Tonight's TV Hot List: Sunday, July 4, 2010

Hot Dog Eating Contest
Noon/11c ESPN
Along with fireworks and parades, no coverage of America's Independence Day is complete without footage of Joey Chestnut, an otherwise ordinary-looking kid from California, scarfing down the winning hot dogs at the Nathan's Famous International contest on Coney Island. A three-time defending champ, Chestnut has become to competitive eating what Roger Federer is to tennis, and may not have rival Takeru Kobayashi to beat this time around, as the event's former king was locked in a contract dispute with organizers from Major League Eating. Now, that's cause for indigestion. — Roger Leister
Tour de France
8:30 a.m./7:30c VS
The race may actually start with an 8.9km prologue stage through Rotterdam, but the real action starts with today's first stage, a grueling 223.5km leg from Rotterdam to Bruxelles. American favorite and seven-time champion Lance Armstrong is back again this year after a third-place finish last year. Armstrong's toughest competition include defending champ Alberto Contador (who also took home the yellow jersey in 2007) and 2008 winner Carlos Sastre. — Kelly McGettigan
Wimbledon
9 a.m./8c NBC
The tournament wraps up with the men's final from the All England Club in London. Following a couple of five-set Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal classics in 2007 and 2008, Federer returned to the final last year to stage yet another with Andy Roddick. Though this year's Isner-Mahut marathon dimmed its longevity luster a bit, last year's championship set a record for games played in a Grand Slam final, with Federer outlasting his opponent over five sets and 77 games. It also gave the Swiss star a record 15th Grand Slam title, breaking a tie with Pete Sampras. — Dave Roeder
Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular
9/8c NBC
Musical firepower ignites coverage of Manhattan's 34th annual fireworks display, a multichromatic blast that lights to life with slated performances by teen singer Justin Bieber, international pop vocalist Enrique Iglesias and country chanteuse LeAnn Rimes. Set aboard the Norwegian Epic cruise ship and featuring the theme "American Harmony," the patriotic special also features an appearance by the cast of the 2010 film "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Nick Cannon and Alison Sweeney anchor coverage. — Dean Maurer
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
10/9c CBS
The always spectacular Boston Pops, under the expert direction of maestro Keith Lockhart, celebrate America's 234th birthday by playing patriotic music at the Charles River Esplanade. Joining in the Independence Day celebration is country-music hit maker Toby Keith and late-night funnyman Craig Ferguson, who hosts the event for the fourth consecutive year. The finale, of course, includes the traditional pyrotechnics display accompanied by the "1812 Overture." — Tim Holland
A Capitol Fourth 2010
8/7c PBS
Jimmy Smits hosts this celebration of America's 234th birthday from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, where the planned festivities include fireworks and performances by Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, "American Idol" finalist David Archuleta, John Schneider, classical pianist Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jack Everly. Among the expected highlights: Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" accompanied by cannon fire from the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery. — Jeff Gemmill
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
8/7c ABC
In this repeat from March, a National Guard hero who reenlisted after 9/11 and served two tours in Iraq gets a helping hand from Ty and his team with rebuilding his house, which was badly damaged in Hurricane Katrina. While Team Pennington gets the job done right, the family go to Disney World. Christian Slater is the celebrity volunteer, and Celine Dion and the Jonas Brothers also appear. — Fred Mitchell