Posted on: Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"Great Performances: Leonard Bernstein's Candide in Concert," 8 p.m., PBS. For almost 50 years, Broadway has been reworking "Candide." Bernstein's musical tale of optimism first opened in 1956 with mixed results. Since then, lyrics have been added by Stephen Sondheim, Lillian Hellman and more. Now comes an ideal showcase. It's a concert edition, emphasizing the great words and music. This has Broadway stars (Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone), opera stars (Paul Groves, Sir Thomas Allen), the New York Philharmonic and a choir. The result captures the sprightly joy of "Candide."

"Queer Eye for the Straight Girl" debut, 8, 10 p.m., Bravo. This spin-off of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" makes sense. Again, a team of gays helps someone who has no sense of style. This time, the team (three men, one woman) focuses on women. As she nears her 30th birthday, the target can't remember her last date. She has a good face, a great body and a quick mind; her home and clothes, however, suggest a college kid who's had an all-nighter. She needs help and gets it.

Of Note

"Battlestar Galactica" (2003), 4:54 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. People really want us to see this excellent mini-series before the series version debuts Friday. First up is part one (which also aired Tuesday). Here's one last chance to catch it all in one sitting.

"Lost," 7 p.m., ABC. It's time to focus on the perplexing brother-sister duo of Boone (Ian Somerhalder) and Shannon (Maggie Grace). He finds a mysterious object. Soon we see flashbacks from her troubled past.

"Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search," 7 p.m., NBC. In last week's opener, the field was trimmed from 12 to eight. Now the survivors will be clipped by a celebrity hair stylist before matching the moves of the Los Angeles Clippers dance team.

"West Wing," 8 p.m., NBC. The presidential primary race has started in New Hampshire, pitting two people who had been warm west-wing colleagues. Josh is running the Santos (Jimmy Smits) campaign; Donna helps run the Russell (Gary Cole) campaign.

"Alias," 8 p.m., ABC. Last week, Sydney learned it was her father who ordered the killing of her mother after finding out her mother had placed a hit on her. That bitterness lingers in the background, as Syd goes undercover to catch someone selling arms to terrorists.

"King of Queens," 8 p.m., CBS. As their anniversary nears, Doug wears a cologne his wife hates.

"Center of the Universe," 8:30 p.m., CBS. John's son searches for a skill. Now he tries fencing.

"Law & Order," 9 p.m., NBC. When a hip-hop star is killed, a protege is suspected; key hints may appear in some lyrics.

"Meeting Osama bin Laden," 10 p.m., PBS. This documentary profiles the terrorist by using comments from people who have met him.