes a big mistake. Plays twice and again later.

Other Options

• Army Wives (Lifetime): New. Claudia Joy finds out why her mother has come for a visit. A baby shower is thrown for Roland and Joan. Denise wants Frank to go to a marriage counselor with her. The last new episode, “Mothers & Wives,” replays right before. Both episodes play again later.
• Entourage (HBO): Season Premiere. Medellin has completely bombed and Vinny is hiding out in a Mexican resort.
• Feasting on Waves (Food Network): Series Premiere. Alton Brown explores the foods of the Caribbean. It’s Feast on Asphalt, but on a boat visiting islands in the Caribbean. Plays again later.
• Food Network Challenge (Food Network): New. Some of the top pastry chefs in the country get paired off and then compete to create the best cake. Plays again later.
• Iron Chef America (Food Network): New. Chef Floyd Cardoz challenges Iron Chef Bobby Flay. Plays again later.
• Skins (BBC America): New. Tony shows how well he can manipulate people. Sid may be failing at school. Cassie tries to win Sid’s affections. Plays again later. Last week’s episode, “Chris,” replays right before.

Sports Notes

• ABC has a WNBA game.
• CBS has NFL action followed by tennis action with the men’s final of the U.S. Open.
• ESPN has Sunday Night Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies at the New York Mets.
• ESPN2 has NASCAR racing with the Nationwide Series: Emerson Radio 250.
• FOX has doubleheader NFL action that includes my Seattle Seahawks at the Buffalo Bills in the early game.
• NBC has Sunday Night Football with the Chicago Bears at the Indianapolis Colts.
• TBS has MLB action with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at the Chicago White Sox.
• USA has tennis action with the women’s doubles final of the U.S. Open early.

Late Night

• Breaking Bad (AMC): Repeat. Episode seven, the first season finale, “A No-Rough-Stuff Type Deal” replays.
• The Shield (FX): Repeat. Last Tuesday’s seventh and final season premiere episode, “Coefficient of Drag” replays. Read review.
• Sons of Anarchy (FX): Repeat. Last Wednesday’s series premiere replays. Read review.

TV Marathons

ABC Family has all six hours of the Samurai Girl miniseries.
Bravo has five episodes of Top Chef.
Cartoon Network has 14 episodes of Total Drama Island.
History Channel has 13 episodes of Ice Road Truckers.
Spike has 10 episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Travel Channel has 11 episodes of Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern.
truTV has 12 episodes of Hot Pursuit.
USA has eight episodes of House.
WE has seven episodes of Bridezillas.