American Idol: Idol Gives Back (8pm, Fox) - One contestant is eliminated in this 2-hour benefit special raising money for U.S. and global charities such as Children's Health Fund, Save the Children, United Nations Fund, and Feeding America. "Idol" and its fans have raised more than $140 million over the past few years. Performances tonight by Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Mary J. Blige, Joss Stone, and Annie Lennox. Emceed by Queen Latifah. There's also rumored to be a very $pecial $urprise in store from Bill Gates.

Food Inc (9pm, UNC-TV) - PBS's Point of View (P.O.V.) series debuts season 23 tonight with a special broadcast of the controversial documentary on how the practices of the U.S. food industry impact our health and the environment. Check out our review (Adrienne may be eating food again by now). Stay tuned for a special UNC-TV program airing immediately afterward ("Views on Food Inc") in which parties involved in the food industry in North Carolina comment on points raised in the film. 

Law & Order: SVU (10pm, NBC) -  Speaking of powerful corporate food entities, Olivia goes undercover tonight to investigate the murder of a young woman who had been in the process of exposing questionable practices in the meat-packing industry.

In Plain Sight (10pm,USA) - Steven Weber guest stars in an episode in which Mary and Marshall try to convince an FBI informant to join WITSEC.

The Locator (10pm, WeTV) - In the season finale, Troy Dunn helps a young soldier search for his biological father. 

After watching Food, Inc. (UNC-TV, 9pm Wednesday), I see the value of the adage "Ignorance is bliss."

Because now that I'm more familiar with our food supply, trips to the supermarket seem fraught with danger.

There's the fruit and vegetables ripened artificially. Or the oversized chicken breasts, cut from overbred chickens, pumped with antibiotics. And how about the chance that my choice cut of beef is contaminated.

You'll learn about all that and more in this powerful documentary that's easy to digest (hee hee) because it's simply and effectively told, using not just talking heads, but also clever graphics and personal stories.

Can California's ambitious push to cut down on greenhouse gases really succeed? That's the question PBS's Nova series takes on in tonight's feature, "The Big Energy Gamble."

The special looks at the environmental pros and possible economic cons of California's green initiative, which seeks to return the state's carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

UNC-TV is airing "Earth Days" tonight, a documentary tracking the modern environmental movement, beginning with the first Earth Day in 1970. Among those featured are biologist Paul Ehrlich ("Population Bomb"), Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, renewable energy visionary Hunter Lovins, and former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.

"Earth Days" airs tonight at 9pm on UNC-TV.

You can watch a clip of the documentary at the PBS website.

Charlie Rose, executive producer and host of the PBS interview show "Charlie Rose," will be giving the commencement address at NC State University next month.

UPDATE: The event is free and open to the public - no tickets required.

Rose is a native of Henderson, North Carolina, and a graduate of Duke. He has hosted "Charlie Rose" since 1991 and is also a correspondent for "60 Minutes" on CBS. Early in his career Rose won a Peabody award for a piece on soon-to-be president Jimmy Carter, and later won an Emmy for a televised interview with Charles Manson.

Earth Days (9pm, UNC-TV) - A documentary tracking the modern environmental movement, beginning with the first Earth Day in 1970. Among the featured are biologist Paul Ehrlich ("Population Bomb") and former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall. 

Trauma (9pm, NBC) - No one appreciates (or watches) this show, but I really like it. Tonight, Tyler's father comes to town for a visit and Glenn mines the crew for stories as he does research for his book. More Rabbit!!!

Romantically Challenged (9:30pm, ABC) - Following "Dancing with the Stars" (which is only 90 minutes tonight) is the debut of this new sitcom starring Alyssa Milano (right) as a lawyer and mother who struggles with the dating scene after the end of a 15-year marriage. If you can buy the premise that Alyssa Milano struggles with dating, then you're obviously a science fiction fan and probably not that into sitcoms anyway. Update: ABC has suddenly changed their game plan tonight and are not airing the first episode (which critics saw and pretty much hated). Instead, they are opening with a later episode. Not a good sign!

Damages (10pm, FX) - In a 90-minute season (please, just season, not series!) finale, we see how all that crazy mess involving the Tobins has really gone down. Who was beating on Tom in that seedy apartment? Why did he jump off that bridge? Will Leonard/Lester really turn on the Tobins? Why is Patty being haunted by a horse? This is going to be a good one. Things don't look great for the renewal of this fine show, so tonight could be our last frenetic dance with Patty Hewes...

The acclaimed London musical, "Imagine This," will air tonight at 8pm on UNC-MX.

The story is about a group of actors in Poland's Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 who use the tale of "Masada" to keep their hopes alive while Nazis threaten their survival. The show is a filmed production of a live performance and is offered on UNC-MX in conjunction with Holocaust Remembrance Day, which occurs on April 11th.

UNC-MX (formerly called UNC-ED) is channel 203 and available only to digital subscribers of Time Warner Cable.

"NC Bookwatch" host DG Martin sits down with former John Edwards assistant/confidant Andrew Young tonight to talk about Young's scandalous tell-all, "The Politician."

It's a special prime-time edition of Martin's show, which normally airs on Sunday afternoons on UNC-TV. Coincidentally, Martin was Edwards' opponent in the Democratic primary when Edwards ran for US Senate in 1998.

Attention all British soap opera enthusiasts: UNC-TV is pairing with the North Carolina EastEnders Fan Club (yes, there is such a thing) to host an "EastEnders" marathon and Twitter party on Sunday night.

The Festival 2010 EastEnders marathon begins at 9pm on UNC-TV, and participants are asked to follow @UNCTV on Twitter and to use the #unctveastenders hashtag in all their Eastender tweets. You can use TweetGrid (or your favorite Twitter app) to “Party” along. While you all watch the episodes on TV, of course. 

Members of the NC EastEnders Fan Club will be live in the UNC-TV studios moderating the Twitter discussions, answering questions, and giving away prizes. The virtual party lasts from 9pm to midnight.

You can contact Jen Jones (jenjones@unctv.org) at UNC-TV for more information. You can also get more information at The NC Eastenders Fan Club Facebook page.

If your kid is a great storyteller (aren't they all?!), check out this PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, a national competition designed to promote reading and literacy in children.

The contest is open for kids in Kindergarten through Grade 3. They submit their own original stories and illustrations to UNC-TV, who selects local winners.