Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
Olympic Summer Games, several channels. Prime time (6 to 10 p.m. on NBC) is dominated by women. That includes the heptathalon, platform diving, trampoline gymnastics and volleyball. It also includes swimming gold medals in the 200-meter backstroke and the 800-meter freestyle. Men have the swimming gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly.
"The Pink Panther" (1964), 4 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. As the opening credits began, movie audiences met a clever cartoon character and heard the wonderful Henry Mancini music. They knew this would be special. It is, boosted by the genius of Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, the clueless detective. That's part of a 24-hour Sellers marathon. Catch him in Stanley Kubrick's brilliant "Dr. Strangelove" (1964) at noon, Neil Simon's "Murder by Death" (1976) at 2 p.m. and Panther sequels at 6 p.m., "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," (1976) and 8 p.m. "The Revenge of the Pink Panther," (1978).
Of Note
"La Bamba" (1987), 5 p.m., Bravo. Luis Valdez beautifully directed this true story of Ritchie Valens, who briefly became a teen pop star. Lou Diamond Phillips provides an engaging Valens and Los Lobos adds first-rate music.
"The Bernie Mac Show," 7 p.m., Fox. Fresh and clever, this show keeps offering neatly off-center humor. Here are four straight reruns. Bernie takes his nephew to the barbershop, gets a motorcycle and fumes when his wife quits her job and hovers near him. The fourth episode includes guest stops by Mo'Nique of "The Parkers" and Phil McGraw of "Dr. Phil."
"The George Lopez Show," 7 p.m., ABC. George feels that his crabby mom is starting menopause.
"8 Simple Rules," 7:30 p.m., ABC. This reruns the episode that added David Spade as Cate's nephew.
"Lilo & Stitch" (2002), 8 and 9:45 p.m., Disney Channel. Here's another cheery cartoon alternative to the Olympics.
"Monk," 7, 9 and 10 p.m., USA Network. What would Monk be like without his neuroses? We see tonight, as some strong medication kicks in.
