Where to be and what to watch…

Can new NBC Entertainment boss Ben Silverman win over a room of dyspeptic critics? Find out when he and fellow Co-Chairman Marc Graboff take the stage at the Television Critics Association (TCA) wingding at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Be sure to check out the Saturday Night Live gig at 4:30, with appearances by the likes of Seth Meyers, Will Forte and Kristen Wiig. Inside the Beltway, the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council holds its annual Access to Capital and Telecom Policy conference at the Westin Grand. Scope out the panel “How Can the FCC Lift Barriers to Minority Ownership?” with commentary by FCC Commissioners Deborah Taylor Tate, Jonathan Adelstein and Robert McDowell.

NBC continues to hold court in L.A., as critics get a peek at the likes of Journeyman, Chuck and the highly anticipated Bionic Woman. No lunch plans? Head over to the Beverly Wilshire for the HRTS Newsmaker Luncheon Series. Law & Order creator Dick Wolf moderates a state-of-the- industry panel comprising NBC's Graboff, Discovery President/CEO David Zaslav and B&C Editor in Chief Max Robins. In the coaxial world, CableLabs hosts its OpenCable-themed Webinar, and a gaggle of premieres take place. TBS debuts The Bill Engvall Show at 9 p.m. ET, and the tireless Ashton Kutcher introduces Room 401—“a journey through the weird, absurd and shocking world of illusion”—on MTV at 10. Speaking of weird, absurd and shocking, Christopher Walken is on the Daily Show on Comedy Central at 11:30.

Start off the day in Washington, as former FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick talks about abolishing the Fairness Doctrine at the National Press Club. Out west, CBS gets its turn at TCA, offering glimpses of new series Cane and James Woods sophomore Shark, among others. Speaking of sharks, Discovery holds its Shark Week 20th Anniversary Celebration at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Don't stand too close to the water. Discovery's Zaslav hosts the bash, which includes a peek at this year's Sharkapalooza. Elsewhere in Gotham, C-4 Sports throws its Sports Media and Technology Conference at Madison Square Garden. And this might just be crazy enough to work: Take old sitcom stars like Loni Anderson and J.J. Walker and put 'em to work at the jobs their characters once held (uh, J.J. had a job?). Back to the Grind debuts on TV Land at 10:30.

New England Cable & Telecommunications holds its confab at the Newport Marriott in Rhode Island. MSNBC host Tucker Carlson moderates the opening session, and Women in Cable Telecommunications President Benita Fitzgerald-Mosley moderates Raise the Bar With PAR (pay equity, advancement), with commentary by Susan Packard of Scripps. Out in Indianapolis, the theme is “Operating in a Competitive Environment” when the Central Indiana Chapter convenes at the Gene B. Glick Jr. Achievement Center. Finally, Media General shares financial results from the second quarter. President/CEO Marshall Morton hopes to improve on a shaky Q1.

How good a job is local television doing to keep viewers tuned in? Find out when Northwestern University's Medill School shares the study “How To Win Viewers by Focusing on Engagement.” Meanwhile, back at TCA, CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff offers a look at Life Is Wild and the buzzy Gossip Girl. Plan to stick around L.A., as David Beckham and his Galaxy mates face off against Chelsea tomorrow. The goal: selling America on that game with the spotted ball and the no-hands rule.