Brooke Burke is our “Dancing” queen.

The 37-year-old former model and host captured the mirror-ball trophy Tuesday night on “Dancing With the Stars,” topping former Oakland Raiders star Warren Sapp and pop singer Lance Bass.

It was a victory you couldn’t really argue with. Just as Krisiti Yamaguchi did last season, Burke proved from the start that she was the most accomplished dancer (with partner Derek Hough) among the field, often looking every bit as agood as the pros. She became the second consecutive woman to win after Yamaguchi did in May. Before that there hadn’t been a female winner since Kelly Monaco in the first season.

Burke and Hough put the ribbon on the season with their final dance — an elegant Viennese Waltz that earned a perfect score of 30.

Judge Len Goodman called it “the dance of the season.” And Bruno Tonioli told Burke, “You are truly the jewel in the crown of this grand finale.” Carrie Ann Inaba was reduced to tears.

Otherwise, NBC doesn’t look to have a lot of scintillating content planned for when the new year hits — not that that’s much different from now. “Chuck” and “Heroes” will be taking the year off. The “Life” time slot will be filled with “Law & Order: SVU” reruns. And “Lipstick Jungle,” again, looks to be a goner.

Hogging the spotlight will be a lot of reality programming. There’s an international dance competition called “Superstars of Dance” (Jan. 4), and a show produced by Ryan Seacrest called “Momma’s Boys” (Jan. 5), which has mothers helping sons pick their mates. And Howie Mandel will head a series called “Howie Do It” (Jan. 9), in which he plays pranks on people. Oh goody.

And let’s not forget a new edition of “The Biggest Loser” (Jan., 6), which could also describe NBC’s fate in the Nielsen race.

There’s also a miniseries in the works: ” “The Last Templar” (Jan. 25 and 26).

The best news for struggling NBC? They’ve got the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

For the first time, all nine of the Thanksgiving-themed “Friends” episodes have been compiled in one place for the holiday — at TheWB.com.

Memorable Thanksgiving shenanigans on “Friends” include the touch football game from Season 3 in which tempers flare during a not-so-“friendly” game. Also, there was Brad Pitt’s Emmy-winning guest appearance from Season 8, as Monica invites an old friend (Pitt) to Thanksgiving dinner with the gang, unaware that he dislikes Rachel.

In addition, the site this week features Thanksgiving-themed episodes from other shows like “Everwood,” “The O.C.,” “Gilmore Girls” and “In Living Color.”

We don’t do the spoiler thing here at TV Freak. So you’ll get no big hints at what happens in tonight’s spectacular 90-minute finale of “The Shield.”

All I can say is that this groundbreaking crime series goes out the way all great shows should (but few do), which is brilliantly. And, yes, we get a definitive ending to the Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) story. There is no munching on onion rings in a roadside diner. There is no abrupt fade to black.

This is probably one of the best drama finales I’ve seen. It contains tantalizing twists, a couple of real shocks and some highly poignant moments. It’s a finale you really feel.

There are some great acting performances from the usual suspects that we’ve come to expect (Walton Goggins as Shane is particularly effective) and even one from a guest star — Andre Benjamin of Outkast — that you might not expect. He is excellent as a rabble-rousing political shyster.

Even if you’ve lost track of “The Shield” over the years, it’s worth your while to return to the Barn tonight to see what creator Shawn Ryan and his remarkable ensemble have concocted as their going-away gift. No doubt about it, this show will definitely be missed.

I’m one “Dancing With the Stars” watcher who hasn’t been caught up in all the Warren Sapp hype. OK, he has some good moves — for a big man. And he is an entertainer. But so is Brooke Burke and she kicks his butt when it comes to techincal wizardry. So hand her the ugly trophy right now.

Dancing a superb freestyle to the “Grease” tune of “You’re the One That I Want,” Burke and her partner Derek Hough displayed moves that John Travolta and Olivia Newton John could only dream of. They jumped up and danced on the judges’ table. They did flips and gyrations and various acrobatics. And, yes, it was … electrifying.

Judge Bruno Tonioli raved that they “ended up in positions I’ve only seen in the Kama Sutra.” Len Goodman called it the best freestyle he had ever seen and the routine earned three perfect 10’s. Combined with their solid performance in the so-called “Samba Smackdown,” it gave Burke a total score of 58 — five points ahead of both Sapp and Lance Bass, who were tied at 53.

The Season 7 champ will be announced Tuesday night, when the three finalists perform one more routine. The judges will score that performance and that total will be figured into Monday’s score (a mix of judging and audience marks). I once flunked algebra, so don’t ask me how to figure it out.

Sapp, the former Oakland Raiders star, gave Burke a run for her money in the freestyle as he combined with partner Kym Johnson on a wildly energetic routine to Ike and Tina Turner’s “Poud Mary.” It received two 9’s and a 10 from Goodman.

Meanwhile, Bass settled for three 9’s for his hip-hop freestyle done to Run-DMC’s “It’s Tricky.”

Brace yourself for yet another bloated finale, featuring performances by Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus, the return of all the castoffs and lots and lots of padding.

Just as the Democrats have regained control of the White House, word comes that liberal commentator Alan Colmes will relinquish his role as co-host of “Hannity & Colmes” on the Fox News Channel at the end of the year.

In announcing his decision, Colmes said, “I approached Bill Shine (FNC’s Senior Vice President of Programming) earlier this year about wanting to move on after 12 years to develop new and challenging ways to contribute to the growth of the network. Although it’s bittersweet to leave one of the longest marriages on cable news, I’m proud that both Sean (Hannity) and I remained unharmed after sitting side by side, night after night for so many years.”

Colmes will continue to have a presence on FNC as he will serve as a liberal commentator on a variety of FOX News programming, including Foxnews.com’s “The Strategy Room” and continue hosting his radio program, “The Alan Colmes Show” on FOX Talk, a division of FOX News Radio. He will also begin developing a weekend program.

Shine said, “We’re very sorry to see Alan reach this decision but we understand his desire to seek other creative challenges in his career. We value his incredible hard work in making “Hannity & Colmes” the most successful debate program on cable news and we’re going to miss him on the show. Thankfully, he will begin developing a weekend pilot for us.”

“Hannity & Colmes” is the only FNC program which has remained in the same timeslot for 12 years, catapulting to No. 1 in 2003 and never relinquishing the top spot. It’s the second highest-rated program in cable news behind only “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Hannity added, “Not only has Alan been a remarkable co-host, he’s been a great friend which is rare in this industry — I’ll genuinely miss sparring with such a skillful debate partner.”

Colmes represented a rare liberal voice on the conservative-minded FNC, but critics often complained that he mainly served as a punching bag for Hannity and visiting pundits.

There are some TV viewers who aren’t completely happy unless Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is running around like a sleep-deprived madman, blowing things up and doling out bloody beatdowns to bad guys until they spit teeth. For these “24″ junkies, there just isn’t enough Jack Bauer in this world.

So you can imagine the anguish they felt when, due to the writers strike, Jack and his turbocharged “24″ went AWOL last January. What, an entire season without around-the-clock gunplay and double-crosses? In some ways it must have felt like having to endure one of the show’s infamous torture sequences.

Fortunately, the wily programmers at Fox recognized the inhumanity of it all. So instead of forcing fans to wait until January for a new season of “24,” they’re serving up a tasty little appetizer tonight in the form of a two-hour movie called “24: Redemption.” And if it just happens to get viewers stoked for Season 7, well then, all the better.

The film picks up some time after Season 6, with our macho-man hero living in the make-believe African country of Sangala. There, he works as a missionary, alongside an old special-ops buddy (Robert Carlyle) at a school for young boys.

Alas, Jack’s world is never at peace for long. Trouble has a way of finding him. Soon a nerdy government flack (Gil Bellows of “Ally McBeal”) shows up with a subpoena ordering Jack back to the States to answer to a Senate subcommittee for “illegal detention and torture” of creepy villains during his CTU days.

This just happens to coincide with the actions of a murderous warlord who is forcing innocent children to join his militia in an attempt to overthrow the government. Of course, Jack can’t just sit back and watch this happen. He has to rise up and kick some butt.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Cherry Jones is playing America’s first female president (”24″ already has been there, done that, with an African-American commander in chief) who, on her inauguration day, learns of the chaos in Africa and is none too pleased. Also, we get hints that a shady businessman (Jon Voight) is funding the coup.

For some reason, the producers felt it necessary to cover all this while adhering to the real-time conceit of the series. But at a jam-packed two hours (between 3 and 5 p.m.), the movie cheats time so much, it’s laughable.

But no matter. It’s just a blast to see Jack back in action after all this time, even though his habit of uttering most of his dialogue in a raspy whisper is starting to fray my nerves. It’s also great to see “24″ open up its world — much of the film was shot in Cape Town — and assume the feel of something larger in scope.

“Redemption” contains all the adrenaline-laced explosiveness one would expect of a typical “24″ episode. It also serves as a satisfying stage-setter for January’s Season 7.

More importantly, “redemption” could be a fitting motto for a series that lost some steam during Season 6 and was bashed by critics and viewers alike. If the stunning, action-packed sneak preview that follows tonight’s film is any indication, “24″ just might be on its way toward achieving just that.

If Barack Obama’s ascension to the White House means change has come to America, isn’t it only fitting that change come to the art of skewering the news?

Comedians David Alan Grier and D.L. Hughley would like to think so. Just as the Obama administration revs up for action, they’re headlining new prime-time shows that bring a much-needed black perspective to a genre dominated by the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

On Comedy Central’s “Chocolate News,” Grier plays a serious-as-a-heart-attack anchorman who, after delivering a rant-filled commentary, declares the program to be “the only source for pure, uncircumcised realness from an Afro-American perspective.”

That sets the stage for a series of phony news-magazine stories that delve into the state of race relations while exposing funny and, sometimes, uncomfortable truths.

These sketches allow the versatile Grier to channel his old “In Living Color” days by playing a wide range of oddball characters. In the show’s early weeks, the bits have covered such hilariously bizarre topics as aging white rap fans going through detox sessions at a “De-Negrofication” institute, a meeting between white and black groups struggling to negotiate an “N-word peace treaty,” and the insidious “Fat Black Mama Syndrome” (a condition that causes men to dress up like women).

The comedy, at times, is overly broad. In one sketch, for example, Grier plays a supposedly legendary figure who was the Jackie Robinson of the porn-film industry. As you might expect, things get raunchy and foul-mouthed, and the writers eventually kill the joke by incessantly hammering away at the punch line.

But while it doesn’t strike gold all the time, “Chocolate News” is certainly less uneven than a typical episode of “Saturday Night Live.” And when it’s on its game, it’s really on.

In some ways, it feels like a worthy successor to “Chappelle’s Show,” and wouldn’t Comedy Central be thrilled to see it match that defunct series in popularity? At its best, “Chappelle’s” could make you laugh until soda sprayed from your nasal cavities, and simultaneously deliver razor-sharp takes on race and culture.

“Chocolate News” isn’t quite there yet, but it definitely has a lot of the right components in place.

Not quite as rollicking — or promising — is “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News,” which represents a bit of a risk for CNN as it tries to inject a little humor into its normally staid demeanor and appeal to young audiences a la Stewart and Colbert.

Unfortunately, so far the show isn’t all that funny or insightful. It opens with Hughley sitting at a desk and riffing on the latest headlines as Stewart does on “The Daily Show.” Only too many of the jokes fall flat and feel forced.

During each show, Hughley also conducts interviews with both legitimate and phony newsmakers. An example of the latter had George Washington coming back as a CNN hologram and expressing disbelief that America had actually elected an African-American president. No disrespect to George, but his wooden teeth were probably less painful than this segment.

It’s not that Hughley can’t find the funny in current events. I’ve seen him make his share of side-splitting observations on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.” But the format — and the writing — on this show don’t seem to be good fits for him, and at times he looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Hughley appears to be much more at ease and loose in segments that take him out of the studio and thrust him into man-on-the-street interviews. But these segments make up a fraction of the overall show, which could use a little more imagination and a lot more humor.

Ned the Piemaker has the magic touch, but it looks like there’s something he just can’t bring back to life: His own show.

Yes, “Pushing Daisies” was canceled this week by ABC, along with two other dramas. And you could see this coming from the day it arrived in prime time. “Pushing Daisies” was just too different to last. Too whimsical. Too quirky. … Too good.

And so it will be put to rest — along with “Eli Stone” and “Dirty, Sexy Money.” Yet shows like “Knight Rider” and “Kath & Kim” live on. Whoever said TV was fair?

With its fairy-tale frills, candy-colored production design and wry writing, there was simply nothing else like “Daisies” on television. Yes, it was a little too precious at times. And hopeful and innocent. But it’s galling to think that viewers would rather watch another paint-by numbers murder procedural and/or derivative reality show than take a chance on this wondrous series.

Funny how things work. There is a never-ending whine from the public that television contains nothing but shlock — that it never does anything original or smart or uplifting. The problem is that, too often, when it does attempt to raise the bar, not enough people notice.

Sad. Just sad.

Looking to boost its Sunday-night ratings, the network has decided to scrap the night’s entire lineup, which had been farmed out to the Media Rights Capital production company.

In its place in primetime, the network will air reruns of “Jericho” at 7 p.m., followed by MGM movies. The CW will also air “Everybody Hates Chris” and “The Game” from 5-6 p.m. and repeats of “The Drew Carey Show” from 6-7 p.m.

According to TV Week, CW insiders expect this schedule to stay in place through the end of the season while alternatives are explored.
That means you can say good-bye to shows like “Harm’s Way,” “Valentine,” and “Easy Money,” which were seen by at least a dozen people — give or take a few.

The addition of “Jericho” is an interesting strategy. The apocalyptic drama was canceled by The CW’s corporate sibling, CBS, after its first season. But a frenzied fan revolt persuaded CBS to revive the show for an abbreviated second season, only to give it the boot again after ratings failed to pick up.