Work of Art (9pm, Bravo) - The artists visit an idyllic small town in New York's Hudson Valley and then must create a portrait of a resident. The guest judge is Richard Phillips.

Barbara Walters 10 Most Fascinating People (9:31pm, ABC) - Who does Barbara Walters find fascinating? The Kardashians, Donald Trump, Simon Cowell, and Katy Perry (left), to name a few. And probably not much suspense as to who her secret #1 pick will likely be (cough Gabby Giffords cough). (UPDATE: When I'm wrong, I admit it. Walters picked Steve Jobs as the most fascinating man of the year.)

Psych (10pm, USA) - Shawn and Juliet's romantic getaway doesn't go as planned when their hotel room is robbed and a body turns up at a nearby winery.

American Horror Story (10pm, FX) - Vivien has her mysterious little anti-Christ devil babies, and Tate and Violet attempt to rid the house of some of its ghosts once and for all.

CSI (10pm, CBS) - The CSIs investigate when Dr. Robbins' wife discovers a nude dead man in their master bedroom.

Moonshiners (10pm, Discovery) - Equipment failure and an intruder complicate a moonshining duo's operation, and footage demonstrating Popcorn Sutton's old-fashioned distillery methods.

Wake County school board member Kevin Hill and challenger Jennifer Mansfield lag far behind Heather Losurdo in the amount of cash raised so far in District.

The new report filed today by Hill shows he had raised $15,245 as of Aug. 30 with $12,123.69 at hand. Mansfield's new report has her with $3,582.19 raised as of Aug. 30 with $1,826.86 on hand.

Well out in front financially is Losurdo, who's raised $30,529.55 as of Aug. 30 with $11,801.85 on hand.

You don't need the tizzy over the latest Newsweek cover featuring a crazy-eye Michele Bachmann, which prompted charges of sexism, to know that public debate of gender issues are far from resolved. (And we won't even get into pay inequity, reproductive rights, violence against women, and all the other stuff.)

Yet because of the progress there has been, many women and men don't appreciate the road to get here. Luckily, the last film in HBO's summer documentary series is "Gloria: In Her Own Words" (9 tonight), an overview of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's near 50-year career in the women's movement.

If you're looking for an analytical piece, this isn't it.

Portlandia (8pm, IFC) - If you have the Indepedent Film Channel, you can spend the entire night cracking up at episodes of "Portlandia" (defies a brief description, but it's really funny) and "Onion News Network."

Who Do You Think You Are? (8pm, NBC) - Season 2 of this genealogical research show kicks off with actress Vanessa Williams tracing her ancestry. Her investigation directs her to South Carolina, where she uncovers a familial connection to the Civil War's Union Army.

Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials (9pm, CBS) - Jim Nantz and Lara Spencer host a look at the 10 best commercials to air during the past 44 Super Bowls, with viewers choosing the top spot. Also, a preview of 2011 commercials.

Fringe (9pm, Fox) - A scientist's ingestin of a blue powder causes his bones to disintegrate, leading government officials to suspect a biological attack, but the Fringe team's investigation may hinge on assistance from a former test subject of Walter's.

Barbara Walters: A Matter of Life and Death (10pm, ABC) - Just in time for tax season, Barbara Walters figures out a way to write off last year's heart surgery. Walters shows clips of famous people (David Letterman, President Bill Clinton, Regis Philbin) talking about their heart surgeries, and of course, talks about her own. Walters had aortic-valve replacement in May 2010. She also has a physician discuss how women's symptoms can differ from men's.

Real Time with Bill Maher (10pm, HBO) - Guests include Egyptian-born journalist Mona Eltahway, PBS host and museum director Neil deGrasse Tyson, director Charles Ferguson, columnist John Fund, and NY congressman Anthony Weiner.

The Santa Incident (8pm, Hallmark) - In a new Hallmark movie, Santa's sleigh is shot down by Homeland Security and a nurse (Ione Skye) takes in Santa (James Cosmo) while he recovers from the fall and deals with the FBI.

Community (8pm, NBC) - Abed goes on a quest to find the real meaning of Christmas after he awakens in stop-motion animation. Jeff and Britta, worried about Abed's mental state, seek help from Professor Duncan. The whole group eventually undergo hypnosis to join Abed in his world.

The Office (9pm, NBC) - It's a Christmas miracle for Michael when his office nemesis, Toby, takes a leave of absence and his lost love Holly (Amy Ryan) returns to Scranton to fill in. Also, Jim and Dwight have a snowball fight.

Barbara Walters: Oprah, the Next Chapter (9pm, ABC) - Oprah Winfrey reviews the last 25 years of her life, both personally and professionally, in an interview taped at her home and at Harpo Studios in Chicago. Oprah also discusses her new OWN network and then Barbara makes her cry.

Fringe (9pm, Fox) - A case of a person having his heart removed sets of a sting of bizarre events.

Mentalist (10pm, CBS) - A Santa is murdered (that's a Santa, not the Santa) and the team investigates a Santa society while Jane goes undercover in an Alcoholics Anonymous group.

Also on tonight: Caroline helps Tyler prepare for his first werewolf transformation on 'Vampire Diaries' (8pm, CW), Jack's parents (Elaine Stritch, Alan Alda) visit for Christmas on '30 Rock' (8:30pm, NBC), and 'The Apprentice' (10pm, NBC) ends its dreadful season.

TV's Funniest Moments: A Paley Center Special (8pm, Fox) - Jane Lynch counts down 30 memorable TV moments, including scenes from "Cheers," "Family Guy," and "Friends."

Happy Feet (8pm, ABC) - The tap-happy romp (Best Animated Feature Oscar winner) about a penguin colony that finds its mates through song, and an outcast who can't carry a tune but can dance like Fred Astaire (or Savion Glover, whose movements were replicated using motion-capture filming). Features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, and Brittany Murphy.

Rock Docs: Shine A Light (9pm, VH1) - In this edited version of a feature film directed by Martin Scorcese, the Rolling Stones perform at New York City's Beacon Theatre in 2006.

Barbara Walters Special: Thanksgiving with the President (10pm, ABC) - Barbara Walters interviews President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House, taped November 23, 2010.

Sanctuary (10pm, Syfy) - An anonymous call for help brings Magnus, Will and Kate to an eerie, abandoned building, where Magnus encounters a violent assailant.

Minority participation is up in pre-algebra and Algebra I this school year in Wake County middle schools but a lot of the talk today was that it's still not enough.

School officials said 61.6 percent of black middle school students who were identified as being ready to take pre-algebra or Algebra I were placed in those courses this year. The rate was 61.6 percent for Hispanic students and 58.6 percent for economically disadvantaged students using the new EVAAS selection criteria.

Previously, the SAS report indicated a majority of qualified black and Hispanic students weren’t being placed into Algebra I in middle school.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Why were a majority of qualified black and Hispanic students not placed in advanced math classes in Wake County middle schools for years?

As noted in today's article, the new EVAAS-based selection criteria is expected to sharply increase placement in middle schools this school year. As the SAS EVAAS report showed, Algebra-ready black and Hispanic students were the least likely to have gotten placed before.

Questions abut institutionalized racism and low expectations have been tossed out as possible reasons for the low placement rates.

CORRECTED POST TO SAY BARBARA WALTERS

There were some grumbling about whether President Obama should have appeared on "The View" today.

After watching, I can't say a bit of dignity was visibly lost. The ladies took the event quite seriously; besides bringing in Barbara Walters to give them news credibility, Sherri Shepherd wore her most dignified hair, a big old bun.

Were the questions tough? Nah. But the president didn't talk about whether he wore boxers or briefs. Indeed, I'm pretty sure he accomplished exactly what he wanted. And no, Joy didn't kiss him, and yes, Elisabeth did attempt to go hard.

A reminder that President Barack Obama will be a guest tomorrow morning on "The View," which I think could be pretty interesting.

Unfortunately, Barbara Walters is returning early from her heart surgery recuperation to interview him (it would probably be a better interview if they'd just throw him on the couch and let the other ladies go after him). But we'll see. Hopefully Barbara will share.

"The View" airs at 11am on WTVD.