TV Squad

Countdown to Festivus on Dec. 23: On the fifth day of Festivus, TV gave to us ... five shows for the bad economy.

Unless your name is Scrooge McDuck and you literally carry bags full of money everywhere, you've had to do some serious tightening of your purse strings recently. (Metaphorically speaking, of course, because we just established that you don't have an actual bag of cash.)

Television networks have been tapping into that collective thriftiness this year with seemingly countless shows about bargain-hunting, turning trash to treasure, and pawn shops. For some reason, there are lots and lots of shows about pawn shops. Here are five shows for the frugal viewer.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 20
'Million Dollar Money Drop' (8PM, Fox) series premiere
Teams are given $1 million -- for reals -- upfront, then have to answer seven multiple choice questions correctly to keep it. Oh yeah, it sounds easy, which means it isn't, of course, especially with a million smackeroos on the table. Comedian, and Web show host, Kevin Pollack hosts this remake of the British game show which sounds deceptively simple and, in addition to being, well, not -- simple, that is -- does prove to be completely addictive viewing. The show launches tonight and airs for the next three evenings, so gather the fam, tune in and prepare 1) to debate what you would do when faced with the multiple choice questions and 2) to get very hooked on this (for now) limited-run series.

'The Sing-Off' – Boyz II Men and Sara Barellies are among the celeb performers when the a cappella groups find out which of them is winning the big $100,000 prize (8PM, NBC) season 2 finale

'The Closer' – In the opener of a two-part holiday episode, Brenda's going to have a lot on her plate at work and at home ... her 'rents show up with some very, um, moving news (9PM, TNT)

'My Big Friggin' Wedding' – Bride-to-be Megin doesn't believe it'll be a classy affair when Mr. Jonathan Meatballs celebrates his impending nuptials at a gentlemen's club, so she decides to do some celebrating of her own. At something called Hunk-o-Mania (9PM, VH1)

'Men of a Certain Age' – Last season, ladies man Terry was the one surrounded by women. Tonight, Joe's juggling two dates, and Terry's focusing on a sales contest at work (10PM, TNT)

'Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It' – Will Bret finally propose? Do we still care? (10:30PM, VH1) season 1 finale

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Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

* = Series/Season Premiere
** = Series/Season Finale
# = New Day/Time

7:00 to 8:00
ABC: 'The Santa Clause 2' -- (120 minutes)
CBS: '60 Minutes'
NBC: 'Football Night in America'
TVOne: 'Holiday Love'

8:00 to 9:00
CBS: 'Survivor: Nicaragua'** -- (120 minutes)
NBC: 'Sunday Night Football' -- Green Bay Packers at the New England Patriots
BET: 'BET 30: Moments and Movements' -- (120 minutes)
Disney Channel: 'Hannah Montana Forever' and 'Shake It Up!'
ESPN: '30 for 30' -- (90 minutes)
Food Network: 'Food Network Challenge'
HGTV: 'Holmes on Homes' -- Two episodes
Style: 'Jerseylicious'
TLC: 'Sarah Palin's Alaska'

The rest of the schedule after the jump.

Recent news of a potential relaunch/reboot of the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' franchise sent shock waves through the fandom universe.
Loyal followers of 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon decried the continuation of the Slayer saga without his involvement.

Whether or not 'Buffy' should exist without Whedon is up for debate. But having strong, powerful, complex women like Buffy Summers is absolutely not up for debate.

Now, did Buffy mark the advent of powerful female characters on television? Of course not. But even a cursory glance over the television landscape shows traces of that character's DNA ranging far and wide.

['Saturday Night Live' - 'Season 36, Episode 10']

Nothing says "I was in a huge comedy film, then disappeared for a while (unless you count 'K-Pax'), only to resurface in an obscurish low budget buzz worthy film to get that street cred (and Oscar) back and parlay it into a second career: including two gargantuan holiday releases" more than a 'Saturday Night Live' hosting nod.

Jeff Bridges knows this better than anyone, and we're about to find out if he's still got any "Dude" left in him.

Countdown to Festivus on Dec. 23: On the sixth day of Festivus, TV gave us to ... six late-night talk show hosts battling.

Hard to remember, but at this time a year ago, David Letterman was facing one of the biggest crises of his career in the wake of his sex-and-blackmail scandal, Conan O'Brien was just settling into his job at 'The Tonight Show,' Jay Leno was tanking in primetime and Jimmy Fallon was still finding his voice as a late-late-night host.

The late night landscape has changed a bit since then.

It was clear a year ago that there was trouble on the horizon, but few (save, perhaps, for Andy Richter) anticipated the earthquake to come. Most of the cataclysm occurred in January, when NBC decided to bring Leno back to 11:35, and O'Brien decided to take a golden parachute after just seven months on the job rather than follow Leno at 12:05.

The aftershocks from that event, which continue to this day, affected not just the two of them, but also Letterman, Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Craig Ferguson. (Not to mention a supporting cast of millions, including network bigwigs, obstinate local stations, and angry fans nationwide.)

Miraculously, all six night owls are still working -- though maybe not for much longer. How did the rollercoaster year shake out for each of them? Let's see ...

Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

* = Series/Season Premiere
** = Series/Season Finale
# = New Day/Time

8:00 to 9:00
ABC: 'I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown!'
FOX: 'Cops'
Disney Channel: 'Fish Hooks' -- 8:30 start
Univision: 'Sabado Gigante' -- (180 minutes)
CNN: 'A Soldier's Story'
Discovery: 'Ten Commandments of the Mafia'
Food Network: 'A McConaughey and Fieri Feast'
Hallmark Channel: 'Battle of the Bulbs' -- (120 minutes) Daniel Stern and Matt Fewer star as feuding neighbors who compete in the annual Christmas lighting contest
HGTV: 'Color Splash'
History: 'The Naturalized' -- (120 minutes)
Style: 'How Do I Look?'**

The rest of the schedule after the jump.

Since television first became available to Americans (circa 1947), people have been able to relax in the comfort of their own homes to watch a variety of programs – sitcoms, soap operas, sports, made-for-TV movies, variety shows, dramas, talk shows, games shows, reality shows ... well, you get the picture.

The one thing all of these programs have in common? Ugh! Commercials. But wait, hold the phone. Some aren't so bad and actually quite often serve a purpose. They use creative concepts to grab our attention, all while telling us why we should buy their car insurance, apply for their credit cards or watch their upcoming movies. Some commercials actually give us some comedy relief to go with our head cold or heartburn.

We looked back over the year and chose our 10 favorite TV commercials for 2010. See if you agree, then let us know which ones we missed!

As long as there's live TV, there will be Live Air Gaffes. Even in the tightly controlled, over-produced world of modern television, verbal miscues, fits of uncontrollable laughter, and brainfreezes are bound to happen from time to time. And we wouldn't want it any other way -- those rare, unvarnished moments of awkwardness are part of the reason we love live TV. Here are our five nominees for the Live Air Gaffe of 2010. Watch the videos in the playlist and vote below for your favorite!

For many, the holidays mean spending time with your family. And for readers looking for family-friendly viewing, we're giving away four copies of '7th Heaven: The Final Season' on DVD.

'7th Heaven' ran for eleven seasons between 1996 and 2007. The popular WB show revolved around Rev. Eric Camden, wife Annie and their seven children. Those kids grew up before our eyes, producing stars like Barry Watson and Jessica Biel.

To enter our giveaway, submit a comment naming your favorite moment from the final season.

Welcome to the Soap Round-Up, our weekly recap of all the soap action this past week. Each week, we sum up all the best stories from each and every soap, from 'All My Children' to 'The Young and the Restless.'

If you don't want to know what aired already, consider this a SPOILER ALERT. ... Oh, one last thing, please comment and join the conversation.

For instance, on 'Days of Our Lives,' Sami and EJ were shocked to learn that Johnny may have a serious medical condition. However, not even Johnny's illness could keep EJ from lashing out at Sami. What do you think will happen next ... and are you on EJ's side or Sami's?

'Days of Our Lives'

Bo decided to investigate what was happening to Hope in prison. Johnny was hospitalizd with a potentially serious eye ailment. Philip promised Daniel that he would be good to Melanie, even though he confessed to infidelity. Victor decided to make Maggie jealous. Rafe joined the Salem PD. Nicole and Brady decided to have a secret affair so she could remain close to Sydney. Stephanie told Caroline she'd keep the secret of Parker's paternity. Sami and EJ fought bitterly, then heard Johnny's health was in jeopardy.

Want to know what's going on with your favorite TV stars when the cameras aren't rolling? Check out the latest celebrity news from our friends at PopEater.com.

• Six months after striking two separate cars during a wine-fueled drive--and killing a passenger in one of the cars--former 'Melrose Place' star Amy Locane-Bovenizer has been indicted on charges of aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto.

• As the cast of the 'Real Housewives of New York City' busies themselves with shooting the next season of the reality hit, Bravo insiders wonder if the show will still be ratings gold without its breakout star, Bethenny Frankel.

• Racy photos of Disney Channel star Demi Lovato have surfaced.

• Former 'Dancing With the Stars' pro Julianne Hough's latest country music video has reportedly been banned for being too sexy.

It's time for the family visit!

Can I just tell you guys I'm a true 'Survivor' fan, I've watched from season 1, and before I played this game I used to watch and think, "Wow, they have only been gone for 36 days, why are they crying?"

But when you spend 36 days hungry, wet, cold, tired and sometimes in pain -- not to mention living with strangers you've just met who are all trying to take your spot by any means necessary -- and then out of the bushes comes a familiar trusted face, it's so overwhelming. I don't care how tough or hard you think you are, you would cry too ... I cried just watching!

Eric Braeden's got some fighting words for Neil Patrick Harris.

"If he is a worthy adversary, he'd better not cross my path," the actor told Entertainment Weekly after Harris called him a "d-bag" on Twitter earlier today.

Harris backtracked shortly after his statement, which he made in reaction to Braeden backing out of a guest spot at the last minute. "Now I feel bad for the D-bag comment. Don't know the guy personally. I'm just fiercely protective of our show," he wrote.

Harris shouldn't get too worried, though, because Braeden is willing to forgive and forget. "I will let bygones be bygones," he said to EW.

In other TV news ...

• 'The Big Bang Theory' star Kunal Nayyar is the last of the cast to get a raise. The actor will now earn $75,000 per episode, up from the $25,000 he was previously making. [Deadline]

• The inevitable has finally occurred: 'The Good Guys' is officially over. Fox confirmed to the Dallas Film Commission that the show has officially been canceled. [Unfair Park]

• Jim Carrey will host 'Saturday Night Live' in January, the first show of the new year. The Black Keys will be the musical guests on the Jan. 8 episode. [The Wrap]

The transformation is complete: The SciFi Channel, for better or worse, is now officially Syfy.

The cable network canceled 'Stargate Universe,' its last remaining space-set sci-fi drama yesterday. Luckily, Syfy isn't shelving the remaining 10 episodes of 'SGU's' current season; those will hit the air as scheduled starting next spring. But the cancellation still stings -- hard -- for fans of the show, fans of the long-running 'Stargate' franchise, and fans of science fiction TV.

'Stargate' has been a part of the cable network since 2002, and it represented the last "true" science fiction Syfy had to offer. While 'Stargate SG-1' and 'Stargate Atlantis' delivered fun, action-adventure science fiction, 'SGU' offered a kind of entertainment that's quickly disappearing from TV – serialized sci-fi drama.