Brian Williams spoke at commencement for George Washington University in May. Photo credit: Kris Connor/Getty Images

In the May sweeps ratings period, “NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” averaged 7.8 million viewers. It placed ahead of “ABC World News With Diane Sawyer” with 7.2 million and the “CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley” with 5.7 million.

ABC highlighted it was the closest to NBC in a May sweeps since 2008. CBS stressed that it was the only evening newscast up in viewers for the just-concluded 2011-12 TV season.

In the 25-to-54 age group, which is most important to news advertisers, NBC was tops, too. NBC averaged 2.1 million viewers in the age group to ABC’s 1.9 million and CBS’ 1.6 million.

In cable news for May, Fox News Channel continued its winning ways.

In prime time, Fox News averaged 1.7 million viewers, far outpacing MSNBC with 674,000 and CNN with 389,000. Fox News was down 9 percent from a year ago while MSNBC was off 19 percent and CNN was down 51 percent.

In the 25-to-54 age group, Fox News averaged 326,000 viewers to MSNBC’s 216,000 and CNN’s 114,000. All three channels were down in the age group from a year before: Fox News off 23 percent, MSNBC down 21 percent and CNN down a startling 57 percent.

Fox News had the top 13 cable-news programs in total viewers. No. 1 again was “The O’Reilly Factor” with 2.7 million viewers. No. 2 “Hannity” had 1.9 million viewers.

Justin Silver with Rosie, one of his clients, in 'Dogs in the City.' Photo credit: Brian Friedman/CBS

Here are a few programs to keep in mind this evening:

1. If you love dogs, I think you’ll like “Dogs in the City,” a CBS reality series debuting at 8. Dog guru Justin Silver says he talks dog fluently. The gorgeous canines of New York City do listen as he tries to reason with them, and he brings blessed order to their owners’ lives. He should have a lot of material to work with; Silver cites a figure that 1 in 8 New Yorkers has a dog.

2. “So You Think You Can Dance” offers more auditions from Los Angeles. There are lot of auditions to fill the two-hour program, which starts at 8 on Fox.

3. The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat meet in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Final. The game starts at 8:30 on ESPN. Can either team stop red-hot San Antonio?

4. NBC counters with Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at 8 between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils.

5. “Hatfields& McCoys” offers its third and final installment at 9 on History. It’s the most haunting portion of this high-rated miniseries, and Mare Winningham is first-rate. But I found the three-part mini too long and punishing. Don’t hold grudges, people. If you want a more economical Western, TCM airs “Ride the High Country” at 8. The film continues TCM’s salute to Star of the Month Joel McCrea. This gorgeous 1962 film pairs McCrea with Randolph Scott, introduces Mariette Hartley and runs a swift 94 minutes. It’s a true Hollywood classic from director Sam Peckinpah.

From left, Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid and Steve Jones of 'The X Factor' last season. Scherzinger, Abdul and Jones won't be back next fall. Photo credit: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for Fox/MCT

“He went and did press before we even aired and said if 20 million don’t watch the show then I will consider it being a failure,” Abdul told “The View” Wednesday morning. “You put out there and only 14 million people [watched].”

Abdul said she worked hard as a mentor on “The X Factor” and served as Cowell’s ally on the show.

The women of “The View” wondered why Cowell wasn’t out. “He couldn’t fire himself,” Abdul said of the show’s boss.

Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger have been replaced by Britney Spears and Demi Lovato. “The X Factor” returns in the fall.

“I’m friends with Simon, but change is good, and he felt there needed to be a change,” Abdul said. “Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are going to bring a lot to the show. I think they have a wealth of experience.”

Whoopi Goldberg scoffed. “You have a wealth of experience,” Goldberg told Abdul. “They have like a little wading pool of experience.”

Abdul dismissed Cowell’s claim, made to Barbara Walters, that his former “American Idol” colleague wanted him. “I really think he does believe in his mind that every woman, not just me, but every woman that walks the Earth wants him,” Abdul said.

“Did you?” Walters asked. 

“I really believe foreplay for him would be staring at his own baby pictures,” Abdul said.

Oh, meow.

The cell phone of her boyfriend went off in the studio audience during the show. “He’s a wonderful, wonderful man,” Abdul said.

Howard Stern of 'America's Got Talent.' Photo credit: Mark Seliger/NBC

Howard Stern and Mark Harmon were bigger draws than Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday night. And in cable, the “Hatfields & McCoys” miniseries continued to draw a crowd: 13.1 million watched the second part. The three-part miniseries wraps up with installment three at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

“America’s Got Talent” with Stern on NBC was the night’s top broadcast with 11.3 million viewers. Harmon and an “NCIS” rerun on CBS drew 10 million viewers. 

“The Jubilee Queen,” Katie Couric’s look at Queen Elizabeth II for ABC, pulled in 6.9 million viewers over two hours.

Here are the night’s broadcast averages: CBS with 7.6 million, NBC with 7.5 million, ABC with 5.7 million, Fox with 2.3 million for “New Girl” reruns and The CW with 810,000. But NBC easily won the 18-to-49 age group thanks to the appeal of Stern and ”Talent.”

The biggest show in Orlando Tuesday night was Part 2 of “Hatfields& McCoys” on History with 173,100 viewers. “America’s Got Talent” placed second with 161,300. “NCIS” was third with 144,500. The next three programs were a “Talent” rerun with 113,000 viewers, the Couric special with 107,600 and a rerun of “NCIS: Los Angeles” with 107,200.

Nationally, Part 1 of “Hatfields” on Monday drew 13.9 million viewers, and that showing made it the No. 1 non-sports telecast in ad-supported cable television history.

In Orlando Monday, “America’s Got Talent” was the top show with 185,100 viewers. But “Hatfields” was close behind with 184,800.

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd perform their freestyle on 'Dancing With the Stars.' Photo credit: Adam Taylor/ABC

Reality television claimed seven of the Top 10 slots locally last week as the 2011-12 broadcast season officially ended.

“Dancing With the Stars” remained the top show, but more Orlando viewers wanted to see the last performance show than the final results. Green Bay Packers star Donald Driver was declared the winner.

The “American Idol” season finale helped bolster the 10 p.m. Wednesday news on WOFL-Channel 35 into the Top 10. The finale ran seven minutes into the 10 p.m. hour, and the news that night focused heavily on the “Idol” results. There was also a Casey Anthony update from attorney Cheney Mason.

Here are the week’s most-watched programs in the Orlando TV market:

1. “Dancing With the Stars” Monday, ABC, 329,700 viewers

2. “American Idol” Wednesday, Fox, 322,700

3. “Dancing With the Stars” Tuesday, ABC, 292,300

4. “American Idol” Tuesday, Fox, 199,500

5. WOFL-Channel 35 10 p.m. news Wednesday, 167,300

6. “Dancing With the Stars” recap special Tuesday, ABC, 152,400

7. “America’s Got Talent” Monday, NBC, 149,300

8. “The Bachelorette,” ABC, 148,400

9. NBA Playoffs Miami-Indianapolis Thursday, ESPN, 132,700

10. “House” series finale, Fox, 126,800

Cale Ramaker

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED:

Anchor Cale Ramaker left Fox-owned WOFL-Channel 35 last week.

“He has accepted another position, which we are not at liberty to discuss yet because his new station has not made an announcement,” said Laurie Jacoby, Ramaker’s agent. “It’s a very exciting opportunity, and he is looking forward to a new challenge.”

Ramaker’s last telecast at WOFL was the 6 p.m. news Thursday.

“Seven years plus is a long run as a main anchor,”  Ramaker, 40, told me. “In the first five years, we had some phenomenal ratings, and I played somewhat of a role in helping the station to be successful. It’s time to move on.”

Ramaker said he appreciated that WFTV-Channel 9 news director Bob Jordan tweeted congratulations and praised his anchor style. “I’ve worked really hard. That means a lot,” Ramaker said.

A station spokeswoman said that Ramaker’s contract had not been renewed.

Yet WOFL General Manager Dennis Welsh said: “We wish Cale the best of luck.”

Ramaker had been at WOFL since 2005. He had been an anchor on the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts at his departure.

Both newscasts made ratings gains from a year ago, but still ranked fourth among local news broadcasts in those time slots in the May ratings period that ended last Wednesday.

The station is looking at candidates inside and outside the station to replace Ramaker. Bob Frier will fill in tonight, and other people at WOFL will pitch in until a replacement is named, the station spokeswoman said.

For interview fireworks, it would be hard to beat the chat between Donald Trump and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Tuesday afternoon.

Trump blasted CNN’s coverage of his stand on the birther issue, Blitzer’s introduction to the interview and Blitzer’s ratings. Blitzer countered that he couldn’t understand why Trump won’t accept Hawaii’s confirmation that President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii.

The most-heated bit in the interview:

Trump: “Am I allowed to talk, if you could stop defending Obama?”

Blitzer: “Donald, Donald, you’re beginning to sound a little ridiculous, I have to tell you.”

Trump: “No, I think you are, Wolf. Let me tell you something. I think you sound ridiculous.”

But Blitzer stressed that Gov. Mitt Romney had distanced himself from Trump’s comments. And Blitzer questioned Trump’s view that the birther issue hurts Obama.

What do you think?

Blitzer also gave Trump a chance to answer George Will’s comment that the “Celebrity Apprentice” star is a “bloviating ignoramus.” Will added on ABC’s “This Week”: “Donald Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough, your IQ can be very low and you can still intrude into American politics.”

Trump answered that Will is “not somebody that I’ve respected.”

Courteney Cox and 'Cougar Town' are moving to TBS. Photo credit: James White/ABC

A No. 1 performance by “Talent” Tuesday night will be hard, because the competition is greater. But “Talent” and Howard Stern continue the Tampa auditions at 9 on NBC.

ABC airs “The Jubilee Queen with Katie Couric” at 9. The two-hour special salutes Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee with help from royal grandsons William and Harry.

Regis Philbin sits in for Piers Morgan on CNN at 9. Philbin’s guest for the hour is good pal David Letterman of CBS.

TNT offers Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference finals between Oklahoma City and San Antonio at 9.

Daniel Tosh presents a fresh episode of “Tosh.0″ and shows off his summer wardrobe at 10 on Comedy Central. The third-season premiere of “Workaholics” follows at 10:30. First lady Michelle Obama will be a guest on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” at 11.

Discovery Channel rolls out a two-hour “Deadliest Catch” at 8. The crew faces dangers from a Bering Sea hurricane. A new episode of “The Devils Ride” follows at 10.

“Cougar Town” presents its season finale, a one-hour episode, at 8 on ABC. But the news is good: The Courteney Cox sitcom will continue by jumping to TBS.

Michelle Obama in Chicago last week. Photo credit: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images

She agrees with them, she told “The View” Tuesday morning.

Barbara Walters wanted Obama’s reaction to critics of the first lady’s initiatives on children’s exercise and healthy eating. Walters’ summed up the complaints: “Don’t give us advice on what to eat, especially in schools. Don’t tell us how much to exercise. It’s not your affair to get into our personal lives.”

Obama showed her diplomatic skills and agreed with those criticisms. “We’re not going to solve this problem with government telling people what to do,” she said. “But what people do need, parents in particular, they need information. They need a community that’s helping them make the decisions that are right for them. And that means they need good labels on products. They need schools to offer nutritious, healthy meals so it doesn’t undermine what they’re trying to do at home. We’ve got to figure out ways  to help get our kids get more active.”

She was promoting her book “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America.” Obama will be a guest on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” at 11 p.m. Tuesday on Comedy Central and on Thursday’s edition of “Rachael Ray.” Ray’s program airs at 9 a.m. weekdays on WKMG-Channel 6.

Anthony Bourdain speaks in Brooklyn earlier this month. Photo credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

CNN said the new program is scheduled to air in prime time Sundays and repeat Saturday nights. Bourdain will go on location to examine cultures, food and travel rituals.

CNN said the program “will mark a further step in broadening and distinguishing CNN’s weekend programming from its traditional weekday news coverage.”

“I’m really looking forward to coming over to CNN. I think the world is going to get a whole lot bigger for me,” Bourdain said in a statement. “I hope that old fans and new ones will be excited about what’s coming down the road.”

The new program will come from Zero Point Zero Production, which has worked with Bourdain on “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” “The Layover” and “A Cooks Tour.”

Katie Couric interviews Prince Harry on 'The Jubilee Queen.' Photo credit: WPA Pool photo by Mark Large

Princes Harry and William discuss Queen Elizabeth II, their grandmother, and their late mother, Diana, in “The Jubile Queen With Katie Couric.”

The two-hour special airs at 9 tonight on ABC (WFTV-Channel 9 locally).

“When we were young it was very easy to take our grandmother for granted,” Harry tells Couric. “She was just a grandmother to us. It’s only really sort of been over the last sort of five, eight to ten years that I’ve actually really learned to sort of understand and accept the huge deal that she is around the world, especially within the U.K.”

Harry says the queen “takes a huge interest” in what her children and grandchildren do.

William explains how the queen urged him to take charge of his wedding. “I was given a list in the first meeting of 777 names, and not one of them on there I knew,” he tells Couric. “So it was a bit daunting and it was like, well, that seems to be the guest list’s sorted, but no room for friends or family. And I wasn’t too happy about it. She said, ‘Ridiculous. Get rid of the list. Start from your friends.’”

The queen is marking 60 years on the British throne. The Couric special also features Prince Andrew, the queen’s son.

Harry praises the queen’s ability to adapt to changing times. “She’s managed to get the family to move with the times, and I think that’s incredibly important,” he tells Couric. “You can’t get stuck in a sort of an old-age situation when everything else around you is changing. So you have, you have to go with it.”

Harry and William discuss missing their mother on the day that William married Kate Middleton.

“I sort of prepared myself beforehand so that I was sort of mentally prepared … I didn’t want any wobbly lips or anything going on,” Prince William tells Couric. “It’s the one time since she’s died, where I’ve … I’ve thought to myself it would be fantastic if she was here, and just how sad really for her, more than anything, not being able to see it.”

Harry also says it was a difficult day without their mother. “I think she had the best seat in the house probably,” Harry tells Couric. “But yeah, she would have loved to have been there.”

Marina Stephenson Kerr

Cindy Anthony Photo credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

 Here’s a comparison of the latest actors cast in “Prosecuting Casey Anthony” and the people they play. Filming on the Lifetime movie starts Tuesday in Winnipeg. The movie is based on former prosecutor Jeff Ashton’s book “Imperfect Justice.”  

First there’s Marina Stephenson Kerr, who will play Cindy Anthony, mother of Casey.

Then there’s prosecutor Frank George, who will be played by David Richmond-Peck.

Ashton is being played by Rob Lowe, who is also an executive producer on the TV movie.

Frank George with Linda Drane Burdick. Photo credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

David Richmond-Peck

Cindy and George Anthony during a recess in their daughter's murder trial. Photo credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

Two Canadian actors have landed crucial supporting roles in the Lifetime movie “Prosecuting Casey Anthony.”

Cindy Anthony, Casey’s mother, will be played by Marina Stephenson Kerr, whose credits include “Capote,” “The Big White” and “Maneater.”

David Richmond-Peck has been cast as prosecutor Frank George. Richmond-Peck’s credits include “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Fantastic Four” and the remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

Filming starts Tuesday in Winnipeg and is scheduled to run 20 days.

Rob Lowe is playing former prosecutor Jeff Ashton in the film based on Ashton’s book “Imperfect Justice.” Lowe is also an executive producer on the film.

In July, Casey Anthony was acquitted of murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.

A man visits the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day. Photo credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The topics included the backlog of 900,000 disability claims at the Veterans Administration and the unemployment rate among veterans. Congratulations to moderator Candy Crowley for the timely interviews and unsettling information.

Here’s what a few of her guests had to say about veterans’ issues:

Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, on that huge backlog: “It’s not acceptable. It doesn’t meet the guidelines of the VA. It doesn’t meet what the country expects. And it has a serious impact on the veteran who is waiting for a benefit check to pay — put food on the table for pay for their mortgage or just do basic things in their life. So it is unacceptable.”

Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, on the backlog of disability claims: “The president has got to get involved. I mean, the president has not been aggressive in tackling this backlog, which continues to plague our veterans nationwide.”

Sen. Murray on the cost of caring for veterans: “This is not just going to be what do we need next year or what do we need as we pull out our soldiers from Iraq, but the costs of 10 years of war on a specific population that are going to be felt for decades. And we need to say, do we have the resources in this country to provide for those men and women and their families for a long time to come? And that question hasn’t been answered.”

Rieckhoff on the unemployment in his group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: “The bottom line as we see is 17 percent unemployment rate for IAVA members. That means that 17 percent of the folks who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home to an unemployment check. So that’s unacceptable. We also know that the economy is still very tough, the military will be downsizing and the folks are facing some transitional challenges.”

Tim Tetz, legislative director of the American Legion: “The biggest, scariest number, I think, is the fact that of the 780,000 who are currently out of a job, two-thirds of them are between the ages of 35 and 64. And they might not have the resources like the G.I. Bill and many of the other things that these younger veterans have to use.”

Please keep these numbers and issues in mind this Memorial Day Weekend.

Andy Cohen has helped put Bravo on the map with offbeat programming. Photo credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Andy Cohen should know as the programmer behind “Top Chef,” the various “Real Housewives” series and his own “Watch What Happens Live.” Cohen, a former producer at CBS News, weighed in on the Bravo success story in an interview with Howard Kurtz on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Sunday morning.

In picking programs, Cohen said he looks for “something that hasn’t been done before” and a personality different from what viewers have seen.

“If you look at the people who make up the Bravo landscape from Jeff Lewis to Rachel Zoe and Padma Lakshmi and Tabatha Coffey and the ‘Millionaire Matchmaker,’ these are very strong personalities that people love to watch and that you … don’t see anywhere else,” Cohen said.

“In the case of ‘The Housewives,’ I call the ‘Housewives’ sociology of the rich,” Cohen told Kurtz. “I think it’s just fun to watch. It’s guilt-free gossiping that you can have. It’s like the modern-day soap opera, in my mind.”

Do you agree?

Of his own show, Cohen said: “The funny thing is it’s a very positive show. And I would never want to embarrass a guest or make them feel like they didn’t have a great time. But we try to go there and have fun with people. Absolutely.”

Cohen recently published “Most Talkative: Stories from Behind the Lines of Pop Culture.”

Katie Couric interviews Prince William. Photo credit: Buckingham Palace photo by Mark Large

The noteworthy programs this week include:

1. ABC offers “The Jubilee Queen” to salute Queen Elizabeth II’s reign at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Katie Couric anchors the two-hour broadcast, and she interviews Princes William and Harry about their grandmother the queen. The other speakers include Prince Andrew, the queen’s son, and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

“It’s not just for Anglophiles,” Couric told me in an interview last week. “It’s a look at the unique reign of this monarch and all she’s been through — through the eyes of people who know her best.”

Couric met Queen Elizabeth, but the monarch has never done an interview. Prince William was “lovely and very charming,” Couric said. But bad news, royal watchers: His bride, Kate, isn’t interviewed, either.

The program contains a lot of archival footage and shows the arc of Elizabeth’s life, Couric said. “I think it will be a very rich two-hour special,” she said.

2. Keke Palmer of “True Jackson, VP” stars in the movie musical “Rags,” which debuts at 8 p.m. Monday on Nickelodeon. The contemporary twist on Cinderella also stars Max Schneider of “How to Rock.” Nick Cannon serves as executive producer.

3. Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton play feuding patriarchs in “Hatfields & McCoys,” a three-part miniseries from History. The lavish, six-hour production airs at 9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The results are grim, violent and punishing. It’s not wise to hold a grudge, a theme the miniseries hammers home relentlessly.

4. HBO counters with ”Hemingway & Gellhorn” at 9 p.m. Monday. The epic depicts the stormy romance of author Ernest Hemingway (Clive Owen) and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman). Both actors are sensational. The HBO film and the History miniseries have been timed to get maximum attention before the Emmy deadline. The strategy should pay off, especially for HBO.

5. “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” starts its seventh season with a one-hour episode at 9 p.m. Monday on A&E. A preview from A&E: “In what promises to be the most explosive season ever, Shannon decides she wants to adopt a child, and the entire family battles over her decision.” Reality TV thrives on such battles.

6. “Dogs in the City,” another reality series, explains the work of New York dog guru Justin Silver. He talks to unruly and unhappy dogs in ways that produce results. We’re a long way from “Survivor” in this one, which debuts at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS.

Rob Lowe is also an executive producer on 'Prosecuting Casey Anthony.' Photo credit: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Consider “Prosecuting Casey Anthony,” which starts filming Tuesday in Winnipeg and has four executive producers.

Rob Lowe plays former prosecutor Jeff Ashton, whose book “Imperfect Justice” is the source material for the movie. But Lowe is also an executive producer on the movie. I’m told he has a very hands-on approach to the script, casting and production look. He certainly knows television after starring roles in “The West Wing,” “Brothers & Sisters” and “Parks and Recreation.”

Jean Abounader has 20 production credits, including the recent Lifetime movies “We Have Your Husband” and “Held Hostage.”

Michelle Manning, who was president of production at Paramount, produced  ”The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles.”

Alison Cross is producing as well as writing “Prosecuting Casey Anthony.” She won Emmys for writing “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” which starred Glenn Close, and producing “Roe vs. Wade,” which starred Holly Hunter. The series credits for Cross include “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Raising the Bar,” “Commander in Chief” and “Philly.”

The director of “Prosecuting Casey Anthony” is Peter Werner,  who was an Emmy nominee for “Moonlighting,” “LBJ: The Early Years,” “Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story” and “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy.” His series credits include “Justified,” “Unforgettable,” “Grimm” and “A Gifted Man.”

With that talent behind the scenes, “Prosecuting Casey Anthony” might not be just another TV movie.

'American Idol' runner-up Jessica Sanchez. Photo credit: Jason Redmond/Reuters

1. The National Memorial Day Concert will feature “American Idol” runner-up Jessica Sanchez, who will perform the National Anthem and “The Prayer.” Sanchez’s father has served several tours of duty in Iraq and Kuwait with the Navy, and her grandfather is a retired Navy veteran.

Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds”) and Gary Sinise (“CSI: NY”) host the concert at 8 p.m. Sunday on PBS. (It repeats immediately at 9:30). Taking part will be former Secretary of State Colin Powell, the rock band Daughtry, Natalie Cole, Trace Adkins, Ellen Burstyn, Dennis Franz, Selma Blair, tenor Russell Watson and the National Symphony Orchestra.

2. CBS’ “60 Minutes Presents: Honoring Our Troops” airs at 7 p.m. Sunday. The reports are on Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer; Operation Proper Exit, which returns wounded warriors to the battlefield; and five sets of brothers in the Marine Reserves.

3. AMC offers its War Heroes Weekend Friday through Monday. Host Tom Brokaw will introduce “The Dirty Dozen” at 8 p.m. Friday and “Midway” at 11:30 p.m. Friday; “Flags of Our Fathers” at 8 p.m. Saturday and “Letters from Iwo Jima” at 11 p.m. Saturday; “Hart’s War” at 5 p.m. Sunday; and encore airings of “Midway” at 5 p.m. Monday and “Flags of Our Fathers” at 8 p.m. Monday.

4. TCM offers war films on Sunday and Monday. The highlights include “Sergeant York” at 8 p.m. Sunday, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” at 8 p.m. Monday and “The Great Escape” at 11 p.m. Monday.

5. CNN’s “State of the Union” will have Memorial Day themes. The guests include Gen. Peter Chiarelli (Ret.), former vice chief of staff, U.S. Army; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair, Veterans Affairs Committee; Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; and Tim Tetz, legislative director, the American Legion. The program can be seen at 9 a.m. and noon ET.

6.PBS’ “Independent Lens” offers “Hell and Back Again” at 10 p.m. Monday. The film, an Oscar nominee for best documentary, traces Sgt. Nathan Harris’ struggle, with support from his wife, Ashley, to re-adjust to civilian life.

Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen in 'Hemingway & Gellhorn.' Photo credit: HBO

If you long for big, old-fashioned TV movies, HBO and History will try to please you with dueling productions at 9 p.m. Monday.

HBO rolls out “Hemingway & Gellhorn.” History starts “Hatfields & McCoys,” a three-part, six-hour miniseries that continues at 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fans of epic romances will swoon over “Hemingway,” which is simply more fun than the punishing “Hatfields.”

The HBO movie traces the tempestuous love story of author Ernest Hemingway (Clive Owen) and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman). “We were good in war, and when there was no war, we made our own,” she says.

Romantic epics may be gone with the wind, but director Philip Kaufman has the right stuff for the passionate material. “Hemingway” uses a “Zelig”-style technique to insert actors in newsreels of the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The visual quality varies, but the look never fails to fascinate.

Stellar makeup ages Kidman convincingly and helps transform Owen into the moody, hard-drinking author. He delivers a rousing, scary performance. She is more natural and likable than usual.

The movie builds a persuasive case for the trailblazing Gellhorn, who worked while Hemingway played. She didn’t see herself as a footnote in his life, and this enjoyable movie makes sure she isn’t.

“Hatfields & McCoys” doesn’t make a case for either clan in a long, violent and wasteful family feud. Devil Anse Hatfield (Kevin Costner) and Randall McCoy (Bill Paxton) have a falling-out over timber rights and a stolen pig. But there isn’t anyone to root for as years of killings, brawls and condemnations follow.

The violence lets up briefly for the star-crossed romance of Johnse Hatfield (Matt Barr) and Roseanna McCoy (Lindsay Pulsipher), the saga’s backwoods Romeo and Juliet.

The most striking performance comes from Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy, Randall’s put-upon wife. Costner and Paxton throw themselves into playing aging, vengeful and snarling patriarchs.

But you may want to escape them. The general meanness drives a few characters mad. This terrible, monotonous story could have the same effect on viewers.

Despite the epic trappings, the miniseries leaves an inescapable impression: The Hatfields and the McCoys were foolish bores.

Cheney Mason, center, and Jeff Ashton, right, with Jose Baez in May 2010. Photo credit: Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel

But you can still see them via a live webcast on Thursday. The link will be posted at www.law.pace.edu on Wednesday and become active about five minutes before the program begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

The attorneys kick off a seminar series called “Trials & Error: Behind the Headlines of America’s Most Controversial Cases.” Alex Ferrer of “Judge Alex” will take part, too.

Pace Law School will bring the three men together for a 90-minute discussion followed by a Q&A. The event will be at the Schimmel Theater, One Pace Plaza in Manhattan.

Writer and law professor Thane Rosenbaum will moderate the panel. The second program in the series, set for Sept. 6, will focus on the O.J. Simpson trial.

Sheldon (Jim Parsons) of 'The Big Bang Theory' and king of the Thursday ratings. Photo credit: Monty Brinton/CBS

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED:

More viewers wanted to see a “Big Bang Theory” rerun Thursday than the premieres of “Duets” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The CBS sitcom was the most-watched broadcast on the first night of the summer TV season. “Big Bang” pulled in 8.3 million fans. CBS also aired reruns of “Rules of Engagement” (6.1 million), ”Person of Interest” (7.9 million) and ”The Mentalist” (7.8 million).

ABC’s “Duets” brought in 6.8 million viewers. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” entertained 6.3 million. But “Dance” was easily the top show of the night with the 18-to-49 age group. Fox won that count; ABC and CBS tied for second.

ABC also brought back the police drama “Rookie Blue,” which had 6.1 million fans. NBC’s “Awake” ended its short run with just 2.9 million viewers.

The prime-time averages for total viewers: CBS with 7.7 million, ABC with 6.5 million, Fox with 6.3 million, NBC with 2.9 million and The CW with 680,000.

In Orlando, the top show was the Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers game on ESPN. It drew 132,700 viewers.

“The Big Bang Theory” was the top entertainment show with 105,600 viewers. Other programs of note:”Person of Interest” (94,800 viewers), “So You Think You Can Dance” (91,700), Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” (91,100) and  ”Duets” (87,700).

Rob Lowe headlines 'Who Do You Think You Are?' Photo credit: Matt Carr/Getty Images

***The series finale of “Harry’s Law” at 8 p.m. Sunday. NBC didn’t renew the Kathy Bates drama, even though it had more viewers than most NBC shows. The problem was that the series from creator David E. Kelley didn’t have enough appeal among young adults. If you don’t have that, you’re doomed these days.

***Fox slots the Coca-Cola 600 in prime time Sunday. The race from Charlotte Motor Speedway should do well against reruns. Those repeats include the series premiere of ABC’s “Duets”  at 8; the Kelly Clarkson show debuted Thursday.

***TNT offers the NBA on Sunday. The Western Conference finals between San Antonio and Oklahoma City start at 8:30 p.m. The game should do well against reruns as well.

***ABC goes with the NBA playoffs on Saturday. The network will air Game 7 of the Boston-Philadelphia series at 8 p.m.

***TCM presents the best movie of Jean Harlow’s short career, “Dinner at Eight,” at 8 p.m. Saturday. The exceptional cast includes Marie Dressler, John and Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery and Billie Burke as a very nervous hostess. Burke later went on to play the Good Witch in “The Wizard of Oz.”

***Tonight’s schedule is packed with reruns. But you could learn more about Rob Lowe, who will play former prosecutor Jeff Ashton in an upcoming Lifetime movie on the Casey Anthony trial. Lowe explores his family history in “Who Do You Think You Are?” at 8 on NBC. The network didn’t renew that series either.

I will have a separate post about Memorial Day programming.

Maria Shriver will be a guest on 'Meet the Press.' Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

***Maria Shriver and author Michael Lewis discuss commencement speeches on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The program starts at 9 a.m. on WESH-Channel 2. The headline guests are Gov. Martin O’Malley, D-Md., and former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. The panel will be Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles; Carly Fiorina, vice chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee; E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post; and David Brooks of The New York Times.

***Douglas Brinkley, author of “Cronkite,” will be a guest on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” The program starts at 10:30 a.m. on WKMG-Channel 6. Brinkley will be part of a discussion about the presidency. The other panelists: Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy of Time magazine and author Robert Merry. Discussing the presidential campaign will be Obama adviser Robert Gibbs and Romney adviser Ed Gillespie.

***Defense Secretary Leon Panetta talks to ABC’s “This Week.” The program starts at 11 a.m. on WFTV-Channel 9. The panel will be George Will; former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich.;  Ron Brownstein of National Journal; Liz Claman of Fox Business Network; and Nia-Malika Henderson of The Washington Post.

***Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, will visit “Fox News Sunday.” The program airs at 9 a.m. on WOFL-Channel 35. The panel will be Brit Hume, Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times, Kimberley Strassel of The Wall Street Journal and Kirsten Powers of The Daily Beast.

***Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to CNN’s “State of the Union” at 9 a.m. and noon. The other guests are Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.; Gen. Peter Chiarelli (Ret.), former vice chief of staff, U.S. Army; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair, Veterans Affairs Committee; Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; and Tim Tetz, legislative director, the American Legion.

Jimmie Johnson, center, talks to Lee Cowan on 'CBS Sunday Morning.' Photo credit: CBS News

Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001’s Daytona 500 left a deep impression on NASCAR superstar Jimmie Johnson, he tells “CBS Sunday Morning.”

“Standing around at driver intros … I remember vividly an image of Dale Sr. kissing Teresa Earnhardt and then climbing in the car and unfortunately, you know, he was killed that day,” Johnson tells Lee Cowan. “And a lot of people still remember that — you know, that final kiss that they had. So, sometimes my mind flashes to that and it’s like, ‘No, no… don’t think about it.’ ”

The interview airs at 9 a.m. Sunday on WKMG-Channel 6.

Johnson also talks about a new approach to racing this year. “I have the … the energy that I did when I was a rookie coming in,” he says.

He cites the source of that change: wife Chandra and their conversations about balancing racing and family.

“It’s just a tough balance to get that working right,” Johnson says. “But this year things — things work right. The balance is there. … I think I’m becoming a better dad and certainly each year, a better husband, I mean it — experience is everything. I don’t think it matters if you’re in the car or, you know, in life, in workspace or personal space.”

Zenaida Gonzalez. Photo courtesy of Matt Morgan

Will an apology from Casey Anthony to Zenaida Gonzalez end that drama?

Nope, says an attorney for Gonzalez.

Gonzalez attorney John Dill told RadarOnline.com: “Let me say this very bluntly, an apology isn’t good enough, period. It’s meaningless, and Ms. Anthony seems to be unable to tell the truth.”

Dill confirmed the comments to the Sentinel. “We want her to tell the truth, but she seems unwilling or unable to do that,” Dill said in an email.

Anthony was served with a subpoena Thursday in the defamation case against her. Gonzalez is suing Anthony, claiming her life was ruined when she was linked, by Anthony, to the disappearance of Caylee Anthony.

Dill added to RadarOnline.com: “We want her to testify under oath, under penalty of perjury. My client deserves answers about what motivated Casey to do the things she did, as our client has suffered substantially because of someone else’s actions.”

The trial is scheduled to start in January. Anthony is serving a year’s probation for check fraud somewhere in Florida. In July, she was acquitted of murder in Caylee’s death.