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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Edwards to address Demo delegates

Joel Brown New York Times Syndicate

A possible big deal tonight airs at 7, when the Big Three networks join PBS and cable for coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Tonight is Sen. John Edwards’ night to be formally crowned as the party’s vice presidential nominee.

Sen. John Kerry gets the presidential nod Thursday. But Edwards’ speech tonight could prove to be a convention highlight.

Hardcores can tune in to C-SPAN beginning at 3 p.m. for gavel-to-gavel coverage of the festivities. The galaxy of cable news channels comes on between 3 and 5 p.m. with a mix of convention-centric regular shows — “Larry King Live” and whatnot — and dedicated coverage. A lighter take can be seen on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” at 11, followed by convention segments on Jay Leno and David Letterman.

The night’s other high- — or low — lights include the second episode of Denis Leary’s compelling firehouse series “Rescue Me” and the debut of UPN’s controversial “Amish in the City.”

Highlights

“My Wife and Kids,” ABC at 8: Hourlong repeat features guest Brian McKnight and an anniversary celebration. Followed at 9 by two episodes of the played-out “Drew Carey Show.”

“60 Minutes,” CBS at 8: Bob Simon profiles a business in which the downtrodden go to work and are actually helping themselves.

“That ‘70s Show,” Fox at 8: Repeat. Eric gets cold feet about marrying Donna and skips town to sort things out. Guests include Brooke Shields and Morgan Fairchild.

“Next Action Star,” NBC at 9: Season finale finds the final four contestants getting a Hollywood makeover and facing a “Matrix”-style stunt.

“Amish in the City,” UPN at 8: Premiere. A reality-TV look at the lives of several Amish teens taking their “rumspringa,” a traditional period in which they sample life outside their faith before deciding whether to commit to it forever.

Of course, this won’t be the normal rumspringa. These five Amish teens will be moving into a sleek home in the Hollywood Hills with some non-Amish roomies.

Exploitative? Maybe. But isn’t being on reality TV just another rite of passage for today’s young people?

“Smallville,” WB at 8: Back-to-back repeats. In the first, guest Michael McKean arrives, playing tabloid TV hack Perry White! In the second, at 9, Clark gets a look at Jor-El’s fate.

“Quintuplets,” Fox at 8:30: Five different ways to make the homecoming dance memorable — not necessarily in a good way.

“King of Queens,” CBS at 9: Arthur wins a wad playing bingo. Repeat.

“The Simple Life 2,” Fox at 9: The girls bunk in with a biker family and get jobs at a beauty salon. Followed at 9:30 by a repeat of “Method & Red.”

“Law & Order,” NBC at 10: An armed gunman goes on a rampage at City Hall. Repeat.

“Two and a Half Men,” CBS at 9:30: The brothers try to get Jake to cheer up their mom after she’s dumped. Repeat.

Family Fare

Shark Week, Discovery at 8: Tonight, join a “Dive to Shark Volcano.”

Cable Cast

Baseball, ESPN at 4.

“Hard Rock Live,” MTV at 8: Over-the-top glam-metal from the Darkness.

“Six Feet Under,” HBO at 9: Repeat of Sunday’s episode, followed by Sunday’s installments of “Entourage” and “Da Ali G Show.”