2009 New Year's Eve Tonight On TV

That's New Year's Eve at Times Square in New York City. Times Square in New York City will be all over the TV tonight due to it being New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve with Carson Daly
10/9c NBC
Carson Daly's 6th time hosting the NBC New Year's Eve party from Times Square. Scheduled to perform are Rihanna and Jay-Z, plus Green Day.

Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
10/9c ABC
This is a bi-coastal party, part in Times Square, part in Las Vegas. I believe Dick Clark will be in New York City. I don't know where Ryan Seacrest will be, Vegas or NYC. Fergie will be doing some hosting from Vegas. Jennifer Lopez and Chris Daughtry will be performing from Times Square, while Selena Gomez, the Black Eyed Peas, Colbie Caillat and other are in Las Vegas.

New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin
11/10c CNN
Also in Times Square. I saw Kathy Griffin helping Anderson Cooper on a previous New Year's Eve, on the Life on the D-List show on Bravo. It was very funny.

New Year's Eve Live
11/10c Fox
Carmen Electra hosts from Las Vegas. With American Idol's Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta performing, along with Sean Kingston. Eva Longoria and Kim Kardashian also perform some function on this show.

I don't know if I'll last til midnight. I don't think I have since the 1999 New Year's Eve. That was a fun one. But I was not at Times Square in New York City for that one, I was at Sundance Square in Forth Worth, Texas.

The Real World: Washington D.C. Starts Tonight On MTV

I watched the first few seasons of The Real World without missing an episode. I do not remember what was the last complete season I watched. Seattle? London? Miami? The one in Hawaii? I do recollect watching some of The Real World Las Vegas. That's when The Real World started to turn a bit raunchier.

The Real World
10/9c MTV

This is the 23rd season of The Real World. I'm getting old. This time the 8 strangers are in America's capital.

So, of course the cast included an Obama delegate. Her name is Ashley and is described as outspoken, which, in Reality Show terms, means she is difficult to get along with.

Then there is Emily, an escapee from a fundamentalist Christian cult.

Emily will likely clash with Mike, he being an environmentalist from Colorado, who swings both ways, sex-orientation wise.

It is against the laws of Reality TV not to have a Texan in the cast. This time the Texan is Callie, who lived in a Texas junkyard.

Erika is a singer from Chicago. Apparently she likes to be the center of attention.

Josh is a Puerto Rican/Italian from Philadelphia with dreams of being a rocking rapper.

Andrew is from a Denver suburb where he has a reputation for his wit and politically incorrect comics.

Finally, there is Ty, from Baltimore, where he was a parentless foster child, finally adopted when he was 5. Ty likely has issues.

Maybe I'll set the DVR to record this likely train wreck. There's not a lot to watch these days.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 for December 21 - 27

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 21 - 27. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

.	Cowboys/Redskins	NBC	19.0	19.5
2.	60 Minutes	CBS	15.7	14.4
3.	NCIS	CBS	15.4	21.0
4.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	12.4	16.7
5.	Jesse Stone: Thin Ice	CBS	15.8	special event
6.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	10.8	14.7
7.	Criminal Minds	CBS	10.3	15.0
*	CSI: NY	CBS	10.3	14.0
9.	The Big Bang Theory	CBS	10.0	14.3
10.	Football Night in America Pt 3	NBC	9.8	10.2
11.	The Good Wife	CBS	9.1	13.5
12.	CSI: Miami	CBS	8.6	14.0
13.	The Mentalist	CBS	8.2	special event
14.	Cold Case	CBS	7.3	special event
*	Sing Off	NBC	7.3	special event
16.	CSI	CBS	7.2	special event
17.	How the Grinch Stole Christmas	ABC	6.8	special event
18.	The Sound of Music	ABC	6.4	special event
19.	Home for the Holidays	CBS	6.3	special event
20.	Dog for Christmas	ABC	5.9	special event

Kennedy Center Honors Tonight on CBS

I must be getting old. Bruce Springsteen is getting honored by the Kennedy Center Honors tonight? He seems too young for such a thing. Of the others getting honored the only one I have no clue about is Grace Bumbry. She's an opera singer.

Beside Grace and Bruce, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck and Robert De Niro are honorees at the 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors.

Performers and presenters include Sting, Matthew Broderick, Meryl Streep, Melissa Etheridge, Martin Short, John Mellencamp, Aretha Franklin, Carl Reiner, Jon Stewart, Herbie Hancock, Jack Black and Martin Scorcese.

9/8c CBS

Survivor Samoa: John Fincher Had Never Watched The Show

That is John Fincher, Rocket Scientist, from the recently concluded Survivor Samoa. The first few weeks of the most recent Survivor I thought John Fincher and the seldom seen, Brett Clouser, were the same person. Til John grew a beard and Brett did not. Then I realized these were two different people.

Yesterday, while bouncing around the Internet, I came upon an interview with John Fincher that I found both interesting and annoying.

I thought it odd that John called himself a Rocket Scientist. John says he is an Aerospace Engineer and knows of no one on the planet who calls himself a Rocket Scientist. It was the Survivor producers who thought it was clever to call John a Rocket Scientist.

Speaking of those Survivor producers.

John had never watched a single episode of Survivor. John did not apply to be on the show. John was recruited. Why? I don't know. After John agreed to be on the show that he'd never seen, he asked the producers for video of past shows so he could study how the game is played.

Now, this just strikes me as all kinds of wrong. You have thousands, maybe millions, of loyal Survivor fans who would love the opportunity to be on the show. There are only 16 or 18 slots and they give one to a Rocket Scientist who has never watched the show? That is just annoying.

Recruit me. I'd be good on Survivor. Though I suck at starving. I'm great at back stabbing and blindsiding.

John also said he tried to put on weight prior to being stuck on an island and gave up boozing, so as to maximize his healthiness. Boozing and a Rocket Scientist seems sort of counter-intuitive to me.

Speaking of weight, John says he weighs 180 and is 6 feet 2. He thought his size would make him a target, but turns out other guys were bigger. That explains why John looked like a small guy to me.

So, the Survivor producers also cast for giants? I wonder how big Shambo is? That annoying Eric guy must be at least 6 feet 6.

How many other Survivors has been recruited, rather than send in an application?

And now we've got the upcoming Survivor Redemption: Heroes vs. Villains, with everyone having been on at least once already.

Between Survivor All-Stars, Fans vs. Favorites, Heroes vs. Villains and John Fincher, what percentage of people, who are on Survivor, have not been recruited, in some manner, by the producers?

I guess it is their show to cast how ever they like. But it sort of ruins it for me.

I may not watch Heroes vs. Villains.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 for December 14- 21

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for December 14- 21. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average
1.	NCIS	CBS	20.7	21.5
2.	Vikings/Panthers	NBC	18.2	19.6
3.	NCIS: LA	CBS	17.5	17.0
4.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	16.4	14.9
5.	The Mentalist	CBS	15.8	17.0
6.	CSI	CBS	15.6	16.3
*	Big Bang Theory	CBS	15.6	14.4
8.	Criminal Minds	CBS	14.7	15.2
9.	CSI: Miami	CBS	14.2	14.3
*	The Good Wife	CBS	14.2	13.9
11.	Survivor: Samoa Finale	CBS	14.0	special event
12.	CSI: NY	CBS	13.6	14.2
13.	60 Minutes	CBS	12.7	14.3
14.	Survivor: Samoa	CBS	12.5	13.3
15.	Survivor: Samoa Reunion	CBS	11.7	special event
16.	Football Night in America Pt 3	NBC	9.9	10.2
17.	How I Met Your Mother	CBS	9.6	9.1
18.	Accidentally on Purpose	CBS	8.8	8.0
19.	The Simpsons	Fox	8.1	8.7
20.	Gilly Christmas	NBC	7.8	special event
20.	Gary Unmarried	CBS	7.8	7.2

Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade

It is Christmas. Where I am right now it's a White Christmas. I suspect somewhere on the TV today you could find Bing Crosby singing White Christmas.

There are a few Christmas Specials airing today.

Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
10/9c ABC
This is a bi-coastal Disney Christmas celebration with Kelly Ripa on the east coast hosting from the Magic Kingdom in Disney World in Orlando, Florida. On the other coast, that being the west one, Ryan Seacrest will be at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Scheduled to perform are American Idol's latest winner, Kris Allen, Celine Dion, Demi Lovato, Anika Rose, Stevie Wonder, the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez and Dancing with the Stars' Tony Dovolani and Cheryl Burke.

Christmas Eve with A Christmas Story Marathon, Santa Claus Coming to Town & Modern Family

'Tis the day before Christmas, which makes tonight Christmas Eve. Which also makes it one more night with a lot of Christmas specials.

A Christmas Story Marathon
8/7c TBS
TBS is going to run 12 screenings in a row of this 1983 classic where all little Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun. This is a funny Christmas story.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
8/7c ABC Family
First airing way back in 1970 this Christmas special tells the story of how Santa became Santa, starting with little Kris getting adopted by the Kringles, eventually taking over the gift delivering business by bringing a load of toys to Sombertown where Burgermeister Meisterburger does not like toys, so he won't let the kids have any. Til Kris Kringle ho hos some attitude adjustments.

Modern Family
9/8c ABC
This is the funniest family comedy since Arrested Development. Tonight is a repeat of the December 9 episode. It has a Christmas theme, hence the repeat on the night before Christmas. Where it is snowing at my house.

Home for the Holidays with Faith Hill & Another Christmas at Belmont with Trisha Yearwood

More TV Doldrums tonight. Which will likely have me finding something to watch on the Military History Channel. It must be getting close to Christmas.

Christmas at Belmont 2009
8/7c PBS
Trisha Yearwood hosts an annual Christmas concert in Nashville. It's on PBS, so this show should be classy with classic Christmas songs. Sung in a country music style. I assume.

A Home for the Holidays with Faith Hill
8/7c CBS
I did not know Faith Hill was adopted as a little baby. She is hosting this Christmas special, which is an annual event to raise adoption awareness. I suspect we'll be seeing some tearjearking stories. We'll also be seeing recently engaged to a professional hockey player, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Mary J. Blige and Shakira. With Shakira in the mix I suspect this will not be a totally country music show.

Scrubs: Tonight on ABC J.D. Want Approvals

Not a lot on this particular Tuesday night to catch my TV Eye. I am an occasional Scrubs viewer. It is sort of hard to keep track of that particular sit-com. Frequent moves from one day to another, from one time to another, from on network to another makes it hard to keep following.

Scrubs
9/8c ABC

Scrubs has now been on the air for 9 seasons. Time flies way too fast. J.D. has gone from being a meek intern to a real doctor who now mentors interns. But J.D. is still very insecure. Tonight J.D. desperately seeks the approval of Turk. Why? I don't know.

Survivor Samoa: Natalie Beats Russell For The Million Bucks

I was tired last night. I quit watching Survivor after Russell outlasted Brett at holding a pole in the air. I figured it was a no-brainer, Russell would win, I'd watch the Conclusion and Reunion tomorrow.

I also figured the part where the jury gets to ask questions would be a snoozer.

Again, I was wrong.

That Shambo can really get wound up. And Eric's, well, actorly speech in support of Natalie, well, I thought that was just odd and hypocritical. By the way, Eric is an actor, not a good one, obviously, but he is an actor. Survivor should not cast actors.

I did not understand Brett's questioning. He only asked a question of Mick. And he asked what they'd do on a Bro-date. It was very odd. Probst looked like he thought it odd, as well, as did others. I had trouble understanding what Brett says sometimes, like his last sentence directed at Mick. I replayed it several times and had to give up.

I'm guessing the Galu people had made up their minds not to give the million to Russell, while holed up together, after Russell engineered their exits.

The Reunion show was entertaining too. That Jeff Probst is one good TV Host. Russell seemed sort of hurt that he didn't win. Russell was very funny. Offering Natalie what I thought was $10,000, but Probst later said $100,000 if she'd just give up the Sole Survivor title to Russell, that's all he wanted. She declined. What a dumb blonde.

The fans voted Russell $100,000 as being their pick as the best.

At the start of the season I, along with most viewers weren't liking Russell. Way too nasty and arrogant. Apparently Russell caught a lot of public flak early on. And then as the season progressed Russell received less bad flak and instead started having positive flak coming his way. I don't remember when Russell went from Villain to Hero for me. Maybe it was about the time he found the 1st Hidden Immunity Idol.

Now, Heroes & Villains brings up another subject. That being the next season of Survivor, also taking place in the South Pacific, called Survivor Redemption: Heroes vs. Villains.

Good guys and girls and Bad guys and girls from past seasons. Which side does Russell fit on? I'd say Heroes.

As for this version of another All Star type season. I don't like it. This will be the 20th season of Survivor. Thousands of people try to get on that show. It seems wrong to have people on again, who had already had the fun.

All Star Survivor ended up with Rob and Amber getting married, which led to other bad things. Like that pair being on The Amazing Race after they'd already won one reality show. But, having said that, Rob and Amber, especially Rob, were pretty good on The Amazing Race.