Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Unknown Soldier: Searching for a Father," 3:30 p.m., HBO; "Faith of My Fathers," 5, 7, 9,11 p.m., A&E. The boyhoods of Jack Hulme and John McCain seemed to have much in common. They were handsome guys, natural leaders. They grew up in patriotic families and tackled Vietnam enthusiastically. Then everything changed. Hulme was killed by a missile attack in 1969 when his son was only 5 weeks old. In the moving "Unknown Soldier," John Hulme interviews his dad's old comrades and revisits Vietnam. McCain was captured in 1967 after his bomber was hit. "Faith" portrays his more than five years of often-brutal confinement with flashbacks to his early life. Both films capture the near silent bonds of understated men. It is richly portrayed by the relationship between McCain (Shawn Hatosy) and his dad, an admiral (Scott Glenn). Both — despite tragedy and brutality — offer hints of happy endings. Vietnam is at peace, McCain is a senator and John Hulme understands the dad he never met.
Of Note
NBA preview, 2 p.m., and game, 2:30 p.m., ABC. San Antonio and Phoenix in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference championship.
"Frederick Forsyth's Icon," 4, 7:30 p.m., Hallmark Channel; also 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Patrick Swayze stars in this solid adaptation of a Frederick Forsyth novel. He's an American ex-spy nudged into a final mission in a 1999 Russia that teeters near chaos. There's a human side with a rebellious Russian cop (Annika Peterson) and a long-lost daughter. "Romy & Michele: In the Beginning," 6, 8, 10 p.m., ABC Family. The characters portrayed by Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino in "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" were great fun. Alas, this film falls short. It's a prequel, starring Katherine Heigl and Alex Breckenridge. It's only modestly amusing and sort of contradicts the "Reunion." Paula Abdul also stars.
"Miss Universe," 8 p.m., NBC. The beauty pageant is in Thailand.
"Hell's Kitchen" debut, 8 p.m., Fox. Here's another Fox competition with an acerbic British chef, but there's a big difference. It's fun to watch Simon Cowell on "American Idol," because we can hear what he does and agree or not. It's no fun to watch Gordon Ramsay judge cooks, because we can't taste what he's tasting. Besides, Cowell adds wit. Ramsay merely says a lot of words that are then bleeped.
