Friends and colleagues gather to honor Connery, Sean Connery, at the 34th Annual Life Achievement Award (8 p.m., USA). The iconic “James Bond” star will hear tributes from Steven Spielberg, Tom Jones (let’s hope he sings “Thunderball” at full blast), Mike Myers, Michael Caine, James Earl Jones and many others.

We know they will recognize his work in the Bond franchise, “Indiana Jones” and the beloved “Robin and Marian.” I just hope they don’t forget Connery’s role in “Zardoz.”

And let’s pray this salute is more coherent and less self-indulgent than last week’s AFI “100 Cheers” salute to inspirational movies. What a mess. How else do you describe a category that included both “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Rudy”? And who can forget the endless clips of Lou Diamond Phillips waxing philosophical while standing in front of a painting of Lou Diamond Phillips? When did Jessica Alba become a film scholar? And just when it couldn’t get any more cloying or filled with Hollywood insider drivel, Sam Waterston declared that he liked “Dead Poets Society” because his son was in the movie. Now isn’t that special?

¢ Regis Philbin hosts a new competition series called “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC). They were going to call it “NBC’s Got No New Ideas,” but that didn’t test well with the focus group.

So we have a talent show produced by Simon Cowell (“American Idol”) and hosted by the man most associated with “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The show’s three judges are recording artist Brandy (“Moesha”), German pop-chart topper and “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff and British media figure Piers Morgan.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Viewers select from among 20 veteran players vying to remain on “Big Brother 7” (7 p.m., CBS). Julie Chen hosts.

¢ Scheduled on “Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC): Predators who don’t watch “Dateline” are nabbed by “Dateline.”

¢ The final 18 contestants compete over two hours on “So You Think You Can Dance” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman stars in the 2004 comedy “My Date with Drew” (7 p.m., UPN).

¢ A killer resumes a deadly pattern after a two-decade hiatus on “Criminal Minds” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ On two episodes of “Lost” (ABC), Hurley can’t handle the hatch (8 p.m.), Michael sets out alone (9 p.m.).

¢ “Explorer: Drowning New Orleans” (8 p.m., National Geographic) takes an hour-by-hour look at the Katrina catastrophe.

¢ A doorman is murdered at a crime-plagued building on “CSI: NY” (9 p.m., CBS).