Posted on: Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott," finale; and "America's Next Top Model" debut, 4 and 5 p.m., UPN (KIKU). One reality show starts tonight and another ends. "Top Model" has its basic formula with some surprises. Tonight, the contestants have their first modeling sessions in a photo booth. "Road to Stardom" is down to its finale and there are three people left. One, identified as Matthew, is unusual by hip-hop standards. He's 25, lives in Orlando, Fla., likes karaoke and works as an amusement-park performer. The others, both 23, are Deltrice, a San Francisco clothing designer and Jessica, a Chicago writer.

"Lost," 7 p.m., ABC. Each week this terrific series surprises us. Last week the surprise involved who really burned Michael's raft. Apparently it was his son, who wants to stay on the island. A romance (Shannon and Sayid) started and a marriage (Jin and Sun) crumbled. And the once-scary Locke continues to be the wisest soul. Tonight, we learn more about Hurley, a multimillionaire with bad luck. It's his turn to plunge into the jungle in order to chase a mystery.

Of Note

"Dateline," 7 p.m., NBC. Matt Lauer interviews Anne Bird, who didn't meet her biological brother Scott Peterson until 1997. She's expected to talk about her fondness for his late wife, Laci, and about why she stuck with him for most of his murder trial.

"Alias," 8 p.m., ABC. After last week's episode things look tough. Nadia (Mia Maestro) is in a coma, Anna Espinosa (Gina Torres) has the weapon and Sloan must make a deal with Sark.

"The West Wing," 8 p.m., NBC. Santos (Jimmy Smits) hopes to slip the president's stem-cell bill through Congress without opponents noticing. Meanwhile, odd White House detours involve someone invading Canada and middle-school kids arguing about the voting age.

"On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize," 9 p.m., PBS. This seems to be producer Lorne Michaels' year. Ten days after an excellent NBC documentary portrayed the early years of his "Saturday Night Live," this show honors him. It includes former "SNL" people, (Conan O'Brien, Dan Aykroyd, David Spade), a current one (Tina Fey) and others, from Steve Martin to Sen. John McCain.

"Law & Order," 9 p.m., NBC. Did a celebrity chef kill his lover who was canceling his show?