Monday, Jan. 19
America is awash in Inauguration Eve glee, which makes it just about the perfect time for conservative commentator Glenn Beck to make his debut on Fox News Channel. The CNN expat helms Glenn Beck—featuring “Beck's unconventional perspective of the day's top stories”—at 5 p.m. ET. Indeed, our nation's capital expects a few million visitors tomorrow, a few hundred of them headed to GE's brunch celebration at The National Museum of Women in the Arts. Hosting are the jefe Jeffs—GE Chairman/CEO Immelt and NBC Universal President/CEO Zucker.
Tuesday, Jan. 20
The once-in-a-lifetime day has arrived, and every media outlet under the sun descends on D.C. as Barack Obama is sworn in. BET, for one, kicks off inauguration coverage at 11 a.m., with Rene Syler anchoring, and its Yes We Will: The BET Inauguration Celebration starts at 8, with musical accompaniment from ragin' Haitian Wyclef Jean. Frontline sticks with the theme as it premieres “Dreams of Obama,” touted as “pushing beyond the headlines to reveal how he won one of the most memorable, and important, presidential elections of our time,” on PBS stations at 9. And should you find you've had your fill of Obamarama, Chris Rock's Kill the Messenger DVD is out from HBO.
Wednesday, Jan. 21
Fine Living Network celebrates “the new face of FLN” (our money's on Thurston Howell III) with brunch at 11 Madison Park in Manhattan, as the rich-folk network lays out its new strategy. Uptown a few stops, the Future TV Show, examining “the ever-evolving multi-platform world and how this is set to impact the future of the TV business,” is on at the New York Hilton. An opening address comes from former HBO marketing veep Rishi Malhotra. On the tube, Lost fans must wait no more for a fresh batch of confounding subplots. The new season, starring Rebecca Mader, kicks off at 8. Over on Fox, meanwhile, Tim Roth—apparently fully healed from those painful gunshots to the belly in Reservoir Dogs—stars in Lie to Me as a sleuth who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth in criminal investigations. Hey, it's working for The Mentalist on CBS. Lie lands at 9.
Thursday, Jan. 22
Day two of the Future TV Show features NBC Universal Sports and Olympics digital senior veep Perkins Miller on the “Content Everywhere” panel, and a full five years after the film Super Size Me came out, the Shelly Palmer seminar “Upsizing” also looks to expand one's stature. “Reinventing Yourself and Your Career for the New Digital Economy,” reads the tagline; Upsizing transpires at 630 Second Avenue. On the small screen, Jeffrey Donovan and arresting English thesp Gabrielle Anwar star in the season premiere of USA spy series Burn Notice at 10.
Friday, Jan. 23
Ersatz NBC honcho Jack Donaghy would certainly be at home at a classical music recital, perhaps a lithe debutante on his arm. His portrayer, Alec Baldwin, can apparently pull it off, too, as he hosts The Other Brahms at Avery Fisher Hall in Manhattan. Speaking of animated characters, Nicktoons premieres a cartoon version of Wolverine and the X-Men at 8. The Marvel mates “join forces to prevent world destruction,” enthuses Nicktoons. Perhaps President Obama can grab the pair for Department of Defense.
