MAGA, Ma-Con, Et. al.

This is one of those uncommon weekends here in Macon, Ga. where there is actually quite a bit to do around town, so with mostly reruns still on, you might want to get out of the house for your entertainment options.

The Macon Film & Video Festival (MAGA) continues tonight through Sunday at the Cox Capitol Theatre. Highlights include "Talladega Nights" tonight, the independent films "Little Chicago" and "Blood Car" on Saturday, and the documentary "Please Call Home: The Big House Documentary" on Sunday. I've been looking forward to "Blood Car" ever since hearing about it at the Austin Film Festival, and it has won a bunch of awards. It's a parody of horror films in which a person begins using blood as fuel in the wake of high gas prices.

That's in addition to hours of independent submissions from filmmakers all over the country. You can also catch the work of Bibb County school students Saturday morning. For a complete listing of events, check out www.maconfilmfestival.com.

If that weren't enough, the Museum of Arts & Sciences is hosting "Ma-Con" this Saturday. In conjuction with its exhibit featuring the work of Tony Harris, Ray Snyder and Craig Hamilton - all local artists who work on some of the top comic book titles in the industry - other award winning artists and writers will be in town. There will also be a series of seminars on Saturday:

11 a.m. – Comic Writing
12 p.m. – Comic Penciling
2 p.m. – Comic Inking
3 p.m. – Comic Coloring
4 p.m. – The Art of Ex Machina
5 p.m. – The Art of Southern Comics
10:30 a.m., 1:30, & 5:30 p.m. – Curator Tours of The Art of Macon Comics exhibition

If you haven't caught the exhibit yet, now is a perfect opportunity.

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: Of course, if you are on this blog, you probably want to know what there is to watch on TV, especially if you don't live in Macon. Fair enough.

"Monk" (USA, 9 p.m.) wraps up its two-part season finale with Monk (Tony Shalhoub) a fugitive from justice. Don't worry, folks - the show has been renewed for next season.

The new game show "Amnesia" (NBC, 9 p.m.), hosted by Dennis Miller, pits contestants against their own memories as they try to remember the intricate details of their past.

"Torchwood" (BBC America, Sat., 9 p.m.) is all-new as an alien infiltrates the group's HQ. Also, "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, Sat., 11:30 p.m.) returns after the strike with host Tina Fey and musical guest Carrie Underwood.

On Sunday, there's a little thing called the Academy Awards (ABC, Sun., 7 p.m.) Hopefully, you've caught the predictions that the Reel Fanatic, Keith Demko, and I did last week. If not, scroll down for the video.

I'm told I'd be remiss in not mentioning "Masterpiece," which continues its Jane Austen run (PBS, 9 p.m.), while one of the best new shows of 2008, "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 10 p.m.) is also new. You can also continue to catch on "Dexter" (CBS, 10 p.m.) if you don't subscribe to Showtime.