The first problem with TNT's "HawthoRNe" (tonight at 9) is that it's spelled that way, with the big RN for registered nurse and someone thought that was clever.

In guess you didn't get it, the show is about nurses, and Jada
Pinkett Smith (who, by the way, studied for a time at the NC School of the Arts) plays Christina Hawthorne, the chief nursing officer at a hospital in Richmond, Va.

She's recently widowed, left with a daughter. Luckily the nursing staff she supervises is like family.

Michael Vartan, the cutie from "Alias" plays an oncologist and chief of surgery.

The Marquee Wakefield 12 is showing TNT's coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night in 3-D, starting at 8 p.m. Saturday, with tickets priced at $20 apiece. Last month, the Raleigh theater showed Florida's BCS title game victory over Oklahoma in 3-D — the first major sporting event available to the public in 3-D — but the NBA show might be able to make better use of 3-D by allowing the cameras closer to the action. The events include the slam dunk contest, the skills challenge and the 3-point shootout.

Daddy Day Camp.

Boat Trip.

Snow Dogs.

Rat Race.

All those films get erased off Cuba Gooding Jr.'s "for shame" movie list because of "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story." It's on TNT Saturday night at 8.

I just loved it. Ben Carson (that's him with Cuba in the photo) is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and watching his life story made me want to be a better mother.

Nah.

The people who make "Mad Men" could never make "Trust Me." It's just not in them.

"Trust Me" stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanaugh (Ed) as an ad team for a Chicago firm. (Although you don't really see Chicago.) When the creative director dies suddenly, McCormack's character gets promoted and his partner doesn't, changing their dynamic.

Even though it's on TNT, the "We Know Drama" network, it has the feel of USA's "Characters Welcome" shows. It's pretty light in tone, a bit manic, glib, nothing like the sophisticated, witty, compelling "Mad Men." It doesn't make any comment about the times it takes place in, as "Mad Men" does. Neuroticism marks a new high in Monica Potter's character. And just look at the clothes.

Now of course one could argue that "Trust Me" is reflecting its time just as "Mad Men" does and the tone of these times are more glib and casual. But light doesn't have to mean lightweight. At least in the first two episodes, "Trust Me" doesn't tell us anything about the ad world, salesmanship, marketing, manipulation. It's just wacky workplace stuff, and not in a good way like "The Office." These people just didn't appeal to me, but maybe you'll feel differently.

If you want to check it out, turn to TNT at 10pm. I'd love to know what you think.

MLB Network, being launched Thursday, will carry 26 live games on Thursday nights this season, but it is counting more on its “MLB Tonight” studio show, original series and classic games to entice viewers. By giving Time Warner Cable, Comcast, DirecTV and Cox a financial stake, baseball ensured that the network will be launched with a huge advantage — it’s already in about 50 million TV households. Tony Petitti, the former CBS Sports executive who heads MLB Network, spoke with staff writer Roger van der Horst.

Saw ABC/ESPN's Christmas Day NBA tripleheader lineup — New Orleans-Orlando (noon, ESPN), San Antonio-Phoenix (2:30 p.m., ABC), Boston-Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m., ABC) — and got to thinking the New York Knicks haven't been televised nationally, it seems, since Phil Jackson played.

True, the Knicks have been horrible the past few years. but it's hard to believe that the team from the nation's No. 1 television market didn't warrant at least one slot on the 2008-09 regular-season schedule of live games carried by ABC, ESPN, TNT or TBS.

According to the NBA "map" the networks drew up for this season, the Eastern Conference is essentially made up of two teams, the Boston Celtics and LeBron Jameses; the Washington Wizards are actually relevant; New York doesn't exist; and Phoenix is the center of the universe.

The Knicks are one of five teams that aren't scheduled to be on national TV this season; the others are the Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings. Yet, the Wizards are somehow managing to make 11 appearances, though the schedules are subject to change.

Even Memphis, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee are being shown once each.

The Knicks, sitting at a semi-respectable 11-14 (the Wizards are 4-19), are considerably more competitive with new coach Mike D'Antoni's high-scoring offensive philosophy. The team D'Antoni left, the Phoenix Suns, are on national TV a league-high 26 times. (Teams from the stronger Western Conference are scheduled to be televised 166 times versus the Eastern Conference's 115.)

Here are the top teams, based on scheduled national telecasts:*

Phoenix   26

L.A. Lakers 25

Boston    25

Cleveland    24

Dallas    21

San Antonio    18

Denver    15

Detroit    14 

*ABC's March 22 game hasn't been determined — it's listed as either Houston-San Antonio or Miami-Detroit — and was not counted.

CBS and Time Warner executives have discussed joining forces to bid on rights to televise the Olympics in 2014 and 2016, which could create quite a competition of media companies, The Associated Press reports.

Incumbent NBC, Fox and ABC/ESPN have all said they expect to bid on the U.S. rights to the Games. The International Olympic Committee has postponed its bid selection until after the host city is named next October for the 2016 Summer Games, AP reports.

If CBS works with Time Warner, competition could be televised on CBS, TBS and TNT.

BC Universal has spread Games coverage across its properties, including CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Telemundo and a Web site. NBC has televised every Summer Olympics since 1988

I sure hope Timothy Hutton isn't as sad he looks.

But in TNT's new show "Leverage," its his sadness, his world weariness, and this little twinkle in his eyes that take the show to a quality level. He's definitely the star.

Hutton plays Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator who has recovered millions of dollars in stolen goods for his employers. He leaves the company after it denies his son's insurance claims and allows him to die. Drinking has become his primary occupation.

At a bar, he's hired by aeronautics executive to recover airplane designs the executive says were stolen by a rival. Ford pulls together a team to steal the designs back: a thief, a computer expert, a "retrieval specialist," (he basically beats people up), and a grifter. The only actor I remembered seeing before was Christian Kane (who plays the retrieval specialist) who had a recurring role on "Angel."

Anyway, there are twists that lead to the team becoming a permanent gang that targets rich, greedy, people. So far (I've seen two episodes, have two more) I like it, and there are some interesting threads developing.

"Leverage" comes on Sunday at 10pm; then starts airing regularly on Tuesdays at 10pm.