blue glow
SALON'S TV PICKS FOR
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 1999
BY JOYCE MILLMAN

S P E C I A L S

Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us? (8 p.m., NBC) is a two-hour piece of junk science done up like a documentary, much like NBC's infamous "Ancient Prophecies" specials of a few sweeps ago, which presented hoary tales about Virgin Mary apparitions, Nostradamus' prophecies and crop circles as scientific fact. This one has "actual" footage of flying saucers and the removal of an "alien implant." The real mystery: How come this stuff looks so cheeseball on these specials, but so plausible when Chris Carter does it? America's tiniest, and greediest, gold medal winner stars in her very first TV special and all we can say is, what took you so long to cash in? Tara Lipinksi: From this Moment On (8 p.m., CBS) features the lost Olsen triplet in an ice spectacular featuring the usual rock 'n' roll production numbers, a tribute to Mom, home movies from when she was a wee skating robot and a number where she portrays each Spice Girl in a routine set to their music (this is not a joke). Guests include Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning and the fabulous diva, Rudy Galindo. In a just world, this would be Rudy's TV special. At least he'd make a better Spice Girl. Nova (check local times, PBS) presents the final two hours of its miniseries "Escape! Because Accidents Happen." Tonight, grisly footage and terrifying survivor accounts of plane crashes and maritime disasters.

S E R I E S

In a two-hour episode of Star Trek: Voyager (8 p.m., UPN), Janeway and the evil Borg Queen fight for the soul of Seven to Nine. On Dawson's Creek (8 p.m., WB), Jack and Andie's scary dad turns up just as Jack's sexual orientation is the talk of the town. Julia enters therapy and Bailey challenges Charlie for custody of the neglected Owen on Party of Five (9 p.m., Fox). Law & Order (10 p.m., NBC) begins a two-part crossover episode with "Homicide: Life on the Street." Briscoe and Curtis join with Munch and Sheppard to investigate the murder of a Baltimore federal government worker whose body was found in New York. This eventually leads to some nastiness involving an overzealous independent counsel who's probing the White House. Concludes Friday on "Homicide." Daria (10 p.m., MTV) begins its third season with a musical episode in which everybody sings and dances as they wait for an impending hurricane.

T A L K

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Bernadette Peters, Joshua Jackson
David Letterman (CBS) Andie MacDowell, Mike Judge, Julian Lennon
Jay Leno (NBC) Matt LeBlanc, Heidi Klum
Charlie Rose (PBS) Elmore Leonard, Andy Garcia
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Jerry Falwell, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po (well, not those last three)
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Rosie Perez, Joshua Jackson
SALON | Feb. 17, 1999

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Blue Glow for Tuesday, Feb. 16