Category: TV

Go Away With … Grace Park

Jae-Ha Kim

Born in the United States to Korean parents and raised in Canada — where she calls Vancouver home — Grace Park got the travel bug early. Though concurrent roles on “The Cleaner” and “Battlestar Galactica” — as well as the Canadian series “The Border” — preclude her from taking as many vacations as she’d like, Park says visiting new countries is one of the joys in life she shares with her husband, Phil Kim. India and Brazil hold special places in Park’s heart, but her favorite destination thus far is Italy’s quaint Vernazza.

“House, M.D.” — Season Four

Jae-Ha Kim

For Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), there’s nothing like a good, tension-filled competition to pick his new team of doctors when his old trio of Chase (Jesse Spencer), Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Foreman (Omar Epps) leave his fold. Among the 40 newbies vying to earn the coveted spots in the fourth season of House, M.D. are Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn, the Harold & Kumar films), Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson, Transformers) and Dr., uh, Thirteen (Olivia Wilde, The O.C.). Taking a cue from Flavor Flav, House dubs the latter with that nickname simply because he can.

“The Hills” — Season 3

Jae-Ha Kim

The third season of “The Hills” is alive with the sound of arguing, crying, and making up (sort of) by the telegenic quartet known as Lauren, Heidi, Whitney and Audrina. Glitzy, fabulous and completely unrealistic, this top-rated MTV reality series thrives on the conceit that pretty girls are jealous of each other when one of them has a boyfriend. But if that boyfriend is Spencer (Heidi’s big-toothed Svengali-in-training), it’s not necessarily jealousy the girls are feeling so much as revulsion.

“The Closer” — Third Season

Jae-Ha Kim

Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) is back in season three of TNT’s crime procedural The Closer. With a couple years at the Los Angeles police department already under her belt, Brenda has proven that her eccentric method works at getting confessions from even the most hardened criminals. But even she’s not quite sure how to handle the season opener, where a slaughtered family’s sole survivor is the stunned, stoned teenage son. Bleak, dark and wonderfully scripted, the opener sets the tone for the 14 episodes that follow it.

“Lipstick Jungle”

Jae-Ha Kim

Based on the Candace Bushnell novel of the same name, Lipstick Jungle is what the ladies on Sex and the City might have been like, had they been married characters rather than New York singletons. Brooke Shields stars as Wendy Healy, a high-powered movie mogul who can’t get through a day without talking to (or lunching with) her best friends Nico Reilly (Kim Raver, 24) and Victory Ford (Lindsay Price, Beverly Hills, 90210).

Henry Winkler: The Fonz writes books!

Jae-Ha Kim

Three decades ago, Henry Winkler was best known for his role as the Fonz on “Happy Days.” These days, the actor has a whole new generation of fans, thanks to his Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever series of children’s books. Hank, an irrepressible fourth-grader, deals with dyslexia, bullies and a potential love interest in the latest installment — The Life of Me: Enter at Your Own Risk ($5.99, Gosset & Dunlap) — which just hit book stores.

“Friday Night Lights” — Second Season

Jae-Ha Kim

Friday Night Lights is deeply entrenched in the world of football and teamwork, but the series transcends sports and delves into rich, human relationships that at times are heartbreakingly real. A compelling drama, the show also features one of the strongest (and best looking) ensemble casts. The second season fulfills the promise of its debut. Full of drama, heart, and superb acting, the series is set in fictional Dillon, Texas–a town where everyone lives and breathes football.

An organized, healthy lifestyle is the key to Marilu Henner’s positive attitude

Jae-Ha Kim

Phoning from her California home after her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” was completed, Marilu Henner is in a chatty mood. Born and reared in Chicago, the actress best known for her work on “Taxi” gives a verbal high-five to her interviewer, whose accent she immediately recognizes as one from her hometown.

“Sense & Sensibility”

Jae-Ha Kim

Lush, dramatic, and beautifully acted, the BBC’s three-part miniseries “Sense & Sensibility” captures the languid urgency that resonates throughout the Jane Austen novel on which it is based. The miniseries begins with a seduction scene: As a young girl cautiously gives herself to a man, she asks, “But when will you come back?” He answers ominously, “Soon… very soon,” and gallops off into the night.

“Wings” — Season Six

Jae-Ha Kim

Set in Nantucket, “Wings” focuses on a group of people who work at the same small airport and like each other so much (or are so bored) that they are constantly meddling in each other’s business. The sixth season of the sitcom includes preparations for not one, but two weddings. Not to be outdone by Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen’s (Crystal Bernard) engagement (finally!), busybody Roy (David Schramm) decides that he, too, wants to get married and sends away for a Russian mail-order bride.

“Girlfriends” — Season Three

Jae-Ha Kim

Like “Living Single” and “Sex & the City,” “Girlfriends” captures the warm camaraderie (and competition) between good friends. Succinctly balancing comedy with real-life issues, the sitcom returns for a strong third season. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross), Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), and Toni (Jill Marie Jones) are all back and they are as sassy and conflicted as ever.

“General Hospital: Night Shift”

Jae-Ha Kim

Spawned from the Emmy Award-winning day-time drama “General Hospital,” “General Hospital: Night Shift” ran for one season in 2007 on the cable network SOAPnet. Taking some of the young, sexy favorites from the original soap opera and adding in a few new characters, the nighttime soap focuses on Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough)–an HIV-positive physician who is impeccable at her job but troubled when it comes to love.

“Third Watch” — Season 1

Jae-Ha Kim

Equal parts “ER,” “Rescue Me,” and “Law & Order,” “Third Watch” received critical raves when it premiered in 1999 on NBC. All 22 episodes from that first season are included in this 6-disc box set, and the episodes (many of which reflect political issues of the time) stand up well. The third watch refers to the 3 to 11 p.m. shift of firefighters, police officers and paramedics who risk their lives to keep New Yorkers safe.