"Elf," 7 p.m., CBS. On most weekends top movies are stacked against each other. That's especially true tonight; cable is strong and the networks — depleted by the strike — are also airing films. "Elf" may be the most universal of the bunch. It's light, goofy and sometimes warm. Will Ferrell, 6-feet-3, plays a guy who never quite realized he wasn't an elf. He brings great likability to the role and he's surrounded by a dandy supporting cast. That includes Bob Newhart, James Caan, Ed Asner and, as a fine love interest, Zooey Deschanel.

Bowl blitz, on cable. Remember when we only had to order beer and chips for one day of bowl games? Now it's a three-week spread, including three games today. At 8 a.m., ESPN2 has the Papajohns.com Bowl with Cincinnati and Southern Mississippi. Then ESPN has the New Mexico Bowl (Nevada and New Mexico) at 11:30 a.m. and the Las Vegas Bowl (Brigham Young and UCLA) at 3 p.m.

OF NOTE

"Wintertime in Bunnytown," 8:30 and 11 a.m., Disney Channel. "Bunnytown" tends to be a particularly good kids' show with quirky humor and surprisingly good music. Now it has a seasonal special.

"The Wizard of Oz" (1939), 5 and 7:15 p.m., TNT. Here are two more chances to see a great family film.

"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004), 7 p.m., ABC. Jim Carrey stars in a dark comedy taken from three Daniel Handler novels. The story has orphans realizing that their distant strange cousin is out to get their money.

More movies, cable. Take your pick. There are two huge box-office successes — the Steve Carell comedy "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (2005) on the USA Network and the animated "The Incredibles" (2004) on ABC Family. There's "Mission Impossible" (1996), an action film that has its moments, on AMC. And there are two Oscar-winning performances — Julia Roberts in the terrific, true-life "Erin Brockovich" (2000) on A&E; Katharine Hepburn in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967), a classic that has great actors (Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Hepburn) and an outdated plot on Oxygen.

"Women's Murder Club," 9 p.m., ABC. In a rerun, Lindsay and Jill ponder their lives while investigating the murder of an expectant father.

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