Royal intrigues and family quarrels - with a break for glamour

ANDREW RYAN

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

jaryan@globeandmail.com

Late-night talk shows don't air on the weekend, so let's all just enjoy the silence for a few days, shall we? There doesn't seem much chance the tawdry public drama involving Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien can advance any further today or tomorrow, unless the two bump into each other at a Hollywood garage sale and resort to fisticuffs (expect TMZ to report they did so anyway). For those looking to recharge their TV batteries, this weekend brings yet another scurrilous rewind to the House of Windsor, a glitzy American awards show hosted by a cheeky Englishman and the final chapter of a reality show following the non-working members of the Jackson family. Maybe one of them could host The Tonight Show?

The Passionate Eye: Nazi King

Saturday, CBC News Network, 10 p.m.

This British documentary skips over the details of Edward VIII abdicating the throne for the woman he loved to revisit long-standing allegations of his supposed Nazi sympathies. Told in the style of an E! True Hollywood Story episode, the film is based on "newly-released" FBI files revealing that Edward was deeply distrusted by the British and American governments, with both keeping close tabs on him following his 1936 abdication. At some point, both the U.K.'s Special Branch and the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover allegedly became involved. Much of the suspicion stemmed from Edward's affair and later marriage to Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced Yank with a dodgy past; according to this report, Simpson also had a torrid affair with a German diplomat who later became Hitler's foreign minister. The program splits between dramatic re-enactments, with two stiff English actors playing Edward and Mrs. Simpson, and interviews with historians and scholars, one of whom speaks very soberly about Hitler's plans to install Edward as a pro-Nazi king once Germany took over England. Mostly sheer supposition, but amazing to watch.

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards

Sunday, NBC, CTV, 8 p.m.

Bank on Ricky Gervais to generate the moments that will have everyone talking Monday morning. As the first host to helm the Golden Globes alone since 1995, the mischievous Brit has the advantage of a lower-pressure awards fête than the Oscars - the show takes place in a dinner-party setting at the Beverly Hilton Hotel - a setting where Gervais may be able to unleash his usual disdain for phony Hollywood types. As always, the broadcast will recognize excellence in the fields of television and film performance. In the TV vein, expect multiple wins for Mad Men, 30 Rock and relative newcomer Glee (the Globes' governing body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, loves fresh new faces). In film, the one to watch is Up in the Air, which leads the Golden Globes with six nominations - more than any other movie of the past year - including a nod for Canadian director Jason Reitman. There are also plans for an extended tribute to director Martin Scorsese to occur late in the broadcast, at which point you can check the Internet to see which Gervais clips have already gone viral. The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty

Sunday, A&E, 10 p.m.

At times sadly surreal, this reality series following the less-famous Jackson brothers grinds to a close. The show was originally planned as a one-hour special, but turned into a weekly series in the wake of Michael Jackson's death last June. And what insights has the show provided over the past three months? The general conclusion is that the four surviving members of the Jackson Five don't particularly care for each other very much. Most of the season was concerned with the brothers trying to record a new album and mount a Michael tribute concert. Neither project has gone very smoothly. Jermaine and Marlon butted heads in the recording studio and the tribute concert was cancelled. In the closer, the fractious frères huddle to decide their future as musical artists, which inexplicably calls for an "inspirational" visit to a teenage juvenile detention centre. Presumably there will be no explanation why all four surviving Jackson brothers wear dark sunglasses every waking minute. Weird.

Check local listings.

John Doyle returns on Tuesday.

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