INTERVIEW
SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH., Wednesday, 9 p.m., Sundance
A singer’s singer: Elvis Costello may be with his peers when he has Elton John or James Taylor on his talk show, but when the guest is Tony Bennett, he just has to take notes. In this utterly charming hour, Tony and Elvis discuss many of the great songs, such as “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” and the colorful people responsible for them. Accompanied by Bennett’s favorite accompanist, Bill Charlap, Tony sings the classics – and pulls a very special surprise guest from the audience for a spontaneous duet. Who will it be? Barbra? Liza? Madonna?
DRAMA
LIPSTICK JUNGLE, Friday, 9 p.m., NBC
Another coat of ‘Lipstick’: Don’t write off “Lipstick Jungle” just yet. The show’s fans have lobbied NBC to keep the Brooke Shields fashion drama on the air. In this week’s installment, Wendy (Brooke Shields) discovers that Shane (Paul Blackthorne) is still considering going on tour with Natasha Bedingfield, which puts a strain on their marriage. Nico’s (Kim Raver) quest for parenthood takes a surprising twist. Meanwhile, Victory (Lindsay Price) tries to find the perfect way to propose to Joe (Andrew McCarthy). Robert Buckley also stars.
GAME
GAME SHOW IN MY HEAD, Saturday, 8-9 p.m., CBS
Stupid people tricks: If Salt Lake City personal trainer Shalisse Pekarcik and Buffalo entrepreneur Craig Scime can perform outrageous and often embarrassing tasks in public, they can go home with big money-$50,000-on the new reality show “Game Show In My Head.” Hollywood genius Ashton Kutcher is the mastermind behind this effort, which uses a hidden camera to capture their crazy antics. Contestants are on a short leash, tough: if they fail to perform one task, they’ll lose all the money they’ve won. Joe Rogen is the host for these back-to-back episodes.
AWARDS
THE 31ST ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, Tuesday, 9 p.m., CBS
People who need Barbra: It seems odd that Diana Ross received her Kennedy Center honor before Barbra Streisand, but it’s just one of life’s mysteries. At the annual ceremony in Washington, D.C., Babs is the most prominent recipient of the honor. Again, it’s weird that Queen Latifah is introducing Streisand but maybe everyone else was busy. Other honorees are Morgan Freeman, introduced by Denzel Washington, who co-starred with him in “Glory,” Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry, introduced by Jack Black, choreographer Twyla Tharp, introduced by Lily Tomlin. Singer George Jones gets his own very special tribute from First Lady Laura Bush.
MARATHONS
The New Year’s Eve weekend would not be complete without TV marathons. First up this year is the “I Love Lucy” festival that begins Wednesday, December 31, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., on TV Land. Regular viewers of the rerun-friendly channel voted on the selection. It’s anybody’s guess to see which installment ranks higher-Vitameatavegamin or the one where Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) get jobs in a candy factory.
At midnight, 30 classic episodes of “The Honeymooners” start airing on Ch. 11. Before there was male bonding and before Brooklyn was the borough of choice in New York City, there were Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) and Ed Norton (Art Carney) and their patient wives.
If nostalgia is not your thing but you still want to watch an entire series, “The Real Housewives of New York City” is rebroadcasting its first season on Bravo, January 3, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jill Zarin, Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, Alex McCord and the Countess are the tasteless quintet set loose on the streets of New York City and the tennis courts of the Hamptons.
HISTORY
Deadliest ‘Sins’: The History channel looks at the history of sin-as an idea; as it’s been interpreted by various religions; as the downfall of select historical figures. Rather than run through the “Seven Deadly Sins” in one night, the producers explore one sin per night over an entire week. In chronological order, they are:
LUST (Monday, 9 p.m.).
The history of the sin of lust reveals surprising twists – including Gnostic Christian orgies, Puritan anti-fornication laws, and exorcists who battled the demon of lust called Asmodeus. Today, scientists believe the sin of lust maybe more genetics than choicea but can they prove it?
ENVY (Tuesday, 9 p.m.)
St. Thomas Aquinas said that those guilty of the sin of envy take “pleasure at another’s misfortune.” IDante characterized the envious as “sinners [who] have their eyes sewn shut because they enjoyed watching others brought low.” In today’s image-saturated world, has the sin of envy gone from vice to virtue?
GLUTTONY (Wednesday, 9 p.m.)
During the Dark Ages theologians believed there were seven ways to commit the sin of gluttony, from “eating too much” to “eating too daintily.” Dante said gluttons would be punished in hell by being force-fed toads and vermin. This sin is thought to be the cause of obesity and alcoholism – and crusaders fought against it with everything from religious fasts to Prohibition.
SLOTH (Thursday, 9 p.m.)
Some scientists suggest that the sin of sloth may actually be a medieval diagnosis of clinical depression. Is it a sin or a disease? The historical cures for the sin of sloth range from ancient Greek doctors who fought it with herbs, to medieval monks who prescribed prayer and fasting, to early-20th-Century doctors who battled “lack-of-pep” with grafted goat glands.
GREED (Friday, 9 p.m.)
You remember the Tenth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Covet. Well, people do it all the time. Both Aristotle to Jesus have railed against this vice, but the 18th Century economist Adam Smith theorized that capitalism itself was based on the sin of greed. Today, many question the sina has greed become good?
ANGER (Saturday, 9 p.m.)
Dante placed those that committed the sin of anger in the “Fourth Circle of Hell,” tearing each other limb from limb for eternity. Those who study demonology claim the sin of anger is really the possession of the body by the demon Ammon. Today, neuroscientists believe they’ve found the emotion of anger in the “amygdala.” So, is the sin of anger demonic or chemical?
PRIDE (Sunday, 9 p.m.)
What is the origin of the sin of pride? . The sin of pride was condemned by the Bible and the philosopher Socrates, while Romans and Vikings made it their greatest virtue. The sin of pride is thought to have led to the fall of Satan.