Monday, April 26, 2004

TV's best bets



Gannett News Service

Must-see

The Restaurant, 10 p.m., Channels 5, 22.

In last week's season-opener, the battle lines hardened. On one side was Jeffrey Chodorow, the financier and co-owner of Rocco's 22. On the other was Rocco DiSpirito, the young chef.

Chodorow said the chef was often absent, incommunicative and a spendthrift. DiSpirito says that was contrived in a power grab. Tonight's hour finds neither man budging. Meanwhile, Chodorow's people are studying the place. The best moments involve Chodorow's 20-year-old intern. We learn key life lessons, including a big one: Merely putting your hand over a phone doesn't keep someone from hearing your insult.

Jockey, 8 p.m., HBO.

Just beyond the excitement of horse racing, this documentary says, are jockeys in agony. Their locker rooms have saunas and "heaving bowls." Some have shed six or more pounds on race day.

This film ranges from a struggling newcomer to a penniless jockey whose bulimic life left him needing a kidney transplant.

Worth watching

The Sixth Sense (1999), 8-11 p.m., Channels 9, 2. Just when the horror-film field was fading, M. Night Shyamalan brought something fresh and fascinating. He wrote a brilliant script about a boy who sees dead people and then directed it beautifully. Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment lead a perfect cast.

Antiques Roadshow: Favorites, 8 p.m., Channels 48, 16. Here's a "best of" hour with clips from the past. Items range from the menu of the Titanic's final luncheon to a painting that Frank Zappa made in junior high school.

Fear Factor, 8 p.m., Channels 5, 22. All six contestants are swimsuit or fashion models. Among other things, they must crawl through a tunnel, grab an alligator by its tail and pull him out.

Two and a Half Men, 9:30 p.m., Channels 12, 7. In a rerun, Richard Lewis plays Charlie's financial manager and tells him to cut back.

CSI: Miami, 10 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Two of the investigators are trapped by an Everglades fire.




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