Reality check

Nine finalists will attempt to unleash their inner Pussycat Doll as they sing, dance and compete to become the newest member of the chart-topping, multiplatinum group in Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll, premiering tonight on The CW. Judges on the series include the group's founder and choreographer, Robin Antin, along with Ron Fair, chairman of Geffen Records, and Grammy Award-winning performing artist Lil' Kim.

• 8 p.m., CW-2 (KWGN)

Numbers game

26.5 million viewers on Tuesday for the debut of Fox's quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, making it the most- watched series debut in Fox- network history and the most popular debut of any series since 1998, according to Nielsen Media Research. Adult contestants are asked questions based on elementary-school textbooks. Fifth-grade "experts" are on hand to show up the adults.

Chatter

"It used to be that campaigning was the interval between governing. Now governing is the interval between campaigning."

Bob Schieffer, host of CBS' Face the Nation, on the length of modern political campaigns

BBC shares

The British Broadcasting Corp. began showing excerpts from its news and entertainment programs on the YouTube video-sharing Web site Friday, becoming the first international broadcaster to sign a major deal with the Google Inc.-owned portal. In an agreement that analysts described as a key step for both the BBC and YouTube, the BBC is offering three channels on the site, including one showing up to 30 news clips a day. The deal gives the BBC access to millions more viewers and gives YouTube the credibility of the venerable British broadcaster.