TV Party for Wednesday, June 22nd

Tonight at 8 it’s time to dive back into the world of reality television with the latest show to pop out of the brain of Ashton Kutcher, “Beauty and the Geek” on the WB. In spite of it’s name, Beauty and the Geek is a departure from the usual dating and makeover shows. It pairs seven "academically challenged" women with seven "socially challenged" men. The mismatched team that learns the most from each other is rewarded with insight into how the other half lives--and $250,000. In tonight’s contest, with only four teams remaining in the game, the competition does what? Heat up, naturally. The ladies finally get the chance to give their men makeovers, and the guys are asked to get phone numbers from complete strangers. Meanwhile, tensions rise when a rivalry develops between two contestants. One thing to note, Geeks, there is hope out there: Mr. Kutcher counts himself as a geek, in spite of his on-screen persona in “That 70’s Show” and “Dude, Where’s My Car”…Ashton was once a biochemical engineering major.

Sticking with the reality show theme, at 9 head over to TLC for two hours of makeover glory. If you've ever hoped to see two of TLC's most popular shows come together for a makeover extravaganza, tonight your wish comes true. "While You Were Out" (where Evan Farmer and a team of designers redecorate a room in secret) and "What Not to Wear" (where fashion gurus Clinton Kelly and Stacey London take victims from dowdy to dashing) pool their resources for the ultimate style con. Participant Joe wants to transform a bedroom for his wife Dana, but Dana's friends have nominated her for a style makeover. Solution: do both! This poor girl won't know which way is up by the time the two shows are finished with her. We can only hope they come back in six months for a follow-up show so we can see how far she’s slid back into her old ways.

If that’s not your cup of tea, how about an hour of Frontline on KBTC? In tonight’s episode, “Is Wal-Mart Good for America” economists discuss Wal-Mart and its reliance on Chinese imports. Now, while an hour-long economic discussion may not sound all that exciting, where Wal-Mart goes so go many other companies. Wal-Mart is all about cost, and if they can keep their costs low by buying imported goods from China then that’s what they’ll do, regardless of the consequences to the economy.

At 10 take a break from the here-and-now and look to the future. After all, the future is where we’ll all be living some day, so why not see what’s coming? The History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” series takes a look at “Future Tech” this evening, everything from paper-thin televisions to hydrogen-fueled vehicles to brain-computer interfaces that will allow the handicapped to communicate and surf the Internet for Porn, it’s all coming to a future near you.