Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Best in Show" (2000), 5 p.m., Comedy Central. In his droll, dry way, Christopher Guest is a comedy genius. After starring in "This is Spinal Tap," he has directed and co-written other great mock-documentaries. This one centers on a national dog competition. Don't expect broad laughs. Instead, there are wonderful character portraits. Guest plays a country guy who is proud of his bloodhound and his knowledge of nuts.
Parker Posey is wonderful as a nervous yuppie lawyer. When she and her husband meet Guest, the result is hilarious. Then there's Eugene Levy (who wrote the script with Guest) as a guy whose wife has a checkered past. Jennifer Coolidge stars as a woman married to a rich old man. Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins also star as a gay couple. These are wonderful portraits.
Of Note
"The Graduate" (1967), 5 & 9:30 p.m., AMC. Brilliant director Mike Nichols turned this movie about a new college graduate (Dustin Hoffman) without direction in life into a comedy-drama classic.
"The George Lopez Show," 7 p.m., ABC. Here are four straight reruns of this above-average comedy. The first has Sandra Bullock (one of the show's producers) back as a clumsy worker. Others have George trying to please his wife (by bringing in her dad), his mom (by remodeling her bathroom) and his daughter (by pursuing her trouble with a classmate).
"For Love or Money" finale, 8 p.m., NBC. First, Rob Campos, a 33-year-old lawyer, must choose one of two women. Paige, 21, has become likable with her goofy optimism, and Erin, 30, is as pretty and as distant as Rob. Then the winner will get a choice: She can have $1 million or the guy but not both. In another twist, Rob knows the secret and if he can get one of them to choose him instead of the money, he'll get $1 million.
"American Experience: Bataan Rescue," 9 p.m., PBS. Calmly and vividly, aging men describe the brutal treatment they received during World War II in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines. Then they describe the Army Ranger mission that rescued 513 men.
