Ross takes a walk on the wild side
JONATHAN Ross, Channel 4's young Turk - or young turkey, depending on your viewpoint - hosts a new, three-part infotainment series Americana (Pearl, 8.30pm), a look at the off-beat side of US life that he promises will ''either make you want to rush out and emigrate to America the next day, or convince you never ever to go there''.
His themes are food (Fat ), fun (Dumb ) and business (Rich ). The pilot looks at a variety of US food, from cooking in a dishwasher and the Big Mac museum to a 24-hour diner where the waitresses are naked college girls.
FOR something more sophisticated, try Patagonia: Unknown Land (World, 8.30pm), which looks at the rich, and largely unknown, land and sea life on and around the Valdez Peninsula.
Marine life includes sea-lions, fur seals and elephant seals, while the Patagonian Plain, which covers most of Argentina, is home to maras (mammals, unusual in that male and female pair for life) and the guanaco which never needs to drink water.
TOP Japanese singer/songwriter Mari Hamada is profiled on Eye on Hongkong (Pearl, 7.20pm) as she begins her bid for stardom throughout Southeast Asia.
There's also a look what Hongkong's design students came up with when challenged to create a garment which evoked ''the pure thrill of living''.
US Ice Queen Dorothy Hamill - who was recently voted America's favourite sports personality - speaks about her glittering skating career.
DESIGNER cop movie Internal Affairs (World, 9.30pm, Original Running Time 117 mins) makes a swift return to our screens, starring Andy Garcia (check out those suits) and Richard Gere.
Garcia plays a young officer, new to the Internal Affairs department and determined to bring down ruthless and corrupt cop Gere - who seems to have more ex-wives than Henry VIII.
Garcia and Gere maintain the tension despite a rapidly deteriorating story, and Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne ) is outstanding as Garcia's partner, making what could have been a ''token women'' role into much more.
ANOTHER rapid repeat is Braddock: Missing in Action III (Pearl 9.30pm, ORT 101 mins), which is ridiculous in that it wasn't worth watching the first time. Colonel Chuck Norris again returns to Vietnam - from whence he rescued MIAs' in the first two films. This time he's searching for his wife, who's probably wishing he wouldn't bother.
