(ALL TIMES ET)

8:30PM, SUN | ABC
83rd Annual Academy Awards – James Franco (a Best Actor nominee for 127 Hours) and Anne Hathaway co-host this year’s Oscar ceremony, in which Colin Firth‘s performance in The King’s Speech is considered the shoo-in winner for Best Actor. The bigger drama of the night could come from the changes made to the telecast, including the producers’ decision to abandon the idea of a traditional stage set. Instead, a series of digital projections will make the Kodak Theater stage look like it’s constantly changing. And, as usual, there’s the red carpet parade of fashions – always one of the main reasons for tuning into the Oscars – which begins airing at 7PM on ABC.

8PM, SAT | Fox
Cops – Tonight’s episode: “Morons on Parade #4.” Delightful for its title, and for the fact that it was preceded by #1, #2 and #3.

9PM, SAT | SYFY
Area 51 – Bruce Boxleitner and Jason London star in this week’s made-for-Syfy flick (directed by Sean Connery‘s son Jason) about the famed Area 51, which turns into an alien battle zone when the Air Force gives into public pressure and allows members of the media to visit the secret base.

9PM, SAT | FOOD NETWORK
Unwrapped – A new episode on comfort foods includes a visit to the Lay’s potato chip factory, a peek at how Haagen Dazs ice cream is made and the secrets behind the delicious cinnamon buns made by a New York City bakery.

10PM, SAT | IFC
Independent Spirit Awards – Community and The Soup funny guy Joel McHale hosts this Oscar eve movie awards show that some film fans prefer to the “big show” on Sunday.

10PM, SAT | CNBC
Til Debt Do Us Part – In back-to-back new eps, Gail helps one couple whose car obsession has resulted in a hefty debt load, and another that has relied too much on parents willing to help them pay off their bills.

8PM, SUN | CBS
The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business – The Australian Outback proves to be especially taxing for Mike‘s dad Mel.

9PM, SUN | HBO
Big Love – Including tonight’s “‘Til Death Do Us Part,” there are just four episodes left until the series finale, and things get increasingly more contentious between Bill and the ever more unhinged Alby.

9PM, SUN | SHOWTIME
Californication – Oh, Hank. Just when the cash-strapped writer gets a paying gig polishing the dialogue on a zombie flick, he jeopardizes the paycheck by (of course) hitting on a woman who’s connected to the movie’s star.

10PM, SUN | CBS
CSI: Miami – A high school bully is stoned to death and the CSIs have to figure out which of her victims is responsible.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Tina Fey and Steve Carell make one funny couple in Date Night (Sat., 8PM, HBO);
– High Stakes Poker (Sat., 8PM, GSN) begins its seventh season with new host Norm McDonald;
– George and Nina try to help a teen vampire on Being Human (Sat, 9PM, BBCA);
– Karl visits Brazil and its beaches on An Idiot Abroad (Sat., 10PM, Science);
– On My Fair Wedding With David Tutera (Sun., 9PM, WE), David has his hands full trying to find a venue and rework a pink-and-hearts wedding theme, with just three weeks to go before the couple’s big day;
– Frank claims he’s going to stop drinking on Shameless (Sun., 10PM, Showtime).

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• Filed in Award shows, TV Picks
• Tags: 83rd Annual Academy Awards, Area 51 Syfy, Big Love, Californication, Cops, CSI: Miami, Independent Spirit Awards, James Franco Oscar host, The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business, Til Debt Do Us Part, Unwrapped

(ALL TIMES ET)

3PM, SUN | ANIMAL PLANET
Puppy Bowl VII – The commercials may not be as memorable, but the starting lineup is infinitely more adorable than in today’s other big game. Animal Planet’s annual puppy football game is back with even more squeal-inducing cuteness, as the precious puppies on the field are joined by chicken cheerleaders, kittens at halftime, hamsters in the stadium flyover blimp and the all-new Puppy Cam, which provides a true dog’s-eye-view of the action on the field. The fun atmosphere of the festivities (which will be repeated until 3AM) aside, the event also serves as a reminder of the great pets that are available for adoption, as all the puppies participating, as well as the kittens and chicken cheerleaders, are from animal shelters.

11AM, SAT | OXYGEN
Gleekend Marathon – From 11AM to 11PM, Oxygen unspools Glee episodes, including “The Power of Madonna” (noon), “Britney/Brittany” (3PM) and “The Rocky Horror” (6PM).

10PM, SAT | PLANET GREEN
Boomtown – In back-to-back new episodes, the townsfolk are still finding new ways to profit from the oil supply, but they also begin to find out how the influx of oil drillers is going to be a drain on their other resources.

10PM, SAT | CMT
CMT Crossroads – The Pretenders and Faith Hill are the latest rock/country pairing to get together for a performance, with this one talking place live in Dallas, as part of the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam.

10PM, SAT | CNBC
Til Debt Do Us Part – As cool as it would be to have host Gail Vaz-Oxlade visit some American couples and perform her financial makeover magic, I’d miss hearing the Canadians talk about their “hydro” bills.

11:30PM, SAT | NBC
Saturday Night Live – Cast alum Dana Carvey returns to host at his old Studio 8H stomping grounds, with Linkin Park as musical guest and, just guessing, the Church Chat lady on tap.

6PM, SUN | FOX
Super Bowl XLV – Game kick-off is at 6:30, but tune in for the pre-game hubbub, as Christina Aguilera sings the national anthem, Glee star Lea Michele belts out America the Beautiful, and Keith Urban, Maroon 5 and the Blue Man Group also get in on the pre-game action. The Black Eyed Peas, meanwhile, perform at halftime (with “surprise” guests Slash and Usher … surprise), and there’s also that little matter of a football game between the Steelers and Packers …

9PM, SUN | NBC
Dateline NBC – Tom Brokaw interviews Aron Ralston, whose 2003 hiking adventure was depicted by James Franco in the Oscar-nominated flick 127 Hours. Ralston not only talks about his harrowing self-amputation, but updates Brokaw on his life now, as a husband and father.

9PM, SAT | FOOD NETWORK
Food Network Challenge – How Valentine-y: Four chocolatiers create cocoa backdrops that will serve as the locale for a grand proposal at the end of the hour.

AFTER THE SUPER BOWL, SUN | FOX
Glee – The Glee gang puts a New Directions spin on Michael Jackson‘s Thriller.

Super Bowl alternatives:
– The Style Network airs the “Jersey Bowl,” an all-day marathon of Jerseylicious episodes (Sun., 6AM-10PM, Style);
– The entire first season of My Life as Liz unfolds in an MTV marathon (Sun., 6AM-11AM);
– Ghost Hunters marathon (Sun., 9AM-9PM, Syfy);
– Law & Order: SVU marathon (Sun., 10AM-midnight, USA);
– Basketball Wives marathon (Sun., noon-7PM, VH1);
– A Degrassi marathon! (Sun., noon-11PM, TeenNick);
– The Jersey Shore marathon (Sun., noon-6PM, MTV);
– 1000 Ways to Die marathon (Sun., 1PM-midnight, Spike);
– A marathon of Brick City (Sun., 4PM-midnight, Sundance);
– My Fair Wedding with David Tutera marathon (Sun., 4-11PM, WE);
– Worst Cooks in America marathon, ending with a new episode (Sun., 5-11PM, Food Network);
– Four episodes of ESPN’s fantastic 30 for 30 documentary series (Sun, 5:30-10PM, ESPN);
– Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon (Sun., 6PM-midnight, Chiller Network);
– MTV airs a Teen Mom 2 marathon (Sun, 6-10PM);
– And TV Land is running a clever marathon of holiday-themed Roseanne episodes (Sun., 7-10:30PM).

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• Filed in Glee, Sports, TV Picks
• Tags: Boomtown, CMT Crossroads, Dana Carvey, Glee Michael Jackson Thriller, Gleekend, Puppy Bowl VII, Saturday Night Live, Steelers vs. Packers, Super Bowl XLV, Til Debt Do Us Part