blue glow
SALON'S TV PICKS FOR
WEEKEND, DEC. 18-20, 1998
BY JOYCE MILLMAN

S P E C I A L S

Brooke Shields hosts Christmas in Washington (10 p.m. Fri., NBC), and, oh, what a merry place it must be this year! The program includes performances from Aretha Franklin, Martina McBride and the band that played on the Titanic. (Kidding.) The It's a Wonderful Life (8 p.m. Sat., NBC) showing tally stands at two; this is NBC's second airing of the Christmas classic in three weeks. There'll be more. Bud Greenspan's documentary Nagano '98 Olympics: Stories of Honor and Glory (8 p.m. Sun., Showtime) focuses on athletes who sucked it up and gave it their all at the Winter Games, including Chinese figure skater Lu Chen and Italian skier Deborah Compagnoni. Whoopi Goldberg hosts A Very Special Christmas from Washington, D.C. (8 p.m. Sun., TNT), a benefit concert for the Special Olympics featuring Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Jon Bon Jovi, Tracy Chapman, Run-DMC and others. The Academy Award-nominated 1995 version of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (8 p.m. Sun., NBC) comes to network TV. Emma Thompson (who won an Oscar for her screenplay) and Kate Winslet play sisters of humble means and opposite temperaments. Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman are the gents who come to call. The Nobel Peace Concert (8 p.m. Sun., Fox Family) features an international lineup including Elton John, Phil Collins, Shania Twain, the Cranberries and Alanis Morissette. It's five hours of classic Christmas episodes from "The Brady Bunch," "Bewitched," "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and other faves on A Nick at Nite Christmas (9 p.m. Sun., Nickelodeon). The two-hour "Biography" special Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (9 p.m. EST/10 PST, Sun., A&E) documents a year in the life of Bret "Hitman" Hart, pro wrestler.

S E R I E S

Sammo and Terrell go undercover in the slammer to investigate an arms smuggling ring on Martial Law (9 p.m. Sat., CBS). Pity the fool who tries to make Sammo his bride ... Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC) has a compilation of Christmas skits past. Lyle Lovett is in the spotlight on Sessions at West 54th (check local times, Sat., PBS). On The Simpsons (8 p.m. Sun., Fox), Homer stands up to Fat Tony (Joe Mantegna) and becomes Mayor Quimby's bodyguard. Meanwhile, Mark Hamill comes to town to star in the Springfield Dinner Theater's "Star Wars"-style reworking of "Guys and Dolls." The X-Files (9 p.m. Sun., Fox) reruns the episode where Scully learns that she may have a long lost daughter. And The Practice (10 p.m. Sun., ABC) reruns the two-parter starring John Larroquette as a clever two-time murder defendant. Larroquette won an Emmy for his performance.

S P O R T S

Football:
Jets at Bills (12:30 p.m. Sat., CBS)
Buccaneers at Redskins (4 p.m. Sat., Fox)
Ravens at Bears; Bengals at Steelers; Chiefs at Giants; Oilers at Packers (1 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Falcons at Lions; 49ers at Patriots; Rams at Panthers (1 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Colts at Seahawks; Raiders at Chargers (4 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Saints at Cardinals; Eagles at Cowboys (4 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Jaguars at Vikings (8:15 p.m. Sun., ESPN)

T A L K

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg
David Letterman (CBS) Julia Roberts
Jay Leno (NBC) Bridget Fonda, Sarah McLachlan
Charlie Rose (PBS) Iraq and impeachment update
Politically Incorrect (ABC) David Lowry, Paul Rodriguez
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Jeff Goldblum, Carol Leifer, the Flys
SALON | Dec. 18, 1998

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Blue Glow for Thursday, Dec. 17, 1998