The Ennui and the Ecstasy
By Janelle Brown
Simon Reynolds' "Generation Ecstasy" and Iara Lee's "Modulations" dryly document the rise and fall of rave

blue glow
SALON'S TV PICKS FOR
LABOR DAY WEEKEND, SEPT. 4-7, 1998
BY JOYCE MILLMAN

S P E C I A L S

Greatest sitcom of all time, or preachy '70s relic that's not even the least bit funny? The 13-hour M*A*S*H Bootcamp Marathon (beginning 9 a.m. Sun., FX) will give you ample time to decide. A Planet of the Apes Marathon (all day Sun., Mon., American Movie Classics) unspools the 1968 original, plus its four sequels, as well as a new documentary about the "Apes" phenomenon, Behind the Planet of the Apes (5:30 and 10 p.m. Sun.). The two-hour first episode of ER (8 p.m. Sun., TNT) kicks off the series' cable syndication run. The 1994 opener charts Carter's first day on the job as a queasy resident. Weeknight reruns of "ER" begin Monday (7 p.m., TNT). The cable documentary Beyond Titanic (9 p.m. EDT/10 PDT Sun., A&E) surveys the Titanic's pop cultural legacy, which began decades before James Cameron's Oscar-winning film and Leomania.

That Labor Day weekend tradition, the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (check local listings Sun., Mon.), is back in all its tear-jerking, schtick-laden glory. This year (his 33rd), Jer gets help from Celine Dion, Ray Charles, the Spice Girls, Drew Carey, Sarah McLachlan, Pam Tillis and, as always, Ed McMahon. Your weekend on the couch concludes with the 12-hour Beverly Hills, 90210 Marathon (beginning 8 a.m. Mon., FX), which features pivotal episodes from the series starting with the pilot. The cable syndication run of "90210" reruns begins Tuesday (7 p.m., FX).

S P O R T S

Baseball:
Braves at Mets (7:35 p.m. Fri., 1:35 p.m. Sun., TBS; 1:30 p.m. Mon., ESPN)
Royals at Angels (10 p.m. Sat., FX)
Cubs at Cardinals (2 p.m. Mon., ESPN)
(Note: If Mark McGwire reaches 60 home runs before Sunday, Fox will show the Cubs at Cardinals at 4 p.m.)

Football:
Lions at Packers (1 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Steelers at Ravens (1 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Jets at 49ers (4:15 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Raiders at Chiefs (8:15 p.m. Sun., ESPN)
Patriots at Broncos (8 p.m. Mon., ABC)

Tennis:
U.S Open (11 a.m. Sat., Mon. CBS; Noon Sun., USA; 7:30 p.m. Sat.-Mon., USA)

S E R I E S

The new kids' sci-fi series Animorphs (8:30 p.m. Fri., Nickelodeon) is a drama about a group of teens who have the power to morph into animals and communicate telepathically. Homicide: Life on the Street (10 p.m. Fri., NBC) returns with a rerun in which Pembleton and Lewis investigate a robbery-murder at a Vietnamese restaurant. Calista Flockhart and Gil Bellows play their "Ally McBeal" characters on a rerun of The Practice (10 p.m. Sun., ABC). The two-part episode concludes the following night on Ally McBeal (9 p.m. Mon., Fox). Melrose Place (8 p.m. Mon., Fox) wraps up its summer run of original episodes with an episode that marks the end for five characters. On the first of two reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond (9 p.m. Mon, CBS), Ray scrambles to replace Debra's fake engagement ring with a real stone. In the second rerun (9:30 p.m.), Ray wants to have another baby. Dateline NBC (10 p.m. Mon., NBC) reports on research to develop a male contraceptive pill. The weeknight series Instant Comedy with the Groundlings (10 p.m. Mon., FX) debuts. The Los Angeles comedy troupe does its stuff; former member Lisa Kudrow helps out on Monday's episode.

T A L K
Friday:
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Cher (rerun)
David Letterman (CBS) Jason Patric, Eve 6
Jay Leno (NBC) Jennifer Lopez (rerun)
Chris Rock (HBO) Roseanne
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Sarah Jessica Parker (rerun)
SALON | Sept. 4, 1998

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Blue Glow for < href="http://www.salonmagazine.com/ent/glow/1998/09/03glow.html">Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998