On this celebratory day of mass-produced schmaltzy love tat, who better to gaze up at the stars with than the ever-snuggleable space boffin Brian Cox?
According to the BuzzFeed website, there are 36 entirely scientific reasons to love the British pop star-turned-particle physicist (although none of them have any actual scientific theory behind them), so, who couldn't help but fall for the loveable lad who once responded to the doomsayer jibes being aimed at cutting-edge science with, "Anyone who thinks the Large Hadron Collider will destroy the world is a tw*t."
Touted as successor to the late Patrick Moore and heir apparent to David Attenborough, Coxy has in the past five years almost single-handedly made science sexy. And today, at 5pm, on BBC Earth, our Brian explores the most precious, most wonderful thing in the universe: us.
Beginning with how Homo sapiens evolved from hairy knuckle-dragging apes to space explorers, the five-part docu-series Human Universe sees Cox leave the comfort of the cosmos to embrace the natural world, as he flits from one exotic location to another - much like every other BBC broadcaster these days - exploring the entirety of human history. But it's when he tackles the deeper questions (Why are we here? Are we alone? What is our future?) that his enthusiasm really shines, and Human Universe only goes to show that when the rock star of physics is around, things really "can only get better".
Moving on from the fantastical universe to the fantasy world of comic books, with another two DC Comic superheroes set to hit our screens this week: quick-footed crime fighter Barry Allen returns as The Flash (TVB Pearl, Tuesday at 10.40pm) and Kara Zor-El, the last of the Kryptonians, makes her debut as Supergirl (right; TVB Pearl, Thursday at 10.40pm).
Sent on a 2,000-light-year journey to Earth, to protect her infant cousin, Kara's pod is knocked off course into the phantom zone, a region in space where time stands still, and when the 13-year-old finally arrives on our greenish planet, she finds her cousin no longer requires a chaperone, having become the most powerful man in the universe: Superman.
Living undercover as an office worker it's not long before Kara (Melissa Benoist; Glee) is called on to reveal her super powers and team up with a government agency to battle alien bad boys. Where with most comic-book adaptations the superhero alter ego is the main focus of the story, the drama of Kara's everyday life and the relationships she forms with her sister (Chyler Leigh; Grey's Anatomy) and her bitchy boss (Calista Flockhart; Ally McBeal) are what drive this story. That's not to say the high-octane action scenes aren't top-notch; they are simply outshone by Benoist's bubbly performance. Much like previous Superman television spin-off Lois & Clark, Supergirl is good-hearted, enjoyable entertainment.
Returning for a second season, The Flash also bears good vs evil comic-book traits. Assistant police forensic officer Allen (Grant Gustin; Arrow) wakes up from a lightning-induced coma able to move at superhuman speed. Unfortunately, the storm created other "metahumans" and Allen must use his new power to fight crime while searching for his mother's killer.
Season one proved to be a surprise hit and good ol' escapist fun, having struck a fine balance between light and dark, a feat many superhero movies struggle to accomplish. Last season's cliffhanger saw the Flash racing against the clock to save his city from a giant wormhole ripping up space and time, but did he save the day?
Of course he did. This scarlet speedster, much like his TV series, ain't no flash in the pan.
