The most star-studded event of the weekend will not be the Golden Globe Awards. Every entertainment and news network in the NBC-Universal media omniverse will broadcast the two-hour live charity telethon “Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope” (7 p.m. today, NBC).

Scheduled musical performers include Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Maroon 5, Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Mary J. Blige, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, India.Arie, Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd), Brian Wilson and Gloria Estefan.

A multitude of celebrity fund-raisers have been booked, including Halle Berry, Kevin Spacey, Usher, George Clooney, Uma Thurman, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman, Tim Robbins, Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes.

This marks the first multi-channel celebrity charity event since Sept. 2001, when a 9-11 fund-raiser was broadcast on virtually every entertainment channel.

Today’s highlights

• The Falcons host the Rams in NFL playoff action (7 p.m., Fox).
• Figure skating championships (7 p.m., ABC).
• Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (8:30 p.m., CBS): the death of a 5-month-old is just the beginning of her parents’ nightmare.
• A shock-jock is silenced on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (9 p.m., NBC).
• Richard Jeni offers observations about politics, religion and Michael Jackson in the stand-up special “A Big Steaming Pile of Me” (9 p.m., HBO).
• Topher Grace hosts “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guest The Killers.

Sunday’s highlights

• Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): Marines discuss the insurgents in Iraq; a profile of American-born U.K. soccer star Tim Howard, diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome; anti-tobacco activist Jeffrey Weigand.
• Renovating against a deadline on a two-hour episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (6 p.m., ABC).
• Members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association enjoy their night in the spotlight on “The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards” (7 p.m., NBC).
• With Inauguration Day approaching, Brit Hume hosts “George W. Bush: Behind the Headlines” (8 p.m., Fox News), recapping the first Bush term. Includes interviews with Vice President Dick Cheney, advisors Karl Rove and Mary Matalin, and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
• The sad truth about Mrs. Huber is exhumed on “Desperate Housewives” (8 p.m., ABC).
• Bobby Flay takes on competition from the heartland on “Iron Chef America” (8 p.m., Food Network).
• Betty White returns in a recurring role on “Boston Legal” (9 p.m., ABC).

Saturday series

New evidence reopens a bias case on “Cold Case” (7 p.m., CBS) … A “corpse” springs to life armed with a machine gun on “Navy NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS).