Saturday's Highlights: Bill Maher does stand-up in an HBO special
NEW RULES: The new special "Bill Maher . . . But I'm Not Wrong" features the comedian, at 10 p.m. on HBO.
SERIES
Survivors: The British TV series from the '70s, based on a book by Terry Nation, is updated in this version that tells the story of a world in which a virus has killed almost 90% of the population. Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Paterson Joseph, Zoe Tapper and Nikki Amuka-Bird star (5 and 8 p.m. BBC America).
Austin City Limits: Performing in this new episode, Them Crooked Vultures features Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones (11 p.m. KLCS).
MOVIES
The Guns of Navarone: This 1961 World War II adventure adapts the Alistair MacLean novel about a mission to destroy huge German guns guarding a vital Greek seaport. Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn play the leaders of the dangerous assignment. Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, James Darren and Richard Harris also star (5 p.m. TCM).
Cars: This 2006 CGI box-office hit features Owen Wilson voicing a hotshot race car who gets stranded in a backwater town. Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin and Tony Shalhoub also provide voices along with Tom and Ray Magliozzi, of NPR's "Car Talk" (8 p.m. ABC Family).
Elevator Girl: Sparks fly between a free-spirited woman (Lacey Chabert) and a lawyer (Ryan Merriman), who meet while stuck in an elevator in this new TV comedy (9 and 11 p.m. Hallmark).
SPORTS
Rugby: 6-Nations: France vs. Ireland (8:30 a.m. BBC America).
College basketball: Michigan State at Penn State (9 a.m. ESPN); UNLV at San Diego State (1 p.m. VS); Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara (4 p.m. FS Prime).
Women's college basketball: USC at UCLA (11 a.m. FS Prime); Washington State at California (1 p.m. FSN).
PGA tour golf: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, from Pebble Beach (Noon CBS).
XXI Winter Olympics: Women's hockey: Sweden vs. Switzerland. (Noon CNBC); Canada vs. Slovakia (5 p.m. CNBC).
Hockey: The Colorado Avalanche visit the Kings (7:30 p.m. FSN).
Photo: Gavin Bond / HBO
Just watched the Bill Maher special. It should be called ' Lame yes but I still think I am smarter than everybody' . All he did was repeat his old stale routine, to wit: religion and white people are stupid. He has beat this drum to death and he desperatly needs some new material.
Posted by: Mike Allen | February 13, 2010 at 07:57 PM
I have always been a big fan of Bill Maher, back to the "Politically Incorrect" days, and watch "Real Time" each week, when it airs on HBO. I have watched all his HBO specials, and had he appeared in my town, I would have paid to see him. However, his HBO show last night was stale, crude, gratuitous, and lazy. He had several opportunities for big laughs by zeroing in on more contemporary subjects (example - he made a "retard" joke about GW, and failed to capitalize on Palin's hypocrisy toward Limbaugh's use of the word), and just passed them up. Bill is supposed to be a political satirist, but last night, he was just another "blue" comedian going for the cheap laugh, and he was rarely funny. I thought it was a lazy and predictable performance, and I am glad that I did not have to pay to be in the audience.
I am sorry to have to write this, but I expect a more intelligent show from a guy who agrees with me that there are a lot of "stupid" people in our country. I would expect that he realizes that they are not the ones who tune in to his show, or pay to see him. He does not need to "dumb down" his performances for his audience. I was very disappointed, and hope that when "Real Time" returns next week, he gets back on track.
One last point, as mentioned above, I set my DVR for his show, and it ended after sixty minutes, but I hear it went on for another twenty minutes. That is HBO's bad, or they censored him, which is REALLY HBO's bad. I would like to know what was up with that.
Bill and HBO get a "thumb's down" for "But I'm Not Wrong". He may not have been wrong, but he was not funny, either.
Posted by: Rich from Santa Barbara | February 14, 2010 at 10:48 AM
I have always been a big fan of Bill Maher, back to the "Politically Incorrect" days, and watch "Real Time" each week, when it airs on HBO. I have watched all his HBO specials, and had he appeared in my town, I would have paid to see him. However, his HBO show last night was stale, crude, gratuitous, and lazy. He had several opportunities for big laughs by zeroing in on more contemporary subjects (example - he made a "retard" joke about GW, and failed to capitalize on Palin's hypocrisy toward Limbaugh's use of the word), and just passed them up. Bill is supposed to be a political satirist, but last night, he was just another "blue" comedian going for the cheap laugh, and he was rarely funny. I thought it was a lazy and predictable performance, and I am glad that I did not have to pay to be in the audience.
I am sorry to have to write this, but I expect a more intelligent show from a guy who agrees with me that there are a lot of "stupid" people in our country. I hope he realizes that they are not the ones who tune in to his show, or pay to see him. He does not need to "dumb down" his performances for his audience. I was very disappointed, and hope that when "Real Time" returns next week, he gets back on track.
One last point, as mentioned above, I set my DVR for his show, and it ended after sixty minutes, but I hear it went on for another twenty minutes. That is HBO's bad, or they censored him, which is REALLY HBO's bad. I would like to know what was up with that.
Bill and HBO get a "thumb's down" for "But I'm Not Wrong". He may not have been wrong, but he was not funny, either.
Posted by: Rich from Santa Barbara | February 14, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Maher is a lightweight, a poet who wanted to be a boxer.
Posted by: JayCeezy | February 14, 2010 at 12:36 PM
1. But, he’s so right! Getting strait and directly to the nuts and bolts, the bottom line, and basically the absolute truth about American politics, Celebrities, and whomever else is out there destroying and dismantling our species in this country and others – Bill Maher has just hit it so far out of the park, that all those that can’t go to the ball game, or are unable to attend recently because of financial reasons can finally see what the writing on the ball really says.
And, it says” You have been and are a sheep being lead by wolves in Sheppard’s clothing – idiot.”
Posted by: jabberjaw | February 15, 2010 at 07:56 PM