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What to Watch on Thursday: 'Community' channels 'Law & Order'

Community (8pm, NBC) - I am so excited for this "Law & Order" spoof. When the group's science project is smashed, they launch a hunt for the culprit and hold a trial, over which the reluctant Professor Kane presides. But Jeff soon realizes there's much more to the story than anyone realizes. Chung-chung!!

30 Rock (8:30pm, NBC) - "30 Rock" tackles their second live episode (I didn't care for the first) with a plot that has Kabletown breaking the news that "TGS" will no longer be live. Liz and Jack embrace the change, believing a cheap, taped show will mean fewer headaches.

The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant (9pm, CNBC) - A look at Costco, the warehouse chain that racks up $88 billion in annual sales. Do customers really save money by purchasing in bulk, or simply consume more? Read Adrienne's review.

Touch (9pm, Fox) - Martin's search for Teller's workshop results in another professor's poker winnings. Meanwhile, a young Italian man tries to find the love of his life.

The Mentalist (10pm, CBS) - Jane and the CBI investigate the death of a man whose charred body is found outside a cabaret where female impersonators perform.  

Scandal (10pm, ABC) - Following a surprising development in the Amanda Tanner case, former friends Olivia and Cyrus disagree and Cyrus tries to help in a probe of the personal lives of Olivia and her team.

What to Watch on Thursday: A stranger on the 'Community' campus

Community (8pm, NBC) - Annie, Troy and Abed try to help Britta avoid an old flame who has returned to town, while Jeff and Shirley set out to catch a glimpse of the mystery man.

6149 Days (8pm, WRAL) - A documentary profiling Greg Taylor, a Cary man who spent 17 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Regular CBS programming can be recorded overnight on WRAL starting at 1:37 a.m.

Cold Blood (9pm, Investigation Discovery) - The 1984 murder of copy editor Deborah Sykes in Winston-Salem is examined, along with the hunt for her murderer. The man convicted of her murder, Darryl Hunt, was exonerated after 20 years in prison.

Touch (9pm, Fox) - Martin's laptop is stolen on the day of an important evaluation for Jake, leading to the elder Bohm getting involved in a Salvadoran woman's mission to avenge her family's death.

Awake (10pm, NBC) - Another really good drama is in serious danger of being canceled. You people make me tired.

Scandal (10pm, ABC) - When a D.C. madam comes under investigation, the team must keep her client list from being made public. Meanwhile, Quinn has difficulties with the president's former intern.

What to Watch on Thursday: Scotty McCreery returns to perform on "Idol"

American Idol (8pm, Fox) - Garner's Scotty McCreery returns to "Idol" tonight and performs a song from his hit album.

Community (8pm, NBC) - A sandwich shop opens in the cafeteria, drawing the ire of Shirley, Pierce and Britta, who scheme to close the place down.

Touch (9pm, Fox) - Martin discovers that a homeless man's obsession with numbers is similar to Jake's, and he undertakes a series of tasks that involve African boys in a dance competition and a woman at a music festival. 

Awake (10pm, NBC) - Michael (Jason Isaacs, right) tracks a serial killer, but an FBI agent says he's as a suspect in his own case. Meanwhile, Hannah (Laura Allen, right) considers moving to Oregon and Michael's therapists believe the change will help him heal and put an end to his dreams.

The Mentalist (10pm, CBS) - The investigation of a casino worker's homicide reunites Jane with a magician he used to tour with when he was a practicing psychic.

Mary Mary (10pm, WeTV) - The debut of a new reality series following the gospel duo Mary Mary. In this first episode, a big Thanksgiving gig forces the women to make tough choices. The regular timeslot for this series will be Thursdays at 9. Check out Adrienne's review.

You're Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don't (2am, UNC-TV) - Set your DVRs for this Indpendent Lens documentary examining Alzheimer's disease via the day-to-day life of a  nursing home resident.

What to Watch on Thursday: New NBC comedies, 'Touch' begins on Fox

Community (8pm, NBC) - Jeff is debilitated by his narcissism, which skyrockets when his confidence is boosted by anti-anxiety drugs and regular visits to a shrink. Also, the gang try to help Abed pay of his debt from a celebrity-impersonator habit. Also tonight, two new episodes of "30 Rock" (the 9:30 ep has Weird Al Yankovich) and a new "Up All Night" featuring Henry Winkler as Ava's dad.

Missing (8pm, ABC) - In the second episode of Ashley Judd's "special gift to America" (her own description of this series from a "Live with Kelly" interview), Becca makes a deal with the head of French Intelligence while searching for her missing son. Believe it or not, I'm still not a fan of this show even after Judd called me a "brat" on Twitter. 

Touch (9pm, Fox) - Fox previewed this episode of the new Keifer Sutherland (left) drama back in January, but it starts for real tonight. Possibly the same episode from the preview but record it anyway, just in case.

Project Runway All Stars (9pm, Lifetime) - A winner is picked in the season finale, and Tommy Hilfiger appears as a guest judge.

Awake (10pm, NBC) - A purported suicide during a high-end yacht party leads Michael to an encounter with Rex's ex-babysitter, Kate. In his other realm, Michael happens upon Kate again, but this time she appears as a suspect.

Archer (10pm, FX) - In the conclusion of the Season 3 finale, Archer and his ISIS colleagues travel to the final frontier to prevent a catastrophe aboard the International Space Station.

"Touch" gets soulful and a bit heavy-handed

As I was starting this review, a commercial for CBS' "Person of Interest" came on, a nice coincidence since like "Touch" (9 tonight, Fox), it too has a post-9/11 perspective.

"Person of Interest" sees the world post-9/11 through darkened lens; Big Brother is watching, we need a crusader to work against a machine that knows when our number is up, and yet the future is murky. "Touch" takes a more soulful view. It suggests that what's been lost in the last decade is what binds us.  It is a show about our need to connect, a near desperate need, and the ways we can and we do, whether we are aware or not.  Unfortunately, while I can get behind that idea, I can't throw my full support behind "Touch."

What to Watch on Wednesday: Marg Helgenberger exits 'CSI'

Nova: Mystery of a Masterpiece (9pm, UNC-TV) - Nova examines the work of art sleuths who tackle "cold case" art mysteries as well as the criminal market in stolen and fraudulent art. Includes a look at image analysis which reveals a portrait purchased for $20,000 to be a lost work of Leonardo da Vinci, which revalues the painting at $100 million.

Criminal Minds (9pm, CBS) - A serial rapist in Houston known as "The Piano Man" resurfaces and assaults his previous victims. Meanwhile, Prentiss deals with the trauma of rejoining the team.

Touch (9pm, Fox) - The debut of a new drama in which a blue-collar New York widower (Kiefer Sutherland) gets help from a social worker and an educator in an attempt to bond with his emotionally troubled son, whose obsession with numbers appears to enable him to predict the future. Adrienne has a review.

CSI (10pm, CBS) - Catherine (Marg Helgenberger, right) makes the painful decision to leave CSI. This is the final episode for Helgenberger, who has been on the show for 12 seasons. She hasn't ruled out returning for an occasional guest spot.

Royal Pains (10pm, USA) - Members of a rock band become ill, forcing Hank and Divya to figure out the cause, but the prescription debacle puts a strain on their working relationship.

Hot in Cleveland (10pm, TV Land) - Victoria's daughter arrives for a visit with the news that she and Melanie's son are engaged. Meanwhile, Joy's blind boyfriend thinks she's 26 and Elka prank-calls the New York Yankees third baseman.

ArtCalendar, Form over function | Free for iPhone

 

This is one for art lovers and creative types rather than the GTD crowd. ArtCalendar is a gorgeous calendar app. It is elegant and simple, but its simplicity may be its problem.

 

 

53 favorite iPhone/Touch games

You could spends hours scouring the Apple's app store trying to sift through jaded or fanboy reviews. Wouldn't it be great if someone put together an organized list of their favorites games? Well, there is a link for that.

Dragon Dictation and Search now for iPod Touch ... still free

The Dragon apps, especially Dragon Dictation, are wildly popular. My wife even had a complete stranger so enthusiastic he mentioned Dragon Diction when he saw her using her iPhone while grocery shopping. Their creator, Nuance Communications have now released version that support the iPod Touch. So now along with iPhone users, Touch fans (with a mic) can enjoy amazingly accurate voice dictation for email or paste into any text field. Dragon search will search a variety of sources including Google, Yahoo! or Bing, plus Wikipedia, iTunes, YouTube and Twitter via the Dragon Search Carousel. They are free for now.

iPhone App sale | .99 each on Glu Mobile games

Glu Mobile is having what they call a Mega sale on 15 of their popular games including Glyder 2, World Series of Poker Hold'em Legend, Beat It!, and Super K.O. Boxing 2. See the list on the jump.

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