Tuning In to TV

TV Land fetes ‘ER’

NBC’s acclaimed medical drama “ER,” which checked out April 2 after a 15-year run, has been added as an honoree at the “2009 TV Land Awards.”

The ceremony, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris (CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother”) takes place April 19 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City. It will air on cable’s TV Land April 26 at 8 p.m.

Cast members Alex Kingston, Anthony Edwards, Linda Cardellini, Ellen Crawford, Laura Innes, Kellie Martin, Mekhi Phifer, Parminder Nagra, Shane West and Yvette Freeman will be on hand to accept the award.

‘Eastbound’ renewed

HBO has renewed the comedy series “Eastbound & Down” for a second season, the Hollywood Reporter notes. Production on the new episodes will begin this year for a 2010 premiere.

The series, with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay as executive producers, had a slow start, drawing 671,000 viewers in its Feb. 15 premiere. However, like Alan Ball’s vampire drama “True Blood” last year, it grew steadily throughout its six-episode run, peaking at 950,000 viewers on March 15. It closed out its freshman season with 904,000 viewers March 22.

“Eastbound” stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a star pitcher whose self-destructive behavior knocked him out of the major leagues. He returned home to North Carolina to teach gym at the middle school he once attended, but he eventually scored another big-league job offer.

Holiday watch

It’s Easter weekend, and holiday specials abound. Among the highlights:

Friday

Ten Commandments (8 a.m., History Channel) What’s the real story behind history’s most famous written document? This two-hour special examines the three different — and sometimes contradictory — biblical accounts of Moses on the Mount and also looks at each of the Ten Commandments in historical context.

Saturday

Ten Commandments (7, ABC) — The annual Easter Week telecast of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 film adaptation of the journey of the Egyptian prince Moses (Charlton Heston), who, after learning of his true Hebrew heritage, fulfills his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

Easter Unwrapped (8, Food Network) — Host Marc Summers checks out marshmallow bunnies and the laying of malted eggs. The secrets behind dyeing Easter eggs by hand and by machine are revealed, and viewers also can see the making of a chocolate bunny and meet an artist specializing in Peeps. Repeats Sunday at 3 p.m.

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