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Thursday, April 29
THE PASSIONATE EYE: A LION’S TRAIL Documentary follows the history of the Zulu song Mbube as it morphs from tribal chant to doo-wop hit The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a campfire standard and 80s chart-topper for Toronto’s Nylons. 8 pm Newsworld NASHVILLE STAR Finalists Lance Miller, Matthew Lindahl and favourite Nova Scotian
George Canyon battle it out for the title on the far superior country and western version of American Idol. Gena Grrr-shon’s sister Tracy is the show’s bitchy Simon. Watch the Star get anointed on Sunday’s (May 2) 8 pm finale. 10 pm on CMT, repeated at 1 am
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971, dir Stanley Kubrick , with Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Magee) Kubrick kept his futuristic morality tale from being screened in Britain because he feared it would inspire the ultra-violence the film gleefully exploits. Classical synth soundtrack by Walter (later Wendy ) Carlos . 1 am on Bravo Friday, April 30
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Captured on their recent co-headlining tour, Beck and the Flaming Lips accompany each other on a selection of their respective off-kilter tunes. 11:30 pm on PBS
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO Daytime TV talk diva Ellen Degeneres joins 14-year-old soccer phenom Freddy Adu to witness old goths the Cure dig out the dry ice for a rare TV appearance. Does Robert Smith still tease his hair and wear that silly makeup? 11:35 pm on NBC/Global
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE Guests rapper Xzibit , sultry Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and those darned Flaming Lips . 12:05 on ABC/City
GREAT STREETS: SUNSET BOULEVARD Songwriter Randy Newman drives around L.A. in a top-down convertible pointing out his favourite haunts along the famed avenue. 2:30 am on PBS Saturday, May 1
LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN Guests comic Jamie Foxx , Kids in the Hall’s
Mark McKinney and punk poet laureate
Patti Smith . 5 pm on Star
THE LAST WALTZ (1978, dir Martin Scorsese , with the Band, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Neil Young and Neil Diamond) Toronto bar band calls it quits after having their friends over for one last bash at San Francisco’s Winterland ballroom. 7 pm on Aboriginal TV, repeated at 1:30 am Sunday, May 2
BREAKFAST WITH THE ARTS: BLONDIE Although they never really went away, Debbie Harry , Chris Stein and Clem Burke plus an extended lineup of new recruits continue their recent comeback with a two-hour string of hits performed live in the studio. Debbie, who does not look like she’s turning 60 next year, also reminisces about late pals Joey and Dee Dee Ramone. 8 am on A&E
Monday, May 3
GZOWSKI AND COMPANY 1986 documentary series follows cow punk Kathy Dawn Lang and her Reclines on a tour of Japan before her makeover as lower-case kd. 8 am on Bravo
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN
Country legend Loretta Lynn and the White Stripes’ Jack White perform the song Portland, Oregon, from her recent album Van Lear Rose.
Tuesday, May 4
LIFE COULD BE A DREAM: THE DOO-WOP SOUND Vintage 50s footage of Frankie Lyman and the Teen-agers and where-are-they-now interviews with various Spaniels, Chantals and Bobbettes celebrate the influential urban music. 9 pm on Bravo
Wednesday, May 5
TESTAMENTO (1997, dir Francisco Manso , with Nelson Xavier and Maria Ceiça). Told in slow-moving flashback, this beautifully shot-in-Cape-Verde flick examines a dying man’s regrets. Includes a three-minute performance by world music superstar Cesaria Evora . 1 am on Bravo
