Hoops fans can catch the NBA playoffs on TNT and ESPN, hockey fans can keep up with the race for Lord Stanley’s Cup on ESPN and soccer fans can catch the world’s most popular sport, including the English FA Cup Final (May 26) on Fox Sports World and the quarterfinals of the Copa Toyota Libertadores (May 18) on Fox Sports en Espa�ol. Some non-sports highlights this month: Smashed: Toxic Tales of Teens and Alcohol (HBO Family, Friday May 14, 10 p.m.) An ideal program for Cable in the Classroom or any public affairs outreach program that targets kids and families, this HBO Family documentary should be mandatory viewing for all teens. Smashed goes inside Maryland’s Shock Trauma Hospital to show how teenage drinking and driving breaks bodies, dreams and lives. The six kids featured in this heart-wrenching cautionary tale will shock viewers, and hopefully make teens—and their parents—take action against the scourge of drunk driving. The Lion in Winter (Showtime, Sunday May 23, 7:30 p.m.) HD fans typically buy their expensive sets for sports and movies. With its breathtaking visual imagery, this Showtime original could help bring more non-sports fans into the HD fold, as Showtime HD is simulcasting the film in all its hi-def (and shot in Hungary) glory. This Showtime original picture, produced by Hallmark Entertainment, stars Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close as King Henry II of England and his scheming wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. It’s a remake of the 1968 Oscar-winning film starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, and although admirably acted, Stewart and Close don’t quite reach the thespian heights or chemistry of their predecessors. In This World (Sundance Channel, Wednesday May 5, 9 p.m.) Sundance’s documentary series, In the Wake of War, should be at the forefront of any system’s Memorial Day affiliate campaigns, providing a provocative and urgent reminder that Memorial Day is not just about warfare’s dead, but about the living as well. All month, Sundance’s weekly film series will feature works by contemporary filmmakers who examine the ravages of war. The U.S. premiere of Michael Winterbottom’s In This World kicks it off by tracing the harrowing journey of two Afghan refugees. The next week’s film, At Five in the Afternoon, by Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf, is about a young Afghan woman who dreams of being the country’s first female president. 30 Days Until I’m Famous (VH1, Friday May 7, 9 p.m.) This VH1 original won’t win any prizes at next year’s NAMIC Vision Awards. But the romantic musical from Madonna’s Maverick Films scores points for dealing with diversity issues. Part makeover show and part comedy, 30 Days is the tale of Maggie, a winsome young Latina who accepts $40,000 to endure a monthlong makeover, including voice and dance lessons, and be transformed into "Solita." She becomes an overnight sensation, but also betrays her roots. The original title for VH1’s film gives away the desired target audience: How to be the Perfect Latino Popstar. Megas XLR (Cartoon Network, Saturday May 1, 9 p.m.) As with video games, parents won’t understand this animated series, but teen boys and twentysomething guys should love it. The action-adventure-comedy puts New Jersey and the rest of the human race in peril—and a video game junkie and his customized 80-foot robot are the only ones who can save the planet. The unusual visual look of this series, which premieres on May 1, riffs on anime and traditional Western-style animation with doses of custom cars, wrestling and other male-skewing pop culture crazes. Are you offering a creative way to link your upcoming programming with local affiliates? Send details and screening tapes to Shirley Brady ([email protected]), 110 William Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038.

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