Tuning In

Hurt gets ’Damages’

FX has confirmed that Oscar-winning actor William Hurt will join the cast of the network’s legal thriller “Damages” for its second season, scheduled for broadcast sometime in early 2009, Multichannel.com reports.

Network officials said production on the new series starts Tuesday in New York.

Mr. Hurt joins “Damages” for a season-long arc as a new client of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). Details of his role are being kept under wraps, but show insiders have hinted that Mr. Hurt’s character will share not only a professional past with Hewes, but a personal one as well.

According to Multichannel.com, it will be Mr. Hurt’s first appearance as a regular character in a television series.

A four-time Oscar nominee, Mr. Hurt won the best-actor award for his role as Luis Molina, a gay prisoner in 1985’s “Kiss of the Spiderwoman.” He also received Oscar nominations for his performances in “A History of Violence,” “Broadcast News” and “Children of a Lesser God.”

Daytime Emmys on ABC

“All My Children” star and “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Cameron Mathison teams with comedian and “The View” co-host Sherri Shepherd to host the 35th annual “Daytime Emmy Awards,” airing live from Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre Friday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Awards will be presented in 27 categories.

Miss Shepherd’s daytime chat fest, “The View,” will compete in the Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment category against “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Rachael Ray.”

Miss Shepherd and her “View” co-hosts - Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck - also are nominated for Outstanding Talk Show Host. The quintet will face competitors Miss DeGeneres and Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa ( “Live with Regis and Kelly”).

Nominees for Outstanding Talk Show Informative are “A Place of Our Own,” “Dr. Phil” and “The Tyra Banks Show.”

Among the other major nominees:

Outstanding Morning Program: “American Morning” (CNN), “Good Morning America” (ABC), “The Today Show” (NBC).

Outstanding Drama Series: “General Hospital” (ABC), “Guiding Light” (CBS), “One Life to Live” (ABC), “The Young and the Restless” (CBS).

Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show: “Cash Cab” (Discovery Channel) “Jeopardy!” (syndicated), “The Price Is Right” (CBS).

Outstanding Game Show Host:Ben Bailey, “Cash Cab”; Alex Trebek, “Jeopardy!”; Pat Sajak, “Wheel of Fortune” (syndicated).

Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program: “Cristina’s Court,” “Judge David Young,” “Judge Hatchett Show,” “Judge Judy,” “The People’s Court.”

Outstanding Lifestyle Program: “Everyday Italian” (Food Network), “Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie” (PBS), “Lidia’s Italy” (PBS), “Nigella Express” (Food Network), “Witch Crafts” (DIY Network)

Outstanding Lifestyle Host: Ina Garten, “Barefoot Contessa”; Bobby Flay, “Boy Meets Grill”; Giada De Laurentiis, “Everyday Italian”; Todd English, “Food Trip With Todd English”; Nigella Lawson, “Nigella Express.”

Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series: “Between the Lions” (PBS), “Blue’s Room” (Nick Jr.), “Jack’s Big Music Show” (Noggin), “Sesame Street” (PBS), “Super Why!” (PBS).

Outstanding Children’s Animated Program: “Arthur” (PBS), “Charlie and Lola” (Disney Channel), “Curious George” (PBS), “Little Einsteins” (PBS), “Peep and the Big Wide World” (Discovery Kids).

Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program: Kevin Michael Richardson (Joker, “The Batman,” Kids WB); Christopher Lloyd (the Hacker, “Cyberchase,” PBS); Eartha Kitt (Yzma, “The Emperor’s New School,” Disney Channel); Jessica DiCicco (Malina, “The Emperor’s New School,” Disney Channel); Danica Lee (Ming-Ming Duckling, “The Wonder Pets,” Nick Jr.).

Also worth noting this weekend:

Friday

Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (10:30 p.m., WETA-Channel 26) - The Peabody Award-winning portrait about the genius of Duke Ellington’s musical collaborator and his premature death at 51 is told through the eyes of family, friends, musicians and music historians in this acclaimed documentary.

Saturday

Hang ’em High (2:25 and 11:30 p.m., AMC) - Oscar winner Clint Eastwood - recently in a different sort of fight with fellow director Spike Lee - battles an unruly gang of nine henchmen after they wrongly accuse him of stealing cattle and killing the herd’s owner. Ben Johnson, Pat Hingle, Ed Begley Sr. co-star in this classic 1968 Western.

Sunday

Ice Road Truckers (8 p.m., History Channel) - The cable channel’s breakaway hit offers back-to-back installments on the men who drive the big rigs on treacherous roads in the remote communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, north of the Arctic Circle in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Written and compiled by Robyn-Denise Yourse from staff, wire and Web reports.