- - - - - - - - - - - - PLUS: The year in film Charles Taylor finds a few shining glories in a lackluster year - - - - - - - - - - - - ALSO THIS WEEK The Sweet Hereafter Mysterious beauty in the ultimate loss Jackie Brown Tarantino's valentine to Pam Grier As Good as it Gets Jack Nicholson's grubby fairy tale - - - - - - - - - - - - LAST WEEK Titanic Glub, glub, glub Tomorrow Never Dies 007 has lost his verve - - - - - - - - - - - - RECENTLY A full list of recent reviews, interviews and table talk. BROWSE THE MOVIE ARCHIVES TV ARCHIVES

THE YEAR IN TELEVISION 1997 | PAGE 2 OF 2 6. Distinguished Service Medal: The Simpsons In its ninth season, "The Simpsons" continues to be the truest, nerviest and most savage satire of American life ever to see the light of prime time. This season, Homer learned that gays are people too, Lisa took on sexism in the military and the whole family hosted an Osmonds-type variety show in "The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase," an awe-inspiring send up of the brain-sucking stupidity of formulaic TV. Most spectacular of all was the episode where Lisa discovered the bones of a human with what looked like vestigial wings and then was vilified for her skeptical scientific rationalist stance by a town gone mad with "religion." This is what "The Simpsons" does best: the recurring scenes of an angry, gullible mob advancing upon a lone voice of reason with torches and pitchforks. Well, that and throwaway moments like the one in this same episode when, thinking the world is about to end, the long-suffering Smithers grabs Mr. Burns and kisses him full on the mouth. 7. Most Bizarro Guest Appearance The nominees are: Christopher Darden on "Pictionary"; Johnny Rotten on "Judge Judy"; Elton John on "The Nanny"; Woody Allen's voice on "Just Shoot Me"; and Oliver Stone on "Jeopardy!" And the winner is ... Jodie Foster as the voice of a tattoo on "The X-Files"! 8. She's mental for Yentl! When it comes to fawning over her idols, Rosie O'Donnell has no peer among talk-show hosts, except for maybe "SCTV's" Sammy Maudlin. But Rosie reached new heights of worshipfulness when she finally landed a visit from her dream guest, Barbra Streisand. A week before Streisand's arrival, Rosie rearranged the set to accommodate Babs' decree that she be photographed only from her left side. When the big day finally arrived, Rosie was ferklempt. Even before Barbra said a word, Rosie wept. Then Barbra wept. Then they wept together. Then Rosie bellowed "People" into Barbra's face. Then Barbra winced. Then Rosie invited her over for dinner. Then a thought bubble appeared over Barbra's head picturing Rosie as Rupert Pupkin in "The King of Comedy" ... 9. Happening: "Pop Up Video," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the clothes on "La Femme Nikita," Conan O'Brien, "NewsRadio," the TV Food Network, "King of the Hill," Daria, MSNBC anchor John Gibson, Chris Rock, Seven of Nine, Kathy Najimy, the three new cast members of "ER." Not: "Road Rules," NBC's "House of Frankenstein 1997," the clothes on "Veronica's Closet," Jay Leno, "Spin City," the Fox News Network, Lord of the Dance, Dharma, Stone Phillips, Charles Grodin, Jenny McCarthy, Kathy Kinney, the three new cast members of "Homicide." 10. Diana She was born on television, when we watched her float up the aisle in her marshmallow princess wedding dress. For the next 16 years, some of us became Diana junkies, buzzing just from the look of her. Why we needed her isn't important. We just couldn't get enough. The dresses, the hats, the actressy expressive blue eyes, the petulance, the giggles, the final triumphant glow. For us, she was wholly concocted of little blue dots on a screen, swirling together and dissolving and swirling together again in delicious and scandalous and heart-tearing TV pictures. The other night, I was channel surfing and there she was on one channel, emerging from a limo in that black up-yours dress, and on another channel posing with land-mine victims and then giggling down a water slide with William and Harry. I could watch those visions of Diana over and over forever, and probably will. I'm starting to feel like Ralph Fiennes in "Strange Days," mainlining slices of pure memory, every sensation intact, straight into his brain. Rewind the tape. I want her back. SALON | Dec. 24, 1997 What were the best and worst TV events in 1997? Join the discussion in Table Talk