Tonight's Picks
The 11th Annual A Home for the Holidays With Faith8:00 PM, CBS
Grammy and Country Music Association Award winner Faith Hill headlines for the second time with this feel-good hour that celebrates the joys of adoption from the perspectives of the adoptive families and the children who finally have found stable homes. Joining Hill are musicians Mary J. Blige, Michael Franti, Reba McEntire, Shakira and Carrie Underwood, along with actresses Jenna Elfman and Nia Vardalos.
 
Great Performances9:00 PM, PBS
Two of the opera world's reigning superstars, Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon, star as doomed lovers Mimi and Rodolfo in director Robert Dornhelm's lush film adaptation of Giacomo Puccini's 1896 romantic blockbuster "La Boheme." Given its tragic ending, the piece may seem an unlikely holiday offering, but in fact, it's perfect: The first two acts even unfold on Christmas Eve. Nicole Cabell co-stars as Musetta.
 
Glee9:00 PM, FOX
Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth ("Pushing Daisies") turns in a hilarious yet also poignant guest appearance as April Rhodes, a boozy but very talented former classmate whom Will (Matthew Morrison) recruits to give the glee club more of an edge. The move, however, only puts more strain on his already tense relationship with Rachel (Lea Michele). Stephen Tobolowsky also guest stars in "The Rhodes Not Taken."
 
Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace6:00 PM, SPIKE
It's hard to argue with bajillions of dollars at the box office, but it's just as hard not to see why so many "Star Wars" fans were underwhelmed by this long-anticipated prequel to the original trilogy. Partly it's because child actor Jake Lloyd simply is not up to the heavy lifting needed to play the boy who will become Darth Vader, but the real nail in the coffin is Jar Jar Binks, a character so inane and irritating that he surely stands as one of the biggest blunders in George Lucas' entire body of work.
 
August7:30 PM, SHO
The saga of the dot-com boom and bust is bound to inspire a compelling movie one day, but boy, this is certainly not that movie. Josh Hartnett stars as a brash entrepreneur who relies on personal charisma to keep his Internet business afloat as it drifts toward disaster. Trouble is, the character is basically a big jerk, so we never care whether he succeeds in either his job or his love life. Adam Scott and Robin Tunney also star.
 
To Have and Have Not8:00 PM, TCM
Novelist William Faulkner co-wrote the screenplay for this 1944 adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's yarn about a sea captain (Humphrey Bogart) who reluctantly agrees to help the Resistance movement in 1940 Martinique. But most viewers today watch and enjoy this film as a record of the romance between Bogart and Lauren Bacall, which began on this set. Bacall plays a sultry young singer who catches the captain's eye, and it's no secret that life imitated art.
 
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas8:00 PM, ABC
Since its first airing in 1966, this adaptation of the Dr. Seuss children's book has evolved into an annual holiday viewing tradition. Legendary animator Chuck Jones directed the story about a green-skinned grouch who sets out to spoil Christmas for the citizens of Whoville. Boris Karloff provides narration, with additional voices by Thurl Ravenscroft and June Foray.
 
The Middle8:30 PM, ABC
Mild-mannered Sue (Eden Sher) sells thousands of dollars in sausage and cheese samples, qualifying her for a trip to the state capitol. After the school fails to recognize Sue's achievement, however, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) encourages Sue to fight for her right to the prize. Meanwhile, Brick's (Atticus Shaffer) first girlfriend turns out to be a bit bossy in "The Trip."
 
The Big Sleep10:00 PM, TCM
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall first teamed two years earlier on "To Have and Have Not," and audiences couldn't wait to see the real-life lovers together again in this classic 1946 version of the Raymond Chandler mystery novel. Directed by Howard Hawks from a script co-authored by William Faulkner, it casts "Bogie" as private eye Philip Marlowe, who watches over a general's daughters (Bacall, Martha Vickers).
 
CSI: NY10:00 PM, CBS
Mac, Stella, Danny (Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Carmine Giovinazzo) and the rest of the CSI team are forced to get very creative to reconstruct any worthwhile clues from the debris that is left behind when a lethal pipe bomb explodes, blowing a Manhattan townhouse and some valuable evidence to pieces. Grant Alan, Robert Gant and Asia Demarcos guest star in "Green Piece."
 
Launch My Line10:00 PM, BRAVO
The designers are taken to an art gallery to find inspiration for asymmetrical evening wear. but they are in for a shock when they realize they are supposed to get their ideas not from the art hanging on the walls but from the "living art" confronting them in the form of nude models in the new episode "Bare Minimum."
 
Cougar Town10:30 PM, ABC
Jules (Courteney Cox) regrets trying to boost Bobby's (Brian Van Holt) self-confidence after a golf lesson she arranges leads to her ex becoming buddies with Grayson (Josh Hopkins). Laurie (Busy Philipps) takes on a new client in an attempt to prove her worth to Jules but winds up surprising even herself. Christa Miller and Dan Byrd also star in "You Wreck Me."
 
-- Zap2it.com

(Times are ET/PT unless otherwise noted)

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Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 2009 (in millions)
1.
NCIS (CBS)
15.09
2.
13.45
3.
12.04
4.
Disney's Prep and Landing (ABC)
12.04
6.
9.1
7.
8.33
9.
Scrubs (ABC)
5.44
10.
4.26
© 2009 Variety, Inc. All Right Reserved
Dec. 21, 2009, 4:10 PM EST
Abby Elliott as Brittany Murphy on 'SNL' (©NBC)
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Tribe has spoken: Natalie White outplays conniving Russell Hantz, wins $1M 'Survivor' prize
Dec. 18, 2009, 5:54 AM EST
His last day at work: 'World News' anchor Charles Gibson retiring from ABC News after 34 years