CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET
This is why sports on TV is so much fun to watch: It's often completely different in practice than in theory. In theory, this was Tiger Woods' comeback vehicle, until he drove that vehicle into a ditch (or a sand trap) during yesterday's messy-looking Round 2. He starts today at eight strokes off the lead, with Rory McIlroy only one stroke behind the leaders, and Phil Mickelson three. But look who's the co-leader, with Jason Dufner, at five under par: Good old Fred Couples. And when I say "good old," I mean it. He's good, because yesterday he produced the lowest Round 2 at this year's Masters, a five-under-par 67. And he's old, because he's 52. The oldest player to win a major is Jack Nicklaus, who won his sixth Masters 26 years ago at age 46. For a perspective on this year’s tournament, see TVWW contributor Gerald Jordan’s new
Crossing Jordan column
HERE.
ABC, 7:00 p.m. ET
Cecil B. DeMille’s late-career biblical epic stars Charlton Heston in his most iconic role, as Moses, to whom it is said that God favored as a very special sort of headache patient. (“Take two tablets and call me in the morning.” Or something like that.) ABC is back to showing this every year at this time – although one year, when pushing its own telemovie remake of the same biblical story, it skipped its otherwise annual showing. Bad move – this 1956 Old Testament story is not one to Passover.
AMC, 8:00 p.m. ET
This movie was released in 1975, but is fully infused with the spirit of the Sixties. Ken Kesey wrote the original novel in 1962 – and though Kirk Douglas tried for years to get the movie made with himself in the central role, it finally was brought to the screen by his son, Michael, who acted as producer. He cast Jack Nicholson as the misplaced, rebellious mental patient, and the rest is cinema history. What a movie – and what a group of actors. Louise Fletcher and Braf Dourif built careers from this film, but watch, also, for future Taxi cast mates Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd.
USA, 8:00 p.m. ET
This 50th anniversary showing of this brilliant film version of Harper Lee’s only novel is historic in more ways than one. The movie stars Gregory Peck as a bravely moral small-town lawyer, and the film was shown Thursday night by the American Film Institute at the White House Family Theater. Peck was the founding chairman of the AFI – and for tonight’s special prime-time telecast, the host of this movie about prejudice and justice is very special indeed: President Barack Obama.
NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET
Here’s an edition of SNL not to miss, and not because One Direction is the musical act. The guest host on this all-new edition is Sofia Vergara, who plays the saucy, sexy, and very sassy Gloria on ABC’s Modern Family. She’s a natural comedienne, and the writers should have a great time showcasing her in new roles and situations.