LITTLE ROCK — It's a big night for country music fans, but first let's cover this week's comings and goings on the program schedule.
Here are four series returning with new episodes.
Monday
: The Bachelorette, 8:02 p.m., ABC.
Thursday: So You Think You Can Dance, 7 p.m., Fox; Last Comic Standing, 8:30 p.m., NBC; Reno 911!, 9:30 p.m., Comedy Central.
And here are the shows turning in finales this week:
Today: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 6 p.m., ABC; Everybody Hates Chris, 7 p.m., The CW; The Simpsons, 7 p.m., Fox; Aliens in America, 7:30 p.m., The CW; King of the Hill, 7:30 p.m., Fox; Desperate Housewives, 8 p.m. (two hours), ABC; The Game, 8 p.m., The CW; American Dad, 8:30 p.m., Fox.
Monday: The Big Bang Theory, 7 p.m., CBS; Gossip Girl, 7 p.m., The CW; Bones, 7 p.m., Fox; How I Met Your Mother, 7:30 p.m., CBS; Two and a Half Men, 8 p.m., CBS; One Tree Hill, 8 p.m., The CW; House, 8 p.m., Fox; Rules of Engagement, 8:31 p.m., CBS; CSI: Miami, 9 p.m., CBS.
Tuesday: NCIS, 7 p.m. (two hours), CBS; Dancing With the Stars, 8 p.m. (two hours), ABC; Reaper, 8 p.m., The CW; Shark, 9 p.m., CBS.
Wednesday: American Idol, 7 p.m. (two hours), Fox; Criminal Minds, 8 p.m., CBS; Boston Legal, 9 p.m., ABC; CSI: NY, 9 p.m., CBS; Law & Order, 9 p.m., NBC.
Thursday: Ugly Betty, 7 p.m., ABC; Grey's Anatomy, 8 p.m. (two hours), ABC.
Desperate dilemma. It'll be a dilemma for country music fans who are also fans of Desperate Housewives. The 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards kick off at 7 p.m. today on CBS and runs for two hours.
Meanwhile, the two-hour fourth season finale of Desperate Housewives begins at 8 p.m. on ABC. That means there's an hour overlap. Record one and watch the other, or set up two TVs side-by-side and frantically switch the sound from one to the other.
Or keep Housewives muted on closed captioning so you can read the dialogue while listening to the music. Your choice.
Spoiler alert. On Housewives,the first hour's episode is "TheGun Song" and has Bree and Katherine visiting a shooting range together. Nathan Fillion (Adam) and Gary Cole (Wayne) guest star.
Meanwhile, Lynette is accused of child abuse for hitting Kayla (little brat deserves it) and there's hilarity to pay when Susan's baby gets named Maynard. A hideous, hideous name.
Bree tries to make Orson jealous and that leads to a fight.
In the second episode, "Free," all of Katherine's deep, dark secrets are revealed in an actionpacked flashback. The action continues back in the present day. Guns are involved.
Huge, giant, spoiler alert
. Avert your eyes if you don't want to know. I'm serious. Skip ahead to the item marked Garth honored.
I can't swear by the details because I haven't seen the episode, but the Big Buzz among those who live for nothing else but to dissect the minutiae of the series (every show has its fanatics among its fans), is that the fourth season ends in a cliffhanger that will alter the timeline of the entire series.
Just as One Tree Hill skipped the characters' college years, the buzz has Desperate Housewives skipping ahead five years and we get a glimpse of the ladies' lives. Wowzers. I'll stop here.
If all that is true, next fall should see major changes - lots of recasting or character changes. It'll be like a whole new show.
Garth honored
. The charming and funny Reba McEntire returns for her 10th year as host of the Academy of Country Music Awards. Reba will be wrangling the show live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
All the usual suspects will perform. They include Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, Kellie Pickler,LeAnn Rimes, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.
Kenny Chesney and George Strait will sing their duet "Shiftwork."
A bunch of other huge country stars will be on hand to present awards. These include Kaley Cuoco of CBS' The Big Bang Theory (she ain't country, but who cares?) and Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw.
Yes. That's right. Dr. Phil and the wife. Big country stars. They like to pick 'n' grin on their spread in Beverly Hills.
Also set to perform a medley of his hits is Garth Brooks, who will be honored with the Crystal Milestone Award. The award is given to the artist or industry leader "to commemorate a specific, remarkable achievement."
For Brooks, it will acknowledge his 123 million in unit sales; the fact he's the only solo artist to have six albums exceed 10 million in sales; he is the " topselling solo artist in U.S. history" and has his current hits album certified five times platinum.
Faux romance
. And finally this reminder for those who like to fritter away the hours by pretending those looking-for-love shows are really real.
The Bachelorette has recycled fan favorite DeAnna Pappas for another round. The season opener debuts at 8:02 p.m. Monday on ABC and runs two hours. Alsojilted runner-up Jenni Croft will turn up to help Pappas decide on a "first impression" rose.
Beginning June 2, the program shifts to its regular time of 7-9 p.m.
Pappas, 26, had her heart crushed - crushed - last season when fickle cad Brad Womack rejected her at the last minute. Millions wept.
Now Pappas gets the chance to crush hearts and shatter dreams as she gets to pick among 25 faux suitors the faux love of her life. Ten of these fellows will be kicked to the curb Monday.
Maybe Pappas will string along a couple and dump them both at the final rose ceremony.
The TV column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail: mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style, Pages 64 on 05/18/2008