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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, October 19, 2009

Tube Notes: 'Dancing With the Stars,' 'Castle,' 'Schmatta'


By Mike Hughes
MikeHughes.tv

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEES

“DANCING WITH THE STARS” (7 P.M.) AND “CASTLE” (8:02 P.M.), ABC

This was almost a perfect confluence: Debi Mazar would dance on “Stars,” then act on “Castle.” Alas, she was eliminated from “Stars” two weeks ago, at the same time that Tom DeLay dropped out with an injury. They were a week ahead of fighting champion Chuck Liddell's elimination. Now Mazar guests as Castle's agent, bringing him a tempting offer. If he accepts, this case – a body found in a manhole – will be his final one with Kate Beckett; we're guessing he says no.

“SCHMATTA: RAGS TO RICHES TO RAGS” (2009), 6 P.M., HBO

For a century, New York's “garment district” was a powerful force, the city's leading employer. After a 1911 fire killed workers locked inside a factory, the district became the center of union and reform movements. Workers found middle-class wages; their children became doctors and lawyers. Then it all collapsed with globalization. In 1965, 95 percent of American clothing was made in the U.S.; that went to 70 percent in 1985 and 5 percent today. Even high-end clothing is often made overseas, under brutal conditions. “Schmatta” skillfully mixes gentle nostalgia and rage over a world in which a few big corporations control a once-vibrant field.

For more of today's best bets on the small screen, check out the blog and column at MikeHughes.tv.