A week after the MDA telethon came and went without Jerry Lewis, a toteboard or scarcely any notice, the telethon that changed the game returns.
If you think political conventions were featured on a lot of channels, “Stand Up 2 Cancer” (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Bio, Encore, HBO, Showtime, HBO Latino, ION Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Logo, MLB Network, mun2, Palladia, Starz, TBS, Smithsonian and VH1, 8 p.m.) will be on 18.
The telethon, organized by “Spider-Man” movie producer Ziskin, who died of cancer last year, has set a standard for raising money in the shortest amount of time, with the biggest number of stars.
This year, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Tim McGraw and Alicia Keys are scheduled to perform. Stars who appear include Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake, Sofia Vergara, Halle Berry, Michael Douglas, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Eric Stonestreet and Olympic gold medalists Gabby Douglas and Missy Franklin, among others. Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured) is appearing as well as co-producing. Half the fun is seeing the array of stars manning the phones.
Alone among broadcast networks not showing the telethon, The CW may prefer cancer, or at least Tyra Banks. A new “America’s Next Top Model” (The CW, 8 p.m.) runs without pre-emption.
The Democratic Convention will likely be the subject of “Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO, 10 p.m.) with guests that include Christine O’Connell, Steve Schmidt, Jim VandeHei, Katrina van den Heuvel and David Simon.
Hundreds of women stand in line to audition in the two hour season premiere of “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Marking the Team” (CMT, 9 p.m.).
It’s followed by a new reality series “Cheer” (CMT, 11 p.m.), which follows the competitive squad led by the tough coach Patty Ann Romero. Sounds like “Dance Moms” for cheerleaders. It’s produced by Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos.
They had viewing parties for the big speeches at the political conventions, so they’re trying to organize viewing parties for the political drama “Boss” (Starz, 9 p.m.). Good luck to them.
Turner Classic Movies presents a trio of prison biopics, “Birdman of Alcatraz” (8 p.m.), “Cell 2455, Death Row” (10:45 p.m.) and “Convicts 4” (12:15 a.m.). Then it’s time for horror: “The Legend of Hell House” (2:15 a.m.) and “House on Haunted Hill” (4 a.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa: Kristin Chenoweth, Ryan Lochte, Melissa Etheridge. The View: Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Mitch Albom. Ellen DeGeneres: Cee-Lo Green, Miranda Kerr (rerun).
Late Talk
David Letterman: Michelle Obama, the Chevin (rerun). Jay Leno: Matthew Perry, Meghan McCain, OneRepublic. Jimmy Kimmel: Jamie Foxx, Cat Deeley, Imagine Dragons (rerun). Jimmy Fallon: Tom Brokaw, Guy Fieri, Bar Refaeli, Divine Fits. Craig Ferguson: Kunal Nayyar, Lauren Miller. Tavis Smiley: Jeremy irons. Carson Daly: Guy Pearce, Lee Fields and the Expressions (rerun). Chelsea Handler: Kristen Bell, Michael Yo, Heather McDonald, T.J. Miller (rerun).