TVSquad

Once upon a time, Hollywood made movies like Lifetime's Coco Chanel all the time. They were called women's pictures and gave the biggest stars of the times amazing roles, Bette Davis in Now, Voyager, Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver, Rosiland Russell in Sister Kenny. Watching this excellent TV movie starring Shirley MacLaine as the older Coco and newcomer Barbora Bobulova as young Coco, I was enthralled and entertained.

You won't find a better TV movie on HBO or CBS or Hallmark Channel or anywhere else on the dial -- Lifetime set the bar high with this expansive biopic and then delivered the goods. Forget your idea of what a Lifetime movie is -- Coco Chanel is no victim of the week. If the intent was re-branding Lifetime movies with this effort, the cable net has hit it out of the park.

You think winning two Oscars would earn you some respect, right? What about a Tony and Emmy winner? No, apparently not -- in either case. Two high-profile TV movies which feature Jessica Lange and Mary-Louise Parker are being broadcast -- unceremoniously -- over the next three Saturday nights on CBS. Yes, they are essentially being dumped. The Nielsen numbers for programs on Saturday nights is next to nothing. By running Sybil and Vinegar Hill, these stars' respective films on that night of the week, CBS is showing no faith in them, let alone TV movies in general. I guess Hallmark Hall of Fame movies are the exception to the rule.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Boots Randolph: He was a renowned sax player best known for his early 60s hit "Yakety Sax," which was later used as the theme song on Benny Hill. Randolph recorded dozens of albums and played in many bands, and was part of the Million Dollar Band on Hee-Haw for many years. He died after suffering a brain aneurysm and falling into a coma two weeks ago. He was 80.

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

1. American Idol - Weds (FOX)
2. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
3. House (FOX)
4. Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
5. Dancing with the Stars - Mon (ABC)
6. Dancing with the Stars - Results (ABC)
7. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
8. CSI: Miami (CBS)
9. Survivor (CBS)
10. Two and a Half Men (CBS)
11. Shark (CBS)
12. CSI (CBS)
13. King of Queens (CBS)
14. Lost (ABC)
15. Extreme Makeover (ABC)
16. 24 (FOX)
17. CSI: NY (CBS)
18. NCIS (CBS)
19. Deal Or No Deal - Mon (NBC)
20. Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie (CBS)