Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
College football, all day. ABC dominates the day with a big double-header. At 11:30 a.m. it airs the Rose Bowl with Southern California — No. 1 in some polls — and Michigan squaring off. At 3:30 p.m., the Orange Bowl is an in-state affair with Florida State and Miami playing. There are more choices earlier in the day. The Outback Bowl (Iowa and Florida) is at 6 a.m. on ESPN, the Gator Bowl (Maryland and West Virginia) airs at 7:30 a.m. on NBC and the Capital One Bowl (Purdue and Georgia) at 8 a.m. on ABC.
Rose Bowl parade, 6 a.m, ABC, CBS, NBC; 8 a.m., HGTV. All the networks catch the spectacle, varying only by ending time. NBC departs for football at 7:30 a.m. and ABC does the same at 8 a.m. HGTV, which airs the parade commercial-free, expects to stay until the parade ends at about 10:15 a.m.; CBS stays with wrap-up until 8:30 a.m.
Of Note
Holiday specials, all afternoon, HGTV. This is a big day for the cable channel, which shows off its specials and new series. "Garden Giants: Bigger & Better" (about 10:15 a.m.) is an entertaining look at farmers vying to have the world's biggest pumpkin, tallest corn stalk and more. "Pet Palaces" (about 12:15 p.m.) is filled with people spending way too much money on their cats, birds, pigs and — really — their alligator. "Debbie Travis' Facelift" (about 2:45 p.m.) is a fix-a-room show that stands out because of the charm of Travis, an Englishwoman living in Canada.
"Brian Boitano's Skating Spectacular," 11 a.m., NBC. Each year, Boitano produces and stars in a lushly entertaining New Year's Day special. This year's lineup includes Kristi Yamaguchi, Ilia Kulik, Steven Cousins and Yuka Sato, plus music by Brian McKnight.
"American Idol: Life on the Road," 7 p.m., Fox. A special on the concert tour by finalists from the second round of "Idol," including Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.
"Friends," 7 p.m., NBC. In this rerun, Rachel's hilariously self-centered sister (Christina Applegate) is supposed to take care of the baby.
