Hard Rock "drops" 10-foot Gibson guitar, painted by local artist Rob Lynch and illuminated by Ken-Ton Electronic, to ring in the new year; special performances by Everclear and Eve 6

On Saturday, Dec. 1, National Grid will present the 2012 Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration. This annual event marks the official opening of the free ice-skating season in downtown Buffalo.

The sale of WNED-AM 970 by Western New York Public Broadcasting Association to Crawford Broadcasting Company will be effective on Friday, Nov. 30, at midnight.

Time Warner Cable has added RLTV, the only cable network and online destination for adults ages 50 and up, to its digital TV tier on Channel 180.

"Dancing With The Stars: All-Stars": Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani were crowned champions of this all-star season, on the season finale Tuesday, Nov. 27, on the ABC Television Network. (photo by Adam Taylor/ABC)

The Historic Riviera Theatre presents Jack Hanna's "Into The Wild Live" on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 (7:30 p.m.), for one performance only.

A highly-sought-after cellist with an acting career. A dynamic conductor who has won the JoAnn Falletta Award for Most Promising Female Conductor. These two guest artists make the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's last concert before the holiday season sure to be a memorable evening.

Bravo's Emmy-nominated "Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen," the groundbreaking digital video series hosted by Tom Colicchio, returns for its second season on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 11:01 p.m.

Includes the basic cable premiere of "Disney's A Christmas Carol" and "Despicable Me," and features network premiere broadcasts of "Fred Claus" and "Disney∙Pixar's Toy Story 3"

The navigational prowess of "the most famous reindeer of all" will again illuminate Santa Claus' way into the Christmas season, on a rebroadcast of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," Tuesday, Dec. 4 (8 p.m.), on the CBS Television Network.

For decades, the Mihich family had saved the scores written by their family friend, Marcel Tyberg, in the hopes that their value would be recognized and the music performed. With a recent broadcast of his work on the nationally syndicated radio program "Performance Today," and a festival recognizing Tyberg as the national composer of Croatia, their efforts have succeeded.

Following the Buffalo Bills 20-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson made some controversial comments with respect to coach Chan Gailey allowing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to make more play calls from the field.

The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo announces that "Love Me Tender - The Ultimate Elvis Bash," originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, has been rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014, at 8 p.m.

Spending time together as a family is precious and limited. This holiday season, ABC's Emmy Award-winning talk show "The View" is offering a chance for four lucky viewers to win a Disney Parks Vacation in the "Family Time Together" contest.

NBC will celebrate the lighting of the world's most famous Christmas tree with a live broadcast from Rockefeller Center in New York City on Wednesday, Nov. 28 (8 p.m.).

Local jazz trumpeter Lew Custode will once again donate his talents to help raise funds for this year's Salvation Army Christmas Fund Drive. Custode, best known for his work with the Barroom Buzzards (Buffalo Music Hall of Fame) and The Custode & Parisi Jazz Trio (Best Jazz Act, Artvoice Best of Buffalo 2011), will perform holiday music at various Salvation Army kettle stand locations throughout Niagara County.

It's green on Green on NBC's "The Voice" when musician coach CeeLo Green forms an unforgettable duet with Disney's Kermit the Frog for the classic song "Bein' Green" on Tuesday, Nov. 27 (8 p.m.). Green and Kermit will be joined by some of Disney's most beloved Muppets, including curmudgeonly critics Statler and Waldorf, Animal, Fozzie Bear, Janice and The Great Gonzo. In addition, a new character will be introduced - "Lo-Co," a muppet bearing an uncanny resemblance to CeeLo.

After 10 weeks of competitive dancing, all-stars Kelly Monaco and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani and Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough have proven they deserve to be in the finals. But only one couple will be crowned champions of "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars."

While a record 85 percent of retailers will offer special promotions on Cyber Monday according to National Retail Federation's Shop.org's eHoliday survey, it's best to buy from a retailer you know and trust.

Tickets are now available for "Polar Bites 2013," a fundraising event benefiting the Buffalo Zoo. The wintertime favorite event, presented by the "Pro Zoo" board, will take place on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, from 6 until 9 p.m. at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

If you live in Lewiston, you have probably seen Keith Radford in and out of the local restaurants and coffee shops with his beloved dog, Frankie.

The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus has announced the return of the ever-popular, annual holiday concert "Messiah," presented by M&T Bank. The BPC returns to the OLV Basilica after spending a year away due to restoration, performing live on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

On Saturday, Dec. 8, at 8 pm, the Vocalis Chamber Choir presents its annual Christmas concert at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum at Elmwood and North streets in Buffalo. A Western New York tradition, the choir will present traditional and contemporary holiday favorites in the acoustic of this architectural treasure. Celebrate the season and relax to the sweet sounds of an intimate choral Christmas.

The Christmas play "All Through The Night," written by local playwright L. Don Swartz, will be presented at the Ghostlight Theatre, 170 Schenck St., North Tonawanda.

The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University will offer a free guided tour at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25. The 30-minute tour includes an overview of the museum's current exhibitions. Meet your docent at 2 p.m. at the reception desk. Reservations are not necessary.

Thursday, on a special Thanksgiving night live results show, and in another double-elimination, Arin Ray, one of Britney Spears' "Teens," and Beatrice Miller, another of Spears' "Teens," were eliminated on "The X Factor."

Theatre of Youth, Buffalo's only professional theater company devoted to children and families, will present for the holidays "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," a heartwarming adaptation of the story by Barbara Robinson.

Houghton College is hosting the sixth annual "Christmas Prism" Dec. 7 to 9 in Houghton, as well as Rochester and Buffalo.

The hills at Artpark will be alive with "The Sound of Music" in July 2013 as part of the summer-long celebration of Artpark's 40th anniversary.

Highlights include "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "Disney Prep & Landing," "Shrek" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest"

From the highs and lows in presidential politics to the major news events such as "Super Storm Sandy," the Aurora massacre and the resignation of General Petraeus, from the headline-making celebrity romantic breakups and shakeups to the Royal Jubilee and the scandals that rocked Buckingham Palace, 2012 has been an eventful year.

For the first time since 2003, NBC's primetime lineup has delivered No. 1 ratings in adults 18-49 for the November sweep, rising from a No. 4 ranking in the November period one year ago to a No. 1 finish this year, according to "live plus same day" viewership data from Nielsen Media Research.

As announced Monday, world famous choreographer and recording artist Paula Abdul will perform a groundbreaking number exclusively created for this season's final "Macy's Stars of Dance" performance on "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars the Results Show," Tuesday, Nov. 20, on ABC.

"Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012" will air as a 90-minute ABC News special highlighting some of the year's most prominent names in entertainment, sports, politics and popular culture. This year's special will air Wednesday, Dec. 12 (9:30 to 11 p.m.), on the ABC Television Network.

The Erie Canal Discovery Center has announced a new series of weekly documentary movies, "Movies & Popcorn," to be shown every Saturday this winter at 11 a.m., beginning Saturday, Dec. 15.

Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson continues to recover from a concussion he sustained in the game against New England. As a result, he did not appear on his television program Monday night on WBBZ-TV.

The 40th Anniversary American Music Awards aired Sunday night on ABC. Artists were honored in the categories of pop/rock, country, rap/hip-hop, soul/R&B, alternative, adult contemporary, Latin, contemporary inspirational and - for the first year ever - electronic dance music.

Join Santa Claus as he arrives by Niagara Falls city fire truck to illuminate the trees along all three blocks of Old Falls Street, USA (more than 100,000 lights), this Friday, Nov. 23, from 6 to 7 p.m., outside the Old Falls Street entrance of The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls.

The festive outdoor tree illumination will extend throughout the winter season and will be complimented by various holiday vignettes, extending the annual Holiday Lights Niagara Trail from Hyde Park to the downtown Niagara Falls area.

NBC will celebrate the lighting of the world's most famous Christmas tree with a live broadcast from Rockefeller Center in New York City on Wednesday, Nov. 28 (8 p.m.).

ABC's "The Chew" is your holiday headquarters as Chef Mario Batali, Clinton Kelly, Chef Carla Hall, Chef Michel Symon and Daphne Oz share their culinary, decorating/design ideas all season.