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What to Watch on Wednesday: Transplanting "Grey's" to the jungle

UPDATED: For info on coverage of tonight's memorial service in Tucson, read this.

Live to Dance (8pm 9pm, CBS) - The 18th act is announced and two acts advance to the next round. We'll be posting recaps of this show starting tomorrow. Update: President Obama will speak at a memorial service in Tucson tonight between 8 and 9pm, moving this show to 9pm ET.

Marching Once More (8pm, UNC-TV) - A new locally produced documentary about a reunion of veterans (three of them from North Carolina) commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. "North Carolina's WWII Experience" airs after this at 9pm. Read more.

Modern Family (9pm, ABC) - Mitchell and Cameron have a chance encounter with Mitchell's old girlfriend (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and Gloria's efforts to befriend another couple annoy Jay. All ABC sitcoms are new tonight.

Off the Map (10pm, ABC) - The premiere episode of another Shonda Rhimes doc drama, this one set in the jungles of South America. It has Zach Gilford from "Friday Night Lights," but mostly, it's just a ripoff of "Grey's Anatomy" moved to a jungle (and "Grey's" is miles better). Check out our full review.

Law & Order: SVU (10pm, NBC) - A woman (A.J. Cook) is raped by a masked man and her partner is severely beaten by him. The injured woman's estranged father, played by Jeremy Irons, is notified of the incident. When police question him, they find themselves confronting an uncooperative man with a sordid past.

UNC-TV to air two locally produced WWII docs

Good news for those who missed last month's premiere of "North Carolina's WWII Experience": UNC-TV's excellent World War II documentary will repeat tomorrow night (Wednesday, January 12) at 9pm.

But just before that encore presentation, UNC-TV will debut another locally produced World War II documentary, "Marching Once More."

"Marching Once More" was shot in Belgium and Luxembourg in 2004 and follows 100 veterans as they return for the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, a battle in which 19,000 Americans lost their lives.

Three local veterans were in that group of 100 travelers: Chris Christensen from Southport (99th Infantry Division), Hank Zimmerman, formerly of Oak Island (101st Airborne), and Canton’s Dick Alexander (83rd Infantry Division).

A year after the quake, "Battle for Haiti" shows a different devastation

It should have been made clear during all the reportage of last year's earthquake that the natural disaster was just the latest devastation of Haiti. The island nation's extreme poverty, corruption and violence has ruined the proud land.

But the earthquake did even more to undermine the country and on the one-year anniversary of the quake, Frontline's "Battle for Haiti" (UNC-TV, 9 tonight) shines a light on an issue that could upend the international aid efforts and harm stability: during the quake more than 4,500 violent criminals escaped the National Penitentiary.

UNC-TV changing children's programming lineup for 2011

UNC-TV has announced that starting Monday, January 3, they will be changing their daily television lineup.

From noon to 4pm each weekday, UNC-TV will air how-to programs on art, cooking, crafts, gardening, home improvement, and more.

The station says the lineup changes will better serve their adult viewers.

"This change is part of a strategic effort to offer four distinct channels to serve our diverse viewership better than ever: flagship UNC-TV, UNC-KD Kids Channel, UNC-EX The Explorer Channel, and UNC-MX Eclectic Mix (digital cable only)."

UNC-TV will still show children's programming on the main channel from 7am to noon, but the bulk of their children's programming can be found on UNC-KD. Many of the programs on UNC-KD will be repeats from the UNC-TV morning schedule, but "Barney" and "The Electric Company" are moving exclusively to UNC-KD.

Read more about the changes at UNCTV.org.

More on "North Carolina's WWII Experience"

UNC-TV is debuting a really terrific documentary, "North Carolina's WWII Experience," tonight at 8 p.m. 

We ran a review of it in today's paper and also have a gallery of images featuring participants in the documentary (while you're at it, check out the gallery of Pearl Harbor images).

Bill Henderson, a Democrat native who now lives in Raleigh, is in the photo here. The UNC-TV bio for Henderson, who served with the 28th Marines, 5th Division, says this: 

One of those interviews you never forget, Henderson brought the crew to tears with his account of the battle at Iwo Jima. A proud Marine who was Operations Officer during that horrible fight, he describes in vivid detail the change in Japanese defensive tactics which caught U.S. forces off guard. As part of the fourth wave ashore, Henderson and his men came under massive, blistering attack from an enemy hunkered down in caves and pillboxes. Many men lost their lives. The subsequent capture of Mount Suribachi and the now-famous raising of the American flag on its peak, was just the beginning. Another amazing storyteller. 

For more bios, courtesy of UNC-TV, read below.

What to Watch on Tuesday: Christmas 'Glee' and World War II

North Carolina's WWII Experience (8pm, UNC-TV) - A wonderful documentary produced by UNC-TV in which North Carolina veterans and other citizens recall experiences from World War II, both at home and abroad.

Inside the Actors Studio (8pm, Bravo) - Actor James Franco chats about his life and career in an interview with James Lipton.

Glee (8pm, Fox) - In the show's Christmas episode, Finn tries to bring holiday cheer to McKinley High, and Artie discovers that Brittany still believes in Santa. Also, Sue Sylvester hijacks the teachers' Secret Santa tradition.

Minute to Win It (8pm, NBC) - Tonight's games have a Christmas theme. Followed by "The Biggest Loser," in which the season's two finalists are named.

Raising Hope (9pm, Fox) - Jimmy pleads with Burt to save a special doll for Hope during his annual scheme of scalping the season's hottest toy, and Virginia campaigns to get the family in their church's living nativity scene.

Warehouse 13 (10pm, Syfy) - Pete and Myka investigate robberies linked to a malevolent Santa Claus while Artie reunites with his father (Judd Hirsch) on Hanukkah.

Detroit 1-8-7 (10pm, ABC) - Della Reese guest stars as the mother of a long-missing young black man whose remains, along with those of a young white woman, are found in an abandoned fallout shelter. Longford and Mahajan's investigation is helped by an unlikely source: Longford's estranged father, a former cop.

Tina Fey's 'Mark Twain Prize' show airs on UNC-TV

Earlier in November, Tina Fey received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington. An edited version of the ceremony aired on most PBS stations on November 14, and we finally get to see the show this Wednesday night on UNC-TV.

Entertainers who appeared to honor Fey were Fred Armisen, Steve Carell, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Hudson, Jane Krakowski, Steve Martin, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Tracy Morgan, Amy Poehler, and Betty White. There's also a funny speech by Fey, but you won't get to see the whole thing (see "edited version" link above).

The show airs at 9pm on UNC-TV, Wednesday, November 24.

Click below to watch some teasers for the show.

What to Watch on Wednesday: Loretta Lynn tribute on CMA Awards

CMA Awards (8pm, ABC) - The 44th Annual CMA awards show, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, features a tribute to Loretta Lynn performed by Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow. And get this -- Gwenyth Paltrow makes her country music singing debut. No kidding. Also, Jason Aldean duets with Kelly Clarkson, and there are other performances by Dierks Bentley, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Reba, George Strait, Sugarland, and Taylor Swift.

Circus (9pm, UNC-TV) - The latest installment finds the Big Apple Circus troupe in Virginia for the first stop on its tour, but things don't go as planned: a pivotal act is cut, forcing a last-minute reworking of the show; a company regular is diagnosed with cancer; and ticket sales are poor. The 10pm episode finds the circus at New York's Lincoln Center, where sales are brisk but the weather is uncooperative.

Law & Order: SVU (9pm, NBC) - An FBI agent (Marcia Gay Harden) is raped while working undercover, and she asks Benson to have her rape kit tested. She then quickly resumes her work to preserve her cover, and only reluctantly allows detectives to become involved in the case.

Biography: The Bee Gees (9pm, Bio Channel) - A special two-hour "Bio" on the Brothers Gibb, who were propelled to fame by the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack in the 70s. Features interviews with surviving brothers Barry and Robin (Maurice died in 2003), plus home movies and family photographs (including "little Andy," my personal favorite).

Harry Loves Lisa (10pm, TVLand) - In the first series finale, Harry takes command of his future after failing to land a job during pilot season, while Lisa must decide about corrective surgery to reduce the size of her lips.

Psych (10pm, USA) - Season 5 resumes as Despereaux (Cary Elwes) uses Shawn and Gus to escape from prison and pull off one last job. But his plan takes an unexpected turn when he's framed for murdering an attorney, so he has to ask Shawn and Gus for help.

Terriers (10pm, FX) - It's Gretchen's wedding day and Hank stumbles back into the conspiracy threatening Ocean Beach as he fights the urge to drink. Great, great show.

UNC-TV has "Biographical Conversation with Howard N. Lee"

Beginning tonight at 7pm, UNC-TV will air the first of three shows devoted to the life of renowned North Carolina statesman, Howard N. Lee.

"Biographical Conversations with Howard N. Lee" covers Lee's life from his election as mayor of Chapel Hill in 1969, making him the first African American mayor of a predominantly white southern city, to his service in the state legislature and to being the first African American to serve in the state cabinet.

Host Shannon Vickery's three 1-hour conversations with Lee cover his efforts to settle worker strife on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, bringing public transportation to Chapel Hill, and much more.

What to Watch on Wednesday: "Terriers," "Terriers," and also, "Terriers."

Circus (9pm, UNC-TV) - A look at the life in the circus through the prism of the Big Apple Circus opens with "First of May," in which the entertainers and crew map out a new show for a 350-performance tour. "One Ring Family" continues at 10pm with tensions at the first dress rehearsal.

Law & Order: SVU (9pm, NBC) - An environmentalist's body is found at an industrial laundry plant, and the investigation puts Benson and Stabler in danger. When more victims are discovered, Benson unexpectedly reflects on her past while bonding with a victim's daughter, played by Maria Bello.

Modern Family (9pm, ABC) - All of the ABC comedies look good tonight, but on "Modern Family," Phil is perplexed by a faulty smoke detector, Gloria and Manny pay a surprise visit to Jay at work, and Cameron tries to get Lily in a commercial.

Terriers (10pm, FX) - Listen up. "Terriers" is not about dogs. It's a great show about private detective buddies that you should all be watching. Tonight, as Gretchen's wedding nears, Hank learns some troubling information about her fiance. Also, Britt tracks down the hooker (D.J. "Shangela" Pierce) who ripped of a teenage boy. Britt also begins to suspect that Katie's odd behavior means that she's pregnant.

The Defenders (10pm, CBS) - When a Las Vegas entertainment icon is suffocated to death in his mansion and his girlfriend is charged with the crime, Pete reluctantly agrees to represent her.

In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville (10pm, ABC) - Robin Roberts interviews Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, and Miranda Lambert. And yes, ABC is air ing the CMA awards next week.

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