Prime Pick
Photo: HBO
"The people in Darfur, whether you call it a genocide or not, frankly I don't think they care very much, because they know that for them it's almost the end of the world." These words from Dr. Gerard Prunier, author of "Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide," sum up the darkness and frustration at the heart of the latest documentary on Darfur, HBO's "Sand and Sorrow" (8 p.m. EST). Narrated by George Clooney and directed, produced, written and edited by Paul Freedman, "Sand and Sorrow" presents a very clear timeline and explanation of the events in Sudan, along with all of the outrage and disbelief befitting them. The film tackles Darfur from several angles, featuring haunting footage of villages burning, heartbreaking illustrations by children from Darfur, and riveting interviews with the first activists and humanitarians to arrive on the scene. Freedman also interviews high school students in the United States who organized events to heighten awareness of the atrocities, most of them utterly confused by why our country wouldn't immediately intervene to save hundreds of thousands of helpless men, women and children from being slaughtered by government-armed militias. Even if you're well aware of the layers of this tragedy, "Sand and Sorrow" offers a disturbing close-up of the evils that unfolded while the world's most powerful countries sat on their hands and did nothing.
Also…
Edie Falco continues her role as Jack's girlfriend on tonight's "30 Rock" (8:30 p.m. EST on NBC), and on "Top Chef Holiday Challenge" (9 p.m. EST on Bravo) cheftestants from past seasons of "Top Chef" compete in a $20k holiday cook-off. In "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," everyday heroes are honored -- by Anderson Cooper, of course. Barbara Walters would prefer to honor extremely famous people, and she does so in "10 Most Fascinating People," featuring Bill Clinton, Victoria and David Beckham, Jennifer Hudson and Katherine Heigel (10 p.m. EST on ABC).
Last night
What did you think of "Million-Dollar Christmas" on Wednesday? Go here to discuss.
On the talk shows
Regis and KellyABC, 9 a.m. EST |
Megan Mullally, Rob Morrow, Omar Wasow |
The ViewABC, 11 a.m. EST |
Jeff Foxworthy, Sam Elliott |
Ellen DeGeneresSyndicated, check local listings |
Keira Knightley, Toby Keith |
Oprah WinfreySyndicated, check local listings |
How They Revved Up Their Sex Life (repeat) |
Charlie RosePBS, check local listings |
TBA |
Larry KingCNN, 9 p.m. EST |
Preempted for "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" |
Jon StewartComedy Central, 11 p.m. EST |
Dennis Miller (repeat) |
Stephen ColbertComedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EST |
Thomas Ricks, Joe Klein (repeat) |
David LettermanCBS, 11:30 p.m. EST |
Vince Vaughn, KT Tunstall (repeat) |
Jay LenoNBC, 11:35 p.m. EST |
Michael Jordan, David Spade, Fred Nelson Choral Ensemble (repeat) |
Tavis SmileyPBS, check local listings |
David Kyuman Kim, Marc Forster |
Jimmy KimmelABC, 12:05 a.m. EST |
TBA |
Conan O'BrienNBC, 12:35 a.m. EST |
Brian Williams, Leslie Mann, Los Straitjackets with Big Sandy (repeat) |
Craig FergusonCBS, 12:35 a.m. EST |
Eric Idle, S. Epatha Merkerson, Guy Torry (repeat) |
Contributors: Megan Doll, Heather Havrilesky, Eryn Loeb, Amy Reiter
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