1) “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), 8-11 p.m., NBC. Each year, this James Stewart classic (shown here) – No. 20 on the American Film Institute’s best-movie list – gets a Christmas Eve airing on NBC. This year, it also makes the rounds of cable channels aligned with the network. It’s already been on USA and Bravo; at 6 a.m. on Christmas Day, it will start showing every three hours on E. Read more…
1) “A Home For the Holidays,” 8 p.m., CBS. Each year, this offers passionate music and stories about real-life adoptiona. This year’s music is from host Gloria Estefan, Andy Grammer, Mickey Guyton, Little Big Town (shown here) and David Foster & Kat McPhee. We meet Kaz, adopted at 15 after a tough decade in foster care … And Tommy, helping his suddenly widowed adoptive mother … And two families that each began adopting after having two biological children. Read more…
1) “Top Gun” films. “Top Gun” was the box-officer champion in 1986, mixing crisp dialog, great visuals and an impressive cast, led by young Tom Cruise. Now “Top Gun: Maverick” (shown heree) is the 2022 box-office winner, with great visuals and a not-young Cruise. Today, you can catch the sequel any time on Paramount+ … the original on Paramount Network (8 and 10:30 a.m.; 1, 3:30, 6, 8:30, 11 p.m.) … or both on Epix (original, 6:10 p.m.; sequel, 8). Read more…
1) “Homeward Bound: A Grammy Tribute to Paul Simon,” 9 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. Simon (shown here) has won the top Grammy (Album of the Year) three times. Now, at 81, he’s among the performers in a night of his music. Here are stars of country (Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Little Big Town), jazz (Irma Thomas, Trombone Shorty), Americana (Rhiannon Giddens) and more including Stevie Wonder, Billy Porter and the Jonas Brothers. Read more…
1) “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. Yes, Carey (shown here) will forever be linked with “All I Want For Christmas is You.” It hit No. 1 on Billboard in 2019 – 25 years after its debut; by then, it had sold 14 million physical records and topped $60 million in royalties. But she’s shown power and passion on songs from “O Holy Night” to “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” Here’s the concert she did in two nights last weekend at Madison Square Garden. Read more…
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…
