TVSquad

If you have any doubt about the power of television in the selling of music and making stars, this story should convince you that there is a definite correlation. Fox's Glee has produced a solid gold successful single.

The Glee version of "Don't Stop Believin'" has been certified as Gold in digital sales of half-a-million downloads. That's 500,000 people who've heard the song on the TV show and wanted it on their iPod or cell phone or some music playing apparatus.

"Don't Stop Believin'" was the first big song from the pilot, but it's not the only song that has been popular. Seven songs from Glee now occupy spots in the top 200 of iTunes' Top Songs chart. On November 3, there will be a compilation CD of the best numbers from the show, called Glee: The Music, Volume 1.

I know it's only May and hardly the time to start thinking of egg nog and holly and Ebenezer Scrooge or any of the other Christmas standbys, but forgive me if I let out a whoop of happiness about the news that Kristin Chenoweth will star in The Twelve Men of Christmas TV movie. The romantic comedy is slated to be part of the Fa La La La La Lifetime lineup (try saying that three times fast!), and while another holiday film doesn't usually make me gleeful, this one does.

Kristin Chenoweth is a gem. I'm still bereft that we'll probably never see her Olive Snook again because Pushing Daisies is gone unless there's a movie, and I was tiffed that the David E. Kelly NBC pilot Legally Mad was not picked up only because La Chenoweth was in it.

Here's what's on TV tomorrow. Lots of marathons, movies, and bowl games.

• Sci-Fi's Twilight Zone marathon continues from last night.
• AMC is showing classic westerns all day.
• Cartoon Network has Looney Tunes all day.
• Hallmark has Christmas movies all day.
• At 6am, USA has a Monk marathon.
• At 7, NBC's Today, ABC's Good Morning, America, and CBS' The Early Show will all have New Year's tips, predictions, advice, and recipes.
• At 8, TNT has a Bones marathon.
• History Channel has Ice Road Truckers episodes all day starting at 8.

• USA has a House marathon all night.
• Disney has a Phineas & Ferb marathon all night.
• Discovery has a Dirty Jobs marathon all night.
• MTV2 has a Life of Ryan marathon all night.
• At 8, NBC is showing an episode of Top Chef, for some reason.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• History Channel has a new Modern Marvels at 8.
• At 9, Hallmark has the movie All I Want For Christmas, then the movie Silver Bells.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• Also at 10: E! has a marathon of Chelsea Lately episodes.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

• HGTV has Christmas programming all night.
• SoapNet has old Christmas episodes of General Hospital all night.
• At 8, NBC has a new, two-hour Deal Or No Deal.
• TNT has the Cavaliers/Wizards game at 8, followed by the Mavericks/Trailblazers game.
• Comedy Central has Bad Santa at 8.
• Alton Brown makes cookies on Good Eats at 8, on Food Network.
• Nickelodeon has Christmas episodes of various shows starting at 8: iCarly, SpongeBob, Home Improvement, George Lopez, and more.
• Also at 8: Disney has Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas.
• TCM has Casablanca at 8, then The Big Sleep.
• At 9, Hallmark has the movie Our First Christmas.
• TLC has two Christmas episodes of Little People, Big World at 9.
• Lifetime has the movie A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride at 9.
• At 11, Lifetime has two Christmas episodes of Will & Grace.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

If there's one universal among TV Christmas specials it's this: they all seem to want to tell you what the "true" meaning of Christmas is. There are so many specials trying to explain the true meaning of Christmas, it actually makes you wonder if the power of TV to influence has been exaggerated. I mean, you'd think after watching approximately eleventy-five billion hours of holiday programming, we'd have gotten the point already.

Perhaps the reason why America continues to view Christmas less as a time for spiritual reflection than as one for reindeer sweaters, crass consumerism, and suicide contemplation is because our Christmas specials aren't really sending the messages that they claim to be. Sure, on the surface we're told about "peace on earth and goodwill to men, blah blah blah", but there's a bubbling subtext in these specials if you only look hard enough.

I've decided to put my New Jersey state college English degree to good use and break down what Christmas specials are really saying...

• At 8, ABC has Shrek The Halls.
• NBC has The Today Show Looks Back: A Holiday Special at 8, then a new Momma's Boys.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• History Channel has a new Modern Marvels at 8, followed by a new Cities of the Underground.
• Food Network has Rachael Ray's Holiday Feast at 8.
• At 8:30, ESPN has a new Monday Night Football, the Bears vs. the Packers.
• At 9, FOX has a new Prison Break.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• Nickelodeon has two Christmas episodes of Home Improvement at 9.
• Also at 9: Cartoon Network has Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.
• At 10, MTV has a new episode of The Hills.
• E! has The Soup: The Year In Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

The web has really opened the doors to the possibilities for what the networks can do. Some haven't done that much, and even the ones that do took a long time to actually harness the power of the web (and if I ever use the phrase "harness the power of the web" again you can punch me in the groin). I like it when cast members of the shows do something online that's in character but isn't just a promotion for the show.

Case in point, this video from NBC. It shows 30 Rock's Kenneth the Page in a Santa hat all excited about Christmas (and the anniversary of the "Parcell Massacre"), dancing around the 30 Rock hallways with a chair. If you're not in the Christmas mood already, this might put you over the top. McBrayer is great because he seems to be up for anything, including being knocked over by Conan O'Brien.

I'd rather watch video sketches like this than those special "webisodes" that some shows have now. More please!

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then new episodes of Million Dollar Password, Cold Case, and The Unit.
  
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, then the Giants/Panthers game.
• Llfetime has the movie Undercover Christmas, then the movie A Christmas Proposal.
• Food Network has a "Holiday Cake-Off" episode of Challenge at 7.
• At 8, Showtime has a new Brotherhood.
• Style Network has a new Ruby.
• Also at 8: HGTV has What's With That Really Decked Out Christmas House?
• At 9, Nickelodeon has a new Nick News at 9, followed by a Christmas episode of Home Improvement.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
• BBC America has the season finale of Skins at 10.
• At 10:30, HBO has a new Summer Heights High.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At 12:15, Cartoon Network has a new Drinky Crow Show.

Check your local TV listings for more.

TV Week reports that the ratings for various holiday special repeats are in decline as compared to last year. I'm curious as to why this is the case.

Network television is a free medium, and all but the most impoverished can afford some form of hardware to watch it. So why is viewership down? Is the recession dulling the holiday spirit? Are people selling their televisions in order to afford the mortgage?

I recall that someone once told me that the pro-wrestling industry always garners worse ratings during a recession. I always thought that was a strange statement to make, but there is some logic to it. Most pro-wrestling is on cable, which people have to pay for and is usually one of the first things to go when money gets tight. These holiday specials are on network TV.

The explanation in the article is the ubiquity of DVD and downloads. Nobody has to wait anymore to watch holiday programs. If this is the case, the television industry better step up their plans to change the medium before the viewership changes it for them.

• At 8, ABC has I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown.
• CBS has the movie Elf at 8, then a new 48 Hours Mystery.
• NBC has a new Crusoe at 8, followed by the WWE Tribute to the Troops.
• ABC Family has the movie Christmas in Wonderland at 8.
• TNT has the movie The Wizard of Oz at 8.
• Also at 8: TLC has Crazy Christmas Lights, then More Crazy Christmas Lights.
• At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
• CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show at 10.
• Lifetime has the movie A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride.
• There's a Christmas episode of iCarly on Nickelodeon at 9.
• Sci-Fi has the movie Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie Our First Christmas at 9.
• At 10, BBC America has a new Graham Norton Show.
• At 11, Nickelodeon has two Christmas episodes of Home Improvement.
• At 1am, Cartoon Network has a new Bleach.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? at 8, then a new Don't Forget The Lyrics.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• At 9, NBC has a new Dateline.
• Lifetime has White Christmas at 9.
• Hallmark has the movie The Most Wonderful Time of the Year at 9.
• Animal Planet has a new Whale Wars at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• CBS has a new Numb3rs at 10.
• Sci-Fi has a new Sanctuary at 10.
• Food Network has a "Holiday Treats" episode of Unwrapped at 10.
• TCM has Christmas in Connecticut at 10.
• Also at 10: E! has a new episode of The Soup, then a new Sports Soup.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

One of the best things about Fringe is John Noble's portrayal of Dr. Walter Bishop. The guy is a complete nut and you can't help but laugh when he mumbles kooky lines like "Oh, I just pissed myself" or "You know, I had a fruit cocktail once" in that dumfounded accent of his.

In an effort to drum up some buzz while Fringe is on hiatus (it doesn't come back until January 20th), FOX put together a little video - Walter butchering "'Twas The Night Before Christmas."

It's got something for everyone. If you're just a casual fan of the show, the video serves as a yuletide themed recap of the first half of the season and if you are a fan, then it's just really funny to listen to.

Check it out after the jump.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa at 8, followed by a new Life.
• FOX has a new Secret Millionaire.
• The CW has The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 8, then a new Stylista.
• PBS has a new Great Performances at 8.
• There's a new Time Warp on Discovery at 8.
• TNT has Christmas in Washington at 8, then the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol.
• Also at 8: Nickelodeon has Christmas episodes of The Naked Brothers Band, Fairly OddParents, and Home Improvement (two episodes).
• At 9, HGTV has White House Christmas 2008.
• Hallmark has Peter Falk in the movie When Angels Come To Town at 9.
• At 10, TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• Martha Stewart guest stars on a new Top Chef on Bravo at 10.
• Sci-Fi has a new Estate of Panic at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

Every year around this time we all make our Christmas Wish Lists and our general wishes for the new year. There are the big wishes that we have every year: world peace, good health, the hope that Paris Hilton will find that special someone and just settle down already. But we here at TV Squad have some very specific TV-related wishes we want full filled too. Here are mine.

• Matthew Weiner to sign up for another season of Mad Men. The show is coming back for a third season but there might be a slight hitch with signing the show's creator and showrunner. I'm sure that in the end everything will be settled and he'll be back, I'd just like to have it by the end of the year if that's possible. Thanks!