Print edition: 
Specials
"The Human Spark"
Host Alan Alda examines paintings and carvings in the Dordogne region of France that date back 30,000 years in an attempt to determine when mankind developed the "human spark" that produced art, innovative technology and symbolic communication in "Becoming Us," the opener of this three-part series. 7 p.m., PBS and KPTS, Channel 8.
"I Get That a Lot"
Hold it, is that gas station pump jockey Paris Hilton? The heiress is among the stars who pull pranks on unsuspecting people by pretending to be celebrity look-alikes in this new one-hour special. Other pranksters include newswoman Julie Chen, hip-hop performer Snoop Dogg, talk show host Rachael Ray and KISS rocker Gene Simmons. 7 p.m., CBS and KWCH, Channel 12.
"The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards"
From the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Queen Latifah hosts a ceremony honoring favorites in the fields of music, movies and TV based on the results of a viewers poll. 8 p.m., CBS and KWCH, Channel 12.
Season premiere
"Nip/Tuck"
At its dark little heart, "Nip/Tuck" always has been a platonic love story between its two male leads, plastic surgeons Christian Troy and Sean McNamara (Julian McMahon, Dylan Walsh), but as the series returns for its last batch of episodes, Sean wonders whether he and Christian finally have come to a parting of the ways. 9 p.m., FX, Channel 31.
Sports
College Basketball
Cornell at Kansas. 7 p.m., NBC and KSNW, Channel 3.
