Posted on: Monday, April 4, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"NCAA Basketball Championship," 3 p.m., CBS. This has been a wondrous tournament filled with tight games, mood swings and sudden heroics. Now comes the finale in St. Louis with the winners of Saturday's games. Expect some fun.

"Odd Girl Out," 6 p.m., Lifetime. Many schools pay no attention to the taunts and cruelty that can crush a student. That goes to an extreme here when some friends think a girl has flirted with the wrong guy. They strike back with verbal and cyber savagery. The film errs by exaggerating everything absurdly. Still, "Odd Girl Out" is rescued by the wonderfully expressive work of Alexa Vega (from the "Spy Kids" movies) in the lead. Lisa Vidal ("The Division") is also strong as her mom.

Of Note

"Fear Factor," 7 p.m., NBC. In one stunt, contestants are on a surfboard attached to a speeding helicopter. On another they're strapped to a water wheel that's being dunked over and over.

"Two and a Half Men," 7 and 7:30 p.m., CBS. Before "Desperate Housewives," Teri Hatcher guest-starred here as the sexy and scheming sister of Alan's ex-wife. And before "LAX" started and sagged, Heather Locklear guest-starred as Alan's lawyer, suddenly bedding Charlie. Those episodes rerun tonight.

"Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork and Mindy," 8 p.m., NBC. "Mork & Mindy" started hot in 1978, finishing No. 3 in the Nielsen ratings for its first season. It fell to No. 27 its second year and was soon gone. In this film (written by former "Mork" staffer David Misch), Chris Diamantopoulos plays Robin Williams and Erinn Hayes plays Pam Dawber.

"24," 8 p.m., Fox. Jack gets terrifying word that an unstoppable attack is coming within the hour.