Entertainment, TV, Television - Army Times

Summer TV’s hidden gems

After a long TV season, summer offers a welcome vacation from demanding serials, striking writers and David Archuleta’s father.

Some entertaining options are easy, such as Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and TNT’s “The Closer.” But why not be a home-entertainment explorer and search the cable universe for hidden gems, smooth non-precious stones and even a little fool’s gold? At least it’s shiny. So, put on the suntan lotion to fight off those HDTV rays, throw some sand on the couch and settle back for the quite bearable lightness of viewing with USA Today’s annual midsummer celebration of Beach TV. Bill Keveney offers a sampling of what to (bay)watch.

Battleground Earth: Ludacris vs. Tommy Lee

Planet Green, premieres Aug. 3, 10 p.m. ET/PT

If people knew saving the planet could be this enjoyable, they’d have started long ago. In a nine-city “Eco-Smackdown,” Rapper Ludacris and rocker Tommy Lee have fun going green by competing in challenges designed to conserve energy and reduce pollution. In the premiere, the stars and their crews visit New Orleans to build structures that produce solar power in the flood-devastated Ninth Ward. Good-natured trash talk abounds, as Ludacris tells his foes: “All-white people in an all-black neighborhood is not a good look.” The winner of the 10-episode series headlines a concert; the loser gets stuck being the opening act. “When they told me I could use my celebrity for something as far as saving Planet Earth, I was definitely interested,” Ludacris says. “And I’m really competitive, too.”

Learning curve: The guys commit an environmental faux pas by flying to San Francisco for the second challenge; one team goes by charter jet. But later they switch to biodiesel buses.

Unbeatable Banzuke, Ninja Warrior

G4, Banzuke/Ninja, weeknights, 8:30/9 p.m. ET/PT

“Ninja” competitors — from Olympic athletes to gas station attendants — cling to a rolling log, hang from ropes and jump high, curved walls. While ABC’s popular “Wipeout” (Tuesday, 8 ET/PT) focuses on blunders, “Ninja” is a genre pioneer and a more serious competition, G4 president Neal Tiles says. Only two people have ever completed all four demanding stages, including scaling a 40-foot wall. (Wannabes have until July 31 to submit videos for the chance to compete in Ninja Fest 3 in Japan.)

“Banzuke” challenges focus on a specific skill. One, in which competitors walk an obstacle course balancing a pole on two fingers, features a shopkeeper who walks around his store balancing milk crates and wine bottles. Cleanup in Aisle 3!

Universal language: The Japanese commentators (subtitled) are frenzied. “The (”Ninja“) guy is just so intense,” Tiles says, “He reminds me of the soccer announcer who goes “Gooooaalll!!!’ ”

Sordid Lives: The Series v

Logo, premieres Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET/PT

Sordid is status quo for a tiny Texas town that is home to the prequel, set in 1998, to Del Shores’ play and movie of the same name. For starters, there’s an ex-con (Olivia Newton-John); polar-opposite sisters (Ann Walker and Bonnie Bedelia); a mobile-home dweller (Caroline Rhea) who won’t have sex with her husband if he removes his prosthetic legs; and an institutionalized Tammy Wynette devotee, Brother Boy (Leslie Jordan).

“It’s one of the most outrageous comedies. Everybody’s in trouble of some kind, and they do the dumbest things to remedy the situations,” says Rue McClanahan, whose church-going matriarch Peggy ends up in an affair with a married man. Logo is aimed at gay and lesbian viewers, but McClanahan says “Lives” will appeal to a wider audience.

Stand by your woman: On learning of Wynette’s death, Brother Boy — in full makeup and a red gown — pledges ultimate devotion: “When Judy Garland died, homosexuals worldwide jumped out of windows to their own demise. You deserve at least one. Somebody gotta jump for you, too.” He gets stuck between the bars of his cell window.

Top Gear v

BBC America, Monday, 8 p.m. ET/PT

How do you determine whether a tiny Toyota can navigate the twists and turns of city driving? Stage a soccer game with two five-car teams and a giant ball. In another episode, a Rolls-Royce drives into a swimming pool. Such antics, combined with serious analysis of all types of cars, draw enthusiasts and casual observers alike. (BBC Worldwide America is producing a pilot for a U.S. version for NBC.) “It’s funny and irreverent and not your typical under-the-hood car show,” BBC America’s Richard De Croce says.

Turbocharged wit: The dry commentary and playful jabbing of hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are a big part of the appeal of “Gear.” On the lack of headroom in a coupe, Clarkson says viewers may think the back seats “would only be suitable for Anne Boleyn.” Hammond, who likes the Honda Element, has elderly people review it: “If they hate it, it could be cool.”

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Food Network, Monday, 10 p.m. ET/PT

“Next Food Network Star” winner Guy Fieri defines his show’s cuisine as “everything without the white tablecloth. I like to say: If it’s funky, we’ll find it.” The host drives his convertible all over the country to try everything from chili and hamburgers — including a 5-pound giant served in a West Virginia school bus — to goatburgers and lamb’s tongue.

Fieri says he really likes the food he praises. If the cuisine falls short, he won’t show the joint, but that hardly ever happens. He says viewers can gauge his enthusiasm: “ ‘That was good’ vs. ‘This is killer, dude,’ is a big difference.”

Culinary curiosities: Fieri marvels at the variety and quality of the nation’s food. “I’m in Knoxville, Tenn., getting one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had” at Pizza Palace. One of the most intriguing places is Mogridder’s in the Bronx, N.Y., where the $34.95 ribs, oil and filter special lets you get your car serviced while you eat. “The ribs are fantastic.”

The Works

History, Thursday, 10 p.m. ET/PT

This show is garbage. And power tools. And sneakers. Host Daniel Wilson, who has a Ph.D. in robotics, takes everyday items and explores their history, their evolution and how they work. “The idea is to take topics people are interested in and familiar with and surprise them by hitting the topic from every angle,” says Wilson, who worked a New York collection route in the garbage episode.

Wilson learns as much as the audience does, discovering the world of lawn-mower racing and the culture of extreme beer-making — more hops, more flavors, often more alcohol content — where participants all seem to sport beards. “It’s fun for me to be able to hang out with chain saw sculptors and Samurai swordmakers,” he says.

Boys’ toys: “The Works” delves into lots of guy stuff, including guns, beer and chain saws. One topic didn’t make the cut: grilling. “We replaced it with robots,” Wilson says. “With my background, I was like, ‘Come on, we have to do robots.’ ”

From G’s to Gents

MTV, Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET/PT

Think My Fair Gangsta. Producers Jamie Foxx and Cris Abrego (“Flavor of Love,” “Charm School”) take 14 rough-cut guys, including a couple with criminal records or bullet wounds, and give them a chance to become perfect gentlemen under the tutelage of former P. Diddy umbrella holder Fonzworth Bentley. “These are guys who don’t show up at the mall for a casting audition. We had to do a lot of recruiting,” Abrego says.

Creepa, J Boogie & Co., a racially diverse bunch, want to change, Abrego says. “There’s a real transformation in this show not a makeover, not a change of wardrobe. There’s a lot of heart.” And humor, as when one off-kilter oenophile calls his wine a “Morlett.”

Culture clash: The gentlemanly behavior taught in cricket is transferred to a basketball court, where “etiquette fouls” are called. NBA, take note.

Reality Bites Back

Comedy Central, Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET/PT

Fans of reality TV may like this show. Foes may love it. Ten professional comics compete in such parodies as The Amazing Disgrace, So You Think You Can Dive and Hunting With the Stars, the latter featuring D-Listers as prey. Host Michael Ian Black had one concern going in: “Is it possible to spoof something which itself is self-parodying? It might not be clear we’re making fun of it.” It is.

The show’s challenges include trying to verbally seduce an unseen potential lover only to find out it’s one of your parents. Ha-Ha-Ewww!

The tribe is broken: Black’s insincere host treats his charges dismissively: “All we’re doing is humiliating you here. We’re putting you in a vat of vanilla custard for no reason. There’s nothing involved other than your own masochism.”