THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607260048
SECTION: TELEVISION WEEK PAGE: 1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION COLUMNIST
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: 53 lines
IS THERE NO STOPPING this ``Melrose Place'' monster?
During the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour, we've crossed paths with current ``Melrose Place'' cast members (Heather Locklear, Grant Show), former cast members (Daphne Zuniga), future cast members (Rob Estes), and even a former guest star (Traci Lords).
Lords - who played Rikki, a member of a desert-dwelling cult who appeared in several episodes in 1995 - will host ``The Seven Deadly Sins of Melrose Place'' at 9 p.m. Sunday on E! Entertainment Television. It's the cable network's way of letting viewers know that starting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 5, E! will begin re-runs of ``Melrose Place,'' starting with episode No. 1.
``Traci's special will remind fans of the series why they fell in love with the show in the first place,'' said Fran Shea, head of programming at E!.
Here's your chance to see how the series evolved from a rather ordinary ensemble show into a campy success after Locklear came aboard. ``We intend to get viewers new to the series hooked on it,'' said Shea. Crank up your VCRs.
Elsewhere on the tube in Week No. 2 of the Olympiad in Atlanta:
Professional football tries mightily to push the swimmers, gymnasts and weightlifters in Atlanta off center stage with pre-season games. ``ABC Wide World of Sports'' has the New Orleans-Indianapolis matchup on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. from the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. A nice twist here: ABC's color man Dan Dierdorf will be inducted into the hall at halftime. On Saturday at 10 p.m., ESPN brings cable viewers the Pittsburgh-San Diego game.
More pro football TV: Former heroes of the game Lawrence Taylor and Walter Payton do a turn on the ABC sitcom ``Coach'' on Tuesday night at 9:30.
In producing ``Shore Things'' for PBS, a documentary about lifeguards, beach umbrellas and combing the sand with a metal detector, producer Rick Sebak ignored Virginia Beach. But he did report on fishing in the Outer Banks. WHRO shows it Wednesday at 8 p.m.
There are a couple of repeats of note on cable. The Discovery Channel on Sunday at 9 p.m. shows ``Katie and Eilish,'' the updated story of Siamese twins born in Ireland. Doctors had to separate the girls or risk them both dying. At 10 p.m. Saturday, A&E brings back ``The Boys of St. Vincent,'' a two-part series based on a story of child abuse at a Canadian orphanage. After its first showing, ``The Boys of St. Vincent'' won a Peabody award. Part two will be aired at 10 p.m. Aug. 3.
Come Thursday, Cox Cable adds MSNBC in Hampton Roads, the all-news channel from NBC and Microsoft. It's had a shaky start, and judging by what I have seen of MSNBC here in Los Angeles, is a step or two behind CNN in covering breaking news. The best show so far on MSNBC is ``The Site,'' which helps take the pain and strain out of using home computers. ILLUSTRATION: FILE PHOTO
Heather Locklear by CNB