Fear Factor (NBC) – For the most part, I’m all about recycling bits of pop culture that date back to 2001. If Radiohead and the Strokes ever decide to hit the road together, to play Is This It and Amnesiac all the way through, I’d be in first line. “Fear Factor” is not the “most part.”
WWE Monday Night Raw (USA) – Tonight’s the annual Slammy Awards, with the top honor going to the WWE Superstar of the Year. I haven’t followed wrestling for many a-year, so I’m just going to assume that either Grandmaster Sexay or Uncle Cletus is going to win.
2 Broke Girls (CBS) – No “How I Met Your Mother” tonight, which means we get two episodes of “2 Broke Girls.” This is the TV equivalent of going to see Louis C.K. perform stand-up, until he’s replaced with Carlos Mencia and John Pinette on the schedule at the last second. [Author note: I retract my terrible analogy — it’s why I bombed the SATs. What I meant to say is: “HIMYM” will be missed, “2 Broke Girls” is awful.]
Enlightened (HBO) – Season finale. Has Laura Dern waded through dinosaur dung yet?
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel) – “Tony has a hallucinatory Christmas journey in which he meets Norah Jones, a vegan death metal chef, Samantha Brown, Christopher Walken,” and hardcore punk band Fu*ked Up, who released my favorite album of 2011. That sounds like more of a Hanukkah journey to me.
Late-Night Guests: Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III makes a joke about nude photos with ScarJo present on Letterman; Charlize Theron and Kevin Hart finally realize what “Pumped Up Kicks” is about when Foster the People play it on Leno; the “X-Factor” judges don’t make a decision about whether they like Anna Faris and the Kooks on Kimmel; Rob Lowe, Donald Faison, and Noel Gallagher do the Turk Dance on Conan; Chef Anne Burrell discusses her hair on Stewart; and Samuel L. Jackson talks loudly on Colbert.
