Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE (TV): "Love Cruise: The Maiden Voyage" premiere, 8 p.m., Fox.
Imagine "Survivor" with better food, "Temptation Island" with better intentions, "Real World" in skimpy swimsuits.
Now you have "Love Cruise," a reasonably entertaining show.
Nestled on a 236-foot ship are eight men, ages 24-33, and eight women, ages 21-33. All are single and eager; they are city dwellers with white-collar jobs.
Now they're cruising from Grenada to Aruba. First are quickie conversations, called flash-dating; then couples will pair up for two days apiece, while playing truth and relationship games.
Each week, two of the people will be voted off, until a winning couple gets money and a world trip. Yes, there is some scheming and role-playing here, but it lacks the nastiness or shallowness of Fox's "Temptation Island."
The show is produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, who started it all with "The Real World." They bring a strong sense of human relationships.
"Love Cruise" has bodies to gawk at, but it also has people to root for. It's not part of the fall schedule, but it provides eight weeks of September-October fun.
TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE (cable): "The Mind of a Married Man" premiere (10 p.m.) and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season-opener (10:30 p.m.), both HBO.
Two series burrow into the minds of some eccentric men.
The first is created by Mike Binder, a talented comedian, writer and director. He plays a guy with a bright and attractive wife (played by British actress Sonya Walger), who still finds lots of reason for angst, sexual and otherwise. There are few big laughs here, but there are some wry and witty moments.
The second is a semi-scripted show based on an exaggerated version of the life of Larry David, the "Seinfeld" co-creator. Tonight, David (playing himself) buys a mega-house, meets with Alexander (who played George Costanza, a character David partly patterned after himself) and even becomes a car salesman. The car segment is especially funny.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," 7 p.m., ABC. The sports-themed celebrity game continues.
"Latin Grammy Awards," 8 p.m., CBS (same-day tape delay). There's an international feeling here, with American star Marc Anthony leading a field that includes musicians from Mexico, Colombia and more.
"Frasier," 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. Two reruns help set up next week's season-opener. In the first, Niles fumes when Daphne seems interested in a handsome guy with a huge dog; in the second, Frasier's dreams of island romance with Claire (Patricia Clarkson) are complicated by his past relationship with Lana.
"Mysterious Ways," 8 p.m., Pax. One of Peggy's patients insists that his imaginary childhood friend has returned.
"Wing Commander" (1999), 9-11 p.m., USA Network. Handsome young pilots (Freddie Prinze Jr. and Matthew Lillard) try to save the Earth in this adaptation of a computer game.
