Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "Will and Grace," 8 p.m., NBC. Sometimes sheer star power is its own reward. This rerun throws in an Emmy-winner and then an Oscar-winner; the plot doesn't do much, but this is still a fun ride. Early in the story, Will visits a psychic, played with tasty exuberance by Camryn Manheim of "The Practice." Later, Jack meets his idol, Cher. Cher plays her, with perfection. None of this adds up to a real story. Still, it's enjoyable.
"Operation Condor" (1992), 7 p.m., FOX. The Fox people have dug out one of the movies Jackie Chan made before he found fame and bigger budgets in America. This one has him in the Sahara Desert looking for Nazi gold.
"Friends," 7 p.m., NBC. Telemarketers hardly ever seem to get involved in the personal lives of the people they call. This rerun offers a funny exception: Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is a telemarketer who talks a depressed cubicle worker (Jason Alexander) out of suicide.
"Na Mele: Traditions in Hawaiian Song," 7:30 p.m. KHET. Aunty Genoa Keawe stars in this segment of the continuing Hawaiian music series; she's joined by her sons Eric K. Keawe on guitar and vocals, Arthur Keawe on 'ukulele and vocals and Gary Keawe Aiko on upright bass and vocals, plus granddaughters Pomaika'i Keawe on 'ukulele and vocals and Kawahineu'iokalani and Sanoe Keawe performing hula.
"Three Sisters," 7:30 p.m., NBC. In a rerun, the sisters throw a surprise party for their parents, yielding way too much of a surprise.
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," 8 p.m., CBS. There's something suspicious about the death of a disruptive plane passenger.
"Poirot: The ABC Murders," 6 p.m., A&E. Tonight, fans of "Mystery" face a temporary void; PBS is pre-empting its show for a week as it loans the 9 p.m. time slot to the second half of the rather awful "Gormenghast." Fortunately, viewers have an alternative. They can switch to cable and catch this rerun, with Inspector Poirot (David Suchet) probing some anonymous letters.
"Empires of Industry: The du Pont Dynasty," 10 p.m., History Channel. Pierre Samuel du Pont was an economist, a publisher and sometimes a French official. In 1799, however, he became disenchanted with his own government and tried to start a colony in America along the Ohio River. That failed, but his son noticed the inferiority of American gunpowder. He set up a plant that would evolve into the mega-business now called Du Pont. Here's a profile, wrapping up the four-day "Empire" series.
"ER," 9 p.m., NBC. Weaver probes a sweatshop with startling aftershocks.
Mike Hughes covers television for the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal and Gannett News Service.
