Weekend TV : ‘People’s Choice,’ ‘Terminator’ and Telethon Will Vie for Sunday Viewers

Sunday night is packed with enough celebrity star power to make modern-day gossip columnists lick their chops.

The annual “People’s Choice Awards,” hosted by Barbara Mandrell and Carl Reiner, honors the public’s favorite performers in television, film and music at 9 p.m. on CBS (Channels 2 and 8).

Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston, Meryl Streep, Bon Jovi and Clint Eastwood are among the nominees in 23 categories. Olympic gold medal skater Brian Boitano, Brooke Shields, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, the Smothers Brothers and dozens of other recognizable faces are scheduled to appear in the broadcast, originating from 20th Century-Fox Studios.

The other two networks will counter at 9 p.m. Sunday with big-name box-office stars in big-name box-office movies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a ruthless mechanical killer of the future in “The Terminator” on NBC (Channels 4, 36, and 39). Clint Eastwood appears on ABC in “Pale Rider,” a 1985 Western about a stranger who comes out of nowhere to help some gold prospectors fight a hydraulic mining company (Channels 7, 3, 10, 42).

There also will be a batch of stars on hand for the 33rd annual “Stop Arthritis Telethon,” which will take place Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on KCOP (13). Sarah Purcell and Larry Van Nuys are the hosts, Victoria Principal is slated as special guest and Jane Wyman serves as honorary host.