THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9603290041
SECTION: TELEVISION PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, Television Columnists
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
IS THERE NO STOPPING this man Spelling?
Aaron Spelling already has four series on the networks (``Beverly Hills 90210,'' ``Melrose Place,'' ``Savannah'' and ``Malibu Shores'') including a couple he created for daughter Tori and son Randy. He holds the world's record for most hours produced on television, and now here he comes with a fifth series in 1996 - ``Kindred: The Embraced,'' which starts Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Fox.
``I don't know how to stop,'' Spelling said when asked why he works so hard. Only once in the last 20 years - when ``Dynasty'' ended its run on ABC - has there been a TV season without a Spelling-produced show on one of the networks.
Nothing original in ``Kindred: The Embraced.'' Vampires among us. It's been done in the distant past (``Kolchak: The Night Stalker'') and recent past (``Forever Knight'') The twist here is that the living dead come in five big-city clans that operate like Mafia families.
And these vampires drive T-birds.
They're hipper than vampires in recent films and TV shows.
``We've gotten rid of all that sleeping in the dirt and weird accents stuff,'' said executive producer John Leekley.
C. Thomas Howell, Mark Frankel and Kelly Rutherford co-star.
Speaking of ``Melrose Place,'' look for Loni Anderson to make a guest appearance there Monday night at 8.
How does television greet the arrival of springtime? Two words: Baseball. Bible.
ESPN brings Major League Baseball - Chicago vs. Seattle in the American League - into your living rooms for the first time this season Sunday night at 9 with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the broadcast booth.
Here is some of the special programming that will usher in the Easter season:
Lifetime on Sunday at 10 p.m. presents ``Intimate Portrait: The Virgin Mary.'' Betty Buckley hosts the program on which historians, biblical scholars, psychologists and other experts discuss Mary's story, including challenges to her place in history as the mother of Jesus. The virgin birth is debated.
The Family Channel, which has been bringing back some corking good vintage miniseries of late, continues the trend with ``Jesus of Nazareth,'' scheduled to begin Sunday at 7 p.m. and continue through April 3 at 6:30 p.m. That virgin birth to be discussed on the Lifetime special Sunday is brought to life on Part 1 of ``Jesus of Nazareth'' on FAM, with Olivia Hussey playing Mary. Robert Powell plays Christ. (Also in the miniseries department, FAM on Saturday night at 8 begins ``Dream West'' starring Richard Chamberlain. Pioneer John Charles Fremont helps open the West).
Starting in April, Turner Broadcasting on TNT will present a new miniseries about Moses starring Ben Kingsley. To warm up the cable audience for that spectacular, A&E in its ``Biography'' series on Sunday presents ``Moses'' at 8 p.m. This is a two-hour special about the prophet born to Hebrew slaves - a most reluctant prophet, says A&E.
The Faith and Values Channel begins its holiday programming Sunday at 4:30 p.m. with a Palm Sunday visit to the village of Powerstock in Dorset, England. F&V's coverage of the season concludes in mid-April with Greek Orthodox Holy Week specials. ``The Via Crucis,'' Pope John Paul II's re-creation of Christ's journey to Calvary, is scheduled for Good Friday (April 5) at 6 p.m. from Rome.
The Learning Channel on Friday at 8 p.m. puts on three hours of programming about the life of Christ beginning with ``Jesus and His Times: The Story Begins.'' TLC explores the political, social and religious mix into which Christ was born.
Elsewhere on TV as March slips into April, The Family Channel on Monday at 1 p.m. launches ``Home and Family,'' a daytime magazine show hosted by Cristina Ferrare. The two-hour show will originate from a home built just for this series near Universal Studios in Southern California. . .Not so very long ago in Virginia, interracial marriages were forbidden by law. That era is brought back to life on Showtime in ``Mr. and Mrs. Loving,'' the story of the marriage of a Caroline County couple, which led to their arrest and court proceedings that eventually overturned the law. It's on Sunday at 8 p.m. with Timothy Hutton an Lela Rochon in the starring roles.
Public broadcasting and WHRO air two specials, ``Paving the Way'' and ``A Woman's Health'' Friday starting at 9 p.m. In ``A Woman's Health,'' six women discuss health problems that many American women face today, from breast cancer to osteoporosis. ``Paving the Way'' is about women, from an Air Force general to a union leader, who broke new ground in U.S. society. . .
It's been 10 years since MTV launched ``120 Minutes,'' the series that's been mostly about alternative music. Come Sunday at 2 p.m. MTV salutes the show's 10th birthday with ``120 Minutes: A Decade on the Edge'' which will feature video clips, interviews and concert footage. This ``best of'' presentation will continue until 1:30 a.m.
With the college basketball champion about to be crowned on CBS, the network on Tuesday at 9 p.m. airs ``Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story.'' Anthony LaPaglia plays former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano who won a national championship, and a stunning upset at that. He died in the prime of life from cancer. . . American Movie Classics on Tuesday has scheduled an all-day salute to Marlene Dietrich. ``A Day Of Dietrich'' begins with her 1936 film, ``Garden of Allah'' at 6 a.m. At 10 p.m., AMC shows the documentary ``Marlene Dietrich: Shadow and Light.'' Sean Young hosts. ILLUSTRATION: B\W photo
["Kindred: The Embraced,"...]
by CNB