TVSquad

Alton Brown is a unique commodity on Food Network. In an environment where most of the action is in front of the stove or above the cutting board, Brown's Good Eats takes us beyond that. Sometimes it's to the origins of the food or the recipe; other times it's into the science of how all of the ingredients of a particular combination of foods work together. He does this with a bit of nerdiness, a bit of hipness, and a good amount of humor.

When he took his love for food on the road in the first Feasting on Asphalt it produced a very successful mini-series that showed the non-corporate side of America's eateries. It also showed us some of the small cities and towns, and their personalities, that we don't normally see off of the interstate at our Applebee's booth.

Now, his second series of Asphalt is out on DVD. While not as fresh as the first series (and, what is the second time around?) it is still a fascinating look into the America that has been nearly forgotten as the corporations took over the country. You'll want to savor this journey because, frankly, that's about all there is in this 3-DVD set.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Best Week Ever picks the 10 Top Chef contestants with the best faux-hawks (or foie-hawks).
• Looks like Katie Couric is going to get a chance to moderate a debate after all.
• Tucker Carlson says goodbye.
• An interview with Alton Brown.
• Quite possibly the greatest on-air local reporter/anchor feud ever!
• A Brothers & Sisters star is heading over to Moonlight.
• Dawn Wells wants to clear up those rumors about her marijuana arrest.
• Are there less fade-ins and fade-outs than there used to be on TV shows?

We first told you about this back in August, and now the complete list is out: Turner Classic Movies is letting celebrities program the network for the month of November. Each celeb is picking three or four films, and here are a few of the more interesting choices (it started Thursday with Alfred Molina's picks).

Turner Classic Movies has asked several well-known celebrities to pick their favorite movies, which will be shown every night throughout November, and I have to say I'm very impressed with their picks.

Some of the choices fit the celeb. For example, Martha Stewart picked Enchanted April, Madame Bovary, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and Anna Karenina, which you can imagine Martha watching at home, a bowl of popcorn in her lap (and critiquing the job Mr. Blandings did), and James Ellroy's picks (Stakeout On Dope Street, The Lineup, Armored Car Robbery, and Murder By Contract) stay along the lines of his noir/mystery background. But a few picks are interesting. Access Hollywood co-host Maria Menounos picked the 1932 cult classic Freaks, and Food Network icon Alton Brown picked the Lee Marvin classic Point Blank. As for non-human celebs, Kermit The Frog picked Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon.

• At 7, ESPN2 has coverage of the Little League World Series (two games).
• At 8, CNN has the special Hope & Heartbreak: Inside The Sago Mine Tragedy.
• Food Network has a new Emeril Live at 8, then a new Feasting On Asphalt.
• There's a new Life with Derek on Disney at 8, followed by a new Cory in the House.
• TCM has That Touch of Mink at 8, then Tea For Two.
• At 8:30, ESPN has coverage of the Rogers Cup tennis tournament.
• At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
• CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show.
• VH-1 has NY77: The Coolest Year In Hell at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new Masters of Science Fiction.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Food uber-nerd Alton Brown is heading back on the road starting this weekend in a new series of Feasting on Asphalt adventures. However, instead of traversing the back-roads of America like he did in last year's series, Alton will be going up the river.

The Mississippi River, to be precise. In Feasting on Asphalt 2: The River Run, premiering August 4th at 9:00 pm on The Food Network, the host of Good Eats and his cast of not many journey the length of Mightily Mississip in search of honest to goodness road food. They begin their adventure at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, stopping along the way to dine on crawfish, alligator, fried chicken, chicken livers, tamales, donuts and authentic home-cooked favorites.

• At 8, ABC has a new The Next Best Thing: Who Is The Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?, followed by the season premiere of American Inventor and a new Traveler.
• NBC has the Senators/Ducks game at 8.
• The CW has a new Hidden Palms at 8, then a new One Tree Hill.
• At 9, FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• TBS has the series premiere of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 9, followed by another new episode.
• There's a new Mythbusters on Discovery at 9.
• The Travel Channel has a new World Poker Tour at 9.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi has the season premiere of Ghost Hunters, then a new Destination Truth.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Good Eats.
• There's a new Top Chef on Bravo at 10, where cast members from the first two seasons compete for charity.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new According To Jim, then a new Notes From The Underbelly.
• CBS has a new Jericho at 8.
• NBC has a new Thank God You're Here at 8, followed by a new Crossing Jordan.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• TCM has The Killers at 8 with Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, followed by Brute Force, with Lancaster and Hume Cronyn.
• Also at 8: Emeril cooks with wine on a new Emeril Live, on Food Network.
• At 9, FOX has a new American Idol.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9.
• The Travel Channel has a new World Poker Tour at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new Lost.
• The new season of Hustle starts on AMC at 10.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Halfway Home.
• Food Network has a new Good Eats at 10, then a new Dinner: Impossible.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has two new episodes of George Lopez, then new episodes of According To Jim, In Case Of Emergency, and Lost.
• CBS has a new Jericho at 8.
• NBC has new episodes of Friday Night Lights, Crossing Jordan, and Medium.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, followed by new episodes of American Idol and 'Til Death.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• American Life has spy shows starting at 8: I Spy, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.
• Discovery has a new episode of Hazard Pay, about repo men. It's on at 8 too.
• At 9, The Travel Channel has a new ep of The World Poker Tour.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Good Eats, all about espresso.
• Also at 10: Comedy Central has a new South Park, then a new Halfway Home.
• At 11, HBO repeats The Comedian Award, with Jerry Seinfeld honored by Chris Rock, Robert Klein, Garry Shandling, Anderson Cooper, and others.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new George Lopez.
• CBS has a new Jericho at 8.
• NBC has new episodes of Dateline, Crossing Jordan, and Medium.
• There's a new American Idol on FOX at 8, followed by the premiere of The Wedding Bells.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
• TNT has an ER marathon starting at 8.
• At 9, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9.
• More marathons: TCM has a Sherlock Holmes movie marathon starting at 9 (the ones with Basi Rathbone and Nigel Bruce).
• At 10, ABC has a new Lost.
• Food Network has a new Good Eats at 10, then a new Dinner: Impossible.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Sarah Silverman Program.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, PBS has a new NOW, followed by a new Washington Week.
• CBS has Rod Stewart's Home For The Holidays special at 8.
• NBC has a new Identity at 8.
• There's a new Justice on FOX at 8, then a new Trading Spouses.
• The CW has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• AMC has Prancer at 8.
• Also at 8: Sci-Fi has two new episodes of Doctor Who.
• At 9, USA has a new Monk.
• Ocean's Eleven airs on TNT at 9.
• At 10, Discovery has a new I Shouldn't Be Alive.
• At 11 on Food Network, Alton Brown makes fruitcake on a repeat Good Eats.