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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Goofy ‘Elf,’ three bowl games offer choices

Mike Hughes Gannett News Service

Today Must-see

“Elf” (8 p.m., CBS). On most weekends top movies are stacked against each other. That’s especially true tonight; cable is strong and the networks – depleted by the strike – are also airing films.

“Elf” may be the most universal of the bunch. It’s light, goofy and sometimes warm.

Will Ferrell, 6-foot-3, plays a guy who never quite realized he wasn’t an elf.

He brings great likeability to the role, and he’s surrounded by a dandy supporting cast. That includes Bob Newhart, James Caan, Ed Asner and, as a fine love interest, Zooey Deschanel.

Might-see

Bowl blitz, on cable.

Remember when we only had to order beer and chips for one day of bowl games? Now it’s a three-week spread, including three games today.

At 10 a.m., ESPN2 has the Papajohns.com Bowl with Cincinnati and Southern Mississippi. Then ESPN has the New Mexico Bowl (Nevada and New Mexico) at 1:30 and the Las Vegas Bowl (Brigham Young and UCLA) at 5.

Other choices include

“Wintertime in Bunnytown,” 8:30 and 11 a.m., Disney Channel. “Bunnytown” tends to be a particularly good kids’ show with quirky humor and surprisingly good music. Now it has a seasonal special.

“Nimrod Nation,” 3-7 p.m., Sundance Channel. Here’s a chance to catch the entire, eight-part documentary series in one gulp. In their understated way the people of tiny Watersmeet, Mich., stir strong feelings about their families, their lives and, especially, their high school basketball team.

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939), 7 and 9:15 p.m., TNT. Here are two more chances to see a great family film.

“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” (2004), 8-10 p.m., ABC. Jim Carrey stars in a dark comedy taken from three Daniel Handler novels. The story has orphans realizing that their distant strange cousin is out to get their money.

More movies, 8 p.m., cable. Take your pick. There are two huge box-office successes – the Steve Carell comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) on the USA Network and the animated “The Incredibles” (2004) on Family. There’s “Mission Impossible” (1996), an action film that has its moments, on AMC. And there are two Oscar-winning performances – Julia Roberts in the terrific, true-life “Erin Brockovich” (2000) on A&E Katharine Hepburn in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967), a classic that has great actors (Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Hepburn) and an outdated plot on Oxygen.

“Women’s Murder Club,” 10 p.m., ABC. In a rerun, Lindsay and Jill ponder their lives while investigating the murder of an expectant father.

Sunday

Must-see

“Duel” finale, 8 p.m., ABC. Yes, there are flaws to this game show. The questions are poor, the look is drab and the pace is maddeningly slow.

Still, the concept is excellent: A contestant starts a round with 10 markers; he can cover all four possible answers if he wants, but he’ll lose the three that are wrong. Or he can gamble by trying three, two or one.

That’s fought by an interesting mix of people. Tonight, this six-night tournament concludes, with more than $1 million at stake.

Should-see

“In God’s Name,” 9 p.m., CBS. When was the last time you saw a network give prime time to a serious discussion of God, man and the meaning of life?

That’s what CBS does here. Working with Jules and Gedeon Naudet – producers of the acclaimed “9/11” documentary movie – it interviews 12 religious leaders.

There are two Americans, Frank Page (Southern Baptist) and Mark Hanson (Evangelical Lutheran), plus Pope Benedict XVI, the Dalai Lama and more.

Other choices include

“The 100 greatest Songs of the 90s,” 5-10 p.m., VH1. Here’s the entire series in one burst. Alongside the clips, there are interesting personal recollections, plus a look at what happened to the people who fell from view.

“Elmo’s Christmas Countdown,” 7 p.m., ABC. Poor, sweet Elmo is distressed; if the countdown doesn’t proceed, he’s told, Santa won’t show up. A lot of goofiness follows, much of it fun for kids or grown-ups; along with it, there are seasonal songs.

“The Simpsons,” 7 p.m., Fox. In this rerun, Marge feels guilty about the fact that Gil is jobless and homeless. She invites him for dinner, then can’t get rid of him.