Authority always wins

John Mellencamp may not be a cinematic force, but he does a workable impression of '60s Paul Newman in 2002's uneven, but worthwhile "Falling From Grace" (9 p.m. Sony Movie Channel), which he also directed. It helps that Larry McMurtry wrote the script.

Baby-sitting duties

I'm not sure youngsters are going to go gaga over the star of "Las Vegas," but I'm sure Minot-raised Josh Duhamel will do his best to win them over as host of "Nickelodeon's 26th Annual Kids' Choice Awards" (7 p.m. Saturday, Nick). Maybe he'll charm them with tales about sharing the screen with great-great-grandpa James Caan.

Lending a paw

Uggie the Dog has gotten so big since his scene-stealing role in "The Artist" that he's now teaching how to make it in Hollywood to other canines, including Tillman the Skateboarder, in "Who Let the Dogs Out" (noon, Friday, Hallmark). Wonder if he's using the Stanislavsky method.

Wicked ways

Pound for pound, there might not be a stronger singer than the pocket-size Kristin Chenoweth, who proves in the Lincoln Center special "Kristin Chenoweth: The Dames of Broadway … All of 'Em!" (7 p.m. Sunday, TPT) that there are a lot of powerful voices bottled up inside of her.

Neal Justin