SUNDAY
The Surreal Life
MuchMoreMusic, 8 p.m. Stacking a reality show with the formerly famous is not a new idea. What makes The Surreal Life truly surreal, however, is the caste consciousness of the "celebrities" involved. The premise: Seven C-list celebs live together for 10 days. They are: actors Corey Feldman, Gabrielle Carteris and Emmanuel Lewis, musicians MC Hammer and Motley Crue's Vince Neil, playmate Brande Roderick and Survivor's Jerri Manthey. Manthey, however, is deemed unworthy, with the one-time centrefold actually longing for Robin Givens to take her place! The show is queerly voyeuristic and completely ridiculous, which makes it must-see TV in some quarters. The second season (coming in July) is even stranger as porn guy Ron Jeremy, televangelist Tammy Faye Messner and rapper Vanilla Ice shack up.
MONDAY
Degrassi: The Next Generation
CTV, 8:30 p.m. Degrassi keeps up its barrier-breaking reputation with tonight's episode featuring the series' first gay teenage kiss. Late last year, Marco (played by 17-year-old Adamo Ruggiero) was beaten for being gay, now he's getting his first guy-on-guy smooch. It's a gentle love story told in Degrassi's usual goofy, yet symbolic style.
TUESDAY
Raging Hormones
CBC, 9 p.m. CBC is getting into the reality business. In this two-part series, the host-of-a-hundred-cable-shows, Mag Ruffman, is sent into the midst of two families with teenagers. She is there to observe, annoy and, well, I'm not really sure what else. Ruffman and her camera crew spend two weeks with each family, then compress their stay into one hour. This is supposed to show what? That teenagers pick fights with their parents? That, despite all the yelling, parents still love their kids? This is novel enough for a two-part series? Ruffman never fully explains what the point of Raging Hormones is, at least not convincingly enough for me to want to listen to another family's bickering when the conclusion airs Thursday at 9 p.m.
THURSDAY
Vietnam: Ghosts of War
History, 8 p.m. In this long and thoughtful documentary, Canadian journalist Michael Maclear uses his extensive experience covering the Vietnam War to reflect on the current no-end-in-sight conflict in Iraq. He begins with the event that changed the future of Southeast Asia, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which ended French colonial rule of Vietnam. Maclear has footage of the 1954 battle and compares the French defeat to the quagmire America would find itself in 20 years later trying to conquer the same country. Throughout the two-hour film Maclear's narration refers to the Vietnam people's "readiness to die for a cause" as a message that's been forgotten by America in today's Iraq conflict. The footage here is powerful and eerie as Maclear's contemplative narration offers an interesting study of his career and how some things haven't changed.
FRIDAY
The D.A.
ABC, 10 p.m. All I can recommend of this new drama are the blue Brazilian eyes of Bruno Campos. When he is on the screen, the confusing script, boring story and constant shouting by lead Steven Weber (Once and Again) simply fade into the background. From what I could grasp, The D.A. is about the politics of working in a Los Angeles district attorney's office. Campos's character is brought in to find an internal security leak and solve a murder. He achieves this after an hour of clunky dialogue, but who's listening? Campos is someone you just stare at.