Rating: NNNNN
Thursday, July 8
ON THE WATERFRONT (1954, dir Elia Kazan, w/ Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint and Rod Steiger) Serendipitous scheduling gives us Brando’s Oscar-winning performance in prime time a week after his death. 8 pm on Vision, repeated at midnight
THE WAR WITHIN: A PORTRAIT OF VIRGINIA WOOLF Explores the creative, political and personal passions of novelist Virginia Woolf, including her anti-war beliefs and her affair with Vita Sackville-West. 10 pm on TVO, repeated Sunday at 1 am
Friday, July 9
SOUNDSTAGE Brother Ron Isley and Burt Bacharach reinvent the Bacharach-David songbook with extraordinary results. Who knew Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head was a heart-wrenching tearjerker? 1 am on PBS
Saturday, July 10
DESIGN RIVALS New local home makeover series from reconfigured Designer Guys Steven Sabados and Chris “Christopher” Hyndman features even more scripted bitchy banter than their previous show. 3 pm on HGTV, repeated at 11 pm
Sunday, July 11
JAMIE’S KITCHEN First episode of cheeky chap Jamie Oliver ‘s reality series finds the idealistic British chef taking on a crew of inexperienced, lazy sods to open a new communal restaurant. 1 pm on Food
THE SURREAL LIFE Premier episode of the second series features a new cast of D-list celebrities – Tammy Faye Bakker , Ron Jeremy , Vanilla Ice , Erik Estrada , a Baywatch bimbo and some evil vixen from a reality show we’ve never seen – interacting badly in Los Angeles. 1 pm on MuchMore Music
INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO The voices of the Simpsons – Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Hank Azaria , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith and Harry Shearer – answer probing questions in character and as themselves. Hosted by James Lipton , himself a character on the long-running cartoon. 5 pm on Bravo
Monday, July 12
HOPE & FAITH Stunt casting has kept this formulaic slapstick sitcom popular. Tonight, Kathie Lee Gifford (Regis’s former co-host) guests as a vindictive waitress opposite series star Kelly Ripa (Regis’s current co-host). A catfight ensues. 9:30 pm on ABC
Tuesday, July 14
BET AWARDS The must-see award show of the season, with performances by 50 Cent , India.Arie , OutKast , Janet Jackson and American Idol Fantasia (as predicted here, she’s dropped Barrino) and old-schoolers Rick James , Public Enemy and the Sugarhill Gang . In a say-what? collaboration, Jay Z raps with ?uestlove of the Roots backed by Sheila E. on drums, producer Rick Rubin on turntables and metalheads Kid Rock and Dave Navarro on guitars. Tributes to Barry White and Ray Charles, too. 8 pm on BET
Wednesday, July 14
LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN The whitest – and tallest – talk-show host on TV embraces his inner funk with guests Queen Latifah , the Roots and pseudo-rapper Ali G . 12:35 am on NBC/CKVR
