THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 1, 1996 TAG: 9605300050
SECTION: TELEVISION WEEK PAGE: 01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION COLUMNIST
LENGTH: 117 lines
SOME SAY the roots of country music run deepest right here in Virginia, where in 1927 the Victor Electric Co. first recorded the pickin' and playin' of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family in Bristol.
From that point in time, the popularity of country music - the common man's poetry - has risen on the wings of songs from cowboys, railroad men, laborers, hoboes and other plain folk singing about good times and bad.
And what popularity it is. TBS says the annual revenue generated by country music is $1.5 billion.
TBS gives a deep bow to Virginia's part in all this in ``America's Music: The Roots of Country,'' which begins Sunday at 7 p.m. It's a bit drawn out, as these Turner cable TV projects tend to be, and there are way too many talking heads, but otherwise, it's darn good viewing.
Love the bluegrass segments - country music unplugged.
The six-part miniseries continues June 9 at 7 p.m. and concludes June 16, also at 7 p.m. You can catch an encore of Part 1 on Tuesday at 10:35 p.m. Then on June 29 at 12:05 p.m., TBS runs all six hours of ``America's Music: The Roots of Country.''
It's a hoot to hear Chet Atkins and other giants of country music paying homage to A.P., Maybelle and the other Virginia Carters for showing the way in country music with their ``nails scratching on guitar strings'' technique.
Loved seeing a young Roy Acuff do the ``Wabash Cannonball.''
``Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar . . . ''
And Rodgers singing, ``All Around the Water Tank, Waiting for the Train.'' Did you know that his music is as popular today as it ever was?
There are two other special events of note on the tube in the week to come - three if you count the return of Major League Baseball to Saturday afternoons. Fox, intent on bringing more young viewers to MLB, says it will re-invent baseball coverage for its Saturday games starting this week at 12:30 p.m.
The tiny people are back on TNT.
The cable channel on Tuesday re-introduces viewers to the Borrowers in ``The Return of the Borrowers'' with Part 1 starting at 8 p.m., followed on Wednesday by Part 2, also at 8 p.m. This is a four-hour sequel to the wonderful film about the tiny ones who lift things from their unsuspecting human neighbors just to survive. And a smashing good sequel it is, too.
This is totally excellent family entertainment.
TNT here brings back Ian Holm as Pod, head of the Clock family, which has had to contend with home-lessness of late. They've moved in with jealous, scheming and downright mean relatives.
What else is there to do, Pod asks his wife and daughter? ``When we lived off the land, we were at the mercy of birds, rats and weasels.''
In the sequel, the Clocks must contend with weasels of another sort in a world where a piece of cheese snatched from a mouse trap is considered a great treasure. The producers made household objects 10 times normal size for camera shots from the Borrowers' perspective.
``We filmed the humans with cameras barely off the ground to make them look more forbidding,'' said director John Henderson.
Julie Andrews blew off her Tony nomination, but the show will go on without her Sunday night at 9 as CBS presents a 50th anniversary ``Tony Awards'' telecast from the Majestic Theater on Broadway. Andrews, nominated for best performance by a leading actress in a musical for ``Victor/Victoria,'' rejected the nomination when the musical itself was snubbed.
No matter. She could win anyway.
Nathan Lane, a nominee for ``A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,'' will host the Tonys. And look for Carol Burnett, who is also a Tony nominee for ``Moon Over Buffalo.'' Ever wondered what happened to almost-a-big-movie-star Lou Diamond Phillips? He's on Broadway in ``The King and I,'' and is also a nominee.
With the May sweeps history, the June TV landscape is usually a barren field of reruns. Not this year.
Fox on Monday at 8:30 is introducing a new sitcom, ``The Last Frontier,'' followed by a sneak preview of a fall drama series, ``L.A. Firefighters,'' with Christine Elise of ``ER.''
The new Fox sitcom has elements of just about every other comedy on the air in which young, attractive people are involved.
On Wednesday night at 10, CBS brings back ``Central Park West,'' with a new name, ``CPW,'' and some new faces including Raquel Welch. CBS will also show ``CPW'' Friday night at 10.
And for a TV special with a local angle, there is ``The Children's Miracle Network Telethon'' beginning Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on WVEC with Channel 13's personalities helping to raise money for the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. The telecast ends Sunday at 8 p.m.
Elsewhere inside the magic box in the week to come, Wink Martindale pops up as host of a new game show, ``Debt,'' on Lifetime Monday at 6:30 p.m. This is a 1990s game show. You play not to win prizes, but to get out of debt. . . . The PBS ``Frontline'' series Tuesday night at 9 marks the seventh anniversary of the uprising in China's Tiananmen Square with ``The Gate of Heavenly Peace.'' In 2 1/2 hours, you'll learn everything you always wanted to know about the events leading up to and following the Beijing massacre. . . . If you couldn't get away to the French Riviera this year for the Cannes film festival, E! Entertainment Television shows you what you missed Saturday at 10 p.m. with ``Sex on the Riviera 96.'' It's what celebs do at parties and on the beaches to get attention, like Madonna doesn't get enough attention as it is. missed their fave of late, the good news from Home Box Office is a ``Larrython'' starting Monday at 11:30 p.m. - 17 episodes of the sitcom to run through Friday, with nine episodes in a row on Friday starting at 12:30 a.m. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
``America's Music: The Roots of Country,'' a six-part miniseries,
begins at 7 p.m. Sunday on TBS.
Photos
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION
Catch a sneak preview of a fall drama series, ``L.A. Firefighters,''
starring Jarrod Emick, Monday at 9 p.m. on Fox.
AP/WORLDWIDE PHOTOS
``Frontline'' marks the seventh anniversary of the uprising in
China's Tiananmen Square with ``Gate of Heavenly Peace,'' Tuesday at
9 p.m.
BUENA VISTA TELEVISION
Wink Martindale pops up as host of a new game show, ``Debt,'' on
Lifetime Monday at 6:30 p.m. by CNB