THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602150034
SECTION: TELEVISION WEEK PAGE: 1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
IN SPORTS, they call it the Big Mo. Momentum. It carries teams to great heights. In television, momentum is no less important.
These days there are plenty of smiles at The Family Channel headquarters in Virginia Beach because the channel seen in virtually all homes with cable is on a roll. FAM knows Big Mo.
FAM's ratings for the last three months of 1995 were the highest in a decade, with the momentum continuing through January.
The ``Columbo Mystery Movie'' is doing great. So is ``Rescue 911.'' The Family Channel executives expect the numbers to stay up there - 12 programs achieved ratings of better than 2.0 in January, which is grand for cable - in February with the premiere of ``Night of the Twisters'' Sunday at 7 p.m. as part of the ``FAM Sunday Night Movie Event.''
John Schneider and Devon Sawa star in the new made-for-cable film about terror on the Nebraska prairie in the form of killer tornadoes.
Sirens wail! Lightning flashes! High winds toss furniture through walls! Oh, Lord. A twister is heading straight for the house!
Pretty darn exciting.
``What we've been able to do here,'' said director Tim Bond, ``is to create a television movie that has the same look and feel as a major motion picture with a multi-million dollar budget.''
When the wind isn't howling, there's a story going on about a boy in conflict with his stepfather. Strong family stuff on FAM. It was just the kind of project Schneider was looking for.
``There aren't enough scripts out there to show how families react positively in the face of adversity,'' said the actor, who has been in 15 TV films since ``Dukes of Hazzard.'' The film is based on Ivy Ruckman's book.
Also on cable in the week to come:
Ever wonder what's been happening with the roomies who have appeared on the ``Real World'' series on MTV? Wonder no more. MTV on Saturday at 1, 4:30 and 9 p.m. puts on a cinema verite feast - ``The Real World Reunion Special.'' Ninety minutes. I bet you've been dying to catch up with Puck. MTV's ``Choose or Lose '96'' political coverage takes up race relations Monday at 10:30 p.m. with Hampton's own Tabitha Soren hosting.
Speaking of correspondents on cable, Melissa Joan Hart from ``Clarissa Explains It All'' on Nickelodeon is just about all grown up now, and guess what? She's a reporter. Hart on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. plays a political correspondent on Nick's ``The Weinerville Election Special from Washington B.C.'' Boney the dinosaur wants to be president.
Back to the real world, The Discovery Channel on Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. brings back ``The Promised Land'' to mark Black History Month. It's the encore of the story of two generations of African Americans involved in The Great Migration, the movement of millions from the rural South to the urban North. A superior documentary series.
The TBS Superstation's contribution to Black History Month is a special, ``Summit '96,'' hosted by Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. The subject of a panel discussion will be role models. The participants include Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr., actress Kim Fields, rappers Q-Tip and Cee-Lo plus kids and their teachers.
Also upcoming: The devilish and all-powerful Q, a menace to Starfleet crews throughout the galaxy, shows up Monday on ``Star Trek: Voyager'' at 8 p.m. on UPN affiliate WGNT. This series, sagging of late, needs a little of Q's venom. He's played by John de Lancie. Also appearing is Cmdr. William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) from ``Star Trek: The Next Generation.'' Welcome back, Q, you creep. . . . Here's the perfect show for the season of the Oscar countdown which began last week when the nominations were announced: ``Movie Critics.'' It's on E! Entertainment Television Sunday night at 9. Do actors read the reviews? Faye Dunaway and Kevin Bacon are among the actors who confess. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
[John Schneider and Helen Hughes]
by CNB