The 2012 documentary "Me the Zoo" (9 p.m., HBO) examines the curious contemporary phenomenon of instant Internet celebrity. The film profiles teenage video blogger Chris Crocker, who gained near-universal recognition with his "Leave Britney Alone" mani-

festo. Along the way, "Me the Zoo" ponders how social media have changed the way young people communicate, tell stories and conduct their lives, online and off.

Crocker lives with his grandparents and seems to document every moment of his waking life. His insistence on identifying as a woman has made him the object of bullying and has confused his loved ones. In one of his many films, his grandmother declares, "I can't realize you're a girl when you are standing here looking like a guy."

After being beaten up and taunted in public schools, Crocker was home-schooled and discovered the Internet as a way to connect with the outside world. Crocker's online performances and his defense of Britney Spears have brought him an enormous audience and some measure of fame. But is he any less isolated? Is there a difference between communicating and "performing"? Between "documenting" life and living it?

---The music biography series "Unsung" (9 p.m., TV One) kicks off a new eight-epi-

sode series with a profile of Sly and the Family Stone.

The band's pioneering blend of funk, soul, rock and R&B made it one of the more unique sounds of the late 1960s. A standout performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 suggested a bright future, but the Family Stone descended into personality clashes and drug abuse, and the band earned a reputation for erratic behavior. After decades as a recluse who famously refused interviews, Sly Stone emerges to offer his take on his story, his band and its influence.

---The slackers on "Worka holics" (9 p.m., Comedy Central, r, TV-14) celebrate a holiday of their own invention: Half-Christmas. Upset that their boss doesn't give them time off for the quasi-yuletide, they go on strike.

In keeping with the brand-new tradition, Comedy Central also repeats "Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Spe cial" (8 p.m.), a holiday puppet extravaganza from 2008.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

---Hopefuls hit the pool in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials (8 p.m., NBC).

---Fashion sets the agenda on "Hell's Kitchen" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

---Ricky mulls a job offer on "The Secret Life of the Ameri can Teenager" (8 p.m., ABC Family, TV-14).

---Judges break the gang into teams and give them the breakfast shift at a resort on "MasterChef" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

---Trapped in a life of quiet desperation, a steelworker (Garret Dillahunt) turns to online fantasy with disastrous results in the 2012 drama "Tall Hot Blonde" (9 p.m., Lifetime), based on real events.

---Fanny's lawyer delivers some disturbing news on "Bunheads" (9 p.m., ABC Family, TV-14).

---Evidence of sabotage on "Eureka" (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-PG).

---Bo infiltrates a fight club on "Lost Girl" (10 p.m., Syfy).

CULT CHOICE

Will Smith stars in the 2001 biopic "Ali" (8 p.m., BET), co-starring Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles and the late Ron Silver.

SERIES NOTES

---A grave affair on "How I Met Your Mother" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

---The pressure mounts on "Breaking Pointe" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14).

---A hammer on "2 Broke Girls" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

---Walden sets a poor example on "Two and a Half Men" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

---Navid apologizes on "90210" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14).

---Mike botches Valentine's Day on "Mike & Molly" (9:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

---Chin Ho's bachelor party is interrupted on "Hawaii Five-O" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT

---Mila Kunis, Joel Stein and Rory Scovel appear on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS).

---Emma Stone, Jimmie Walker and Diamond Rugs appear on "Late Show With David Letter man" (11:35 p.m., CBS).

---Jay Leno welcomes Louis C.K., Lolo Jones and Delta Rae on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC).

---Katy Perry and the Offspring appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (midnight, ABC).

---Charlie Sheen, Beth Stern, Anthony Davis and Alabama Shakes visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC).

---Craig Ferguson hosts Elijah Wood and Kathleen Rose Perkins on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.