You won't find a better deal than 'Super Commercials'

If tradition holds, the highlight for many viewers on Super Bowl Sunday will not be the game but the commercial breaks. And yet, for all of the hours that television spends dissecting the game, isn't it funny how it never analyzes the ads? That's changing this year thanks to John Forde, the irreverent host of "Mental Engineering," the first TV series devoted to commercial criticism. Forde's lively panel show - "McLaughlin Group" meets Madison Avenue - normally isn't picked up by KCPT. But thanks to the backing of PBS, its Super Bowl special, "Super Commercials," will air at 9:30 p.m. Sunday on Channel 19, or about 45 minutes after the game ends. Forde's panel will include former "Daily Show" wit Lizz Winstead and "Talk Soup" host Aisha Tyler offering their spins on some of the ads featured during the Super Bowl. Pay attention to the other two panelists, Leola Johnson and Chris Vigliaturo, who are "Mental Engineering" regulars. You may not know their names but you won't find two people more adept at cutting to the heart of what a commercial message is really saying ... about us and the emotions that make us spend money. Speaking of post-game shows, the panelists of "Ruckus" will discuss President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday on KCPT immediately following the speech. The broadcast will last 30 minutes or until someone takes Rich Nadler's clipboard away. "How's My News?," a delightful documentary airing at 6 p.m. Tuesday on Cinemax, follows five mentally disabled adults on a coast-to-coast tour interviewing Americans. It's the brainchild of Arthur Bradford, a writer who met them all at Camp Jabberwocky, a special summer camp, and taught them to make their own videos. The videos got a huge response, so Bradford decided to take the show on the road. That's where Ronnie Simonsen, who has cerebral palsy, displayed his remarkable recall for '70s TV stars (particularly Chad Everett); Larry Perry, who has severe spastic cerebral palsy, challenged passers-by to engage him even though he cannot talk; and Susan Harrington, mentally disabled but sharp as a tack, got to live out her dream of being a news reporter. Sean Costello and Bobby Bird, who have Down syndrome, also are featured. It may take some getting used to but by film's end you will be totally charmed by the "How's Your News?" crew and their unaffected, guileless, highly entertaining approach to news-gathering. Carrie Fisher interviews the man who made her famous, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, on her Oxygen talk show, now renamed "Conversations From the Edge," 9 p.m. Wednesday. Look out, it's that rarest of creatures, the successful movie sequel. "Rush Hour 2" is now playing round the clock on pay-per-view. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com.