TV critic's picks: Wednesday

McCartney: Back in the U.S., U.S.

July 27, 2010 at 6:29PM

Paul McCartney avoids getting rushed by the Secret Service when he serenades the First Lady with "Michelle" during "Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in Performance at the White House" (7 p.m., KTCA, Ch. 2). (Whew! Excuse me while I catch my breath!) Besides McCartney's silly love song, there's Dave Grohl tearing through "Band on the Run," the Jonas Brothers winning over the Obama kids with "Drive My Car" and a foot-tapping version of "We Can Work It Out," courtesy of Stevie Wonder. It's a star-studded celebration of Sir Paul's music with nary a wrong note.

Me skeptical, you Jane In the new reality series "Plain Jane" (8 p.m., WUCW, Ch. 23), fashion expert Louise Roe promises to do an extreme makeover on someone who is badly in need of a new wardrobe and a new perspective on life. Not terribly original, but admirable. Only problem: The subject of the first episode is a looker whose claims that she's never been on a date just don't ring true. A "blind date" with her secret crush reeks of manufactured TV. Something here is just plain suspicious.

The White stuff "Hot in Cleveland" (9 p.m., TV Land) continues to be the favorite destination of veteran TV stars such as Tim Conway and Carl Reiner, who vie for Betty White's affections in this new episode. Sounds like a hoot, although it won't be the same without the late Harvey Korman throwing his corsage into the ring. Upcoming guests include Dave Foley and Joe Jonas.

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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