TVSquad

Over the last two years Food Network's Alton Brown has taken to America's roads less traveled in the Feasting on Asphalt series in order to find the little known jewels that were left behind as the Interstates began to rule the country. Along the way, Alton and his crew dined on alligator, various pieces of pig that are not normally consumed by the general public, sweet bread sandwiches, and lots and lots of doughnuts. Now, filled with fried dough and cow brains, Alton has decided to get off of his motorcycle and see what other delicacies are out there in warm waters of the Caribbean.

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.

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.

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 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.