Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Last Comic Standing," 8 p.m., NBC; preceded by 7 p.m. rerun. Last week, this entertaining show finished choosing the five finalists. The catch is that there actually will be six finalists. Tonight, the five ousted comedians — all of them pretty good — perform. On Thursday, we'll learn which one gets un-ousted.
"Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy," 7 p.m., Fox. Last week, this reality show got off to a mildly entertaining start as two women temporarily traded places. Tammy Nakamura, a surgeon's wife, has a giant house, a gorgeous beach house — and a 72-year-old mother-in-law who does the cooking and cleaning. Al Mela Biggins has a basic ranch home with three kids. Biggins and her new family got along warmly and graciously. Nakamura, however, became testy when things weren't readily available to her. The opener had its flaws, including what sometimes seemed somewhere between racism and class prejudice. Subtitles sometimes appeared when people in the Biggins family and grandma Nakamura talked. Their pleasant-looking home was made to seem poor. Still, "Trading Spouses" does help put a focus on the varying ways a family can function. Tonight, we get the second half of this story: The new moms make rules — an idea stolen directly from ABC's upcoming "Wife Swap" — and then decide how to spend $50,000 for the other family.
Of Note
"Stevie" (2002), 4:30 p.m., Cinemax. Steve James directed the wonderful basketball documentary "Hoop Dreams." Now comes a heartbreaking change of pace: This film follows his efforts to reunite with Stephen Fielding, the troubled young man he once mentored as a Big Brother.
"8 Simple Rules," 7 p.m., ABC. C.J. (David Spade) gets a job as a security cop at a mall.
"I'm With Her," 7:30 p.m., ABC. Pop star Nick Lachey guests as an egotistical actor who dates Alex.
Democratic convention, 8 p.m., PBS (tape delayed), plus live coverage throughout the day on C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. This is the one night when the commercial broadcast networks skip the convention completely.
"Summerland," 8 p.m., WB. Ava and Susannah need a financial partner to keep their clothing line alive.
"Amazing Race," 9 p.m., CBS. Last week saw the father-daughter duo eliminated. Tonight, the eight surviving duos reach Pushkin, Russia.
"Nip/Tuck," 10 p.m., FX. Jill Clayburgh plays a patient unhappy with the results of her plastic surgery.
