Morgan Spurlock

Free Comic Book Day, what some call the fanboy answer to Christmas, is happening Saturday. "The Avengers," featuring some of the most popular characters in comic book lore, is already rampaging through theaters. It's going to be a good weekend for nerds and the industry that serves them. And about time too March was less than stunning for comic book retailers. Sales were down 5.9% from February in dollar terms and 2.1% in units. Compared with March 2011, dollar sales fell 2.6% while unit sales slumped 2%, according to Diamond Comic Distributors.

For the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which kicks off Jan. 17, organizers have tapped fashion and interior designer Todd Oldham to create a line of limited-edition merchandise including apparel, accessories and and an art book. Oldham , who won the CFDA's Perry Ellis Award for emerging talent in 1991 and has worked with an impressive list of brands in the decades since, including the likes of Escada, Old Navy, Target and La-Z-Boy, is apparently a longtime festival fan, telling the Inside Sundance Institute magazine that he used to attend it, with his mother, as a kind of "art holiday.

The Early Show (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Journalist Mark Bittman; designer Jeff Lewis; Diane Farr. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Seth Myers; quarterback Mark Sanchez; Bert Kreischer. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Regis and Kelly Glenn Close; Blake Shelton. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Margaret Cho; Billy Ray Cyrus. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Doctors Hiccups. (N) 11 a.m. KCAL The Talk Nigel Lythgoe. (N)

McDonald's Corp. will promote its healthier menu choices to help counter negative publicity expected from a new book co-written by the author of "Fast Food Nation," Chief Executive Jim Skinner said Monday. Although McDonald's says the strategy is not aimed solely at undermining the book, "Chew On This," which is due out next month, Skinner acknowledged that "it's important to ramp this up now" amid heavy criticism of the fast-food industry for its perceived role in increased obesity.

IN "Red and Blue," airing tonight on the Discovery Channel, a family from so-called red state America, the Cambres, tomato farmers from Clinton, La., trade places with a so-called blue state family, the Catteralls, educators who live in Topanga Canyon. It's an idea redolent of the recent "30 Days," Morgan Spurlock's FX network series in which the "Super Size Me" filmmaker tried out other lives for 30 days, including life as a person of Muslim faith.

Redbelt Sony, $24.99; Blu-Ray, $38.96 Though the description “David Mamet martial arts movie” sounds about as sensible as "Woody Allen splatter flick," Mamet's "Redbelt" works quite well both as a study of the art of the con and as a visceral punch-'em-up. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays an idealistic mixed martial arts instructor who gets involved in a complicated case of intellectual property theft involving a Hollywood star (played by Tim Allen) and a network of shady business folk (including heavies played by Mamet regulars Ricky Jay and Joe Mantegna)

REP. STEVE KING RECENTLY STOOD before the House of Representatives, razor wire in hand, and advocated electrifying the southern U.S. border with a current strong enough to be a "disincentive" but weak enough to keep from killing people. "We do that with livestock all the time," the Iowa Republican noted. Maybe King should tune into FX.

Members of the British boy band One Direction are making the most of their moment. The band brought its new ballad, the all-warm-and-gooey "Little Things," to the set of NBC's "Today" show Tuesday morning and then the guys revealed that they're taking their act to the big screen.  "We are gonna do our first-ever movie," said Niall Horan, adding that it's " going to be in 3-D. " The film is scheduled to be in theaters Aug. 30, 2013, and...

SERIES The Bachelor: Ashley Hebert made it to the final episode of last season's "The Bachelorette" and now he's back in the season premiere of the unscripted series (8 p.m. ABC). Antiques Roadshow: This venerable hidden treasure show returns for a new season, starting in Tulsa, Okla., where appraisers examine a signed note from Mother Teresa, a custom model 1894 Winchester rifle and Chinese rhinoceros horn libation cups (8 p.m. KOCE). Two and a Half Men: Walden's mother (Mimi Rogers)

FX Networks' entertainment president, John Landgraf, was named Tuesday to the cable channel's top post of president and general manager. Landgraf, 42, had been considered the leading candidate for the job. He will be responsible for all business and programming operations including program development, scheduling, marketing, public relations, research and business affairs for FX and the Fox Movie Channel.