Ring in the 2007 With Rockin’, Sockin’ New Year’s Eve Galas

By RITA SHERROW World Television Editor

The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) goes from loan shark to restaurant owner to rescuer to treasure hunter in “The Rundown,” airing at 7 p.m. Friday on Fox, channel 23 and cable channel 5.

College bowl madness is underway with Clemson vs. Kentucky in the Music Bowl at noon Friday, followed by Houston vs. South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl at 3:30 p.m. and Maryland vs. Purdue in the Insight Bowl at approximately 7 p.m., all on ESPN, cable channel 25.

Lands, titles, men and power are at stake in the Oscar-winning film “Braveheart,” airing at 6 p.m. Friday on Bravo, cable channel 46. Mel Gibson directed this sweeping film in which he stars as 13th- century warrior William Wallace, a Scottish commoner who leads an uprising to keep Scotland free and prevent English ruler Edward Longshanks from taking its crown for himself.

Actress-turned-filmmaker Rosanna Arquette discusses the State of Rock with such artists as Chrissie Hynde, Peter Gabriel, Thom Yorke, David Crosby, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks and Elvis Costello in the doucmentary “All We Are Saying,” airing at 7:15 p.m. Friday on the Movie Channel, pay digital channel 356.

Christopher Reeve flies again in “Superman: The Movie,” being rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Friday on ABC Family, cable channel 37. In this one, our hero tries to thwart a plot to destroy the West Coast.

If you love musical theater, you have to catch the rebroadcast of “My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs,” airing at 9 p.m. Friday on KOED, channel 11. As host Julie Andrews says, quoting the legendary musical team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, “Music is better than words — just forget about words and sing her a song.” Singing those songs are, among others, Michael Crawford, Linda Eder, Peter Gallagher, Robert Goulet, Heather Headley, Nathan Lane, Rebecca Luker, Barry Manilow, Marin Mazzie, Bebe Neuwirth, Adam Pascal, Chita Rivera, Brent Spiner and Tom Wopat. Feel free to sing along.

Uber-magazine assistant Betty Suarez (multi-talented actress America Ferrera) has to review a hotel, put together a last-minute photo shoot and deal with a relationship on the rebroadcast of three episodes of “Ugly Betty, airing 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday on ABC, channel 8.

Stick to the Pirate’s Code — even though they are more what you’d call “guidelines” — with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” being rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Saturday on USA, cable channel 34. This rollicking adventure stars a brilliant Johnny Depp as loopy pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom as blacksmith Will Turner and Keira Knightley who sheds her corset as the daring Elizabeth.

Honey, meet the family are terrifying words in “The Family Stone,” airing at 7 p.m. Saturday on HBO, pay digital channel 300. Favorite son Dermot Mulroney brings home his citified fiancee (Sarah Jessica Parker) for Christmas, but she and his free-spirited family don’t exactly click. So, she calls in her sister (Claire Danes) for reinforcement. Also starring are Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Rachel McAdams and Luke Wilson.

Helen Mirren shines as “Elizabeth I,” in a rebroadcast of the award-winning miniseries at 7 p.m. Saturday on HBO2, pay digital cable channel 301. Jeremy Irons and Hugh Dancy co-star as the earls of Leicester and Essex, the objects of her affection in this romantic tale of England.

Being a legend becomes Judy Garland and she showed that star power in “A Star Is Born,” airing at 9 p.m. Saturday on the OETA Movie Club, channel 11. As showgirl Esther Blodgett, her star rises while her husband’s acting career wanes in this sad but beautifully done classic. James Mason and Jack Carson also star.

New York City’s Times Square will be pretty crowded for this year’s New Year’s Eve. There will be four television specials broadcasting from there Sunday night.

Audra McDonald and the New York Philharmonic will celebrate the new year on “Live From Lincoln Center,” at 7 p.m. Sunday on PBS, channel 11. She will be singing songs from silver screen favorites such as “The Wizard of Oz,”"A Star Is Born” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Dick Clark, the man who made New Year’s Eve telecasts rock, is back for the 35th consecutive year with “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2007,” kicking off at 9 p.m. Sunday on ABC, channel 8, with a pre-show and then returning at 10:30 p.m. after local news. Co-host Ryan Seacrest will be in Times Square with live performances from Christina Aguilera, Rascal Flatts and the cast of “Jersey Boys.” The early party features host Fergie of the Black-Eyed Peas with guest performances by Meat Loaf, RBD and Natasha Bedingfield.

PBS, channel 11, offers up “Great Performances: Garrison Keillor’s New Year’s Eve Special” at 10 p.m. Sunday with a live telecast from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Keillor’s regfulars from his radio show will be there plus performers Emmylou Harris, Suzy Bogguss, Rhonda Vincent, Jerry Douglas and Doyle Lawson.

“MTV Goes Gold” with its New Year’s Eve special at 10 p.m. Sunday on cable channel 39. Its VJs will introduce Gwen Stefani, My Chemical Romance, Ciara, Pussycat Dolls, AFI, Three 6 Mafia and more.

In a late change, CNN has scheduled “New Year’s Live With Anderson Cooper” at 10 p.m. Sunday on cable channel 41. In addition to reports from around the world, there will be performances from the Killers in Los Angeles, the B-52s in Atlantic City, N.J., the Goo Goo Dolls in Anaheim, Calif.; Sister Hazel in Orlando, Fla.; Montgomery Gentry in Lexington, Ky., Preservation Hall Jazz Band in New York, Lionel Richie, Smash Mouth, OK Go and Rockstar: Supernova, all in Las Vegas, Nelly Furtado in Mumbai, India, and Scissor Sisters in Berlin. Carson Daly is host of the third-annual “NBC’s New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly,” a one-hour special featuring Panic! At The Disco at 11:30 p.m. Sunday on channel 2. The special, broadcast from Times Square, also will air at 10:30 p.m. on MSNBC (cable channel 50), CNBC (cable channel 49) and Bravo (cable channel 46).

Cat Deeley, host of “So You Think You Can Dance,” will be your host for a “New Year’s Eve Special” at 11 p.m. Sunday on channel 23 and cable channel 5. Performing will be Toni Braxton and Chris Daughtry.

For those not-so-party-minded, Sci Fi Channel will skip the celebratory special idea for a marathon of “Twilight Zone” episodes airing from 8 a.m. Sunday through 5 a.m. Tuesday on cable digital channel 175.

Bravo has other plans for earlier in the day. The channel will introduce uninitiated viewers to the wildly dysfunctional funeral home-owning Fisher family with the pilot film and four episodes of HBO’s hit series “Six Feet Under,” starting at 9 a.m. Sunday on cable channel 46.

TBS goes for funny with a six-hour marathon of “Seinfeld,” starting at 6 p.m. Sunday on cable channel 47.

(c) 2006 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.