Monitor picks
The 'Reel' Deal
Jeffrey Lyons and Alison Bailes (r.) don't use thumb language in their now nationally syndicated film-review show, Reel Talk, on NBC (check local listings). But the duo do spar amiably during the half-hour program, which also devotes time to interviews with stars.
Straight Outta MySpace
More than 8 million viewers have checked out the instructional dance video posted on YouTube by teenage Atlanta rapper Soulja Boy, whose home-grown fame comes mostly from MySpace – and whose debut album dropped Tuesday (just search Crank That, and don't miss the SpongeBob version that someone else created). We're pretty sure we saw Randy Moss bust out one of these moves in the end zone during Monday Night Football.
Just don't call it Wallpaper
Boston's Museum of Fine Arts is offering postage-stamp-size masterpieces from its collection – such as "Japanese to Tomita Beach" (l.) by an unknown artist – to download for your mobile. Cost is $1.99 each, but MFA subscribers can choose up to five downloads for $4.99 and get a bonus wallpaper. Visit mfamobile.mfa.org to get your mobile Monet.
Next Week, Seek Refuge
To celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week (Oct. 7-13), the US Fish & Wildlife Service is hosting special events in many of its 548 nature preserves. From a butterfly count at Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to archery workshops at Minnesota's Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, this may be your last opportunity to enjoy the great American outdoors this year. See www.fws.gov/refuges.
En Garde!
Only a handful of master craftsmen have ever known the mysteries of the legendary Samurai sword, which can slice through anything short of a diamond. On Secrets of the Samurai Sword, PBS reveals the science behind the millennia-old rituals – raw iron mixed with coal, cooked in a clay oven, polished for months with tiny stones – to show how the masters create what many still call the world's finest sword. (Oct. 9)
