Tonight's TV Hot List: Saturday, Dec. 25, 2010

Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
Noon/11 a.m. c ABC
Not surprisingly, the talent pool for Disney's 27th annual Christmas bash skews young, with slated performers Debby Ryan (Suite Life on Deck); 10-year-old soprano Jackie Evancho; Amber Riley (Glee); Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place); American Idol Lee DeWyze; and R&B star Sean Kingston. Also on the bill are Mariah Carey, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Darius Rucker and Dancing with the Stars cast members. Nick Cannon, Maria Menounos and the ubiquitous Ryan Seacrest are the hosts. — Fred Mitchell
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Fox Legacy

6 a.m./5c Fox Movie Channel
For those who can't get enough of American cinema's dimpled darling, Shirley Temple, Fox Movie Channel offers 14 hours of programming featuring the inimitable star. The morning starts off with 2010's Fox Legacy, with The Shirley Temple Story, a half-hour special that spotlights her remarkable career (and which airs four times during the day). Among the film highlights, Shirley shines in 1938's Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, soars in 1940's The Blue Bird and is super in 1939's Susannah of the Mounties. — Ray Stackhouse
Salute to American Skating
4/3c NBC
This ice-skating exhibition from Atlantic City mixes top talent from the present and past and features energetic performances as well as special honors for former champions. Kristi Yamaguchi and Dick Button make special presentations, while Evan Lysacek, Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Brian Boitano, Sarah Hughes and Scott Hamilton strut their stuff on the ice. — Brie Hearn

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NBA Basketball
5/4c ABC
On the same day that all the Whos down in Whoville gather to rejoice, the NBA has convened a who's who of top talent for the centerpiece of its five-game Christmas Day marathon. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who proudly display the last three league MVP awards on their mantles, headline a Heat-Lakers matchup in Tinseltown that TV execs are salivating to see again come June. Flanking King James in Miami are all-world guard Dwyane Wade and forward Chris Bosh, while Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom head Bryant's considerable supporting cast for the two-time defending-champion Lakers. Miami's few holdovers have a sour taste from last season's visit, in which Bryant nailed a three-pointer over Wade for a 108-107 win. — Roger Leister

NFL Football
7/6c NFL Network
Expect some scoring as the Cowboys visit the Cardinals in a matchup of the NFC's two most porous scoring defenses. The Cowboys have been able to pull it together offensively since Jason Garrett took over as head coach, but their defense is only nine points away from a new club record for points allowed. True, the Cards are a shade better than Dallas in that category, but also rank in the conference's lower echelon in points scored. — Dave Roeder
Nine
9/8c Showtime
A stellar cast puts their best feet forward in this lavish song-and-dance extravaganza, an adaptation of the Broadway hit that in turn was based on Fellini's 1963 classic 8 1/2. This 2009 version may not be a perfect 10, but it does get a 9 on the musical scale. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as an Italian film director trying to deal with the women in his life (both romantic and non-romantic), played by Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren and Stacy Ferguson, aka Fergie of the Black-Eyed Peas. — Ray Stackhouse

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Doctor Who9/8c BBC America With a handful of holiday specials under his belt now, it's safe to say that the Doctor has joined Santa, Rudolph, Frosty and the rest in the pantheon of heroes we have come to rely upon to save Christmas. Tonight's adventure takes a page from Charles Dickens, as the Time Lord must reach out to a Scrooge-like character in a bid to save Rory and Amy, who are trapped on a crashing space liner. — Michael Chant