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.

It's looking like a particularly awesome year for records by acts and alumni of the Triangle, and a bumper crop is coming out on April 7. Among that day's bounty:

Ben Folds -- The expatriate Chapel Hill pianist has a release titled "Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella!," consisting of college a capella vocal groups covering his songs. Folds plays Wednesday at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Fittingly, UNC-Chapel Hill's Loreleis are among the opening acts.

Superchunk -- Not too long ago, it looked like Superchunk might never be heard from again. But now the group is dropping a mini-album called "Leaves in the Gutter," and Mac MacCaughan is even talking about a Superchunk full-length album. Will wonders never cease?

James Taylor -- Following up last fall's successful "Covers" album, the Chapel Hill graduate will release a mini-album called "Other Covers" on April 7. The seven-track set includes Chuck Berry's "Memphis" and Tom Waits' "Shiver Me Timbers."

Roman Candle -- Skipping ahead five weeks, this Chapel Hill pop band will finally emerge from years of record-label purgatory to release its second full-length album, "Oh Tall Tree in the Ear," May 12 on Carnival Recording Company. Check the first track, "Eden Was a Garden," streaming at the group's MySpace.

HBO's We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial was pretty great, and we're glad they let us poor folks watch it for free.

There were some fantastic moments. The show opened with a reading from Denzel and closed with Beyonce singing "America the Beautiful," and everything in between was just about perfect. Springsteen sang "The Rising" backed by a gospel choir, John Mellencamp sang a rousing version of "Little Pink Houses," Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi killed with their version of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come," and Garth Brooks rocked unexpectedly hard on three songs, including "American Pie" and "Shout."  Just as special were Usher & Stevie Wonder with Shakira, Will.i.am with Herbie Hancock & Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Pete Seeger, Josh Groban and U2.

North Carolina native James Taylor sang ...

We're all a little tired of year-end best-of lists by now, so here's one that takes a different angle: Pitchfork's 20 worst album covers of 2008, which is mean yet hilarious -- especially the borderline-offensive comment about spiritual North Carolinian James Taylor's latest.

But hey, I must confess that I giggled...

Put James Taylor (who was acting, not singing) behind the wheel of a mega-powered '55 Chevy, and that's one ingredient in a favorite film classic. But just because movie characters can get away with illegal street racing, that doesn't mean real-life racers don't deserve to be busted good and hard.