Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

Billboard Music Awards, 7 p.m., Fox. The awards are meaningless but they give an excuse for a night filled with music. Performers include Nelly, Faith Hill, Justin Timberlake, Avril Lavigne, Creed and Puddle of Mudd. Cedric the Entertainer hosts a show that has special awards for Cher and Annie Lennox and for the 20th anniversary of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album.

"Biography of the Year," 6 p.m., A&E. Here are profiles of 10 people (or combinations) who shaped 2002. Most of the profiles are well-crafted, but a few seem to be out-of-place here. It's also odd that in a year of business misdeeds, the only person in that area is Martha Stewart. The two governmental ones — on George W. Bush and on Mideast leaders Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat — offer especially sharp portraits.

Of Note

"WinTuition," 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Game Show Network. Here's the debut of a promising game, produced by Henry Winkler. Contestants try to win tuition money for themselves or others.

"Taken," 7 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. The second half of this excellent, two-week miniseries begins. So far, investigators have sought Jacob Clarke (a half-alien) and Jesse Keys (the son of a haunted ex-pilot). Now the focus switches to Jesse's son and Jacob's daughter, well-played by Adam Kaufman and Emily Bergl.

"Fear Factor," 7 p.m., NBC. As a Christmas special, this nasty show has contestants eat reindeer testicles and drink rotten eggnog. Can elf-tossing be far away?

"Rugrats," 8 p.m., Nickelodeon. This cartoon special visits an automated, commercialized Christmas Land. Angelica misbehaves, of course, but then has a sort of dream sequence. The result is a fun hour for kids or grown-ups.

"Ken Burns American Stories: Empire of the Air," 9 p.m., PBS. This rerun superbly profiles radio pioneers David Sarnoff, Lee de Forest and Edwin Howard Armstrong.