Animal Planet

Any radio can play the Grateful Dead, but it's another matter to transmit the voices of the merely deceased. That takes a bit of work on the radio with a wire cutter, maybe a pair of pliers, and - the skeptic might argue - a leap of faith. Jenny Stewart of Mount Airy, founder and head of the Paranormal Research and Resource Society, said she's done it many times, hearing and recording the dead speak through a $25 Radio Shack AM-FM digital radio modified to turn it into a device known in her field as a "ghost box."

A list of everything you need to know about the week ahead. MOVIES OPENING (Friday; subject to change) Immortals J. Edgar Jack and Jill Like Crazy NOTABLE TV MONDAY The Bad Girls Club Reunion, Part 1 (special; 9 p.m.; Oxygen) The Witch Doctor Will See You Now (series debut; 10 p.m; National Geographic)  TUESDAY Quints by Surprise (season premiere; 10 p.m.; TLC) Chuck's Week Off: Mexico (special; 10:30 p.m.; Cooking)

On a sopping Sunday in April, after months of meticulous planning, Animal Planet's cameras are ready to roll at the Baltimore County Kennel Club's annual dog show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.Like at any other dog show, pointers, retrievers, setters and spaniels parade before a judge, "sparkling" to applause. But on this day, special commentators are at ringside: former Olympians Donna de Varona and Wendy Hilliard, and international dog expert Wayne Cavanaugh. They're here to cover the dog show the way the Olympics are covered: by showcasing the event's elite athleticism, suspense and backstage pathos.

You might not think a reality TV series titled "Hillbilly Handfishin'" would have much to do with Baltimore and East Coast urban living. But that's not the case. The series that premieres Sunday  at 10 p.m. on Animal Planet will feature at least three couples from the area during its 12-episode run, according to John Jones, post-production supervising producer on the series and resident of Federal Hill. Here's how Animal Planet describes the series (and you can see a video below)

National Aquarium officials said yesterday that they have struck a deal to put the Animal Planet name inside the new pavilion that will house the Australian animal exhibit now under construction. The 10-year deal with the cable television channel and its parent, Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications Inc., represents the most significant naming and corporate partnership into which the National Aquarium has entered, said a top aquarium executive. The $66 million pavilion project is set to open in 2005.

7 p.m. [Animal Planet] From the Yahoo description: "Examining lions that have taken to swimming in order to survive in the African wilderness of Botswana's Okavango Delta." If you're reading this, Michael Phelps, we sense a new training technique with lots of incentive to swim faster.

MORONGO VALLEY, CALIF. -- Over the years, scientific films and National Geographic specials have inspired visitors to a small, out-of-the-way meerkat sanctuary here. One of the draws was a resident meerkat who served as the model for Timon in The Lion King. But that's nothing compared with the surge of interest since Animal Planet's hit series Meerkat Manor made stars of the Whisker family, the cooperative, contentious, highly dramatic animals that race through their days on the Kalahari Desert in South Africa at fast-forward speed, following the lead of their matriarch, Flower, an expert in realpolitik and breeding.

Somewhere amid the devastation of the World Trade Center, in between the stories of hard-driving rescue workers and families filled with heartache, there were the animals: hundreds of dogs and cats abandoned when their owners were forced to evacuate apartment houses near the disaster site or injured as a result of the attacks. And then there were the search-and-rescue dogs at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, dozens of canines charged with finding the remains of victims from the mound of rubble recovered from the Manhattan disaster site.

Somewhere amid the devastation of the World Trade Center, in between the stories of hard-driving rescue workers and families filled with heartache, there were the animals: hundreds of dogs and cats abandoned when their owners were forced to evacuate apartment houses near the disaster site or injured as a result of the attacks. And then there were the search-and-rescue dogs at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, dozens of canines charged with finding the remains of victims from the mound of rubble recovered from the Manhattan disaster site.

Reality show It's Me or the Dog 6 p.m. [Animal Planet]: It's just a shame that this show wasn't around to help Michael Vick. Reality show I Love Money 8 p.m. [VH1]: Oops, Mr. Flip's bad. He thought this was about Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox. Awards ESPY Awards 8 p.m. [ESPN2]: This is a replay of a taped show from last week, so by not watching, you have a chance to ignore the ESPYs for the third time.

Fire up that DVR: Here's our picks for Friday-Sunday. FRIDAY •"NSTF:SD:SUV" (Midnight; Adult Swim): The series premiere of the show (above) that rightfully takes "CSI" and "SUV" and all those other acronym-happy programs down a peg. • "Deadly Women: Deadliest Women" (8 p.m.; ID): Not sure what exactly qualifies a deadly woman as deadlier than another, but ID is helping us out. • "20/20" (9 p.m.; WMAR/ABC): I usually don't recommend "20/20," but this episode is about people with "unusual super-powers," like a dude who can draw cityscapes from memory.

Board holds public hearing on superintendent search The Howard County Board of Education will hold an initial public hearing on the search for a new superintendent for county schools at its next meeting Tuesday, June 21. The hearing will take place in the evening session of the meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Individuals who wish to testify at the hearing are asked to limit their presentations to three minutes, and provide 15 copies...

Any radio can play the Grateful Dead, but it's another matter to transmit the voices of the merely deceased. That takes a bit of work on the radio with a wire cutter, maybe a pair of pliers, and - the skeptic might argue - a leap of faith. Jenny Stewart of Mount Airy, founder and head of the Paranormal Research and Resource Society, said she's done it many times, hearing and recording the dead speak through a $25 Radio Shack AM-FM digital radio modified to turn it into a device known in her field as a "ghost box."

Series Law & Order: : A troubled NYPD officer is killed by fellow cops after he takes hostages at gunpoint. (10 p.m., WBAL-Channel 11) Most Outrageous: : The new series premieres with a look at odd pets, including rodents and pigs. (10 p.m., Animal Planet) Specials Thrilla in Manila: : The final fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in the Philippines is recalled in this new documentary. (7 p.m., HBO). Movies The Ten Commandments:: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter star in director Cecil B. DeMille's final film, the 1956 biblical epic about the life of Moses.

Tonight, Howie Mandel, the eccentric host of Deal or No Deal, leaves the babes and briefcases behind (for a little while at least) to take the helm of a new hidden camera show, Howie Do It. But those looking for impromptu hilarity should look elsewhere. Howie Do It is nothing but a Candid Camera knock-off with lame jokes. Just like Candid, Mandel targets real people, and these people are put in odd and embarrassing situations while cameras roll. There is one slight twist though: Mandel - well-known for being a germaphobe and being averse to handshaking - bases some of the material on his battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

7 p.m. [Animal Planet] From the Yahoo description: "Examining lions that have taken to swimming in order to survive in the African wilderness of Botswana's Okavango Delta." If you're reading this, Michael Phelps, we sense a new training technique with lots of incentive to swim faster.

Steve Irwin, the conservationist and entertainer known as the Crocodile Hunter, just might leave two legacies: One to the wild animals he sought to protect and another to the cable channel that he helped build. Media analysts say the Animal Planet channel, owned by Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications Inc., became a household name largely because of its larger-than-life star whose daredevil antics drew millions of fans to his wild animal series and documentaries - and introduced them to other shows.