Camilla is Smart’s Latest Role as Leader
Jean Smart is used to playing powerful, highly visible women She was the unstable First Lady of the United States, Martha Logan, on “24.” Then she was Hawaii Gov. Pat…
Saturday TV: Hilary Swank, Hillbillies
Good night to stay in and watch a movie while the power lasts. Hilary Swank turns in a tough performance in “Conviction” (HBO, 8 p.m.) about a woman who goes…
Hurricane Diary: The Sandbagging Snarl
I thought it amusing when I saw the light-up sign offering free sandbags last night. Not so funny this morning when I learned that the sole distribution area for sandbags…
Friday TV: From Rat Busters to Rat Pack
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? “Rat Busters NYC” (Animal Planet, 10 p.m.) is a new series about a pair of middle-aged exterminators in Gotham,…
Stocking Up on Hype for the Hurricane
It’s probably not good form before the dire landfall to complain about hurricane hype. Irene may well prove to be among the most fearsome beasts ever witnessed by the East…
The Face of Irene
She's mean. She's cantankerous. And she won't stand for swimmin' in the cement pond before the viddles are done. Irene Ryan, who played Daisy Clampett, better known as simply Granny…
Thursday TV: End of ‘Expedition,’ Louie Goes an Hour
There’s almost no question who will win the first season of “Expedition Impossible” (ABC, 9 p.m.), the Mark Burnett reality series so closely based on “The Amazing Race” except that…
What Would Greenwich Do?
Given the question “What Would You Do?” a posh Connecticut town said: Kick them out. The show, that is. A camera crew from “What Would You Do,” the “Candid Camera”-like…
The Week in Reality Retreads
Used to be we’d sometimes be able to discover new people and new personalities from the array who volunteered to be part of reality shows (well occasionally anyway). Lately, reality…
Wednesday TV: New shows from Keno Twins, Gail Simmons
The Keno twins, Leigh and Leslie, who came to fame on “Antiques Roadshow,” are now the featured stars in a new network show with largely the same premise. The main…