‘3’ tells NASCAR driver’s story
If they gave out Emmys for the small screen’s most smoldering squint, Barry Pepper would win hands down for his portrayal of the late NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt in “3” (9 p.m. tonight, ESPN).
A vast improvement on ESPN’s earlier movies about sports psychos Pete Rose and Bobby Knight, “3” focuses on Earnhardt’s off-track life, with a particular emphasis on his relationship with his father and sons. The film also shows the allure of the dangerous sport and its appeal to drivers like Earnhardt, who saw racing glory as an escape from a life of low-wage jobs at dying mills and fading factories.
George Lopez stars in “Naughty or Nice” (8 p.m., tonight, ABC, TV-PG,V) as Henry Ramiro, Chicago’s reigning radio shock-jock who has clawed his way to the top of the ratings by being the rudest man in town. Henry develops some second thoughts about his put-down patter after a harsh session in which he trashes a caller, Michael (James Kirk), who turns out to be a teen suffering from an incurable illness.
When Henry calls on the boy to apologize, Michael dares him to be pleasant and upbeat for just one day. Henry obliges and his ratings and image take a beating.
But, in a miraculous turn, Michael’s health begins to improve. Spooked by this turn of events, Henry fears a return to his cranky routine will hurt the boy’s recovery. Henry’s career suffers, but some members of his dwindling audience begin to respond to him in a whole new way.
Steve Guttenberg stars as Santa’s lovelorn son and heir in the cable holiday comedy “Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus” (9 p.m. tonight, Hallmark). Believe it or not, this is the first of two movies airing this weekend about Santa’s spawn in search of a special someone to share those long winter nights at the North Pole.
Are you ready for the ratings smackdown? It may not rank with Ali-Frazier, but the hour of competition between the two-hour “Survivor” (8 p.m. Sunday, CBS) finale and an episode of “Desperate Housewives” (9 p.m., Sunday, ABC, see listing below) should have some network types biting their nails. And that could mark a significant milestone in the accelerating decline of the reality genre.
Tom Cavanagh returns to “Ed” form as Santa’s chatty, scatterbrained son in “Snow” (8 p.m. Sunday, Family). Santa’s boy Nick travels to the Los Angeles area after an intrepid poacher steals one of the jolly guy’s reindeer. This time, Nick travels via a magic mirror portal. (Don’t ask).
He finds the missing sled-puller in a sunny zoo, presided over by Sandy (Ashley Williams, “Good Morning Miami”), an even sunnier zookeeper who happens to be a Christmas-decoration maniac.
“The Two Marys: The Madonna and the Magdalene” (8 p.m. Sunday, CNN) examines controversial theories, posed in Dan Brown’s best-selling novel “The Da Vinci Code” and elsewhere, about the obscured role of Mary Magdalene during the early years of Christianity.
“Moving Image Salutes John Travolta” (10 p.m. Sunday, USA) provides a Sunday night fever retrospective of the actor’s roles, from “Welcome Back, Kotter” to “Pulp Fiction” and beyond.
Tonight’s highlights
The voices of Ben Stiller, Hugh Grant and Britney Spears animate the 2002 special “Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire” (8 p.m., CBS). Followed by “Robbie the Reindeer and the Legend of the Lost Tribe” (8:30 p.m., CBS).
Dennis Hopper stars as a hot-rodding ex-con in the 2004 cable drama “The Last Ride” (8 p.m., NBC).
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): Opera diva Anna Netrebko; Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.); Saudi Arabia’s terror problem.
Holiday lights blaze in the 1989 comedy “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (8 p.m., NBC). Elton John on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8 p.m., ABC).