TelePhillyist

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week.

Simon Schama's The Power of Art (Mon, 9PM-10PM, PBS [WHYY, WLVT]) - The guy in the title is a Columbia University art history professor, and in this new show he takes a look at famous artists: their masterworks, and crucial moments in their lives. In the debut, he's talking about Van Gogh and his painting Wheatfield with Crows (pictured here).

Heartland (Mon, 10PM-11PM, TNT) - Another medical drama, this one set in our fellow Pennsylvania city of Pittsburgh. Treat Williams stars as Nate Grant, a workaholic transplant surgeon whose ex-wife is an organ-recovery coordinator. We smell wackiness ensuing! In this debut episode, Grant's mentor, played by Dabney Coleman, falls ill, and Grant becomes the new chief surgeon. We bet you anything Coleman's character is dead by the end of the episode. We also bet we won't be watching this show because... yawn.

How to Make Millions (Tue, 8PM-9PM, TLC) - This show takes a look at two wannabe internet moguls as they attempt to start their first website. If they really become millionaires, we think they should invest in Phillyist. By which we mean, they should send us a lot of cash in a box.

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (Wed, 8PM-11PM, CBS) - Believe it or not, they've been doing these lists for ten years now. So for their tenth anniversary, instead of making up another silly category, they're just going to do the 100 greatest American films. As usual, there will be clips of celebrities and filmmakers talking about the selected movies. Always a good time, and ripe for discussion with your friends afterwards.

Animal Icons (Thu, 8PM-10PM, Animal Planet) - This two-hour special takes a look at famous animals featured in television shows - animated ones as well as ones played by actual flesh and blood creatures. Of course, there are clips from interviews with celebrities included, although we doubt there are interviews with any of the animals.

Stan Lee's Harpies (Sat, 9PM-11PM, Sci-Fi) - Stan Lee and Sci Fi Pictures bring us the story of a museum security guard who finds himself transported back in time where he must battle monsters controlled by an evil sorcerer. If that wasn't awesome enough, it also stars Stephen Baldwin and Kristin Richardson. Sounds cheese-tastic!

Next Food Network Star (Sun, 9PM-10PM, Food Network) - Normally we try not to mention boring reality show competitions like this, but this episode features Paula Deen and Giada De Laurentiis instructing the contestants to prepare comfort food for the soldiers at Fort Dix. Just don't order them pizza...

On Stage at World Cafe Live (Sun, 10:30PM-11:30PM, PBS [WHYY]) - Two new episodes in a row of this show that features recordings of live concerts at everybody's favorite local venue. First up is Shemekia Copeland, and next is Steve Forbert.

Image Credit: Flickr user HumanBehaviour