VH1 honoring rock talents
Tonight’s muse-see
“VH1 Rock Honors,” 9 and 11 p.m, VH1. Some great rock talents share the stage.
The honorees are The Who, with the two surviving members performing. In the concert – taped Saturday in Los Angeles – Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey linked for “My Generation,” “Who Are You,” “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
Others will do Who songs. They include Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Incubus and Tenacious D.
Tonight’s must-not and must-see
“The Gong Show” and “Reality Bites Back” debuts, 10 and 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central.
Someone must have assumed these shows fit together because … well, they’re each a half-hour and strive for comedy. That’s all they share.
This “Gong Show” revival is loud and witless. Gone are the earnest acts that made the silly ones seem like more fun. Instead, we get a steady parade of people almost begging to be gonged. The judges join the chaos. Who would imagine a show in which the sanest soul is Triumph the Insult Comic Dog?
But as that loud mess fades, “Reality Bites Back” goes in the opposite direction. It’s a quietly clever satire of all reality shows, with Michael Ian Black showing his usual dry wit as host.
Packed into the house are assorted comedians, including Amy Schumer of last year’s “Last Comic Standing.” They know how to play it straight and let the humor unfold.
Other choices include
“Animal Planet Dog Championship,” 7-10 p.m., Animal Planet; and/or “Greatest American Dog,” 8 p.m., CBS. Switch back and forth if you must, but you’ll still have dogs competing on TV.
“Last Comic Standing,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. So you thought the show was going to stick to clever quips and witty retorts? Tonight, the contestants converge on a store to buy things they can use as comedy props. Then they must entertain the store crowd. Oh yes, and the judge is Carrot Top.
“Thelma and Louise” (1991, ION) or “Jaws” (1975, AMC), both 8 p.m. Choose between master directors – Ridley Scott or Steve Spielberg. Their films view predators – human males and a great white shark.
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” 9 p.m., CBS. Here’s one of the episodes that used clever casting when William L. Peterson was doing a play. Liev Schreiber plays an enigmatic agent who fills in; the victim was a runaway teen.
“The Bill Engvall Show” and “My Boys,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., TBS. Here are more guest stars. In the first, Cynthia Watros (“Lost”) plays a carefree woman who instantly befriends Bill’s kids. In the second, Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) may be getting too involved with Andy.
“Swingtown,” 10p.m., CBS. Tom has a pool party when many people are feeling angry and not terribly partylike.
“Fear Itself,” 10 p.m., NBC. Briana Evigan, 21, stars as a young woman having a rough day. She awakes in a post-apocalyptic world, overrun by zombies. Survival won’t be easy, especially since this is from Darren Bousman, who directed the first three “Saw” sequels.
“Soundstage,” 10 p.m., KSPS. Stevie Nicks offers her old hits and some stories. The good news: Her band is great and Nicks offers warmth and zest. The bad: She doesn’t sing particularly well. Still, it’s fairly entertaining and the second half of the concert will be next week.
“Burn Notice,” 10 p.m., USA Network. Michael tries to help a woman who’s being stalked.