Critic's picks

(claude paris/ap)

American Music Awards 8 p.m., Channel 5

Who'll win? Who cares. Performers will include Alicia Keys (above), Coldplay, Pink, Taylor Swift, and the Jonas Brothers. Also, Jimmy Kimmel's handling the hosting duties. The ceremony is preceded, at 7 on Channel 5, by a live red-carpet extravaganza.

Cold Case 9 p.m., Channel 4

"Lost" alert. A new actress joins the cast of this CBS cop procedural as a lab technician, and her name is Tania Raymonde. Oh yeah, it's Alex Rousseau, helping out with the 1953 murder case of a pinup girl.

True Blood 9 p.m., HBO

Sookie Longstocking.

24: Redemption 8 p.m., Channel 25

Hack Bauer.

A Grandpa for Christmas 9 p.m., Hallmark Channel

Earnest Borgnine.

Entourage 10 p.m., HBO

The season finale.

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! 10 p.m., Comedy Central

Watch out for the flying latke.