'Howie Do It': ewwww

anuary 9, 2009

Tonight, Howie Mandel, the eccentric host of Deal or No Deal, leaves the babes and briefcases behind (for a little while at least) to take the helm of a new hidden camera show, Howie Do It. But those looking for impromptu hilarity should look elsewhere. Howie Do It is nothing but a Candid Camera knock-off with lame jokes.

Just like Candid, Mandel targets real people, and these people are put in odd and embarrassing situations while cameras roll. There is one slight twist though: Mandel - well-known for being a germaphobe and being averse to handshaking - bases some of the material on his battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In one segment, a man who believes he is participating in a magic trick is made to stick his fingers up his nose to retrieve a piece of candy that Howie (in a wig, pretending to be a magician) has convinced him might be there. Then another man, a shill, retrieves from his underwear another piece of candy that the first is asked to put in his mouth. Yup, it's that bad. (8 tonight, WBAL-Channel 11) A final plunge: It's not a great time to jump on the Stargate Atlantis bandwagon. The spaced-out series airs its 100th - and final - episode tonight. It has Atlantis racing to destroy an advanced wraith hive ship. Don't ask us to explain. (9 tonight, SciFi) Makeover my mutt: Underdog to Wonderdog follows a team of canine experts as they rescue and transform the lives of shelter dogs. This episode's subject is an active and untrained beagle fond of "vocalizing and urinating." (8 p.m. tomorrow, Animal Planet)

Late-night guests: Actor Daniel Craig visits the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Actor Kiefer Sutherland stops by the Late Show with David Letterman.

From Sun news services

David Zurawik is on assignment. His column does not appear today.


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