Smarty pants

Nine recent winners of the Ingenuity Awards are celebrated during "Genius in America" (7 p.m., Smithsonian). I'm not sure what an Ingenuity Award is, which means I'm probably not getting one.

Sands of time

With a running time of over three hours, 1966's "The Sand Pebbles" (7 p.m., Retro) can be a bit of a chore to watch, but stick with it for a raw performance from Steve McQueen and an ending you won't see coming.

He's got a way

It's shaping up to be quite the end of the year for Billy Joel. First, it was announced that he'll get a Kennedy Center Honor. Then it was revealed that a new edition of "Glee" (8 p.m., KMSP, Ch. 9) will feature songs from his extensive catalog. I have a feeling Joel is a teenier bit more excited about one of these things.

Neal Justin