1) “Lego Masters Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular,” 8 p.m., Fox. Sprawling over three days and four hours, this is a sorta-pleasant trifle. Four stars – Robin Thicke, Cheryl Hines, Finesse Mitchell and (shown here) the late Leslie Jordan – link with past contestants who were popular, but didn’t win. The celebs mostly do artsy details, letting the experts build sturdy creations. Read more…
1) “The Sound of Music,” 7-11 p.m., ABC. One of the all-time audience-pleasers has its annual Christmastime airing. The story, based on true events, is limited, but the Rodgers-and-Hammerstein score ripples with fun and emotion. The result won five Academy Awards (including best picture) and was nominated for five more, including Julie Andrews (shown here) for best actress. Read more…
1) “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball,” 8-9:30 p.m., CW. It’s a double-Lizzo (shown here) night. She’s on a new “Saturday Night Live” (see) next item, shortly after this special, which is packed with pop stars. Also performing are Jack Harlow, Dua Lipa, Pitbull, Demi Lovado, Sam Smith, Khalid, Black Eyed Peas, Backstreet Boys, The Kid Laroi, Tate McRae, Lewis Capaldi and more. Read more…
1) Football, ESPN. The bowl season starts this morning – yes, morning – with the Bahama Bowl at 11:30 a.m. ET; two 6-6 teams collide, with Miami of Ohio (shown here) and Alabama-Birmingham. That’s followed at 3 p.m. by the Cure Bowl, with 11-2 teams. Texas – San Antonio (ranked No. 25) faces Troty (the one in Alabama, not the one in Greece), No. 24. Seven more bowls follow on Saturday. Read more…
1) “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” was a gem. The first animated film to be nominated for a best-picture Oscar, it also had three of the five song nominations – for “Belle,” “Be Our Guest” and the Oscar-winning title song. Now we get a hybrid – scenes from the film, along with live performances by H.E.R. (shown here), Josh Groban, Shania Twain, David Alan Grier, Rizwan Manji and Jon Jon Briones. Read more…
1) “Survivor” finale, 8-10 p.m., CBS, with reunion at 10. There’s one sorta-old guy, surrounded by youth. That’s Mike Gabler, 52, (shown here, left, in last week’s episode) who works with surgeons who insert heart-valve catheters. He faces Cassidy Clark, 26, a designer; Karla Cruz Godoy, 28, an educational project manager; Owen Knight, 30, a college admissions director; and Jesse Lopez, 30, who has a doctorate in political science. Read more…
1) “The Voice” finale, 8-11 p.m., NBC. It’s time for the 22nd champion … eventually. At 8 p.m. is a recap of previous performances; from 9-11 p.m. is a surge of music — Blake Shelton with his three finalists (Brayden Lape, Bryce Leatherwood, Bodie) and with Kane Brown. Camila Cabello and John Legend sing with their finalists, Morgan Myles and Omar Cardona. Also: Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and more, including the previous winners (shown here), the sibling trio Girl Named Tom. Read more…
1) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The five finalists have one last chance to get viewer votes. Three — Brayden Lape, Bryce Leatherwood and Bodie – are with Blake Shelton; Camila Cabello has Morgan Myles (shown here), John Legend has Omar Cardona … and Gwen Stefani, alas, has no one. Read more…
1) “National Christmas Tree Lighting,” 8 p.m., CBS. It was on Christmas Eve in 1923 that the first national tree was lit. It’s been an annual event (shown here) ever since; here’s the 100th; LL Cool J hosts the telecast, with music by Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, Andy Grammer, Joss Stone and the Army band. For another Washington visit, catch HGTV at 6 p.m.; it looks at the White House Christmas decorations. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Steve Martin and Martin Short (or Steve Martin Short for, well, short) combine to host., with Brandi Carlile as music guest. Martin has hosted “SNL” 14 times – going back 46 years — but hasn’t done it in the past dozen years. He also co-hosted once (with Short and others), co-hosted the Oscars (with Alec Baldwin) and stars with Short and Selena Gomez in the dandy “Only Murders in the Building” (shown here). Read more…
