‘Creature Comforts’ a charmer

  • By Frazier Moore / Associated Press
  • Friday, June 1, 2007 9:00pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

“It smells pretty ripe,” a man is heard to say, apparently assessing a bottle of wine. Except the man’s voice is dubbed into the mouth of an animated dog, which, at that moment, is seen sniffing another pooch’s rear end. “I’m getting medium-to-dark notes.”

Welcome to “Creature Comforts,” which presents the voice of the people … from the mouths of adorable animated animals. This charming, often hilarious new series compiles actual comments from ordinary humans, then creates stop-action critters as their on-screen interview surrogates.

Hear this complaint about going to the doctor, seen being spoken by a hippo: “They call you in there, and then some skinny girl’s gonna weigh you. It’s gonna be some Ally McBeal-looking girl who’s gonna weigh you.”

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As for winning the heart of a woman, “Don’t try too hard. Women can smell desperation.” This from a housefly atop a discarded hamburger. His housefly-girlfriend giggles.

The series, “featuring the voices of your fellow Americans,” is based on an Oscar-winning short film that also spawned a hit series on British TV. It is produced by Aardman Animations, which made the feature films “Wallace &Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit” and “Chicken Run.”

“Creature Comforts” premieres at 8 p.m. Monday on CBS.

Other shows this week to look out for:

“Write &Wrongs”: It’s a blend of “The Front” and “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Kirstie Alley stars as an award-winning screenwriter too old to land work in the comedy “Write &Wrong.” She plays Byrdie Langdon, who, nearing 50, is considered over the hill in youth-centric Hollywood.

In desperation, Byrdie persuades Jason, her handsome young nephew and a car salesman by trade, to pose as a screenwriter using her scripts. The ploy succeeds – until Jason falls for Andrea, the studio development executive.

Byrdie’s in a jam: If she opts to expose their deception, it could cost Jason his budding relationship and Andrea her job. But how long can Byrdie stay in the shadows watching someone else take credit for her work?

Eric Christian Olsen and Stacy Grant also star in the Lifetime film, which airs at 8 p.m. Sunday.

“Inside the Green Berets”: This film tells the story of a group of elite soldiers in a remote outpost in south-central Afghanistan known as Fire Base Cobra. Located in hotly contested territory still largely under Taliban control, these Berets are charged with protecting more than 100 villages across a valley the size of Rhode Island, although it’s often impossible to distinguish Taliban terrorists from the locals they threaten.

The film is narrated by producer-director Steven Hoggard, who offers a firsthand account of life on the base and under attack, including an IED explosion that killed two soldiers, wounded five others and injured members of the film crew. The film airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on the National Geographic Channel.

“Inside the Taliban”: At 9 p.m. Monday, the National Geographic Channel airs “Inside the Taliban,” which takes viewers into the world of the Taliban, from their roots in the Cold War era (when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and America secretly supported these Afghan warriors) to their emergence as a deadly force now aggressively mounting an effort to retake control of Afghanistan.

Once welcomed as a stabilizing force in Afghanistan, the Taliban were driven from power by U.S.-led forces for providing sanctuary to al-Qaida terrorists. But just six years later, they have resurfaced, with continued bloodshed that feeds the growing chaos.

“We Love Ella! A Tribute to the First Lady of Song”: For more than half a century, Ella Fitzgerald packed houses around the world with her unmatched delivery of ballads, pop standards and straight-ahead jazz. The beloved “first lady of song” consistently ranked among the nation’s top female jazz artists, selling more than 40 million albums.

Though she died in 1996, her music lives on, as “We Love Ella! A Tribute to the First Lady of Song” demonstrates. This “Great Performances” concert special, taped April 29 at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center, marked what would have been Fitzgerald’s 90th birthday just a few days earlier.

The special is co-hosted by Natalie Cole and Quincy Jones, and among the performers are Patti Austin, George Duke, Jon Faddis, Dave Koz, Ledisi, Monica Mancini, James Moody, Take 6, Ruben Studdard, Nancy Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Lizz Wright, Wynonna, and the USC Thornton Symphony and Jazz Orchestra. It airs at 9 p.m. Wednesday on PBS.

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