Since we specialize in the quick hit (this is CableFAX Daily after all), we’ll eschew the traditional urge to come up with a list of cable’s best shows of ’03 and instead offer our admittedly biased picks for most memorable moments in cable programming. #1. It’s actually several moments; it’s a eulogy delivered by an old, sickly rabbi in the first part of HBO’s epic "Angels in America." At first the bearded and diminutive preacher appears too weak to be effective. Slowly, though, the rabbi gains strength as a heavily accented voice rises to a mighty crescendo, giving one of the most effective speeches we’ve seen in any medium. We don’t want to spoil this moment for those who haven’t seen it yet, so we’ll spare you the details behind the adjoining great moment: when we discover in the ending credits the identity of the actor under the Emmy caliber makeup. Amazing. #2 ESPN’s "The Playmakers." In an episode called "The Piss Man," an unscrupulous football player goes to great lengths to avoid failing a (not so) random drug test by visiting an equally unscrupulous urologist, who injects clean urine into the player via a tube inserted in the player’s penis. The excellently played scene elicited sympathetic pain from men throughout America. # 3 Court TV’s serendipitous capture on tape of a bizarre moment: a deranged client shooting his lawyer outside a CA court. Court TV’s cameras (in place to cover the Robert Blake case) also caught the heroic actions of a traffic judge as he tackled the gunman. Court later honored the judge at Western with an "Everyday Heroes" award as the wounded lawyer, looking fully recovered, watched. #4 An early episode of A&E’s Brit import "MI-5" last July featured a lead character in an undercover operation gone bad. The actor’s demise was memorable for American viewers (she was essentially deep fried to death), but for Brits it was unthinkable: she is one of the country’s leading actors and had been intentionally duping the public, saying she’d signed a long-term contract with the series. #5 This also is several moments and may be the ultimate reality TV. The 1st moment was the surprise, prime time, weeknight bombing of Iraq. It was the beginning of operation "Shock and Awe" in early March and the start of cable news nets’ excellent coverage. The 2nd moment was another surprise: on a Dec Sun morning at 6:30 ET, U.S. officials called a news conference in Iraq (covered live by all the cable news nets) to announce they’d plucked Saddam from a hole in the ground. [Editor’s Note: Send your nominations for other cable memorable moments, highlights and lowlights, as we continue our survey next week. Submissions to: [email protected] ] Highlights "Gracie’s Choice," Mon, 8pm, Lifetime. Not the sort of fare we generally nominate for our "Highlights" designation, but the performance of young Kristen Bell is riveting. The story about irresponsible parents also is compelling and another good issue that Lifetime wisely has put on its social-action agenda. Worth a Look "Ellen Degeneres: The E! True Hollywood Story," Sun, 8pm, E! Good look at Ellen’s rise, fall and resurgence. — "90 Days in Hollywood," Mon, 8pm, Biography. Interesting look at struggling actors. — "The Residents," Sun, 10pm, Discovery Health. Excellent doc about docs. — "The Division," Sun, 9pm, Lifetime. Looks like former gymnast (really) Amy Jo Johnson will bring spunk to the 4th season. — "Code Name: Eternity," tonight, 10pm, Sci Fi. 1st episode about a human-looking alien has promise.

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