Extreme Weight Loss (8pm, ABC) - A 470-pound man and his 298-pound twin sister attempt to shed weight in the Season 3 premiere.

In Performance at the White House: Carole King (8pm, UNC-TV) - President Obama presents Carole King with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song -- King is the first woman to win the prize -- at a White House event featuring performances by the honoree as well as James Taylor, Billy Joel and Trisha Yearwood. Dust off the ole "Tapestry" and get ready.

Constitution USA with Peter Sagal (9pm, UNC-TV) - The final installment examines the reasons for the longevity of the Constitution and the forces that threaten to undermine the vision of the framers, including excessive partisanship, money in politics and gerrymandering.

Reaper Reunion Special (9pm, FearNet) - A reunion of the cast members of the canceled-too-soon CW series "Reaper." FearNet will start rerunning episodes of the series next week in this spot.

Brooklyn DA (10pm, CBS) - The first episode in a six-part documentary series that offers a candid look at life inside the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, as cameras follow prosecutors in and out of the courtroom. Tonight, an alleged pimp is charged with human trafficking, a high-tech undercover sting targets art thieves, and justice is sought for the family of a police officer killed in the line of duty.

Body of Proof (10pm, ABC) - In the series finale, Megan's father's exhumation uncovers more questions about what she always believed was a suicide, and her mother suggests she examine his patient files for clues about his death and that of a patient.

Frontline: Outlawed in Pakistan (10pm, UNC-TV) - Pakistan's justice system and cultural taboos are examined through the story of a teenage girl who accuses four men of gang-raping her and then takes her case to court.

Well, it turns out that James Taylor won't be the headliner after all at Thursday's Democratic National Convention finale in Charlotte. The musical lineup at Bank of America Stadium is now:

Foo Fighters
Mary J. Blige
Earth, Wind & Fire
James Taylor
Delta Rae
Inspire the Fire
Marc Anthony (singing the national anthem)

Ledisi, DJ Cassidy and Durham resident Brandford Marsalis are among the acts performing earlier in the week. But what I want to know is this: Will there be an empty chair onstage?

It's become a quadrennial ritual for us to see a lot of Chapel Hill expatriate James Taylor in his former home state during election years. With North Carolina once again shaping up as a key swing state in November's presidential election, that will be the case this year, too. Taylor has been announced as the featured musical guest at President Obama's nomination speech, Sept. 6 at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium -- and one of his opening acts will be rising local country band Delta Rae.

In 2008, you might recall, Taylor played a series of five shows for the Obama campaign in North Carolina, including an exceedingly mellow get-together in downtown Raleigh a couple of weeks before election day.

The Tar Heels may have fallen short of the Final Four in the NCAA tournament, but Chapel Hill's music community just made the top-four in a different countdown. Livability.com, a website that runs top-10 lists about the country's best places to live, puts Chapel Hill at No. 4 in its "Top 10 Cities With the Best Music Scenes Outside Nashville, New York City and Los Angeles" -- right between Omaha and Portland. Coming in at No. 1 is Athens, Ga.

I have to say, however, that the methodology is a bit peculiar. Rather than quote someone who actually lives in Chapel Hill or is familiar with its new-music quadrant, the piece quotes Doobie Brothers/New Grass Revival member John Cowan, apparently because he has played in Chapel Hill "many times since he began touring extensively in the 1970s" (which is probably code for, "He answered the phone when we called"). The list of acts with Chapel Hill ties is pretty dated, too: James Taylor, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Archers of Loaf, Southern Culture on the Skids, Superchunk and Ben Folds Five, all of whom go back at least 15 years.

But at least it has a picture of modern-day hitmakers The Old Ceremony, barely visible onstage at Haw River Ballroom.

In Performance: Country Music at the White House (8pm, UNC-TV) - President and Mrs. Obama host a tribute to country music in which contemporary artists pay homage to the genre's inconic figures. Performers include The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Lauren Alaina, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Darius Rucker, and James Taylor (right). The concert was taped Monday night in the East Room at the White House. 

The Middle (8pm, ABC) - Frankie and her sister (Molly Shannon) clash over their opposing parenting styles while spending Thanksgiving with their folks (Marsha Mason and Jerry Van Dyke). "Suburgatory" and "Modern Family" also have Thanksgiving-themed episodes tonight.

X-Factor (8pm, Fox) - One of the remaining 9 contestants is eliminated and Kelly Clarkson performs.

The Biggest Loser: Where are They Now? (9pm, NBC) - Updates on past contestants along with bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage. Also, the trainers offer their thoughts on the current season.

American Horror Story (10pm, FX) - A lot of reveals tonight, not the least of which is the identity of Rubber Man! This is a seriously jam-packed episode, folks.

Revenge (10pm, ABC) - Emily seeks guidance from her mentor after losing her most trusted ally. Meanwhile, Victoria finds herself all alone and Tyler continues to cause damage.

The state Highway Patrol said it will release dismissal letters for two recently-fired troopers if the firings are unchallenged or upheld by the secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, who oversees the patrol.

Lt. Michael Faison and Trooper Hubert Sealey were fired last week, according to the Fayetteville Observer. Both were assigned to the Fayetteville-based Troop B. Sealey is a Robeson County commissioner.

The patrol has only said the firings do not involve criminal misconduct. The patrol's spokesman, Sgt. Jeff Gordon, had told the Fayetteville newspaper that the dismissal letters would only be public if the troopers had appealed their firings to Crime Control Secretary Reuben Young and he upheld them. That suggested the dismissal letters might not become public if the two troopers chose not to appeal.

Last year, the state legislature passed a new law that makes dismissal letters public. The new law followed our three-part series, Keeping Secrets, that showed North Carolina had one of the most secretive personnel laws in the nation.

This week, Gordon clarified the patrol's position on dismissals. He provided a memo from Joe Dugdale, the patrol's general counsel, that explains that dismissal letters for the two troopers would become public unless Young decides to reinstate them.

The letters may not be the ones that patrol Commander Michael Gilchrist wrote. If Young handles the appeals, the dismissal letters would come from him.

This is consistent with the new law, which makes public dismissal letters that represent a department's final decision. That provision is intended to keep private allegations of misbehavior that were later found to be untrue during the internal appeal process.

One new bit of information about one of the troopers: Faison served a three-day suspension for disciplinary reasons in 1996, roughly four years after he joined the patrol. The new law makes public such suspensions, though it does not require the reason for the suspension to be disclosed.

Gordon said the two troopers do not have the option to try to resign to avoid the release of a dismissal letter. At this point, they can be reinstated (possibly to a lesser position) or dismissed.

Ben Taylor is out on his highest-profile tour to date, a father/son outing with his dad -- you know, the guy who did that song about this part of the world. For the younger Taylor's thoughts on the show, see the preview of their Saturday show (which is way soldout) in Friday's paper. And here are links to a couple of videos that came up in the conversation, "Nothing I Can Do" and "Wicked Way."

After 17 years behind the big desk, Jay Leno tapes his final "Tonight Show" on Friday, and his last guest will also be his successor: Conan O'Brien.

O'Brien begins hosting "The Tonight Show" on Monday, June 1, and Leno's new 10pm show will launch in September.

Leno's farewell week has been filled with some of his favorite guests over the past decade and a half, like Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Lyle Lovett, and Billy Crystal.

Tonight's show features Wanda Sykes and Prince.

My colleague Ryan Beckwith is taking suggestions over at the N&O's political blog about what should be North Carolina's official rock song. A few states do have them, and a dust-up erupted in Oklahoma recently after the Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize??" proved to be a controversial state-song selection with more conservative members of the state legislature.

If they put this to any sort of vote, it's a lead-pipe cinch that James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind" would win. And that's a lovely song, sure, but way too obvious. I'd put in a vote for something more left-field -- Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Put a Lid on It," say, or the Connells' "Stone Cold Yesterday"; perhaps Let's Active's "Every Word Means No." Or, in honor of the state's growing Latino population, Rey Norteno's "Raleigh."

Over to you, what should it be? Weigh in here, or at Under the Dome.

We know it's short notice, but James Taylor will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show today.

Her show airs here at 4pm, but usually repeats on WTVD again at 1am, just after The Jimmy Kimmel Show. 

Friday means "Oprah Fridays Live in Chicago," so Taylor could join Oprah, Gail, Ali Wentworth, and Mark Consuelos on their panel. He will perform for sure.