Seven Days of Television: July 22 to July 28
A select viewing guide to the next seven days of television
MONDAY JULY 22 The Next Star (YTV, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.) The next Justin Bieber or Carly Rae Jepsen is out there waiting to be discovered. Recently returned for its sixth season, this summer TV perennial follows the cross-country search for teen singing stars. The savvy judging panel is comprised of Juno-winning diva Keshia Chanté, country singer Tara Oram and music-industry executive Mark Spicoluk. And the show is even livelier this season with the arrival of new host Carlos Bustamante, best known for helming YTV’s The Zone. Last week’s opener chronicled the nervewracking audition process in Vancouver and Calgary, which yielded only three golden tickets to the finalist rounds. Tonight, they search for talent in Halifax and Montreal. Sing your hearts out, kids.CMP
TUESDAY JULY 23 Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC, 9 p.m.) Time to climb the family tree all over again. Following a three-season run on NBC, this reality series resurfaces on TLC for an eight-episode run. As before, the concept involves introducing celebrities tracking their family history with the assistance of historians and lineage experts. Tonight’s opener focuses on American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, who must have some skeletons in the closet since she’s crying her eyes out before the first commercial break. Upcoming stars slated for the lineage treatment include Chelsea Handler, Cindy Crawford, Zooey Deschanel and The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons. Bazinga!
WEDNESDAY JULY 24 Dance Kids ATL (TLC, 10 p.m.) If you want to make it big in the hip-hop dance world, get thee to Atlanta. More specifically, you have to sign up for classes at the Dance 411 studio, which is run by world-renowned dance coach Tracey Berry and choreographer Sean Bankhead, the man who taught Beyonce, Ciara and Bruno Mars how to shake their groove thangs. This new pilot-for-series documents a week of instruction at Dance 411 shortly before a national dance competition. Do Berry and Bankhead take it easy on their students just because they’re all under 16? Not a chance.
THURSDAY JULY 25 Hell’s Kitchen (Fox, Citytv, 8 p.m.) Is there a more prominent figure on television this summer than Gordon Ramsay? In tandem with the Fox series MasterChef, the cantankerous Brit chef helms two of the most-watched shows on American television. Hell’s Kitchen wraps its 11 th campaign tonight and what a wild ride it has been. Last week saw the removal of the likeable chef Cyndi and the advancement of the less-likeable Mary to the final round, where she will compete against either Jon or Ja’Nel. The last chapter takes the finalists to Las Vegas where they’re tasked to execute a flawless dinner service. The last chef standing will be awarded the head chef position at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace, where the mad chef can start screaming at them all over again.
FRIDAY JULY 26 Shark Tank (ABC, CTV, 8 p.m.) Recently nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Best Reality Show, this slick reality search series is coming off its highest-rated season to date. No doubt many Canadian viewers are watching because of the presence of Dragon’s Den regulars Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec, who field the entrepreneurial pitches with help from Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner and Daymond John. In tonight’s rebroadcast episode, the Sharks hear from an Illinois farmer with a plan for gourmet meat and a San Diego inventor who claims that his innovative water bottle can make even the filthiest water drinkable. As on Dragon’s Den, O’Leary is the most dyspeptic member of the panel.
SATURDAY JULY 27 American Haunting (A&E, 8 p.m.) Want to see something really scary? Debuting tonight, this new series profiles families who claim to have encountered paranormal phenomena in their own homes. As on Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Witness and a few dozen other reality shows, the investigation involves surveillance cameras set up throughout the family’s home in order to capture any poltergeist activity. Tonight’s opener travels to Grayson, Kentucky, where the McGlone clan claim to have witnessed floating objects, strange voices and inexplicable smells on a daily basis. Scarier yet, one of the McGlones say they have been attacked by invisible hands in the middle of the night! Be afraid.
SUNDAY JULY 28 The Man Behind the Throne (CBC News Network, 8 p.m.) Does the name Vincent Paterson ring a bell? Best known for creating the dance moves for Michael Jackson and Madonna, the L.A.-based choreographer maintains a low profile but is widely acknowledged as being the best in the business. This exhaustive documentary tracks Paterson’s career from his early days as a dancer (he can be seen in MJ’s Thriller and Beat It videos) to his later successes choreographing Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour. More screen time is devoted to Paterson devising dance routines for the Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis show in Las Vegas. The man’s got the moves.