Screen Time

PUBLIC SPEAKING Monday at 10 p.m. on (HBO) Writer Fran Lebowitz offers her one-of-a-kind take on poli- tics, popular culture and pet peeves in this new documen- tary from Oscar winner Martin Scorsese, who captures her on the streets of her beloved New York, in conversation at a West Village restaurant, and onstage with her friend and fellow writer Toni Morrison. THE MIDDLE Wednesday at 8 p.m. on (ABC-7) She wants them to talk about what? This can’t end well. When Mike’s (Neil Flynn) father and brother (John Cullum, Norm Macdonald) come over for Thanksgiving, Frankie is unimpressed with their strong, silent type act and urges them to share their feelings. Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is excited about the guest Bob (Chris Kattan) is bringing, and Sue (Eden Sher) is eager to start a new tradition in the kitchen in the new episode “Thanksgiving II.” SWAMP LOGGERS Friday at 9 p.m. on (TDC) Rutledge Wood, Tanner Foust and Adam Ferrara (from left) TOP GEAR Sunday at 10 p.m. on (HIST) A favorite on British television, this series about all things automotive gets a long-awaited U.S. incarnation, with ac- tor-comedian Adam Ferrara, racing driver Tanner Foust, and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. The premiere features a meeting between a Viper and a Cobra — car and helicop- ter, respectively — as well as a desert race for Lamborghi- nis and a test-track run by former astronaut Buzz Aldrin. It’s shows like this that make folks appreciate their dull jobs. In this new episode, Justin is in charge as the loggers work from two decks toward an ambitious goal: 100 loads. Log- ging the Hillburn tract proves to be another challenge, as the road into it needs to be stabilized before it can with- stand the weight of loaded timber trucks in “Put to the Test.” MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE Thursday at 9 a.m. on (NBC-24) Giant balloons, marching bands, Tom Turkey and Santa — if it’s Thanksgiving, it must be parade day in New York and probably at your house. The 84th edition of the ultimate Broadway show is slated to feature appearances by Miranda Cosgrove (“iCarly”), late-night host Jimmy Fallon, rapper Kanye West, Jessica Simpson and more. Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer and Al Roker host the festivities. THANKSGIVING SHOWS come to the rescue with a decidedly unconventional Thanksgiving feast. “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (1973) Maybe not quite in the same class as its Christmas and Halloween counterparts, but this “Peanuts” holiday special still has plenty of delightful moments revolving around the confusion that ensues when pushy Peppermint Patty decides she and the gang will have holiday dinner at “Chuck’s” house. Thankfully, Snoopy and Woodstock 2 select TV “WKRP in Cincinnati” (1978) Our personal candidate for the funniest Thanksgiving episode ever made, “Turkeys Away!” finds hapless station manager Arthur Carlson devising a holiday promotion that involves dropping live turkeys from a helicopter. There’s just one problem: Turkeys can’t fly, and reporter Les Nessman’s account of the resulting carnage (“The turkeys are hitting the ground like bags of wet cement! Oh, the humanity!”) is a moment in TV comedy for the ages. “Cheers” (1986) In “Thanksgiving Orphans,” most of the bar gang is in a fowl mood as they gather at Carla’s new home for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but tensions rise swiftly as the giant turkey (dubbed “Birdzilla” by Carla) refuses to finish cooking, leading to a food fight that climaxes in a pumpkin pie to the puss of Norm’s previously unseen wife, Vera. “Mad About You” (1994) Just about everyone was mad about “Giblets for Murray,” a dazzling farce of an episode that finds frazzled Paul and Jamie Buchman going through no fewer than five turkeys as a series of comic mishaps plagues their attempts to cook the holiday feast for both their families, culminating in a panicky Jamie throwing one bird out the window and Murray the dog feasting happily on another. “The West Wing” (2000) Technically, “Shibboleth” was about a group of Daily News Chinese stowaways found hidden in a California container ship, but what everyone remembers about this Thanksgiving episode is Allison Janney’s hilarious work Allison Janney Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser as press secretary C.J. Cregg, who is charged with determining which of two turkeys – Eric or Troy – would receive a presidential pardon and which would be eaten. Thankfully, she and President Bartlet come up with a last-minute Hail Mary play to spare both birds. November 20 - 26, 2010 BY JOHN CROOK

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