Ready or not, here come the holiday specials

Finalists from the first two editions are reuniting for "An American Idol Christmas" (8 p.m. Tuesday on Fox).

The lineup will include hit makers Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard along with favorites Tamyra Gray, Christina Christian and Kimberly Locke.

The crew will deliver their versions of holiday favorites.

But, hey, you say. Are they the only singers with the holiday cheer? No, they are merely part of a pack ushering in the season this week.

Musical specials don't traditionally pull in huge ratings, but this time of year they sure do plug holes in schedules.

Justin Timberlake goes back home for "Downhome in Memphis" (9 p.m. Tuesday on NBC).

A few miles up the road in Nashville, Shania Twain headlines her second musical special (9 p.m. Wednesday on NBC). She'll perform songs from her breakthrough opus "Come On Over."

Opting to go out of the states, Christina Aguilera stars in "Stripped ... Live in the U.K." (9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, on WB), which captures the pop star abroad in concert doing material from her "Stripped" CD.

And finally, Harry Connick Jr. performs in "Harry for the Holidays" (10 p.m. Thursday on NBC).

Other highlights for the week:

Monday

* "Joe Millionaire" (8 p.m. Fox). Faux tycoon David Smith makes his final selection during the two-hour finale and discovers if she'll stay with him after learning of the lie.

* "Portrait of America" (8 p.m. TV Land). A marathon of Americana themed episodes highlights this classic sitcoms block. First up: A "Brady Bunch" outing in which Greg enlists the family in his film about Thanksgiving.

* "Everybody Loves Raymond" (9 p.m. CBS). Thanksgiving turns into a major production when the Barones visit Hank and Pat (Fred Willard and Georgia Engel) for the holiday.

* "Everwood" (9 p.m. WB). Harold endures a Thanksgiving visit from his tart-tongued mother-in-law (Betty White).

Tuesday

* "I'm With Her" (8:30 p.m. ABC). Thought Betty White was relegated to only one cameo this holiday season? Nope! She turns up for Thanksgiving on this romantic sitcom, too.

Wednesday

* "Survivor" (8 p.m. CBS). Because no one watches television on Thanksgiving night, CBS is moving its backstabbing-for-money hit during this week only.

* "In Search of the Jaguar" (8 p.m. PBS). Nature's third largest cat, blessed with the knack for surviving in droughts and swamplands, is the focus of this documentary narrated by Glenn Close.

Thursday

* "Looney Tunes: Back to the Drawing Board" (8 a.m. Boomerang). A 96-hour marathon features Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Tasmanian Devil cartoons.

* "Thanksgiving Day Parade" (9 a.m. CBS). CBS news reporters Hannah Storm and Dave Price anchor coverage of the parade live from Manhattan.

* "Friends" (8 p.m. NBC). A two-hour block of past episodes includes the one where Joey and Rachel share their first kiss and the one with Monica's bad hair day.

* "Big in 2003" (8 p.m. VH1). This year-end recap honors some of the memorable events in pop culture during the past year.

* "Farm Aid 2003" (9 p.m. PBS). Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and others sing for the benefit of American farmers in this two-hour concert.

Friday

* "Frosty the Snowman" (8 p.m. CBS). The animated classic centers on a warmhearted snowman's misadventures.

* "Nick-At-Nite Holiday Special" (10 p.m. Nickelodeon). A musical special has classic TV actors such as Martin Mull and Joyce DeWitt hosting a night of music from Lou Rawls, Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Chaka Khan with Lil Romeo.