Garden's 'Jingle Ball' hits the small screen

"Z100's Jingle Ball" at Madison Square Garden has long been the king of the holiday radio shows, where the top music stars of the year gather to celebrate their successes with short, hit-filled sets that require little heavy lifting.

Think of it as the concert equivalent of all those year-end recap shows that run around this time. "Jingle Ball" has been a strictly in-person experience - until this year, when Fuse decided to bring it to TV for the first time.

HIGHLIGHTS

Let's be honest, five songs isn't enough for the full Justin Bieber Experience. The Bieb got it going with "Somebody to Love," showing off some fancy moves with his four dancers. But after showing a preview of his upcoming 3-D movie and delivering his new ballad, "Pray," there really wasn't much time. That made his bit to tease fans by delaying "Baby" for a few minutes seem odd, even though he did teach the families of Long Island and New Jersey how to Dougie and Jerk.

Katy Perry continued her quest to get people to think she's a serious artist, even entering her Madonna Newlywed phase, in which she speaks in almost a British accent, by turning the opening of "Hot N Cold" into a Christmas carol mash-up and the start of "I Kissed a Girl" into a torch song. She fared better with "Teenage Dream" and "California Gurls," and especially the inspirational "Firework."

The high-powered Paramore cleansed the palate after the bland sets of Taio Cruz and Bruno Mars, as well as proved that hard rock can still work with a pop audience.

REASON TO WATCH

All the performances from the sold-out pop-culture bash, including Katy Perry and Enrique Iglesias, with the screaming turned down to non-eardrum-piercing levels and no chance of being toppled by hordes of running teenage girls.

BOTTOM LINE

Hopefully, Fuse continues to broadcast "Z100's Jingle Ball." And hopefully pop's newer stars learn they have to up their games to play well on TV and to compete with The Bieb and Perry.