Raleigh's PNC Arena has three large concert dates on tap for 2013, although only one of them is firmed up enough to have an actual on-sale date. That's blues-rock demigod Eric Clapton, scheduled to play April 3 (a return visit after his March 2010 PNC show). Tickets go on sale Dec. 7.

The other two dates are in a somewhat more nebulous state. Country-pop superstar Taylor Swift's tour schedule came out a few weeks back amid much hoopla, and it included Raleigh on Sept. 13 with the venue listed as "TBA" -- which it still is, according to Pollstar. Arena management says that Swift is "confirmed to return" to PNC, but the date is still up in the air and "should be finalized soon."

Finally, just announced is Bon Jovi's "Because We Can" tour with 33 dates on the itinerary, including Charlotte on March 5. Raleigh is listed as a city to be scheduled later, "additional details to come." Since Bon Jovi and Swift are playing arenas elsewhere, PNC should be the likely Raleigh venue for both.

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (8pm, CBS ABC) - Charlie is the hapless host and Snoopy is in the kitchen dishing up ice cream, popcorn and toast for Thanksgiving. Included is a bonus cartoon, "This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers," which finds the gang aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute (8pm, CNN) - Anderson Cooper hosts the fourth annual salute to everyday people for their work improving the world. Bon Jovi, Sugarland, and John Legend with Common and Melanie Fiona perform. Presenters include Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, LL Cool J, Kid Rock, Demi Moore, Marisa Tomei, Keifer Sutherland, Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler, and Renee Zellweger. The 33 rescued Chilean miners and five of their rescuers are also recognized. Read more here, and view a photogallery of images from the ceremony.

Taylor Swift: Speak Now (8pm, NBC) - A behind-the-scenes look at Taylor Swift's travels from New York to Los Angeles, which include recording sessions, a video shoot, run-ins with paparazzi, and autograph signings. Swift also performs at unusual venues along the way. More info here.

NBC's People of the Year (9pm, NBC) - Matt Lauer spotlights notable people of 2010, including Chilean miner rescuer Brandon Fisher. Also featured: NBA player Lebron James, Manhattan mosque developer Sharif El-Gamal, pop singer Justin Timberlake, and others.

Beyonce's I Am ... World Tour (10pm, ABC) - A look at performances, production, costumes, choreography, and backstage and offstage moments from Beyonce's world tour in support of her CD "I Am ... Sasha Fierce." Included: appearances by Kanye West and Jay-Z, and footage from Croatia, Africa, China, Australia, and Abu Dhabi.

I was looking at the red carpet photo gallery from the Country Music Awards,  which Brooke Cain thoughtfully included in her blog, Happiness is a Warm TV. My first response was, these folks don't look like the country music stars from days gone by. Grandpa Jones and Conway Twitty come to mind. The CMA red carpet looked indistinguishable from a Hollywood red carpet. Back in the day, country music stars were, let us say, more regular-people looking.

As tributes go, being namechecked in somebody else's song is right up there on the list of flattering things to get. And it's even moreso if the song is named after you -- like "Tim McGraw," which was Taylor Swift's breakthrough hit back in 2006.

"My reaction was that I didn't know if I should feel honored, or just old," McGraw said in a recent interview. "But I found out she was about 14 and in math class when she wrote that, which made me feel better. She was pretty nervous when we first met, but it was fine. I told her I appreciated it. It's cool to have a song written about you, especially by a teenager. I didn't think any teenagers even knew who I was."

For more, see the interview in Friday's paper.

By David Menconi
Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- One song into her sold-out Saturday night show at the RBC Center, Taylor Swift paused to drink in a little adulation. Youthful distaff shrieks rained down and she smirked while surveying her domain. You could almost read the thought running through her mind:

How ya like me now?

Swift is a high-school revenge fantasy come to life, unafraid to show off the chip on her shoulder. And who hasn't fantasized about becoming a wildly successful pop star, and really showin' 'em? Like Shania Twain, she owes as much to '70s-vintage arena-rock as she does to anybody's notion of "country music." Like Avril Lavigne, she credibly speaks the lingo of growing up. And like Elvis Costello, she is all about revenge and guilt.

Saturday's show had an elaborate stage backdrop that variously served as a high school hallway, library, enchanted forest, castle and landscape of flames. Swift, her backup band and crew of dancers acted out various songs, most of which were about somebody who done wronged her.

Introducing "Teardrops on My Guitar," Swift described a high-school crush who would only talk to her about his girlfriend. "So I never told him I liked him," she said. "But I did write a song about him. So he knows now." Then she gave a sweet smile that, once again, turned into a smirk.

The show clocked in at two hours, 16 songs and multiple costume changes, from drum-major uniform to slinky red dress. Swift played a credible guitar, which also yielded another story about somebody who dissed her -- a guitar teacher who told her she'd never be able to play 12-string because her fingers were too small. Then she smirked again and strummed the first verse of "Fifteen" just fine.

Ten of 16 songs came from last year's mega-selling "Fearless," including the title track, "White Horse" and "Forever & Always" -- which was prefaced by a videoclip interview where Swift said that if guys don't want songs written about them, "They shouldn't do bad things." She sang "Fifteen" and "Hey Stephen" from out in the crowd, passing out a few score hugs and even an autograph or two on her way back to the stage.

That was sweet, but the show closed on a defiant note with "Should've Said No." A sheet of falling water appeared, spelling out the word NO. Swift sang the final verse beneath it, getting thoroughly drenched. Then she clenched a wet, triumphant fist and waved goodbye as the curtain fell.

Revenge is a dish best served cold -- and, apparently, wet.

david.menconi@newsobserver.com or blogs.newsobserver.com/beat or 919-829-4759

Taylor Swift has had a charmed career so far, but one of her few missteps happened in an unfortunately high-profile venue: Singing with Stevie Nicks at the Grammy Awards, and going hideously off-key. Since then, Swift's relative merits have been the subject of much debate within the music industry, which is desperate for a lasting young mega-star to come along.

"As people point out in her defense, she still writes her own songs and is incredibly smart and talented," says Sean Ross, vice president of music and programming for Edison Media research. "So far she's done nothing wrong except try to sing 'Rhiannon' next to Stevie Nicks -- which I couldn't do, either. Just like the Jonas Brothers are still smart and talented, except they thought they could sing 'Superstition' next to Stevie Wonder. It may be in the same way teenagers think smoking will never have any consequences, that also applies to singing next to famous classic-rock acts."

For more on Swift and her Saturday night show in Raleigh, see the story in Friday's paper.

I am, admittedly, easily amused. But trust me just this once -- give this a look for at least the first minute, and see if it doesn't put you on the floor, too (because it still cracks me up, even after repeated viewings). And after that, give this one a whirl. You'll be glad you did.

(Thanks, Bob.)

You could say that concert-ticket prices are like the weather, in that everybody complains without doing anything about 'em -- except to go right on paying sky-high prices. Prices have only gotten higher on the "secondary" ticket-selling sites, where people buy and sell tickets with little regard for what the original face price was. And when it comes to where those tickets originally came from, more often than not the fix is in.

So even though, say, Taylor Swift's upcoming Raleigh show has been "officially" sold-out for months, plenty of tickets are still available, just as long as you're willing to shell out big bucks. Confused at to how and why that happens? See this story from Sunday's paper.

ADDENDUM (5/23/10): More on V.I.P. tickets.

See, this is why you can't totally quit SNL. Just when you think the show is beyond lame and that a guest host like Taylor Swift is sure to be weak and boring, it surprises you with goodness.

Not greatness, but solid goodness.

There were many solidly good moments in last night's show, starting with Swift's hilarious "Monologue Song," in which she took some jabs at Joe Jonas and also addressed her current boyfriend Taylor Lautner (the werewolf in "Twilight") and of course, Kanye West. And speaking of "Twilight," the digital short spoof on that movie ("Firelight") which subbed Frankenstein monsters for vampires, was dead-on. I also loved Swift in the PSA about dangerous things parents do while driving. Even the very last skit, an infomercial for an album called "Bunny Business," had funny impressions of Natalie Merchant, Shakira, Adam Duritz, and Jennifer Hudson.

Click below to watch Taylor Swift sing her "Monologue Song."

The Wanda Sykes Show (11pm, Fox) - Tonight is the debut of Wanda Sykes' new talk show, the first late night network talk show hosted by a woman since the Joan Rivers disaster of '86. Don't expect this one to go down in flames, though. Wanda Sykes is hilarious and it's a smart move to go for Saturday nights. Wanda's show will have an open bar for her guests (which should make things really interesting), and will include sketches, a monologue, and panel discussions about current events. Using Chris Rock's old HBO show as a blueprint, Wanda says she wants her to show to be fun and wants viewers to feel like they're "hanging out at my spot with me and my friends.” Her first guests include Mary Lynn Rajskub, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, and “Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan. The show will air each Saturday night at 11pm on Fox.

Saturday Night Live (11:30pm, NBC) - SNL returns tonight after a couple of weeks off, and Taylor Swift is the host and musical guest. I'm expecting at least one Kanye West joke. Question is, who can play Kanye? Will they draw some crop circles on Fred Armisen's head and make him try that one too?