Joel McHale goes from snark to sincere (or ought to) when he hosts the second American Giving Awards (NBC, 8 p.m.), honoring community charities. Glenn CLose is among the honorees; Colbie Caillat, Lifehouse, Natasha Bedingfield and Darius are among the performers at the event at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.Nobody gets married without throwing a TV special about it, so here’s Mario Lopez and Courtney Mazza’s Wedding Fiesta” (TLC, 8 p.m.) that took place last weekend in Punta Mita, Mexico.
An antedote for the sickly sweetness of holiday movies is the B-movie compendium of plagues titled “12 Disasters of Christmas” (Syfy, 9 p.m.) in which an ice storm engulfs a town.
Otherwise, “Holly’s Holiday” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.) is one of those romantic comedies that just happen to be set during the Christmas season. Claire Coffee plays an overworked ad exec who seeks perfection in a mate and ends up with a mannequin come to life.
Another original film on cable tonight, “Come Dance with Me” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.) stars Andrew McCarthy as a guy who wants to take dancing lessons so he can propose to the boss’ daughter, only to fall in love with the dance instructor. There’s no Christmas in the title, but plenty of decorations in the background.
Stephen Spielberg’s big movie from last Christmas, “War Horse” (Showtime, 8 p.m.) makes its premium cble debut. Also on cable tonight, “The Vow” (Starz, 7 p.m.), “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” (HBO, 8 p.m.) with Dwyane Johnson and “Wanderlust” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.).
“A Very Special Christmas: 25 Years of Bringing Joy to the World” (GMC, 9 p.m.) looks at the series of holiday CDs over the past quarter century that has benefitted Special Olympics. Hosted by Vanessa Williams, the special features
How the official Christmas tree came together is chronicled in “White House Christmas 2012” (HGTV, 8 p.m.), a special preceded by past glories on “White House Christmas: Through the Years” (HGTV, 8 p.m.).
“You Don’t Know Bo” (ESPN, 9 p.m.), a documentary in the “30 for 30”series on Bo Jackson, who played professional football and baseball as well as being a formidable marketing force, follows the annual Heisman Trophy Presentation (ESPN, 8 p.m.).
Rascal Flatts and Hayden Panettiere host the annual “CMT Artists of the Year” (CMT, 10 p.m.).
“The Borrowers” (ABC, 8 p.m.) gets a prime time network showcase, while a number of holiday specials are rerun on another, “Frosty the Snowman” (CBS, 8 p.m.), “Frosty Returns” (CBS, 8:30 p.m.) and “The Flight Before Christmas” (CBS, 9 p.m.).
An odd invasion in prime time: UFC match of Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz (Fox, 8 p.m.).
Those awaiting the return of “Girls” may be interested in a showing of Lena Dunham’s very similar feature film (with some of the same actors) “Tiny Furniture” (Sundance, 8 p.m.).
Programming on Turner Classic Movies runs the gamut from “Summertime” (8 p.m.) and “Autumn Leaves” (10 p.m.) to “If Winter Comes” (midnight) and “A Walk in the Spring Rain” (2 a.m.). And in summary, “A Man for All Seasons” (3:45 a.m.).
In college football, it’s Georga SOuthern at Old Dominion (ESPN, noon) in the FCS quarterfinal, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Jackson State (ESPNU, 1 p.m.) in the SWAC Championship and Army vs. Navy (CBS, 3 p.m.) in Philadelphia.
There is a lot of college basketball: Arkansas at Michigan (CBS, noon), Portland at Kentucky (ESPN2, noon), Colorado at Kansas (ESPN2, 2 p.m.), Kansas State at George Washington (CBS Sports, 2:30 p.m.), Temple vs. Duke (ESPN, 3:15 p.m.), Virginia Tech at West Virginia (ESPN2, 4 p.m.), UCLA vs. Texas (ESPN, 5:15 p.m.), Northern Iowa at George Mason (NBC Sports, 6 p.m.), Arizona at Clemson (ESPN2, 8 p.m.), Villanova at Pennsylvania (NBC Sports, 8 p.m.) and Illinois at Gonzaga (ESPN2, 10 p.m.).
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers play a replay of “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 10 pm., check local listings).
Jamie Foxx hosts a new “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) with Ne-Yo.