RARE TELEVISION ALERT! The 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

I might catch this; I haven't really watched either show in a couple of years, but back when I did occasionally catch one or the other, I always thought Mad was far funnier than SNL.

 

I have *never* watched it at all, but this did sound interesting...

 

10-11PM
HBO, TV-PG

Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football
B+

"Terrific archival footage and interviews with everyone but the ghost of Bear Bryant fill this humanizing look at the men who paved the road to integration at our nation's proud (but stubborn) Southern schools. Only penalty flag: occasionally feels classroomy." ?Whitney Pastorek

 

11PM-MIDNIGHT
Fox, TV-14-DL
madTV2_150

'Tis the Season on MADtv

"A look at some of the fans' favorite sketches. Hosted by ''Barack Obama'' (Keegan-Michael Key) and ''Connie Chung'' (Bobby Lee)"

 

9-11PM
CBS

The 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors

"The annual event honors performers for their contributions to American culture. This year, honorees include Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbara Streisand, Twyla Tharp, Pete Townsend, and Roger Daltrey of The Who."

Townsend and Daltrey? Really?

 

Streisand is enough to make me stay away from this. Idina Menzel is supposed to sing "Don't Rain on My Parade" for her tribute, but I think I'll just look that up on youtube later.

 

Jack Black's speech to Townsend and Daltrey was hilarious.

 

I missed seeing it tonight, but the one worthy entry I was interested in was Morgan Freeman. If anyone wants to know what being an actor is, look at this great talent. Very well deserved. Of course, I still remember him as Easy Reader on the Electric Company so many years ago.

 

10-11PM, 11:30PM-2:11AM
ABC

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2009

That sound you hear? It's not just your average Times Square-on-New Year's Eve roar. It's the collective squeal of teenage girls across the country as pop idols the Jonas Brothers perform live. Ryan Seacrest hosts the annual countdown, with performances by Taylor Swift, Lionel Richie (ooookay), Natasha Bedingfield, Fall Out Boy, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, Will.i.am, and Robin Thicke. Best lineup? Definitely.


10-11PM, 11:30PM-12:35AM
NBC

NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly

NBC snagged the not-too-shabby T.I., Ludacris, Katy Perry, but it is hosted by Carson Daly. So, it's your call.


11PM-12:30AM
Fox

New Year's Eve Live

Keeping it classy, Fox reports from flashy tourist traps on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as New York's Times Square. The show is hosted by Spike Ferestein and Mark Thompson (who?), and it features performances by David Cook and Scott Weiland, and a stunt by Robbie Knievel.

 

9-10PM
MyNetworkTV, TV-PG

Masters of Illusion

"The world's most renowned magicians perform tricks. Or do they? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! (Cue thunderclap and dry ice.) Actually, yes. Yes, they do."

 

8-10PM*
PBS, TV-PG-LS

Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America

"This six-part history of U.S. chucklemeisters confirms the theory that dissecting humor is a fruitless enterprise. In tonight's first of two episodes, titled ''Nerds, Jerks, and Oddballs,'' Road to Bali co-writer Hal Kanter twinklingly but unhelpfully says, ''The secret to the Road movies was...they were funny.'' However, the show is packed with great vintage footage of Jonathan Winters, Cheech and Chong, and Andy Kaufman, whose fake-wrestling escapades are described by Conan O'Brien, with admiration, as ''an incredible waste of everyone's time.'' B *check local listings"

There are probably some brilliant clips in the mix, but trying to determine why funny things are funny is singularly futile.

 

NOON
ALL MAJOR NETWORKS
obama-inauguration_150

Must Watch of the Week
The Inauguration of Barack Obama

"Remember all the commotion about that dramatic election waaaaay back in '08, when we voted for our first African-American president? Yeah, it's time to swear in that guy so he can get cracking on stuff like our crappy economy. Here's how to witness Barackian history: The oath-taking and inaugural address ? which occur around noon at the U.S. Capitol ? will be broadcast in BreathlessVision by the news networks. The festivities continue into the night, with the president's first party stop, The Neighborhood Ball (ABC, 8 p.m.), the Nick Cannon-led Yes We Will! celebration (BET, 8 p.m.), a Katie Couric-anchored special about Obama's journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. (CBS, 9 p.m.), a Brian Williams tour of the galas (NBC, 10 p.m.), and MTV's coverage of the Youth Inaugural Ball (10 p.m.). Oh, and dress appropriately for the big day, as the forecast calls for heavy hope with a chance of change."


Granted I'm not an American, but I can never remember such a lot of hype over an inauguration; previously it was just a lot of pols congratulating each other. Now it's a whole lot of people wallowing in self-congratulation--"Look how enlightened we are!" I get an uneasy feeling that the press, having built expectations to an impossible height, will now turn on Obama with a vengeance if he disappoints them, and I can't see how he can avoid it. The comparisons with JFK aren't flattering; remember what happened to him. And he was an inexperienced President--more style than substance--that caused the Yanks to get involved in Vietnam because he believed in machismo. The worst thing I know about Obama, however, is not much; just that he imagines that he can spend his way out of recession. (buzzer goes: wrong answer) And another thing: change is ze buzzword in the press, but it's not always for the better. Hope I'm wrong.

 

It was quite an interesting day!

 

I like Obama, and I wish him well. I congratulate him for his historic win and breaking a racial barrier. He seems like a bright guy with awesome potential. But the saturation coverage of him in the last few weeks wore thin for me really quickly and I refuse to "drink the Kool Aid" that he's the greatest thing since oxygen. Besides, I've grown very wary of ALL politicians regardless of party or philosophy.

Let's have him prove himself with leadership before we anoint him greatest President ever.
Some of the coverage of him has been almost mindless in it's worship of him. It is asking to do much for the guy to actually DO the job well before we give him kudos?

 

9-10PM*
PBS, TV-PG

Masterpiece Classic

"I would tell you how Wuthering Heights ends, but I don't want to spoil 11th grade for all of our young readers out there. *check local listings"

 

8-9PM
CBS, TV-PG-L

Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2009

"Actually, old commercials, not to be confused with the 2009 commercials that will air tomorrow, and may or may not be great."

 

8-11PM
NatGeo, TV-G

Known Universe

"Time travel and the big bang theory are explained. No, not that Big Bang Theory. National Geographic doesn't do Johnny Galecki."


9-10:30PM*
PBS, TV-PG

Masterpiece Classic

"So predictably good are BBC adaptations that they become, well, predictable. They also tend to be a bit gaudy, like this Oliver Twist, with William Miller as the boy orphan. The humor is wilder, the penury sadder, and Sophie Okonedo a winsome Nancy. The only bad twist is the overwrought score. B+ ?Alynda Wheat"

 

9-11PM*
PBS, TV-PG

Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About

"A two-hour look at the legendary choreographer, with interviews, never-before-seen footage, and jazz hands galore."

AKA choreographer of "West Side Story"...

 

10-11:30PM*
PBS, TV-PG-V

The Order of Myths
A-

"Filmmaker Margaret Brown peels back the booze-boobs-and-beads perception of Mardi Gras, focusing on the rich but racially divided traditions in Mobile, Ala. At times, the extent of the segregation is stunning, but Brown doesn't judge; this fascinating story tells itself. ?Leah Greenblatt"

 

9-10PM
Sundance, TV-PG

Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...

"Costello chats with Smokey Robinson about whether Jamie Foxx has a future as a Top or should stick with that whole movie-star thing."


9-11PM*
PBS, TV-G

America's Ballroom Challenge

"Competitive dance has been airing on PBS for years, but thanks to Dancing With the Stars, we now care. The cheesy hosts beg for a Christopher Guest send-up, and the performances lack the drama of clueless celebs attempting to waltz and tango, but the dancing can be pretty breathtaking at times. B ?Jennifer Armstrong"

10-11PM
Current

Narco War Next Door

"A doc all about Mexican drug cartels. Or you can just watch Clear and Present Danger, which is on cable every four seconds."

 

10-11PM*
PBS, TV-PG

The Linguists

"Ethnographers go around the world studying dying languages. Siz aroisgevorfeneh gelt, says the ghost of my grandfather, in a dying language."

 

8-9PM
NatGeo, TV-G

Code Breakers

Think Da Vinci Code, but without Tom Hanks' crazy straight hair. Old joke, you say? Too bad! I'll never get sick of mocking that flatiron job gone awry.


8-9PM
Style, TV-PG

Series Debut
Running in Heels

After fashion magazine reality shows like The Fashionista Diaries and Stylista, it's no wonder these Heels feel worn out. This time the setting is Marie Claire, but it's simply more of the same: backstabbing interns and delusional fashion editors whose brains are fried on Michael Kors. C ?Tanner Stransky

 

9-10PM
ABC


Inside Look
Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Returns

''The incident'' is how Siegfried and Roy refer to the 2003 attack when a white tiger mauled Roy. Five years later and just before their Feb. 28 farewell show, 20/20's Elizabeth Vargas interviewed the Las Vegas legends. ''They strongly believe that Roy suffered a stroke on stage and that [the tiger] was carrying him off stage,'' says Vargas, who also talked to the couple about Siegfried's depression and Roy's rehab. On the plus side, she says, ''Roy sticking his hand in tigers' mouths isn't going on anymore.''

 

7-7:30PM*
Syndicated, TV-G

Celebrity Jeopardy!

"Who's the smarty-pantsiest: Aisha Tyler, Tom Bergeron, or Elizabeth Perkins?"

What, no Sean Connery???

 

10-11:30PM
Sundance, TV-MA
Heavy-Metal-Baghdad_150

Heavy Metal in Baghdad
A

"If ever a band had a good excuse to scream about death and destruction, it's this doc's subject, Acrassicauda ? a Metallica-worshipping headbanger crew living in the middle of a raging war zone. Even if you don't dig their music, you'll be alternately terrified and inspired by their post-Saddam story. ?Simon Vozick-Levinson"