Aside from news that his sitcom “Community” will go on hiatus soon until spring, it’s been a pretty good week for Donald Glover, left. A new hip hop album came out Tuesday under his pseudonym Childish Gambino, he appeared in said sitcom Thursday and today premieres a new standup comedy special.
“Donald Glover: Weirdo” (comedy Central, 11 p.m.) has him musing about his iPod, the n-word, or the necessity of African-Americans of wearing Barak Obama T shirts.
With the news Friday that the investigation has been reopened in the death of Natalie Wood, there is a timely screening of her 1961 film with Warren Beatty, “Splendor in the Grass” (TCM, 8 p.m.).
It’s part of a night of films released 50 years ago: “The Children’s Hour” (10:15 p.m.) with Audrey Hepburn, James Cagney in “One, Two Three” (TCM, 12:15 a.m.), Marilyn Monroe opposite Clark Gable in “The Misfits” (2:15 a.m.) and Albert Finney in “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” (TCM, 4:30 a.m.).
No stopping the new Christmas movies now. Jennie Garth stars in “A Christmas Wedding Tail” (Hallmark, 6 p.m.), which, without the holiday bunting, would only be a romantic movie about about matchmaking talking dogs (with the voices of Jay Mohr and Nikki Cox). Then Dean Cain represents Santa in a suit brought by a mogul who didn’t get what he wanted as a child in “The Case for Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.).
Another new TV movie, “Jodi Picoult’s Salem Falls” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.) about a small town teacher facing sex accusations. James Van Der Beek stars.
Premium cable brings Vince Vaughn in “The Dilemma” (HBO, 8 p.m.) and Hilary Swank in “Conviction” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.).
Rainn Wilson stars in “Super” (Showtime, 9:30 p.m.) immediately after he appears in “Peep World” (Showtime, 8 p.m.).
As you wait for lines for “The Descendants” to decline, catch George Clooney in another good flick, “Up in the Air” (HBO Signature, 9 p.m.), which is not to be confused with just plain “Up” (Disney, 7:30 p.m.).
A couple of explorers go “Walking the Amazon” (Discovery, 8 p.m.). Which is why it takes two hours to show.
Once, it was called The Game. Today, it’s called Harvard at Yale (Versus, noon). Also on today in college football, it’s Nebraska at Michigan (ESPN, noon), Wisconsin at Illinois (ESPN2, noon), Clemson at North Carolina State (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.), Miami at South Florida (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.), Colorado State at Texas Christian (Versus, 3:30 p.m.), Boston College at Notre Dame (NBC, 4 p.m.), LSU at Mississippi (ESPN, 7 p.m.), Virginia at Florida State (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.), Vanderbilt at Tennessee (ESPNU, 7 p.m.), Colorado at UCLA (Versus, 7:30 p.m.), Kansas State at Texas (FX, 8 p.m.), USC at Oregon (ABC, 8 p.m.) and California at Stanford (ESPN, 10:15 p.m.).
“Austin City Limits” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) tapes the rare show outside of Texas, going to Nashville for the Americana Music Awards, where performers include Emmylou Harris and Allison Krauss, Amos Lee, Buddy Miller, Justin Townes Earle, the Avett Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, the Civil Wars and Gregg Allman.
Jason Segal hosts a new “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.), possibly bringing the Muppets from his upcoming movie with him. Florence + the Machine perform.