Tonight's TV Hot List: Friday, Jan. 7, 2011

CSI: NY
9/8c CBS
It's no laughing matter when a man in a full clown costume murders the owner of a bakery. Normally, a clown would be easy to spot in New York, but when the CSIs arrive on the scene they discover numerous men dressed in identical clown outfits. Back in the office, things aren't any merrier when Jo's FBI agent ex-husband (David James Elliott) visits. — Tim Holland
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Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star

9/8c OWN
You can win all kinds of jobs on reality-TV elimination contests. You can even get married (or not). And the winner of Oprah's new contest will become...a talk-show host (on OWN, not surprisingly). Queer Eye alum Carson Kressley and soon-to-be ET co-anchor Nancy O'Dell are the hosts, and Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) is the executive producer. The contestants face a different TV-related challenge each week, under the tutelage of a "guest mentor." The first challenge: produce talk-show segments, with Oprah's old pal Dr. Phil as the mentor. — Paul Droesch
Cotton Bowl
8/7c Fox
The 75th edition of this postseason classic features LSU taking on Texas A&M in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Two of college football's top defensive players are on display in this matchup, with Jim Thorpe Award winner Patrick Patterson leading the nationally ranked Tiger defense and Butkus Award winner Von Miller the key stopper for the Aggies. On offense, the Aggies may have an advantage — it's probably not a coincidence that A&M's six-game winning streak matches up with the six straight 100-yard rushing performances by tailback Cyrus Gray since he became the starter. —Dave Roeder

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Supernanny8/7c ABC In a typical episode, Jo has all she can handle dealing with two parents who are clueless in the discipline department. But she really has her hands full when she visits a San Antonio household with three parents, including a couple's 20-year-old daughter who had a child as a teenager. To make matters worse, this young mother of a 2-year-old fights constantly with her 17-year-old sister, and their uncivil behavior sets a bad example for the other children, ages 10, 6 and 18 months. — Joe FriedrichMerlin10/9c Syfy The Season 3 premiere of the bewitching British series about the mythical warlock Merlin finds the long-missing Morgana returning to Camelot. Soon thereafter, however, King Uther's mental faculties begin to falter and Merlin, who believes the two events are somehow connected, investigates. — Jeff Gemmill
Is Merlin appointment viewing in your home? Tell usSay Yes to the Dress9/8c TLC Randy, Nicole, and the rest of the fabulous Kleinfeld crew are back to help more brides-to-be find their dream dresses. Over the years, the veteran bridal consultants have dealt with some very interesting requests from clients, and it's no different in the Season 6 opener. Especially when one bride arrives at the salon determined to look like a pirate on her wedding day. — Karen KeltyDog Whisperer8/7c Animal Planet Cesar Millan comes to the aid of a police chief, who trained Viper, his Belgian Malinois, to be a K-9 detection dog, specializing in seeking out contraband from prison inmates. The pup could be a great crimefighter, but there is one problem: He's terrified of strangers. Cesar hopes to socialize the dog so that he can do his very important job. — Karen Kelty