What's on the box this week?

'The 82nd Annual Academy Awards' (RTE 2, Monday) - Highlights of Sunday's Oscars extravaganza presented by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as co-hosts of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre. Expect tears, fears and the odd really excellent speech, particularly from the ever witty Jeff Bridges if he wins the Best Actor category, which he's the bookies' favourite to do. _____________________________________________________________ Heavy Metal Brittanica (BBC 4, Friday) - 'Heavy Metal Britannia' traces the emergence in the mid-1960s of an underground rock scene, a fledging style spearheaded by the likes of Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. This early metal was dominated by paranoia and darkness, albeit often tongue-in-cheek. The players were male, mostly working-class - a uniquely '70s style - spawning their own long-haired, head-banging audience with their own dress codes and world view. While this generation still defines classic British metal, it was nearly overtaken by British punk in the late 1970s. Then back came a new generation such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon, dubbed 'The New Wave of British Metal' by the press. As the '80s dawned, the best of these two metal generations were ready for the long haul - to make their genre the key force in music it remains today. This documentary features contributions from Ian Gillan, Tony Iommi, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Jon Lord, Bruce Dickinson, Edgar Broughton and Motorhead's Lemmy, among others. _____________________________________________________________ 'Single, Together, Whatever (BBC 2, Saturday 12.45pm) - A new, six-part observational documentary which examines teen relationships - giving a unique insight into what young people really think about love. It follows the ups and downs of the love lives of a diverse group of 14 to 18-year-olds in real-life situations as they flirt, date, get together, break up and experience the emotional rollercoaster of teen romance. Each episode has a different theme and charts the various stages of relationships, from asking someone out for the first time to experiencing life as a couple. In today's opener, viewers meet three single teenagers in their search for love. _____________________________________________________________ 'An Cor' (RTE 1, Monday) - Presented by Fiachna " Braonáin of the Hothouse Flowers, 'An Cor' features the experiences of six choirs as they immerse themselves in the culture, language and history of traditional Irish songs such as 'Báidín Fhelimí', '"ró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile', 'An Poc ar Buile', 'Bean Pháidín' and 'Beidh Aonach Amárach'. In each of the first three shows, two choirs compete against each other, where each choir must rehearse the song, learn and understand the words and get the pronunciation right before the judges select one to go forward to the final. While they're rehearsing, " Braonáin travels the country to learn the story of the songs themselves and mentors the choirs as they attempt to impress the judging panel with their final polished version. The three successful choirs from the heats compete in the final show, when one choir is crowned the winner. _____________________________________________________________ 'Fergal Quinn's Retail Therapy' (RTE 1, Tuesday) - Retail in Ireland is on the floor, but is a sector providing jobs by the thousands. The economic downturn has taken a wrecking ball to businesses that have been going concerns for decades - and only the very smart, unique and adaptive will survive. Ireland's independent retailers are under particular pressure as they struggle to keep up with the big multinational chains. Retail mastermind Feargal Quinn works with six independent shops to help them battle the downturn and remain relevant in a cut-throat and overcrowded market. As the founder of the Superquinn chain of supermarkets in the 1960s, Quinn built the business up into one of Ireland's most popular and respected brands and knows how hard retail can be, but also knows how to make it work brilliantly. It's his life's passion and he will be sharing knowledge he has gained from years of being at the cutting edge of Ireland's supermarket wars where the devil is truly in the detail. _____________________________________________________________ Movie Of The Week: 'Braveheart' (Ch4, Saturday) - This one has it all - action, politics, battles and romance - all directed by Mel Gibson who used almost all the Irish Army as extras in a film that went on to make an Oscar sweep at the following year's Academy Awards. At times bloody, but always riveting, this one is perfect for a Saturday night in.