Fri / Sat / Sun Feb 2 / 3 / 4

FRIDAY 2
[Ovation/7:30pm] Inside the Actors’ Studio. Tom Cruise. Rpt.
[Ovation/9:00pm] Pennies From Heaven (US 1981) This is a rare screening of a wonderful film, one of the last great musicals before they went into hibernation and were eventually resurrected by Moulin Rouge. But this salute to the Busby Berkeley musicals is full of dark undertones. Steve Martin was cast in this right after The Jerk and nobody expected to see him in a straight role, let alone in a musical where everybody lip-syncs songs from their original 1930s recordings. It is lavish and full of showstoppers. Followed by an interview with the creator of the original UK version.
[Ovation/10:43] Dennis Potter Interview.

[Seven/12:00pm] Movie: The Shipping News (US 2001)
An emotionally-beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life. Starring KEVIN SPACEY, JULIANNE MOORE, JUDI DENCH, CATE BLANCHETT, PETE POSTLETHWAITE, SCOTT GLENN, RHYS IFANS, GORDON PINSENT, JASON BEHR, LARRY PINE, JEANETTA ARNETTE and ROBERT JOY.

[ABC/8:30pm] Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Silk Stocking. It is November 1902 and a thick fog has descended on the streets of London. The illustrious detective Sherlock Holmes (Rupert Everett) is drawn out of retirement by his estranged partner in crime solving, Doctor John Watson (Ian Hart) when a case that threatens to overwhelm the privilege and tranquillity of aristocratic society comes to their attention. The body of a young girl is dragged from the Thames and the discovery of a silk stocking edged in her throat causes Holmes to conclude that the body is that of a lady. Then as society prepares for the debutantes’ seasonal performance, Georgina (Jennifer Moule), a young, vulnerable and heavily chaperoned young lady disappears. Scotland Yard’s Inspector Lestrade (Neil Dudgeon) tries desperately to hunt down the kidnapper, but he is too late. Georgina’s body is discovered, dressed in the clothes of the first victim, with a stocking lodged in her throat. With the knowledge that a serial killer is now in operation, Holmes is galvanised into feverish action and Watson, despite his impending marriage to the beautiful Mrs Vandeleur (Helen McCrory), is drawn back to his friend’s side. Desperate to catch the killer before he strikes again, Holmes resorts to increasingly unorthodox methods. Rpt.

[Nine/10:00pm] Movie: Take Away (Aus 2003) Tony Stilano and Trev Spackneys both own and work in adjoining take-away fish shops in Melbourne. Although they have fallen into a habitual rivalry based on a cause long forgotten, the pair unite when the multinational fast-food outlet “Burgies” unveils a new store directly opposite the twin shops. Stars Vince Colosimo,
Stephen Curry, Rose Byrne and Nathan Phllips. Some Coarse
Language [L]

[Ten/7:30pm] Smallville “Fade.”
[Ten/10:45pm] Veronica Mars. “The Rapes of Graff.” With Arrested Development’s Michael Cera (George Michael) and Alia Shawkat (Maebe).
[Ten/1:30am Sat] Fat Actress. “Big Butts” Guest: John Travolta, Kelly Preston. Rpt.

[SBS/10:00pm] Thinking XXX – Acclaimed portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his new book of adult film star portraits. In 2002, after 25 years photographing art-world personalities, celebrities and world leaders, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders tackled a new subject – adult film stars. The resulting book, XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits, features paired portraits, one clothed and one nude, of a cross-section of straight and gay actors, from porn legends to rising stars. This documentary includes footage of the photographer using a large format portrait camera to create the shots in his book, as well as conversations with the actors, who discuss how they began their careers, how being a porn star has changed their lives and how they feel about sex and the industry. In addition, authors, artists and cultural observers – such as Karen Finley, Nancy Friday, Richard Johnson, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Michael Musto, Whitley Strieber, Gore Vidal, John Waters and Faye Wattleton – offer far-ranging, provocative perspectives on porn today, yesterday and tomorrow. (From the UK, in English) MA (A,N,S) CC WS

Cable: Breaking up With Shannen Doherty,

SATURDAY 3
[ABC/1:00pm] Iconoclasts : Renee Zellweger And Christiane Amanpour
Renée Zellweger reveals her great admiration for CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who has reported from war zones around the globe, including the Balkans, Rwanda, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Nine/1:00pm] 2007 Kellogg’s Nutri Grain Ironman Series
[Nine/2:00pm] 2006 Western Australian Ironman – Busselton
[Nine/9:30pm] Movie: Arlington Road (US 1999) Tim Robins and Jeff Bridges star in the tense political and psychological thriller, Arlington Road. History Professor Michael Faraday begins to suspect that his new neighbour, Oliver, may be linked to domestic terrorism and launches his own investigation into his suspicious activities. As pieces begin to fall into place, he
unwittingly puts his loved ones in danger as he zeroes in on the
terrorist’s next target. Also stars Joan Cusack and Hope Davis.
Some Violence [V] Some Coarse Language [L] Adult Themes [A] Rpt.

[Ten/6:30pm] Movie: “The Brady Bunch Movie” (US 1995) Rpt.

[SBS/8:00pm] Iron Chef America – Mushrooms – Iron Chef Mastermind Takeshi Kaga has passed the torch onto a new chairman, martial arts actor Mark Dacascos. This version is a replica of the original Japanese version, with a few familiar faces making an appearance. In tonight’s episode, Iron Chef Mario Batali battles against the first female challenger, Anita Lo, in a mushroom challenge. (From the US, in English) (Entertainment) G CC WS

[Movie Extra/8:30pm] Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Peter O’Brien.
[Movie Extra/11:30pm] Movie: Mysterious Skin

SUNDAY 4
[ABC/7:30pm] Planet Earth. New Series. Following in the footsteps of the great polar explorers, Planet Earth takes cameras into the most remote wildernesses on the planet. With the help of Royal Navy helicopters, the BBC teams capture, from the air, incredible shots of humpback whales feeding, while a dive team films the whales from under the water. At the end of the Antarctic summer, the sea around the continent freezes and the ice expands, doubling the size of the Antarctic. While all other life flees north, the Emperor penguins are just arriving. For more than nine months, Planet Earth follows these hardy birds as they trek across the sea ice to breed. The high technology time-lapse cameras reveal behaviours new to science, as the colony is transformed into a dynamic, single organism. In the Arctic, a male polar bear whose ice world is literally melting away beneath him, is shown swimming more than 100 kilometres in search of ice from which to hunt seals. In desperation, he takes on a colony of walruses and – after a battle of giants – comes off the worst. Finally, Planet Earth catches up with two cubs that were filmed emerging from their den at the start of the series. Independent of their mother, they are now facing incredible survival challenges as climate change transforms the planet’s ice worlds.

[ABC/11:50pm] Tipping The Velvet. Final .(CC, Rpt, M* Sex scenes and adult themes) Concluding Andrew Davies’ adaptation of Sarah Waters’ vibrant tale of love in eccentric fin-de-siecle London society. Nan is ordered from Diana’s house. Destitute she finds Florence and happiness, until Kitty Butler returns.

[Seven/7:30pm] Greatest Novelty Acts Of All Time. Denise Drysdale presents some of the best talent acts from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Taken from Ed Sullivan’s special collection of novel, funny and death- defying stunts, these real-life acts will have you wondering how they did it!

[Seven/8:30pm] Movie: Sweet Home Alabama
An ambitious young woman, Melanie Carmichael, moves to New York to escape her simple life in Alabama. In no time, she reinvents herself as an up-scale fashion designer who is engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor, the son of the respected mayor. But Melanie’s past holds many secrets, including the husband that she married in high school – who refuses to divorce her. Determined to end her contentious marriage, Melanie travels to Alabama to confront her past – only to discover that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can never take the South out of the girl! Starring REESE WITHERSPOON, JOSH LUCAS, PATRICK DEMPSEY, CANDICE BERGEN, ETHAN EMBRY, JEAN SMART, FRED WARD, MARY KAY PLACE, MELANIE LYNSKEY and RHONA MITRA.

[Sunday/12:00pm] 35th Country Music Awards Of Australia Australian country music industry’s celebrated annual awards presentation recognising recording excellence…and gala concert featuring Australia’s biggest country music stars.

[Sunday/2:00pm] Beach Cricket. Grand Final. Some of cricket’s all time greats from Australia, England and the West Indies have competed in the inaugural tri nation’s series. Tune in live for the Beach Cricket Grand Final at Sydney’s Maroubra beach.

[Ten/7:30pm] The Biggest Loser. Premiere. Meet the 14 Australians who will take on the greatest challenge of their lives. We see the contestants enter the house and have their first weigh in. They begin their journey with the US trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, but there is a surprising twist. Hosted by AJ Rochester. See earlier review.

[Ten/12:00am Mon] Battlestar Galactica “The Captain’s Hand”

[Max/2:00pm] Queen. Three hours of the world’s greatest band.

[Ovation/7:00pm] Tan Dun: The Map

[Arena/8:30pm] Entourage.