Queerview television guide for the weekend of July 20

Wow. It's a busy weekend for queer television, with the acclaimed Degrassi and Entourage giving their characters a prominent role this week.

Friday

The Early Show (CBS) 7:00 AM EDT
John Travolta makes one of the last talk show appearances to promote Hairspray this morning. This morning will also include an exit interview with the latest Big Brother evictee.

Hairspray (TBS) 10:00 AM EDT
In case you'd rather see the original version or would like an appetizer for the musical version opening in theatres this weekend, TBS is rerunning the classic edition.

Degrassi: The Next Generation (The N) 8:00 PM EDT
Marco is the focus of this episode where he develops a bad habit while struggling with a physical separation from his boyfriend, Dylan.

Doctor Who (Sci-Fi) 9:00 PM EDT
Tonight's episode doesn't feature our favorite time-traveling omnisexual rogue, but from what I hear, it lays the foundation for one of the more surprising revelations about Captain Jack that will come later in the series.

Saturday

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America) 10:00 PM EDT
One of my favorite funnywomen, Jennifer Coolidge, matches wits with Norton in tonight's show. Enrique Iglesias also appears -- I wonder if this was filmed before or after his performance at G-A-Y.

Sunday

Saturday Morning Shootout (AMC) 11:00 AM EDT
Hairspray producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Nikki Blonsky are scheduled to appear on this film-focused talk show. With a more specialized focus, I expect this will be the place to find discussion that goes beyond the anecdotes we've been hearing for the past weeks.

The Next Food Network Star Marathon (Food Network) starting at 1:00 PM EDT
For the most part, this series works as a peek into why The Food Network now bores me to tears, but gay contestant Paul McCullough was certainly fun to watch while he was on the show -- just fast forward through the parts where Food Network execs visit.

Big Brother (CBS) 8:00 PM EDT
We're down to Dustin, as the remaining gay representative in the Big Brother house. Tonight's episode should include the food competition, as well as the usual drama about nominations. Cue the footage of staring at the wall of houseguests...

Entourage (HBO) 10:00 PM EDT
Rex Lee's put-upon assistant Lloyd is supposed to have a major presence in this week's episode, where a painful breakup with his boyfriend causes Lloyd to take a leave of absence.

The Next HGTV Design Star (HGTV) 10:00 PM EDT
This season's batch of aspiring designsketeers features gay men Scott and Josh (aka "Sparkle"). Besides, any show that gave us David Bromstad in its debut season is worth a quick look-see.