What's on TV
Sunday 11/3
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XIII (Fox, 8-8:30 p.m.): Well, Halloween may be over, but November sweeps has just begun, and this creepy threesome is a surefire wit-fest for Bart lovers everywhere. In the first story, Homer buys a magic hammock that clones him. Soon he has created clones to do all his chores. But when they start cloning themselves, the countryside is ravaged. The second story takes the family to a haunted isle where a wicked scientist turns the whole family and everyone else in Springfield into "manimals." Marge is fetching as a cat-woman. The third story involves the return of Billy the Kid. It's all for fun.
American Icon: Vietnam Memorial Wall of Courage (Travel Channel, 9-10 p.m.): It's not the sort of documentary one expects to find on the Travel Channel, but this portrait of a pair of Vietnam vets who visit the Wall in homage to fallen comrades is profoundly moving. We could have done without the voice-over narration, but it's the substance of the story that remains significant, not the style of the filmmaking.
Biography David Bowie (A&E, 9-11 p.m.): Middle-aged he may be, but the master rocker is still as influential as ever. This "biography" special looks at Bowie's long career including the darker aspects of his life. But it's not the addiction and mental problems that are interesting as much as his genuinely creative spirit. A fine actor, he has also devoted a great deal of time to painting and to philanthropy. There is something haunting about his work and the persona that made even his commercial work so artful.
Journeys With George (HBO, 9:30-10:45 p.m.): Journalist Alexandra Pelosi was sent by NBC to cover the Bush campaign. The daughter of the Democratic House minority whip Nancy Pelosi and a self-confessed liberal Democrat, she takes a wry, artsy view of the campaign trail. In 18 months, Pelosi captures some amazingly unguarded moments. There's plenty of sarcasm, cynicism, and playful banter among Bush attendants, reporters, and the filmmaker. Bush doesn't care anymore for the press than they care for him in this film. But somehow the whole electoral process comes across as less political than social and personal. It's a tight, intense, funny movie about a gravely serious subject.
