Give Iowa a chance
TV critic's picks: Friday 12/30
"The Music Man" and "SportsCenter Special."
Minnesotans should bury the hatchet with Iowa, at least for two hours, so they can properly enjoy the 1962 River City-based hit, "The Music Man" (8 p.m. Friday, KTCA, Ch. 2), featuring an energetic Robert Preston, a young Ron Howard, a Shipoopi-crazed Buddy Hackett and 76 trombones.
Auld lang syne
For those who think the last day of the year should be celebrated in a tuxedo, there's "Live From Lincoln Center" (7 p.m. Saturday, KTCA, Ch. 2), with the New York Philharmonic paying tribute to Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin. For the rest of us, there's the unpredictable "New Year's Eve With Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin" (10 p.m. Saturday, CNN), where it's great fun watching Cooper worry that this will be his last day as a respected newsman.
Good sports
After a year of watching superjocks flaunt their egos, it's nice to start 2012 with "SportsCenter Special: Stories of Inspiration With Rick Reilly" (7:30 p.m. Sunday, ESPN News). The celebrated sportswriter looks at minor but important stories, including a high school basketball team that rallies after the loss of its star player and a lacrosse player displaying heroism. This kind of thing should be required viewing for LeBron James.
Karma chameleon
Chris Lilley, the creator of "Summer Heights High," is a literal stage hog, choosing to play almost all his major characters. His latest, "Angry Boys" (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO), has him morphing into six different characters, including 17-year-old twins, a peculiar prison guard and a soft-spoken Japanese wife. Lilley has a lot of talents. Too bad one of them isn't making me laugh.