[IMG:L]FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Real Time with Bill Maher (Season Finale) – 11/10c on HBO
Bill wraps up his sixth Real Time season with a downright shocking celebrity guest: Ashton Kutcher. While Ben Affleck and other A-listers have regularly appeared on the show to rag on George Dubya, Mr. Demi Moore is a Real Time virgin and frankly doesn’t come off as the politically outspoken type. Tune in to see if he’s got his Bush-bashing facts straight! The other roundtable guests are Newsweek editor Jon Meacham and Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who has braved Maher’s “lion’s den” on several occasions.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – 11:35/10:35c on NBC
With Miley Cyrus and American Idol champion/cougar favorite David Cook both appearing on Tonight tonight, it marks perhaps the first time tweens and their moms can watch the same show — with a minimal amount of eye-rolls to boot! [PAGEBREAK]
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
Ricky Gervais: Out of England – 9/8c on HBO
If Out of England is your first encounter with Ricky Gervais, you might wind up scratching your head instead of holding your belly. That’s because Gervais’ stand-up, although still damn funny, is an entirely different beast from the Brit’s true forte, which is painfully dry humor — without massive laughter in the background! (See the original Office, for the love of God.) Nonetheless, the mere sight of Gervais smile and sound of his self-laughter are both incredibly infectious, and the man is dislike-proof. Which will make this special, taped last year at Madison Square in New York City, pretty tough not to enjoy. Plus, it could prove to be a sort of preview of February’s Oscars, which he may very well wind up hosting.
Saturday Night Live – 11:29/10:29c on NBC
Yay, it’s back! Shucks, Tina Fey’s gone. Unless Fey shocks us all by reprising her Sarah Palin impression — which would be uncharacteristically gratuitous for her, since she said fake Palin would be retired after Election Day — it’s plain old Saturday Night Live. Indeed, we should have been weaned off of Fey’s must-see impressions, but with host Paul Rudd and musical guest Beyonce, tonight’s SNL is still watchable. And who knows, maybe there’ll even be a funny non-Palin skit. It could happen!
The Two Mr. Kissels – 9/8c on Lifetime
In this based-on-a-true-story MOW (is there any other kind?), John Stamos stars as one of two millionaire brothers (Anson Mount is the other) murdered within a few years of each other for no good reason. But, aha — the ensuing investigation reveals that the brothers weren’t such saints after all! Wait … Uncle Jesse dies?! [PAGEBREAK]
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Entourage – 10/9c on HBO
It’s the next-to-last episode of the season for Entourage, which means this is the one to get excited about. Each season finale tends to consist of too much drama (not Johnny) and gets lost en route to that ‘Oh, sh*t’ climax — whereas Doug Ellin and Co. do a fantastic job of setting up the season finales. Tonight Jamie-Lynn Sigler returns for more Turtle lovin’, while Vince’s career appears to be headed even further south … thus setting up a finale in which Vince’s acting career is either kaput or somehow reinvigorated.
The Simpsons – 8/7c on Fox
It’s unclear as to why crossword-puzzle mania had never been broached and/or satirized on The Simpsons, but, well, better for us, because this episode has the makings of a neo-classic! When Lisa enters a crossword tournament, Homer gets caught up in an underground betting ring. Crossword gods Will Shortz and creator Merl Reagle are the vocal guests.
Total Finale Live – 8/7c on MTV
Total Request Live, one of MTV’s last remaining shows that actually played music, says goodbye forever tonight. Performances, interviews and retrospective clips celebrate the once popular music-video show in this two-hour finale — more or less an excuse for MTV to throw an awards-show-sized bash. But will Carson Daly be there?!
Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special – 9/8c on Comedy Central
Slapping the “Christmas special” tag on anything that airs pre-Thanksgiving is a sin, but we’ll give this ventrilo-comedian a pass, because he occasionally brings the funny.
Should I Smoke Dope? – 8/7c on BBC (Re-Airs at 11/10c)
This title just couldn’t be passed up. “Dope,” on the other hand, should be. So, no, to answer the title’s rhetorical question — although stoners worldwide will turn in on spec alone!
