blue glow
SALON'S TV PICKS FOR
WEEKEND, FEB. 26-28, 1999
BY JOYCE MILLMAN

S E R I E S

This is not a joke: Hunter S. Thompson is credited with the story for this week's Nash Bridges (10 p.m. Fri., CBS), in which Nash and Joe team with an undercover cop (wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin) to bust a ring of bodybuilders pushing lethal steroids. In an episode of Martial Law (9 p.m. Sat., CBS) not written by Hunter S. Thompson, Sammo goes undercover as a Taiwanese drug lord to nab the bad guys who murdered Terrell's former partner. Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC) reruns one of the season's funnier shows, in which Lucy Lawless does unforgettable impersonations of Stevie Nicks and Jennifer Lopez. Elliott Smith is the musical guest. Sean Penn receives the "we're not worthy" treatment on Inside the Actors Studio (8 p.m. Sun., Bravo). Behind the Music (8 p.m. Sun., VH1) profiles Blondie; they won't have to manufacture any ups and downs for this one. On The X-Files (9 p.m. Sun., Fox), Mulder and Scully are caught in a time loop where Mulder keeps getting shot in a bank robbery. Masterpiece Theatre (9 p.m. Sun., PBS) presents an adaptation of "Cider With Rosie," Laurie Lee's memoir about his childhood in the English countryside and his resourceful mother's (Juliet Stevenson) efforts to raise her brood after her husband deserts them. The feds make their move against Tony and his crew on The Sopranos (9 p.m. Sun., HBO). Ellenor has a very bad day on The Practice (10 p.m. Sun., ABC); first, she's arrested for heroin possession (it belongs to a client), then a blood-covered knife is found in her desk. Also, the judge who has the hots for Bobby hires him to defend her against a sexual harassment charge.

S P E C I A L S

The gory 1995 serial killer thriller Seven (8 p.m. Fri., Fox), starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow, makes its broadcast debut. But how will you tell it apart from Fox's regular Friday night fare? The hour-long Saturday Night Live Looks at the Clinton Scandal (8 p.m. Sat., NBC) collects the best of the Monicagate skits. Includes John Goodman's special guest turns as Linda Tripp. The new cable movie Lansky (8 p.m. Sat., HBO) stars Richard Dreyfuss as Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky (aka "Hyman Roth" in "The Godfather, Part II"), who built Las Vegas with Bugsy Siegel (Eric Roberts) and Lucky Luciano (Anthony LaPaglia), then sought Israeli citizenship when things got too hot in the states. Written by David Mamet and locked in HBO's vaults for over a year (not a good sign). Disney's 1989 feature The Little Mermaid (7 p.m. Sun., ABC) goes head to head with a special effects-laden new TV version of Alice in Wonderland (8 p.m. Sun., NBC), starring Martin Short as the Mad Hatter, Miranda Richardson as the Queen of Hearts, Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat and Tina Majorino as Alice. The new TV movie Behind the Mask (9 p.m. Sun., CBS) stars Donald Sutherland as a lonely doctor who takes a mentally challenged young man (Matthew Fox from "Party of Five") under his wing. Think "Good Will Hunting" with a few dozen points shaved off the kid's IQ.

S P O R T S

Basketball:
Knicks at Celtics (8 p.m. Fri., TNT)
Jazz at Spurs (3 p.m. Sun., NBC)
Rockets at Lakers (5:30 p.m. Sun., NBC)

Hockey:
Mighty Ducks at Sharks (10:30 p.m. Sat., ESPN2)
Kings at Stars (3 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Blues at Blackhawks (8 p.m. Sun., ESPN)

T A L K

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Bette Midler, 500th show celebration
David Letterman (CBS) James Coburn, Marvelous Three
Jay Leno (NBC) David Duchovny, Barenaked Ladies
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Dick Morris, Karen Finley
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Jon Stewart, Natalie Merchant
SALON | Feb. 26, 1999

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Blue Glow for Thursday, Feb. 25