In a move that surprises and saddens many decent, thoughtful people, NBC continues to broadcast “The 2012 Miss Universe Competition” (7 p.m., NBC). It’s not because people are all that agitated about an international beauty pageant. It’s because “Universe” is owned by Donald Trump, ...

For Tuesday, Dec. 18:This year you often encounter challenging people with very different ideas. Take the best of those suggestions and use them to strengthen your life. If you are single, from summer 2013 on, someone very special could enter your life. If you are attached, the two of you will ...

Signs that we’ll soon be auld lang syne-ing our way out of 2012 arrive with increasing frequency. “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” (9 p.m., HBO) gathers a round table of wise men and women (including Mary Carillo, Frank Deford, Jon Frankel, Bernard Goldberg, Armen Keteyian and Andrea ...

For Monday, Dec. 17:This year you hear and learn so much that you might experience an information overload. You do not always understand why people do what they do. If you are single, you could discover that you have too many potential suitors. If you are attached, your home life remains ...

For Sunday, Dec. 16:This year you seem much more willing to slow down and just chat with friends. You recognize that there is more to life than work — it is the people in your life that make a difference. If you are single, you will find that you have too many choices. If you are attached, ...

Standing before a couple dozen pint-sized observers, John Bechen explains a few of the basics about saxophones.The sound is made by air traveling over a piece of wood called a reed. Saxophones come in multiple sizes. And the bigger they are, the lower the notes they can play.The little eyes in ...

'Miracle on Mass. Street'What: Burlesque troupe Foxy by Proxy’s first holiday show, “Miracle on Mass. Street”When: 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22Where: The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.Cost: $8. Show is for those age 18 and overAbout two and a half years ago, Emma Swendson went on break from ...

For Saturday, Dec. 15:This year, you often overwhelm others with your energy. In hindsight, even you could be taken aback by your liveliness. If you are single, you could encounter someone very intense. If you are attached, your relationship goes up a notch in intensity. The Stars Show the Kind ...

For Friday, Dec. 14:This year your sixth sense provides you with flashes of insight. Be willing to let go of what no longer works. If you are single, someone interesting appears from out of the blue. If you are attached, reintroduce more unpredictability into your bond.The Stars Show the Kind ...

Catnip will be difficult to look at in the same way after viewing Lawrence native Jason Willis’ short film, “Catnip: Egress to Oblivion?”The 7-minute, 1970s-classroom-documentary-style film — featuring narration of catnip research, pans of newspaper articles about it, psychedelic music ...

For Thursday, Dec. 13:This year you will have a new beginning in whatever area you deem necessary. Your personal power will expand because you live your word. If you are single, you will see direct results. If you are attached, curb a tendency to be me-oriented. The Stars Show the Kind of Day ...

There is terrible, and there is deliberately terrible. And there is a difference. “Nightmare Christmas” (9 p.m., ID) deserves credit for trying to combine predictable holiday programming with a certain audience’s insatiable appetite for true crime docudramas. But “Nightmare” attempts ...

For Wednesday, Dec. 12:This year you express your unique creativity, as an endless amount of unusual solutions and fun ideas seem to come from you. Drop the word “no” from your vocabulary. If you are single, many potential suitors surround you. Which one will you choose? If you are ...

Who can resist an annual roundup? “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012” (8:30 p.m., ABC) is a special that always straddles the high and low of politics, media and popular culture. Some of those profiled are well known, while others are celebrities we probably ...

For Tuesday, Dec. 11:This year your intensity has an impact, especially on those you know. Be sure to show your compassion when making strong statements. If you are single, take the time to get to know a suitor well before making any serious decisions. If you are attached, the two of you will ...

It’s funny what endures — and what doesn’t. I’m often struck by the fact that several generations who have never seen Fred Astaire dance or even watched his movies know him from his voice-over in the 1970 holiday special “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (7 p.m., ABC). The same ...

For Monday, Dec. 10:This year, your ideas might not always be workable or realistic. However, you’ll discover how much these flights of fancy feed your creativity. If you are single, your choice for a suitor might work this week, but not next month. Honor your changeability. If you are ...

The list of celebrity-driven holiday extravaganzas grows shorter every year. As both a critic and a viewer, I used to look forward to Kathie Lee Gifford’s over-the-top Christmas specials because I knew they would be groan-worthy displays of excess.I like to think that Gifford knew her ...

For Sunday, Dec. 9:This year you come within reach of many of your dreams, particularly those that pertain to your personal and home life. Be aware that how you come off to others could prevent you from fulfilling these desires. If you are single, check out a new suitor or admirer with care. If ...

Even by the treacly standards of Hallmark Channel romances, the Hallmark Hall of Fame romance “Christmas With Holly” (8 p.m. Sunday, ABC) may strike viewers as forced and obvious.Like every Hallmark movie ever made, it begins with a beautiful, if slightly deluded, woman getting a wake-up ...