Posted on: Saturday, April 16, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"Reefer Madness" musical, 5 and 7 p.m., Showtime. The spirit of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ripples through this fun and quirky show. The original 1936 "Reefer Madness" was a stern warning about good kids gone bad after puffing pot. That's exaggerated further now with some broad villains. Alan Cumming plays the professor type who introduces the story and shocks sober citizenry. Ana Gasteyer and John Kassir play people whose lives have crumbled. That would be only moderately entertaining if it weren't for two wonderful additions. One is the zesty pop-rock score by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney in the style of "Rocky Horror" and "Little Shop of Horrors." The other is the casting of ingenues. Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell's younger brother, is great as the clean-cut kid who's destroyed. Kristen Bell is perfect as his girlfriend. Bell shows a great voice and a comic touch.

Of Note

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), 7 p.m., Cinemax. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet (who was nominated for an Oscar for her role) star in this mind-bending tale of two people erasing their memories of each other — until one of them has misgivings. The Charlie Kaufman film also co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood.

"Wonderful World of Disney: Little House on the Prairie," 7 p.m., ABC. Here's the second-to-last episode of this five-week, six-hour miniseries. Charles Ingalls has multiple worries: He is attacked by a mountain lion and he isn't sure why so many Indians are setting up camp nearby.

"LAX," 7 p.m., NBC. Roger (Blair Underwood) has made marital mistakes, including an affair with his wife's divorce attorney. Meanwhile, Harley (Heather Locklear) gets an offer to run the Dallas airport.

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," 8 p.m., CBS. A bank robbery goes bad in this rerun, leading to a shoot-out that hits one of the forensic detectives. Now colleagues follow up.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 8 p.m., NBC. In this rerun, a baby has been found with a note saying the mother was kidnapped.