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Thursday, January 13
CANADA FOR ASIA Three-hour benefit for the victims of the South Asian tsunami features performances by Blue Rodeo, Anne Murray, Rush, the Tragically Hip, a reunited Kids in the Hall and the Barenaked Ladies as well as Celine Dion via satellite from Las Vegas. Canlit doyenne Margaret Atwood, sportscaster Don Cherry and Bubbles of the Trailer Park Boys add comic relief. 7 pm on CBC
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT The Civil War’s Ken Burns profiles the iconoclastic architect whose work combined radical design and reverence for nature. 10 pm on TVO, repeated at 1:30 am Sunday
Friday, January 14
THE BEACH BOYS: GOOD VIBRATIONS TOUR After years in a sandbox, a clearly addled Brian Wilson rejoins his iconic American combo on the comeback trail in 1976. 3 pm on MuchMoreMusic
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Double bill of the week: former alt-country rockers Wilco and emo poster act Bright Eyes appear in concert. Midnight on PBS
Saturday, January 15
TSUNAMI AID: A CONCERT OF HOPE George Clooney hosts a telethon to assist flood victims. Musical guests include Sheryl Crow , Kenny Chesney and Christina Aguilera. 8 pm on NBC
DEAD FAMOUS Brit TV personality Gail Porter and skeptical psychic Chris Fleming travel to Hollywood to contact the spirits of deceased movie stars. Tonight Lucille Ball , tomorrow James Dean. 11 pm on Star, 6 pm Sunday on Bravo
Sunday, January 16
The 62ND ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS The Hollywood foreign press bestows its esteemed accolades on just about any A-list celeb who’ll show up. To prove it, Robin “Patch Adams” Williams receives the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his “outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.” Presenters include Al Pacino , Meryl Streep , Halle Berry , Charlize Theron and Prince. Bonus: because the Beverly Hills Hotel ballroom has an open bar, several of the attendees besides Anna Nicole Smith are guaranteed to be sloshed on the podium by ceremony’s end. Alert the FCC! 8 pm on NBC
Monday, January 17
UNFORGIVABLE DARKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON New two-part doc from Ken Burns chronicles the life of the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion. Samuel L. Jackson , Ed Harris and Billy Bob Thornton narrate, with a score by Wynton Marsalis. 9 pm on PBS, part 2 at 9 pm Tuesday
Tuesday, January 18
AMERICAN IDOL 4 The most financially successful franchise on the boob tube returns for a fourth season of overwrought hysteria, bad fashion decisions and mean-spirited petulance. And that’s just Simon Cowell. To begin, the very worst of the auditions! 8 pm on Fox/CTV, and 9 pm Wednesday
Wednesday, January 19
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN Self-destructive Austin, Texas, combo… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead smash their equipment before facing down Paul Shaffer and his orchestra. 11:35 pm on CBS/Omni1
FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL
(1997, dir Errol Morris) Not the latest Paris Hilton sex video, but an offbeat doc from the director of The Fog Of War and Dr. Death that discovers the cosmic connection between a lion tamer, a robot inventor, a topiarist and a mole rat aficionado. 1:30 am on TVO
