Tonight's TV Hot List: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011

Miss America Pageant
9/8c ABC
As we settle into the new year, it's time to crown a new Miss America. What began as a quaint beauty contest on the beaches of Atlantic City is now a huge pageant that is being hosted by Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino. Brooke Burke and Chris Harrison host, and the judges include Joy Behar, Dancing with the Stars pro Tony Dovolani, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry and country crooner Marc Wills. The lucky young woman who walks off with the title will be the 90th winner. — Jennifer Sankowski
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NFL Playoff
4:30/3:30c CBS
A divisional doubleheader begins with the year's third meeting of the Ravens and the Steelers in an AFC war in Pittsburgh. Baltimore already has a win this season at Heinz Field, but the Steelers also have a win in Baltimore. Don't expect anyone to come out of this one with a clean uniform. Game 2, which airs in prime time on Fox, is an NFC matchup of the very hot Packers and the top seed Falcons in Atlanta. The Pack stopped Michael Vick and the Eagles last week 21-16, adding a new dimension to their offensive repertoire with the running of rookie back James Starks, who gashed the Birds for 123 yards. — Dave Roeder

Saturday Night Live
11:29/10:29c NBC
Gwyneth Paltrow tries to hit all the right notes when she hosts the second live episode of 2011. The Oscar-winning star of 1998's Shakespeare in Love, who's already showcased her singing chops in 2000's Duets, gets in tune again in the recently released Country Strong, in which she portrays a damaged country-music star trying to resurrect her career. Tonight Paltrow joins forces with the super troupers of SNL to rip today's headlines and newsmakers. She also welcomes music guest Cee Lo Green, with whom she shares a connection: Paltrow covered a Cee Lo song in a November guest appearance on Glee, and the two have reportedly sparked a friendship. Will they team up for a duet tonight? — Dean Maurer
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Behemoth9/8c Syfy Attention Eureka fans who have been missing that Nathan Stark guy: Ed Quinn, who reprised the role for a lone fourth-season episode last year, stars in this made-for-TV flick about a group of scientists who investigate volcanic activity only to discover a subterranean monster that becomes bent on wreaking havoc in a small town. William B. Davis (The X-Files) also appears. — Michael ChantPit Bulls and Parolees10/9c Animal Planet Wildfires threaten the Villalobos ranch while owner Tia Torres is in San Diego learning about special-needs pet care in preparation for the adoption of a deaf dog. Nearly 200 dogs are evacuated from the ranch by the parolees who help Tia rehabilitate and place pit bulls. With its vulnerability fresh in her mind, Tia starts to consider relocating her operation to another property. — Rhoda Charles

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An Education9/8c Starz Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan gives a moving, bravura performance in this Oscar-nominated Best Picture from an Oscar-nominated script by Nick Hornby. Set in 1960s London, she plays teenage Jenny, a scholarly, mature-for-her-years enchantress who comes under the spell of David (Peter Sarsgaard), a flashy, thirtysomething charmer. He proves to be her entrée to the finer things in life and a glittery world of class, sophistication and promise. But with a price. The 2008 coming-of-age drama is rated PG-13 for adult themes and sexual situations. — Ray StackhouseValentine's Day8/7c HBO Cupid's arrows won't fly for another month or so, so why not get a jump on the holiday for lovebirds with this 2010 romantic comedy? And since it wouldn't be the same without (eye) candy, director Garry Marshall assembles a who's who of Hollywood heartthrobs, including Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah and Julia Roberts, to tell an interlocking story of (mostly) hopeless romantics in Los Angeles over the course of one Valentine's Day. Rated PG-13. — Joe Friedrich