Off the Wall: Crowning a hit and a Miss

BY DIANE WERTS

diane@tvworthwatching.com

Off the Wall says let the office pools begin.

'THERE SHE IS.' Everybody in America used to know what followed that first line of the song crooned during the big beauty queen crowning. But the "Miss America Pageant" (Saturday night 8-10, TLC) has been descending from annual broadcast event to TV afterthought for at least a decade. Can the pageant team reverse its flagging fortunes? Check it out at tlc.com/missamerica.

AWARDS ALERT Now here's a show on the upswing. Ratings keep rising, and so does the quality/quantity of the guest list. "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards" (Sunday 8-11:30 p.m., CBS/2) is promising performances by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, the Dave Matthews Band, the Black-Eyed Peas, Zac Brown, Lady Antebellum, Green Day, Maxwell, Pink and Bon Jovi. Plus, there's a tribute to Michael Jackson featuring Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Usher and Carrie Underwood. Nominees, video at cbs.com/grammys. Also airing this week: "The BET Honors" (Monday 9-11 p.m., BET), saluting Sean "Diddy" Combs, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah. More at cbs.com/grammys and bet.com/bethonors.

SUPER BOWL COUNTDOWN Comedy, foodfests, even game shows rev us up for next Sunday's big game. "SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars" (Sunday 9-11 p.m., NBC/4) collects sports-oriented sketches from the show's 35 seasons, featuring athletes like Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning (in his immortal United Way spot parody). "Larry the Cable Guy: Tailgate Party" (Sunday 9-10 p.m., Comedy Central) delivers stadium standup from Lincoln, Neb. The live two-hour special "Man v. Food" (Wednesday 9-11 p.m., Travel) tackles the 48-ounce steak challenge at Shula's restaurant in Miami. Even "The Price Is Right" (Friday at 11 a.m., CBS/2) gets into the act, welcoming ex-NFLer Eric Dickerson. More on the menu at travelchannel.com/manvfood.

OSCAR COUNTDOWN This year's 31 Days of Oscar starts Monday at Turner Classic Movies - a monthlong, round-the-clock daisy chain where each Oscar-winning or nominated film is followed by another featuring at least one of the same actors. Fittingly, Kevin Bacon starts the event - in 1981's "Only When I Laugh" (Monday at 6 a.m., TCM) - and ends it with "Diner" in the early morning of March 4. Also this week, catch this year's "Academy Awards Nominations Announcement" (Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., most network morning shows and cable show-biz channels). Complete lineup of TCM's month o' movies at tcm.com/31 days.

'RICHARD PRYOR' RESURFACES! NBC couldn't handle the truth back in 1977, so it pulled the plug early on "The Richard Pryor Show" (Monday-Friday at 9 p.m., TV One). The controversial variety show now gets a flashback airing alongside the landmark 1970s variety smash "The Flip Wilson Show" (Monday-Friday at 8 and 8:30 p.m., TV One). Comic Mark Curry hosts the week, with context also provided by Rain Pryor, Doug Williams and Tommy Davidson. More about TV One's monthlong Way Back When salute at tinyurl.com/yhekxfu.

SERIES PREMIERES Unscripted arrivals include "Fight Science" (preview Monday at 10 p.m., regular slot Thursday at 9 p.m., NatGeo), exploring the physiology of combat; "Blood, Sweat & T-shirts" (Monday at 10 p.m., Planet Green), sending fashionistas to work in a sweatshop in India; "Kell on Earth" (Monday at 10 p.m., Bravo), following New York fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone; and "The Michael Vick Project" (Tuesday at 10 p.m., BET), tracking the quarterback's comeback after his prison stint. On the scripted side, Americans finally get to see the Australian crime saga "Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities" (Wednesday at 10 p.m., DirecTV), starting its drug drama amid 1970s gang warfare.