ShareThisJesse James started to aimlessly walk around when the thought sprang to mind.
"Am I still on fire?" he asked himself.
Yep. He was on fire all right.
While wearing a uniform to protect his skin from burns for a few seconds, he stayed ablaze for 30 seconds for his new stunt series "Jesse James Is A Dead Man" (debuting 10 p.m. Eastern Sunday on Spike TV). On the show, James subjects himself to a variety of high- octane adventures just to see how much he can endure.
He breaks the sound barrier, races around a track at 200 miles per hour and gets blisters in places no man should have them.
"Dead Man" is a return to series TV for James, who is best known as the star of "Monster Garage" on the Discovery Channel. On that show, the worst that could happen would be a missed deadline or the right parts didn't come in.
With "Dead Man," he has set a limit to what viewers will see on the show. The show will be nothing like MTV's "Jackass."
"I'm not going to use a staple gun on my (backside)," he says. "I will be rapidly learning some skills and trying to master those and not get killed."
At age 7, he was doing stupid stunts, nearly hanging himself from a tree in one stunt gone wrong. He tied a belt around his waist, but the belt slipped up around his neck as he was in a fall.
"I went to the hospital a lot when I was a kid," he says. "I go to the hospital a lot now."
He is undaunted, though. He even takes ribbing from his wife, actress Sandra Bullock, and his friends for his foolhardy nature.
"The kind of stuff I am doing is the stuff I have always wanted to do," he says.
Why do these stunts?
"I don't know," he says. "It makes for a good story. What kind of story would I have if I went to Cabo (San Lucas), and it was nice weather?
"Yeah. I cheated death so that's cool. This stuff is thrilling for me."
Other highlights for the week of May 31 to June 6 (all times Eastern; listings subject to change; check local listings):
SUNDAY
-- "Into the Storm" (9 p.m. HBO). Winston Churchill (Brendan Gleeson) goes to France with his family and reflects on his life.
MONDAY
-- "The Tonight Show" (11:30 p.m. NBC). Conan O'Brien takes over as the new host.
WEDNESDAY
-- "Smile Pinki" (7 p.m. HBO). A 5-year-old India girl looks for help with her cleft lips.
THURSDAY
-- "The Listener" (10 p.m. NBC). A paramedic uses his telepathy to help victims.
FRIDAY
-- "Whale Wars" (9 p.m. Animal Planet). A second season begins for the crew of the Sea Shepherd.
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
