Comedians make it look so easy, but as revealed on "Talking Funny" (HBO, 9 tonight) there's a sweet science to doing stand-up, and the best comedians have mastered it.

Learning that is one of the pleasures of listening to Ricky Gervais (the executive producer of the show), Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock.  In the nearly hour-long conversation, the four talk about their craft, revealing the workings of successfully telling a joke, what makes them laugh, and laying out the different approaches each takes in everything from encores to language.

American Idol (8pm, Fox) - The seven contestants (or "Scotty and them," as we say around here) sing songs from the 21st century.

The Middle (8pm, ABC) - Frankie's obsession with the royal wedding worries her family when she buys commemorative knickknacks and an expensive HDTV on which to watch the events.

Modern Family (9pm, ABC) - Skeletons are out of the closet when Mitchell and Cameron covertly evaluate the family in search of potential legal guardians for Lily. They aren't exactly impressed with the parenting they observe: Jay using "tough love" with Manny, and Claire secretly taking Luke to a child psychologist. NOTE: All of the ABC sitcoms are new tonight and run 8 - 11 p.m. 'Cougar Town' is back in their normal 9:30 time slot and there are two new episodes of the very good 'Happy Endings' starting at 10 p.m.

Saving Pelican 895 (9pm, HBO) - A chronicle of oiled-bird rescues in the aftermath of the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico focuses on the 895th surviving brown pelican as it endures the painstaking process of cleaning and rehabilitation before it can be released into the wild.

Breaking In (9:30pm, Fox) - Oz helps his childhood friend, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, with a security problem at his track.

Justified (10pm, FX) - Raylan wants to know who is trying to kill him, and in the course of his investigation, discovers he is not the only target. Meanwhile, Boyd challenges Dickie Bennet for control of the Harlan weed business, and taps Arlo to assist him.

Three months after the April 2010 BP oil spill, cleanup workers at the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Louisiana had rescued 894 surviving oiled pelicans.

In a new documentary debuting tonight on HBO (9pm), we see the story of their efforts to save the 895th pelican to arrive at the center.

'Saving Pelican 895' shows how conservationists, government agencies, and wildlife activists all came together to try to save this one little life.

Heartwarming stuff indeed.

American Idol (8pm, Fox) - The eight remaining finalists perform a song from the movies. What do we think Scotty McCreery should sing? Check it out and see if you agree.

Happy Endings (9:30pm, ABC) - A new sitcom about the complications that arise among a group of friends after a seemingly perfect couple in the group breaks up in a really ugly, public way. Do you take sides? Does the group survive? In tonight's pilot, which has some legitimately funny moments, Alex (Elisha Cuthbert, '24') leaves fiance Dave (Zachary Knighton, 'FlashForward') at the altar for a bare-chested guy on rollerblades. When the friends find the jilted groom at home surrounded by couples' wedding gifts, making gin smoothies, crying, and singing along to "Closer to Fine," I laughed out loud. I also enjoyed the various meltdowns at Penny's birthday party (Casey Wilson, 'Saturday Night Live'). Rounding out the eclectic sitcom cast is the requisite gay friend (Adam Pally), who "looks like Paul Rudd if Paul Rudd gave up" (according to his friend Jane), and an interracial married couple played by Damon Wayans Jr. and Eliza Coupe. There's a second  episode at 10pm. It's not groundbreaking, but it has a welcome 'Samantha Who?' vibe and it's definitely worth checking out.

Gun Fight (9pm, HBO) - The television premiere of a documentary looking at gun violence in the United States, featuring a survivor of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. Read more here.

The Franchise (9:30pm, Showtime) - A special peek at Showtime's upcoming (in July) behind-the-scenes documentary series featuring the reigning baseball champions, the San Francisco Giants. Here's more info and a video preview.

Breaking In (9:30pm, Fox) - Most everyone seems to like Christian Slater's latest TV project except for me. So I'm just telling you it's out there, not necessarily recommending it. Alyssa Milano guest stars tonight as a dentist intrigued by Cameron's line of work.

Justified (10pm, FX) - Uh-oh. Mags is "settling accounts" in the wake of Coover's death (at least Coover can be reunited with his murdered pet badger now).  Meanwhile, Winona is initiating divorce proceedings and Raylan is thinking about the future as well.

Top Chef Masters (10pm, Bravo) - R&B artist Kellis appraises a meat-themed Quickfire challenge, and Christina Hendricks (Joan from 'Mad Men') and her husband, actor Geoffrey Arend (ABC's 'Body of Proof'), put the chefs through a groovy 1960s challenge.

This week marks the fourth anniversary of the massacre at Virginia Tech, so it's fitting that HBO will air a documentary tonight that takes a close look at the complex issues surrounding guns and the heated debate over how to best reduce gun violence in our country.

'Gun Fight,' which will also play at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham this Friday, was made by two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, who also made 'Harlan County, U.S.A' and 'American Dream.' The film blends archival and original footage to tell the stories of citizens and activists on each side of the fight over guns.

Kopple uses the Virgina Tech shooting as a starting point, and features Virginia Tech alum Colin Goddard, who was shot four times by Seung-Hui Cho in a Virginia Tech classroom in 2007. Goddard is one of only seven survivors from that class.

Comedian Colin Quinn brings his acclaimed one-man Broadway show to HBO tonight.

Filmed before a live audience at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York, Quinn's 'Long Story Short' tells the history of the world by juxtaposing modern human behavior with the rise and fall of empires. In the show, co-exec-produced by Jerry Seinfeld, Quinn explains that Caesar was the original Italian mobster and argues that ancient Greece and Antigone have given way to Costco and Snooki. Quinn also contrasts grocery shopping with territorial disputes, Plato's cave allegory with the World Economic Forum, and the Silk Road with talk radio.

His 75-minute monologue stresses that no matter how much technology and innovation evolve, people will always be the same.

We can't wait for this. A new HBO special in which four of our greatest living comedians -- Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Louis C.K. -- sit down to talk about being funny and what makes something funny (or not funny).

'Talking Funny' doesn't air until April 22, and we'll have more about it here before the premiere, but we hate for you to wait that long to get a taste.

Click below to watch clips from the special.

HBO is airing a new feature-length documentary tonight on legendary film producer and manager Jerry Weintraub.

'His Way,' directed by Douglas McGrath and exec-produced by Steven Soderbergh and Audrey Rosenberg, chronicles the five-decade career of the Hollywood entrepreneur using personal video, archival footage, and one-on-one interviews with Weintraub and his friends, family, and colleagues.

Weintraub began his career arranging tours for Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, then conceived and produced sold-out concert tours for Bob Dylan, John Denver, Led Zeppelin, and others. He also produced the 'Ocean Eleven' series, the 'Karate Kid' series, and other successful films such as 'Diner,' and 'Nashville.'

Raleigh native Evan Rachel Wood begins tearing up the small screen in part four of HBO's mini-series "Mildred Pierce," which airs on Sunday nights.

In the meanwhile, you can read about her and view some glam photos in this Los Angeles Times magazine piece.

There's a brief mention of her NC roots, as well as news about her upcoming projects.

One of those projects includes working with screen legend Robert Redford, who has some nice praise for the 23-year-old actress: “She can split atoms. I mean, she can rip into someone—create a really hot existence for a character. She has a kind of bite to her work, but if you look at it carefully, it’s never overplayed. There’s something in her that enjoys going to that darker edge, but she’s capable of going right back into the light again.”

NCAA Tournament (2pm and 5pm, CBS) - The games continue. Virginia Commonwealth plays Kansas at 2:20 and UNC takes on Kentucky at 5:05.

Martha Stewart Presents: The Men Who Make Us Laugh (8pm, Hallmark) - Martha interviews Seth Myers and Conan O'Brien.

Secret Millionaire (8pm, ABC) - South Florida internet entrepreneur John Ferber makes do on welfare-level income for six days while living on Skid Row in downtown LA.

Bob's Burgers (8:30pm, Fox) - Bob and Gene bond over "spaghetti westerns." Louise feels left out and Tina channels her aggression into a conflict-resolution program.

Mildred Pierce (9pm, HBO) - In the first two parts of a five-part adaptation of James M. Cain's 1941 novel, Depression-era housewife Mildred Pierce (Kate Winslet) searches for work to maintain a middle class lifestyle after her husband leaves her alone in California with two young daughters. Raleigh native Evan Rachel Wood stars as Mildred's spoiled daughter, Veda. Cowritten and directed by Todd Haynes and also featuring recent Oscar winner Melissa Leo. Read our review.

Californication (9pm, Showtime) - In the Season 4 finale, Hank (David Duchovney) waits for his sentence to be handed down. While he waits, he attends a film kick-off party, where he sees Karen with her date and gets surprising news about Becca. Eddie Nero (Rob Lowe) shows up and causes trouble.

Celebrity Apprentice (9pm, NBC) - The contestants produce a 30-second video for a video-phone product. One team works on a heartfelt ad that goes for emotions, the other team creates a video loaded with controversy. We just want to know when NeNe and Star fight!

Army Wives (9pm, Lifetime) - In the conclusion to last week's cliffhanger, the wives support each other as one Fort Marshall family must deal with an unexpected loss.

Shameless (10pm, Showtime) - In the Season 1 finale, Steve's actual occupation is revealed and he tries to persuade Fiona to leave town with him. Meanwhile, Frank goes into hiding when his and Karen's secret is spilled, and car thieves Lip and Ian get arrested.