Posted on: Friday, December 31, 2004
Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
New Year's Eve. TV's annual New Year's Eve bash gets off to an early start. From 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., ABC starts its "New Year's Rockin' Eve" with Regis Philbin hosting while Dick Clark recovers from a stroke. This hour has clips from concert tours by Lenny Kravitz, Rod Stewart, Cher and Kenny Chesney. During the same hour, NBC has "New Year's Eve with Carson Daly." Performances include Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5 and Duran Duran.
Both networks pause for news at 10 but other parties continue. MTV has Lindsay Lohan hosting its New Year's Eve bash from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Performers include Snoop Dogg, Green Day, Ja Rule, Lohan and Jimmy Eat World. Fox has Ryan Seacrest hosting an event from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. He'll catch large chunks of an Usher concert, plus Hoobastank and Evanescence. At 10:35 p.m., NBC has Jay Leno and CBS has David Letterman, both cutting away for the midnight countdown. ABC's bash starts up again at 11:35 p.m. and continues till 1:05 a.m.; Ashlee Simpson sings and hosts with Ciara, Fabolous, Billy Idol, Kenny G, Earth, Wind & Fire and Big & Rich. "Arthur," 3:30 p.m., PBS. This new half-hour offers two entertaining tales. One involves a reluctant trip to the opera; the other brings news that both parents will be busy working. Each story is best during fantasy segments — the characters perform their own bits of "Carmen," the kids imagine a worst-case scenario of work-obsessed parents. "Bait" (2000), 7 p.m., Fox. Jamie Foxx plays a small-time crook that the cops are using to catch some big-time crooks. What's interesting is that this film's star and director had yet to be critically acclaimed. Director Antoine Fuqua went on to make the Oscar-winning Denzel Washington flick "Training Day" in 2001. Foxx went on to get three Golden Globe nominations this year for his turn in "Ray." "Moonstruck" (1987), 8 p.m., Pax TV. Deftly written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by Norman Jewison, this first-rate comedy-drama catches slices of life in an Italian-American neighborhood when a widow falls for her fiancé's younger brother (Nicolas Cage). There's great work here. Cher, Shanley, and co-star Olympia Dukakis all won Oscars. "Without a Trace," 9 p.m., CBS. The disappearance of a teen may be related to a recent rape.
Of Note
