The To-Do List
Every Monday, Bryan Armen Graham previews the big events of the upcoming week. You can tweet your suggestions for next week's list to @BryanAGraham. All times Eastern.
1. Sir Charles on Letterman
The outspoken Inside the NBA studio analyst drops by Monday's Late Show with David Letterman (11:35 p.m., CBS) to discuss the upcoming hoops season and the five teams he believes can win this year's title.
2. Hoops season tips off
The 2009-10 NBA season gets under way Tuesday with a nationally televised doubleheader (7:30 p.m., TNT). First, the Cavaliers and Celtics meet in a clash of Eastern Conference powers. In the nightcap, the Lakers and Clippers collide in a battle for local bragging rights.
3. HBO gets Real
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, the outstanding monthly sports newsmagazine, once again delivers high-level journalism Tuesday (10 p.m. ET, HBO) with stories on the tragic death of Nick Adenhart and the trend to eliminate athletics programs in public schools.
4. World Series gets under way
The Fall Classic between the Yankees and Phillies starts Wednesday with Game 1 in the Bronx (7:30 p.m., FOX). Good news for long-suffering East Coast fans: For the first time since 1971, weeknight World Series games are slated to start before 8 p.m.
5. Friday Night Lights returns
It's not an exaggeration to call Friday Night Lights one of the best network dramas in years. Coach Eric Taylor and friends return for a fourth season Wednesday (9 p.m., DirecTV) with the episodes scheduled to re-run on NBC next summer.
6. This Is It ... no, really
More than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage taken during rehearsals for Michael Jackson's final concerts have been cut down for a two-hour concert documentary, which hits theaters Wednesday for a limited two-week release. Advance tickets in a number countries sold out within days of the public on-sale dates.
7. A League of their own
A half-hour buddy comedy about a group of suburban thirtysomethings in a fantasy football league? Might hit too close to home for some folks, but Thursday's premiere of The League (10:30 p.m., FX) is worth checking out anyway.
8. Wake up to the North London derby
Many call the biannual grudge match between North London neigbors Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur the most heated rivalry in the English Premier League. Saturday's latest chapter (8:30 a.m., ESPN2) finds the longstanding rivals tied for third place in the Premiership table.
9. Florida, Georgia renew SEC rivalry
One of college football's greatest rivalries comes to Jacksonville on Saturday as top-ranked Florida meets Georgia in a setting known to generations of frat boys as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
10. I-95 rivalries combust in South Philadelphia
If Saturday's Florida-Georgia showdown might not even be the craziest tailgate scene of the weekend. Not with a Turnpike sports day on Sunday in South Philadelphia. First, the Giants and Eagles renew hostilities for the first time since last year's playoffs (1 p.m., FOX). Later, the Phillies host the Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series.
