This Week On TV2: Saturday 08 August - Friday 14 August 2009 TV2 starts this week off with some What Now craziness on Sunday at 8am, as Charlie, Serena and Tu come to you live, all the way from Queenstown! Grace and Jackson bring you another death-defying stunt and there are prizes galore to be won.

Sunday afternoon gets exciting with the start of a new series called Privileged at 5.30pm, in which smart and quirky New Yorker, Megan Smith is offered a job as the live-in tutor of beautiful and rebellious twin teen millionaires in Palm Beach, Florida. The TV2 Winter Season continues Monday-Friday at 4.30pm, bringing you a fantastic line-up of your favourite family movies. Tune in to catch Chicken Little, Antz, Over the Hedge, Valiant and The Wild Thornberry's Movie. Photo: Chicken Little. Movie Nacho Libre Sunday 9 August, 8.30pm From the director of Napoleon Dynamite comes this quirky, offbeat comedy about the world of Lucha Libre wrestling, in TV2's Sunday Premiere Movie, Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black (Tropic Thunder).

Nacho (Black) is an inept cook in a monastery where, day after day, he serves terrible food to the orphans he cares for. Hatching a plan to make money for some better ingredients, he transforms himself into a Lucha Libre wrestler and stumbles into a world where, for the first time in his life, he belongs. Not only that, but it also gives him the perfect chance to impress the lovely Sister Encarnacin (Ana de la Reguera). Wrestling, however, is strictly forbidden by the church elders at the monastery, and Nacho is forced to lead a secret double life, competing in disguise behind a blue mask. Concealing his true identity, Nacho and his skinny side-kick Esqueleto (Hctor Jimnez) take on Mexico's most famous wrestlers in a hilarious quest to make life for the orphans a little sweeter. After the incredible success of his debut movie, Napoleon Dynamite, writer/director Jared Hess was immediately drawn to the world of Luchadores. "It just hit me as something so strange and wild - it was a story I wanted to tell," says Hess. "The concept is so outrageous that it seemed like the perfect follow-up to Napoleon." It was Hess' involvement that initially attracted Black to the movie. "Jared's got a mind for incredible, strange stories. He's drawn to interesting, peculiar characters and people." However, Black admits to being anxious at the prospect of squeezing into the outrageous leotards required for the role. He explains, "I was thinking, 'Holy crap, do I have to wear one of those super tight unitard bottoms? Tights?! I'd rather be naked!' But, you know what? That's when it's funny. When I've been really embarrassed and scared, that's when things have turned out to be really good." Producer Julia Pistor says that the combination of Jack Black, Jared Hess, and the weird world of Lucha Libre wrestling makes the picture irresistible. "What is so great about Nacho Libre is it doesn't fit into any one box," says Pistor. "It's funny, bizarre, left-of-centre, colourful, beautiful, and exciting." Photo: Jack Black (Nacho). Local Drama Shortland Street Weekdays, 7pm Kind-natured Morgan Braithwaite (Bonnie Soper) is challenged on Shortland Street this week, when her good intentions are taken advantage of. Well known for putting others before herself, how will she react to this unexpected deception?

Morgan has lived much of her life without a mother, all thanks to Bartholemew Hughes (Mark Williams), the drink-driver who carelessly ran her down. So when Hughes happens to come into Shortland Street hospital, Morgan can hardly contain her fury. But when the opportunity arises for her to speak her mind to him, Morgan finds herself surprised, and moved when her passionate words reduce him to tears. "Seeing the impact that her message has on Hughes, Morgan agrees to hear his side of the story," says Soper. "When she learns that he only recently relapsed into drinking, her heart opens up to him and she decides to channel her fury into pity, offering to help him get off the bottle." Determined to help Hughes turn his life around, Morgan decides to help him enter a rehabilitation programme. But her plan hits a snag when she learns of the debts that he must settle. However, no stranger to money troubles herself, Morgan begins fundraising for Hughes. "Despite being warned off him by her friends, Morgan truly wants to believe that Hughes is turning over a new leaf," explains Soper. "This may seem incredibly naive of Morgan, but she really wants to turn this awful situation into a positive." Morgan's elation about the success of her fundraising efforts doesn't last long though, when she discovers that sneaky Hughes has taken off with the entire loot. Shocked and betrayed by Hughes' behaviour, Morgan resolves to hunt him down. What will Morgan do when she finds this nasty man? Make sure you tune into Shortland Street this week to witness her shocking response. If you have missed an episode, full episodes of Shortland Street will be available free online 12 hours after the show has aired on TV2. Go to tvnz.co.nz and click the 'watch episode' button. Photo: Bonnie Soper (Morgan Braithwaite). Drama The Mentalist Monday 10 August, 8.30pm Former celebrity psychic, Thomas Jane (Simon Baker), becomes an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), helping them to solve serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation, in TV2's acclaimed new series, The Mentalist.

In his former career as a fake psychic, Jane made a name for himself, and a healthy income, convincing people he could speak to the dead. Then in a cruel twist of fate, a serial killer named Red John murdered his wife and child. After this, Jane vowed to use his formidable powers of observation to help solve homicides, joining the CBI as a consultant. Notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a former psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned, Jane is not exactly popular in the Bureau. Creator Bruno Heller tells USA TV Guide of his off beat hero, "Patrick Jane is arrogant - the last thing you'd want in a policeman." It is his skills, though, as a smooth talker, as opposed to his physical prowess, which make Jane such a likable, if slightly unusual, lead character. As Heller points out, Jane is not the typical tough guy who leaps from moving cars and always saves the day. "The show is about this extraordinary person in an ordinary environment and how he's using his trickster skills in a moral framework," Heller explains. "His family was killed because of his hubris and pride, and he can't live unless he feels he can redeem himself." Baker agrees that his character is unsettled, and looking for some kind of closure. "He's a flawed character because he has this weakness where he's more comfortable being in other people's lives and heads than being in his own," says Baker. Within the Bureau, Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents, however no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (series star Robin Tunney-Prison Break) openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Though Jane clearly gets on Lisbon's nerves, Baker says his character obviously enjoys his bantering with his superior. "She's a strong woman and there's a lot of back-and-forth. Sometimes it's very mother and son, but at times they feel like peers." In the premiere episode, Jane, Senior Agent Lisbon and her team investigate the double murder in Palm Springs of a pro golfer's wife and her doctor - which has all the hallmarks of serial killer, Red John. If you have missed an episode, full episodes of The Mentalist will be available free online 12 hours after the show has aired on TV2. Go to tvnz.co.nz and click the 'watch episode' button. Photo: Simon Baker (Thomas Jane). Drama ER: The Final Season Monday 10 August, 9.30pm TV2 favourite ER is back, with its final season set to be a star studded affair as your favourite faces return to the fray.

Following an ambulance explosion, it's a matter of life and death in tonight's season premiere. The devastating repercussions of the accident ripple through the day as Abby (Maura Tierney) wakes up injured but alive, rushing into the chaos to help a young girl but unwittingly misdiagnosing the case. Morris (Scott Grimes) and Neela (Parminda Nagra), meanwhile, have to deal with a wounded colleague, and struggle to keep up with the casualties flooding into County General after the blast. For David Zabel, the executive producer of the drama with the most Emmy nominations in history, knowing that the 15th season would be the last gave him the opportunity to plan a fitting farewell to the characters viewers have come to know and love. Zabel personally wrote and directed one of the centrepieces of the final series - a tear-jerking flashback that teams up the much-loved Anthony Edwards (Dr. Green) with new series regular Angela Bassett (Dr. Cate Banfield). "We're doing a great episode with Anthony," Zabel tells USA TV Guide. "It shows that returns can be done in a way that's not just a swan-song wave to the audience, but rather compelling, dramatic stories that are interesting for an actor to play." Having Edwards on board helped the producers tempt other ER veterans back to the trauma room for a last goodbye, and, Zabel says, the writers have some really good storylines for every major character from the past. Across the series, viewers will be rewarded with appearances from Noah Wyle (Dr. Carter), Eriq La Salle (Dr. Benton), Laura Innes (Dr. Weaver), Alex Kingston (Dr. Corday) and Julianna Marguiles (Carol Hathaway). The most eagerly anticipated event this season, however, sees George Clooney back as Dr. Doug Ross, returning to the show that made him an international star. Fans can look forward to a blockbuster episode that sees him perform alongside Susan Sarandon (Thelma and Louise ) - but you may be surprised at how Clooney finally makes his appearance. "We have lots of interesting ways of reuniting past characters", teases Zabel. "Sometimes in surprising, accidental ways, and sometimes in ways where they reach out to each other." If you have missed an episode, full episodes of ER will be available free online 12 hours after the show has aired on TV2. Go to tvnz.co.nz and click the 'watch episode' button. Photo: Parminda Nagra (Neela Rasgotra). Movie The Great Raid Tuesday 11 August, 8.30pm James Franco (Spider-Man) and Benjamin Bratt (Traffic) star in TV2's Blockbuster Tuesday movie, The Great Raid, a thrilling true story about one of the most daring rescue missions ever attempted.

In 1945, the Sixth Ranger Battalion is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Bratt) and Captain Prince (Franco). After a massacre at a prisoner-of-war camp, Mucci and Prince are ordered to undertake a courageous rescue operation to save the lives of the Americans still held captive in the Philippines. Travelling thirty miles behind enemy lines, and against all the odds, the Battalion has to liberate over 500 prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan POW camp, building to a gripping and audacious rescue attempt. Director John Dahl, who's own father served in the war, jumped at the chance of exploring the historic event. "When I was given the chance to make a film that put so much of my own family's history together for me, as well as being part of a group of filmmakers that got the opportunity to tell a true story about an amazing event, I was thrilled," he tells Pilipino Express. "It allowed me to talk to my father about his war experience," he continues. "It gave me the opportunity to interview Ben Steele as well as many other surviving POWs. I met Bob Prince [the leader of the raid], Rudy, a Filipino guerrilla, as well as Bob Lapham [U.S. Armed Forces guerrilla leader in Luzon] and many others." Franco tells Tribute.ca that the experience of doing this film was a little different from most. "Because The Great Raid is based on true events, and subject matter, you feel like you really want to get it right. As an actor approaching it, it wasn't that different because I like to put everything into all my roles, but in the back of your mind, you know real veterans are going to see this so you want to get it right for them." Acting out such a significant story, and part of history, Franco says he felt the pressure to maintain accuracy in his portrayal of Captain Prince, to correctly serve the memory of this event. "This film was unique, as far as research goes, because usually you have to go away and do it on your own, and I did, but with this one they took us to boot camp," Franco explains." "For 12 days we were isolated out in the wilderness where we learned how to be soldiers, and we had a military advisor captain. The experience was invaluable," he continues. "It's one thing to read about it and hear about it, but it's another thing to be with a real veteran, who teaches you how to fire a rifle, and how to strategise, I saw the benefit in everyone's performance. By the end of boot camp we were behaving as a company, so once we were on set, we were like a company going on a mission." Photo: James Franco (Captain Prince). Reality Australian Idol Friday 14 August, 8.30pm Australian Idol returns to TV2 for its 2009 season, following five days behind the show going to air in Australia. Producing artists such as Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll and The Young Divas, the hit series will set about discovering Australia's next solo singing superstar, with the Australian public voting for their favourites to win the coveted Australian Idol title.

In 2009, Australian Idol will take on an exciting new shape, with both performance and eliminations to air in one major two-hour show each week on Friday nights. An international Idol first, the Friday episodes of Australian Idol will be jam packed with all the drama of the cliffhanging verdict, and the excitement of the Idol's performances, and for the first time the voting lines will actually open during the show. Hosted by Andrew G, the live two-hour shows will feature guest judges and industry mentors throughout the season alongside judges Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands. New Zealand born Ricki-Lee Coulter will also return this season to co-host the live shows and offer her support to contestants throughout the audition process. Returning for what looks like the biggest year of Idol to date, Coulter, a former Idol contestant herself, relishes being able to support the hopeful artists. Coulter says the best part of working on Idol is "being given the opportunity to mentor these amazing contestants by giving them support from someone who has been through exactly what they are going through. It's beyond rewarding to offer them advice, see them decide to take it and watch the results pay off!" Premiering tonight, we start off with the highs and lows, the good, the bad, and the ugly, as we trek around the country looking for undiscovered talent on the Australian Idol national audition tour. 2009 has seen Idol stop off in more cities and towns than ever before to unearth the very best talent Australia has to offer, and this year has already shown signs of unearthing the most talented group of singers yet. For the first two weeks, the audition trail will uncover this year's contestants as they take their first step in to the spotlight and showcase their extraordinary (and sometimes ordinary) talents for our three judges. Watch out for special celebrity judges that pop in along the way. If you have missed an episode, full episodes of Australian Idol will be available free online 12 hours after the show has aired on TV2. Go to tvnz.co.nz and click the 'watch episode' button. Photo: Ricki-Lee Coulter.