Television with - or without - a cause; TNT's 'James Dean' adds to movies about the rebel

Either the new TNT movie "James Dean" is an authentic reproduction of the legendary actor's brief and turbulent life or it is simply another embroidering of the Dean myth, loosely based on what little we actually knew about him. This much we can say for sure: Of the thousands of songs, poems, stories, books and film tributes made in Dean's honor, this is one of them. Premiering 7 p.m. Sunday on TNT, "James Dean" stars James Franco, who says he relied heavily on Dean's performance in "East of Eden." Franco depicts the actor as a lonely, self-obsessed brooder, barely capable of conversation when off camera. A key moment in Dean's life is the arrival of his director on "East of Eden," Elia Kazan (Enrico Colantoni). He befriends the young actor, and in one scene accompanies him to a visit with his dad (Michael Moriarty), from whom he is estranged. The encounter goes badly, but afterward, the cagey director tells Dean, "That must've hurt. We'll use it." And use it they do. Kazan wrings a magnificent performance out of his young charge, who leaps out of his shell in freaky outbursts that are now part of film lore. Dean takes Hollywood by storm. Everybody loveshim and wants him, as evidenced by his relationship with studio boss Jack Warner (played by "James Dean" director Mark Rydell). Warner is accustomed to ordering his actors around, but his intimidation tactics simply don't work on Dean, who lives for the drama, not his Warner Bros. paycheck. Even Warner can't help but admire the kid. Regardless of whether this is how it actually happened, it's a great story, and well-told in this engaging movie. To know what is best for our environment, declares acclaimed natural-history broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, we must first know what we don't know about our world. Sir David calls it "the scale of our ignorance," and as detailed in "State of the Planet," that scale is staggeringly high. In the first part of this lushly photographed three-hour report, which makes its premiere at 7 p.m. Wednesday on Discovery, Attenborough takes us around the world, showing us places where scientists are learning how to count new species of animal, mammal, bacteria and other forms of life. Innovative researchers are discovering previously unknown species left and right, adding not only to the 1.5 million species known to man but also to the growing sense among scientists that we ain't seen nothin' yet. With that, Attenborough shifts the discussion to the opposite of discovery - the extinction of species. In interviews with renowned naturalists, he argues that Earth is on the brink of a "mass extinction," the likes of which have only been seen five other times in our planet's history. The last mass extinction was 65 million years ago, and Attenborough makes the case that the next one will come soon ... and with our abetting, it will come quickly. There's no question my favorite show when I was 10 years old was the spy parody "Get Smart," with Don Adams as bumbling Agent 86 and luscious Barbara Feldon as his rock-steady partner, Agent 99. Maybe I've matured, or maybe I'm sick of watching low-rent documentaries on cable, but "Inside TV Land: Get Smart," a new whatever-happened-to airing 7 p.m. Wednesday on TV Land, did not make me nostalgic in the least. On the other hand, I didn't know that Ed "Chief" Platt, Max's boss on "Get Smart," did such a stirring rendition of "Old Man River." That's just some of the filler used to stretch what should have been a 15-minute segment into an hourlong "special." Mel Brooks, who merely co-produced the show, isn't interviewed here, but Eric McCormack of "Will & Grace" is; he is listed as a "fan" of the show. Well, isn't that special? Time Warner Cable is carrying ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" telecasts in Spanish on Channel 55. Games begin 7 p.m. Sundays. According to Time Warner, this is the first time Kansas City merchants have been able to advertise in Spanish on cable. I don't think they were counting those "Yo quiero Taco Bell" ads. Reach Aaron Barnhart at (816) 234-4790 or www.tvbarn.com. On the Web For related links to shows mentioned in this column, go to KansasCity.com and click on FYI. @ART CAPTION:James Franco as James Dean @ART:Photo (color) @ART CREDIT:TNT

Depth plus death equals great TV; Alan Ball's unconventional 'Six Feet Under' shines on HBO

The network television season doesn't begin for another six weeks, but you don't have to wait that long to see the best new program of the year. It's already on. "Six Feet Under" (8:30 p.m. Sundays, HBO), a comic drama about love, loss and spirituality inside a funeral home, may never have the maniacal following of "The Sopranos," but it has quietly asserted itself as every bit that show's equal. Utterly original in its setup and stories, "Six Feet Under" vindicates the unconventional wisdom of series creator Alan Ball, who after writing 1999's Oscar-winning "American Beauty" zagged into television when most of Hollywood expected him to zig into movies. It looks like he chose the right path. Although the show that precedes it on Sunday nights, "Sex and the City," is much better known, "Six Feet Under" now attracts nearly as many viewers. HBO actually picked up "Six Feet Under" for a second season before the first episode had even aired, so Ball has the luxury of ignoring the Nielsens. But he's glad people are watching. "I find it very heartening that there are a lot of people in this country who are hungry for entertainment that's not mindless drivel," he said in a recent telephone interview. "They're not participating in the dumbing-down of America which networks are more than happy to participate in." If Ball sounds like he has issues with network television, he's earned the right to gripe. Two years ago, while "American Beauty" was bowling over the Toronto Film Festival, Ball was in Studio City, Calif., toiling away on a situation comedy for ABC called "Oh Grow Up." Looking back, he blasts the network for being "gutless" and watering down his scripts. In late 1999, an HBO executive approached Ball about developing a show set at a funeral home. Skittish from his ABC ordeal - after which Ball vowed never to do network TV again - he agreed to write a script "on spec," meaning he could walk away if HBO tried to doctor it. "I knew I would be able to get spiritual with it," said Ball of his show about life in the death industry. "Certainly not in a mainstream, 'Touched by an Angel' way, but in a philosophical, adult, existential way." Undertaking a series "Six Feet Under" revolves around the Fisher family, a tightly wound if not exactly tightly knit bunch who start to unravel when the patriarch is killed in a car crash. Played by a talented ensemble of stage and screen actors, the Fishers at first are consumed by grief and guilt. Then they fear what will happen to the family business, fears confirmed after they're visited by an oily representative of the mortuary conglomerate seeking to gobble them up. But then, just as everything seems to be falling apart, the Fishers improbably start to put the pieces together. This is slow, patient work done over the course of an entire season, or longer. Network TV shows simply can't afford - pun alert - to undertake such careful story and character development. Thanks to HBO, "Six Feet Under" can take its time. One rewarding result has been watching the slow maturation of Nate Fisher (played by Peter Krause, formerly of "Sports Night"). Adrift from the family for years, Nate is pulled back in when half of the funeral home is willed to him. He acquires a girlfriend, the whip-smart Brenda (Rachel Griffiths, the Oscar nominee for 1998's "Hilary and Jackie"), whose emotional honesty and cheerful jadedness made her, for the first couple of episodes at least, the only appealing character on the show. Frances Conroy is given the difficult task of playing the Fishers' prim, self-denying mother whose emotions occasionally come blasting out, like an expelling of gas that mortifies the sender and stuns the recipients. The role could easily have been milked for shallow laughs, but Conroy, who recently won a Tony for "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan," deftly manages both her character's poignant and absurd moments. Then there is Nate's brother David (Michael C. Hall), an uptight, 31-year-old gay Episcopalian who keeps his sexuality a secret from his family even after his siblings begin to suspect. David has another life with his boyfriend Keith ("All My Children's" Mathew St. Patrick) that includes stealing away to attend church at a far-off, gay-friendly parish. (This is based on fact: The Episcopal Church keeps a list of "welcoming churches" aimed at gays and lesbians.) In a pivotal episode, David accepts the invitation of St. Bartholomew's, the crusty old church his mother attends, to become a deacon. This is good news for Fisher & Sons as it seeks new business, and David, seeking refuge amid family and professional turmoil, welcomes what he calls "a chance to serve God." But it's bad news for his relationship with Keith. Unwilling to come clean at his new church, David looks like a coward to his boyfriend, who says as much before storming out of his life. Though conservative Christians may not agree, David is in an ancient dilemma: He is torn between his love and his faith. This makes him, for the first time, a sympathetic figure. And it creates an extended spiritual drama the likes of which are almost never seen on television. David's story line is politically and personally meaningful to Ball. "It's curious to me all that's going on in the politics of religion in regard to gays and lesbians, and I wanted to write about it," Ball said. "I grew up in a church, and part of wrestling with who I am when I was younger was, 'Well, I'm going to go to hell.' It took me awhile to say, 'Wait a minute - this is how God made me.' I seriously doubt that God made me gay so that I would go through life with this self-loathing." Ball worried that HBO would reject David's story line, but the network welcomed it. HBO also accepted teen-aged Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose) smoking crack and then getting behind the wheel of a hearse. Every episode of "Six Feet Under" begins with a death - usually of a future Fisher & Sons client. Sometimes the corpse seems to be conversing with one of the Fishers. Occasionally, the ghost of dear old Dad makes a visit as well. This device has appeared on "Providence" and other shows, but not in the darkly comic way it does here. "One of the aspects of the show I love is, where else would I get to write this kind of stuff?" Ball said. "The great thing about being on HBO is whatever we do, 'Oz' has already done something worse." You can reach Aaron Barnhart at (816) 234-4790 or the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Peter Krause as Nate @ART CAPTION:Frances Conroy as Ruth @ART CAPTION:Lauren Ambrose as Claire @ART CAPTION:Michael C. Hall as David @ART CREDIT:LARRY WATSON @ART CAPTION:'Six Feet Under' creator Alan Ball with actor Peter Krause @ART:Photos (5, color)CORRECTION: A July 29 article about the television series "Six Feet Under" contained erroneous information about actress Frances Conroy. She has been nominated for a Tony Award but has not won.

Fox resorts to 'Murder'; 'Downer' has fitting title

Oh, dear. Where's Jessica Fletcher when you need her? Like an old episode of "Murder, She Wrote," there's a serial killer stalking a peaceful hamlet in Maine in the new Fox series "Murder in Small Town X." The crimes, of course, are fictional - but this time, the detectives are real people. Or rather, real contestants. "Murder in Small Town X," which will have its premiere at 8 p.m. Tuesday, takes the Clue board game and sets it to shaky video a la "The Blair Witch Project" with a rulebook inspired by ABC's "The Mole." (Fox didn't supply a full hour episode to critics, just the murder scene.) In the next few weeks the 10 players will quiz the suspects, played by nearly two dozen improvisational actors. (There is a "General Hayden" among the cast of characters, but no Colonel Mustard.) The players will work with a real-life crime investigator to figure out whodunit. Each episode ends, inevitably, with one of the contestants being eliminated - and if you've been watching the promos on Fox, you know that won't be pretty. Watching "The Downer Channel," a fast-paced new comedy series, I tried to recall the last time NBC put something on in the summer that I really enjoyed. It was 1994 and filmmaker Michael Moore somehow got his funny and trenchant news satire "TV Nation" past General Electric's censors. "The Downer Channel," which airs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, is not humorous or insightful in the least. It's also an atrocious waste of talent - besides on-screen appearances by Steven Wright, Teri Garr and Fred Willard, the show is produced by Steve Martin, former David Letterman producer Robert Morton and former Letterman and "Simpsons" writer Steve O'Donnell. It's hard to come away from this "Laugh-In"-styled show (everything but the laughs) without thinking that NBC has simply given up on summer. While CBS and ABC used the off-season to try out future hits ("Survivor" and "Millionaire"), NBC seems content to use its summer schedule as a dumping ground for failed development projects. A lot of people who watched British actor Clive Owen in the movie "Croupier" think he should be cast as the next James Bond. Judge for yourself: The crime caper movie airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on Starz! Owen stars as a croupier, an attendant who collects and pays out money at a London casino (he's a writer on the side), in this acclaimed 1998 film. "48 Hours" (9 p.m. Friday, CBS, Channel 5) tells the story of Scott "Hollywood" Scurlock, possibly the unlikeliest bank robber there ever was, but nonetheless one of the craftiest. He kept police at bay for years, heist after heist - including the largest in U.S. history - and was immortalized in an Ann Rule book. Wait till you see his tree house. Lifetime proved a point this season with its new drama series "The Division." It proved that you can make just as formulaic and predictable a cop show with female leads as one with male leads. In the season finale at 8 p.m. Sunday, one of the officers (Jinny, played by Nancy McKeon) shows up drunk to make an arrest, then does something so incredibly stupid that it threatens not only her life and career but also any remaining shreds of believability this show once had. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:After she's suspended from the force, Jinny (Nancy McKeon) lets her drinking get out of control in the season finale of Lifetime's "The Division." @ART CAPTION:Owen @ART:Photos (2, color)

A reminder of what small towns can be; Downtown Clinton, Mo., is a model of reclaimed history

CLINTON, Mo. - A visitor entering Clinton's town square can't help but cross at least one set of railroad tracks, yet unless this is pointed out, he might never take note of these last remnants of the town's 19th-century rail heyday. Nor would a visitor be likely to know that this town of 9,200 once billed itself as "The Baby Chick Capital of the World" except for the hand-painted facade pointing this out. The facade adorns the brick wall outside a beauty shop and is one of several recently painted on buildings about this historic downtown square. In its 165-year history Clinton has seen a remarkable range of economic forces and memorable businesses come and go. The chick hatcheries and nearby coal mine were big industries in their time. The area's clay reserves once spurred a pottery trade. And Clinton was also the home of Lawrence W. Brown, the inventor of Chinese checkers and a prolific seller of fireworks. In rural America the loss of old industry often has foreshadowed the doom of old downtowns. The story is familiar: Residents gravitate to the city limits to shop at massive new supermarkets and discount stores, while downtown withers. Clinton, however, resisted and ultimately overcame this trend. Partly it was aided by geography. The city is the governmental and professional center of a vast, sparsely populated area, not to mention the gateway to Truman Reservoir and Lake of the Ozarks. But it was the citizens of Clinton who, beginning in the 1980s, embarked on an ambitious campaign to reclaim its downtown square. Their success is reflected throughout the now-thriving district and was rewarded last year in a White House ceremony, at which Clinton was honored as an "All-America City," one of 10 cities - and one of the smallest - chosen by the National Civic League in its 51st annual competition of outstanding communities. Today Clinton is neither an overly refurbished tourist trap nor a sad reminder of what small towns used to be. Instead it occupies middle ground: a progressive town built on layers of history, a place that serves its citizens yet is attractive to outsiders. "Coming from a large city, I see a huge sense of community and a lot of pride in making this place nice," says Jennifer McWilliams, who moved here from Minneapolis seven years ago with her husband. McWilliams is co-owner of the Ben Franklin Coffee House, the latest example of Clinton's civic spirit. Two longtime residents of Clinton, Marcia and Jay Olson, bought and completely remodeled the building, a fixture on the town square that previously housed a clothing store, a five-and-dime and a saddle shop. Earlier this year they sold the coffeehouse to McWilliams and another local woman, Allison Wetzel. The Ben Franklin screams upscale customer, featuring a beautifully restored tin ceiling and wooden floor, retro furniture and $6 gourmet sandwiches. It's a frilly addition to a practical-minded block that has clothing stores and a Dollar General. "We are striving for, as you call it, more upscale retail shops in our district," says Marsha Dark, who manages Clinton Main Street, the nonprofit organization formed in 1989 that has spearheaded the area's renaissance. "But more importantly, there should be a proper mix of businesses that complement each other." Named for DeWitt Clinton, the New York governor who built the Erie Canal, Clinton was made the seat of Henry County in 1836 by a board of commissioners that included the son of Daniel Boone. At the turn of the 20th century, three rail lines overlapped Clinton. You've probably heard only of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas, or MKT - the "Katy" Railroad. Today Clinton is the western terminus of the Katy Trail, a biking and hiking route that winds 225 miles to St. Charles, making it the nation's longest rails-to-trails project. The trail head is actually at Clinton's northeast edge, more than a mile from downtown. Just off the town square, the Henry County Museum is a sprawling, immaculately kept collection of the area's history. Much of it is housed in an 1886 building that originally was a distribution hub for Anheuser-Busch. Next door the restored 1887 Henry County Bank building is a performing arts center. Farther down the street the museum has assembled a replica of a pioneer homestead, including a genuine 1856 log house that served as a stagecoach stop. Clinton's more recent history is a tale of survival. Big retailers such as Wal-Mart moved in, settling on the other end of town. The square's retail shops began to move away or close down. At its nadir in the 1980s, 20 percent of downtown shops were empty. White-collar businesses - insurance agents, lawyers - moved in to fill the gap. Meanwhile, city leaders applied to the Missouri Main Street program for help, and Clinton was made a pilot Main Street program. This qualified the town for grants and training from experts in downtown revitalization. The work has paid off: Occupancy is now 98 percent in the town square. Many of the businesses have new awnings, signage and coats of paint. Nor is the progress limited to the city center. Development is brisk on the east end of Clinton, and the city has in recent years built a community center and convention facility, as well as an airy new home for the Henry County Library just off the town square. And while the baby-chick farms may be a distant memory, the Clinton economy now features employers such as the Holmes Group, which makes the Rival Crock-Pot. It employs several hundred workers here, as do cheese maker Schreiber Foods and the Golden Valley Memorial Hospital, an important area medical center. Clinton is big enough to support its own daily newspaper but small enough that a recent afternoon edition featured a front-page photograph of the mayor, Gus Wetzel, also a physician, in scrubs, holding a baby boy he delivered that morning at the hospital. (The paper noted that it was the mayor's birthday, his 60th.) Meanwhile, the work continues downtown. Dark, Clinton Main Street's manager, says the group has applied for a Neighborhood Assistance Program grant. This would give tax incentives to people and businesses who pay for improvements on the square. "This process of restoration, preservation and revitalization is never-ending," Dark says, "if Clinton is to continue to grow and remain strong." You can reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer, at (816) 234-4790 or www.tvbarn.com. Heartland favorites This spring readers of The Star's Travel section gave us their choices for the best small-town and rural destinations in the Midwest. We're profiling six of them this summer. On July 8 we explored the Swedish history of Lindsborg, on the central Kansas plains. It's an ambitious place, taken over this summer by horses. Last Sunday we visited Ashland, Neb., whose small-town image belies its Wild West past. Today we're in Clinton, Mo., once called "The Baby Chick Capital of the World." Next week: Rocheport, Mo., where history meets the Katy Trail. Aug. 5: Chase County, Kan., home of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Aug. 12, Orange City, Iowa, where Dutch influence is strong. To catch up on earlier stories, visit www.kcstar.com/fyi/travel/travel.htm. @ART CAPTION:A mural on the corner of the town square in Clinton, Mo., proclaims a piece of local history. At one time the area had many chicken-hatching farms. @ART CAPTION:The bandstand is a focal point on the lawn of the Henry County Courthouse in downtown Clinton, Mo. @ART:Photos (2, color and b/w) @ART CREDIT:JOHN SLEEZER/The Kansas City Star

Going to Clinton, Mo.

Getting there For most Kansas Citians, the convenient route to Clinton is by Missouri 7. Take U.S. 71 south to Harrisonville, then drive east about 45 minutes. If you live east of Kansas City, take Interstate 70 east to Missouri 13, then south through Warrensburg. Clinton is about 75 miles from Kansas City. What to see The town square is formed by Washington, Main, Franklin and Jefferson streets downtown. Take Business 13 (Second Street) south from Missouri 7. Henry County Museum is west of town square on Franklin. The Katy Trail begins in Clinton; exit at the junction of Missouri 52 and Missouri 7/13. A short bike path connects the trail head to the Clinton Community Center. You can park your car at the center while riding the trail. If you're planning to bike the entire Katy Trail, register at the center, then again when you get to St. Charles. You'll get a certificate heralding your achievement. The Henry County Museum has a variety of exhibits, including a replica of a Victorian household and a make-believe Main Street with fully stocked replicas of a general store, harness shop and one-room schoolhouse. The annex houses several restored antique automobiles and a genealogy library. Some truly odd arcana is here, too, including an enormous "Magnetic Healing Device," circa 1900. Everything is in excellent condition, and the museum is well laid out. It is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, from April through December. Phone (660) 885-8414 for information on group tours. A short drive away is Truman Dam, the Truman Reservoir and the Lost Valley Hatchery and Visitor Center. From Clinton, drive a half-hour east on Missouri 7, then look for the access road on your left as you approach Warsaw. The newly opened fish hatchery, one of the nation's 10 largest, has a visitor center with a 12,700-gallon aquarium and windows that look in on the breeding tanks. Where to stay A new Super 8 Motel (660-890-6188), at the intersection of Ohio Street and highways 7/13/52, has a pool and continental breakfast. Also near that intersection: the Best Western Colonial (660-885-2206), and a Days Inn (660-885-6901). At the intersection of highways 7 and 13 are a Knights Inn (660-885-2267) and Safari Motel (660-885-3395). Where to eat Take breakfast at the no-frills Uchie's Fine Foods on the town square, then lunch at the Ben Franklin Coffee House, which features sandwiches and quiches. Breanna's Old Fashioned Soda Fountain is cluttered but clean and serves great sodas and shakes. For dinner, Mexican seems to be the local specialty. There's Ernesto's on the square and, south of town, El Sambre. If you make the short drive to Truman Lake, a good choice is the Captain's Club in Warsaw (660-438-6256), a seafood-and-steaks joint overlooking Drake Harbor. To learn more Contact Clinton Main Street at (660) 885-2121 or www.clintonmomainstreet.com, or call the Chamber of Commerce at (800) 222-5251. @ART CAPTION:Clinton @ART:Graphic (color map) @ART CREDIT:The Kansas City Star

Mike Shanin is the latest news at WDAF

Mike Shanin, longtime local broadcaster and host of the TV program "Ruckus," is joining Kansas City's top-rated morning radio show. Shanin will be the news anchor for David Lawrence on WDAF-AM (610), replacing Larry Moehlenbrink, who is moving to New Mexico. Shanin currently is a business reporter at KMBZ-AM (980) and will switch to WDAF as soon as KMBZ finds a replacement for him. Both stations are owned by Entercom Communications. As one of the area's most distinct and recognizable voices, Shanin has plied his trade around the dial. From 1997 to 2000 he was afternoon host on KPHN-AM (1190). His new gig comes about as a result of a conversation with WDAF program director Ted Cramer, who first worked with Shanin way back when at KCKN-AM (1340). "I look forward to talking to an audience the size of the one that listens to David Lawrence," Shanin said. "It's a dramatic difference from the audience I was speaking to at KPHN." Shanin will read the news from 5:30 to 10 a.m., which includes an hour of Cramer's "Midday Sandwich" show. He'll continue to anchor a Sunday morning news and interview program on KMBZ. Speaking of KCKN, it's in new hands these days. Carter Broadcast Group, owner of Kansas City's urban powerhouse KPRS-FM (103.3) and gospel KPRT-AM (1590), picked up the station from KPHN owner Bill Johnson for $1.5 million, about twice what Johnson paid for it in 1989. The 1,000-watt station, which first signed on in 1925, was big-band KFEZ until a year ago; in previous lives it was "CNN 1340" and country and western KFKF-AM. The nation's oldest continuously owned African-American radio group hasn't announced its plans for KCKN. "We're playing Christian music until further notice," said KPRS program director Sam Weaver. How far would you go to take a part-time radio job? Probably not as far as new KFKF-FM (94.1) weekend DJ Josh Tamases. After the country station where he was working in Klamath Falls, Ore., changed formats, Tamases found himself out of work. Eager to stay in radio, he scoured the Internet looking for potential employers. One of his e-mails was to KFKF program director Dale Carter, who called him back. As Tamases recalled, "Dale asked me, 'Are you planning a move to Kansas City?' And I said, 'Hire me and I will.' He said, 'Get here and I'll put you on the air.' " And on that promise, Tamases loaded up a U-Haul, hitched his pickup truck to the back and drove 1,894 miles to his new eight-hour workweek. It sounds like a country-music song: the 33-year-old former actor driving across country - just him and his dog Bosco - in search of the American dream. "I love radio," Tamases said. "When you're on-air and talking to somebody, playing their music and entertaining them, that's the best feeling in the world." To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or go to www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Shanin @ART:Photo

Get ready to rumble with A&E's 'Ring'

You'd be hard-pressed to find a fan of professional boxing who wasn't aware of the sport's long history of corruption. You'd have better luck finding someone who truly thought the main purpose of the Olympic Games is to celebrate amateur athletics. Few viewers, then, will fault "Boxing: In and Out of the Ring," which recounts boxing's long ignominious past as well as its current mess. It airs 8 p.m. Sunday on A&E. Among the lowlights covered by the film: the influence of organized crime in the early 20th century, a 1977 ratings-fixing scandal and the recent arrest of a top boxing federation president on bribery charges. And then there's Don King, the sport's top promoter, who has been sued by at least 20 fighters who say he took them to the top - and to the cleaners. So why do millions keep spending $50 a pop for pay-per-view access to fights? Maybe it's because, as this film suggests, the sport's checkered past and characters like King add to its entertainment value. Speaking of sports, if you take to heart the old Nike slogan, "Just do it," you can't help but admire the athletes of the Women's Professional Football League, a tenuous enterprise launched two years ago and the subject of the documentary "True-Hearted Vixens," which airs at 11 p.m. Sunday as part of PBS' "P.O.V." (Point of View) series. The Vixens in the title are the Minnesota Vixens, one of two teams that conducted a barnstorming tour in 1999 to raise interest in a full-fledged league. We follow the team's ups and downs through numbingly long bus trips, disheartening losses and less than stellar fan support. The women play hard, but their desire is undermined by the men who coach them, pay them and promote them at, among other places, Hooters. "We'd be Chuck Darwin's favorite band," declares the drummer in "Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story," a fictionalized telling of how the British supergroup came to define pop metal in the 1980s despite calamities, dissension and levels of substance abuse that would make even David Crosby wince. "Hysteria," the latest attempt by VH1 to turn its biographical "Behind the Music" series into works of art, airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday and stars Anthony Michael Hall and several actors you've probably seen before but can't recall quite where. Def Leppard's story is unique in that the group made a successful comeback after its drummer lost an arm in an automobile wreck. It is not unique in the group's indulgent excesses - sex and booze, mainly - during its years of peak fame. Those are richly documented here; so is the arm-severing incident. Tune in and see which sickens you more. To commemorate this week's release of "Jurassic Park III," Turner Classic Movies will introduce a newly restored version of its ancestor "The Lost World." The 1925 silent film about dinosaurs living in our times - based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - airs at 7 p.m. Friday on TCM. Two newly composed scores to the film will air simultaneously, one of them on the secondary audio program (SAP) on your TV or VCR. The Academy Award-winning "Traffic" airs on pay-per-view beginning Tuesday. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com or by calling (816) 234-4790.

Been there, seen that; Fall lineups are heavy with knockoffs and safe concepts

Fred Allen, the old-time radio legend, once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of television." That was during TV's "golden age" of the 1950s, but his adage has held true ever since - never more so than today. This month the networks are putting the finishing touches on 42 shows that will have their premieres in the upcoming TV season. Yet most of these supposedly "new" series are little more than knockoffs and spin-offs of things we've seen before. Did you like that forensic scientist show "CSI" on CBS? You must have, because now NBC has one, too. Can't get enough of "Survivor"? Apparently not: It's back and is joined by "The Amazing Race" and several other birds of that feather. Do you pencil out Wednesday nights for "Law & Order" and Friday nights for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"? Hope you don't have plans for Sunday - here comes "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." It's a paradox. The most popular shows on TV - "The West Wing," "ER," "Everybody Loves Raymond" - are true originals, impossible to imitate. But in general, untested concepts are risky business for networks. It costs $10 million or more to put a new show on the schedule. A few bombs is often the difference between a network making a profit or a loss that season. So it's not surprising that network executives often go with the tried and true over the new and unfamiliar. That's not to say you can't squeeze an engaging new show out of an old concept. I've highlighted four promising series that debut this fall (seebox on cover), including "Smallville," which is based on the life of Superman, perhaps the most shopworn character of the 20th century. Mostly, though, the networks wind up making dull imitations of shows that someone did before. This fall promises to be no exception. Almost every year there is a fad show that everyone copies. This year it's the extreme game show, or the "reality" show as it's commonly (and mistakenly) called. What's being copied, of course, is CBS' smash hit "Survivor." Joining it this season are "The Amazing Race" (CBS), in which 11 teams run around the world competing against one another; the WB network's "Lost in the U.S.A." (from the producers of the granddaddy of extreme game shows, MTV's "Road Rules"); and "The Runner" on ABC in January. Produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, "The Runner" features one contestant running around the country completing tasks while avoiding detection. Even hastily assembled "Survivor" knockoffs from last year did well enough to earn a return visit. Fox will tempt the voyeuristic with another trip to "Temptation Island," and ABC will bring back "The Mole." Jumping on the reality bandwagon is the most obvious way the networks are avoiding risk. But the fall schedule is full of other examples. There are, for instance, sequels - or "prequels" - designed to attract fans of the original show. Thus "The Ponderosa," Pax TV's new prequel to "Bonanza," which has been getting surprisingly high ratings in reruns on Pax. And "Enterprise," the latest incarnation of the aging "Star Trek" franchise, launches this fall on UPN with Scott Bakula at the helm. Every year celebrities are given their own sitcoms, and most of them bomb. So network executives are starting to wise up and offer deals to celebs who already have scored once on TV. Thus Ellen DeGeneres returns as star of "The Ellen Show." Jason Alexander banks on his "Seinfeld" fame to carry his new sitcom, "Bob Patterson." And Bob Saget's house may no longer be full, but he's back as a single head of household in the WB's "Raising Dad." This fall there's another twist on the celebrity theme: shows fueled on Oscar power. "The Education of Max Bickford" stars Academy Award-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden as feuding college professors, while ABC's "The Court" (premiere in January) features two-time Best Actress winner Sally Field as a liberal Supreme Court justice. An increasingly popular tactic is for networks to ask successful producers back for an encore - or two. So producer Dick Wolf is churning out three hours of his "Law & Order" franchise this fall for NBC. Steven Bochco, the producer of "NYPD Blue," has enlisted that show's chief hottie, Kim Delaney, to star in his next series, "Philly," which takes over "Blue's" Tuesday night time slot this fall on ABC. ("Blue" is moving to Wednesdays.) If they gave out Emmys for most creative attempt at recycling, the prize this fall would go to Fox. Years ago the network introduced a Saturday morning cartoon called "The Tick," about a doofish superhero in a cobalt-blue suit. The cartoon faded away, but now the network is trying again, this time with a live-action version of "The Tick" starring Patrick Warburton ("Seinfeld's" Puddy). Well, it worked for "The Flintstones" kind of. Or maybe the prize would go to public broadcaster PBS, which in June announced the "most extensive revamping" of its prime-time schedule in 25 years. Actually, all PBS did was reshuffle the shows it's had on for decades. The only two new shows are a Friday-night reality series and "Antiques Roadshow UK," the British program that inspired PBS' "Antiques Roadshow." How quaint! It's as if ABC started airing the British version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Hey, there's an idea! You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com.

Bada bing! 'Sopranos' rules Emmy nominations list But will voters give it the Best Drama award?

Will the third time be the charm for "The Sopranos"? After storming to higher ratings and even greater critical acclaim than in its heady first two seasons, the HBO mob drama received more Emmy Award nominations Thursday - 22 - than any other program. Now the question is whether Emmy voters finally will reward "The Sopranos" with its top prize: Best Drama Series. We won't know until Sept. 16, the night the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gives out its 53rd annual awards on CBS. "The West Wing" garnered 18 nominations, followed by 13 for the made-for-TV miniseries "Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." "Will & Grace" and the HBO movie "61*" each received 12 nominations. There was no drama in the drama category, with the same five shows nominated last year returning this year (see list on Page E-6), and there was little relief in comedy, with "Malcolm in the Middle" the only new nominee for Best Series. (It replaced "Friends.") Though "Law & Order" is enjoying its best ratings in its 11-year run and got one of the Best Drama nominations, its Emmy stock appears to be falling. The show's two Best Actor nominees from last year, Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston, were dropped in favor of Rob Lowe of "The West Wing" and Andre Braugher of "Gideon's Crossing," a show canceled earlier this year by ABC. However, the real race for Best Actor is likely among Dennis Franz of "NYPD Blue," James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos" and Martin Sheen of "The West Wing." Gandolfini's triumph last year was one of few for "The Sopranos," which has entered the last two Emmy ceremonies with high hopes, only to have most of them dashed. The series collected 16 nominations in 1999 after its first season, more than any other program. But it won just four statuettes that year. Afterward HBO officials claimed they weren't surprised. First-year shows never fare that well at the Emmys, they said. Last year a rookie show, "The West Wing," cleaned HBO's clock. It received 18 nominations and scored a record nine Emmy wins, including Best Drama. "The Sopranos" may have a better chance this year due to the legal and other woes of "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin. He was picked up at an airport on drug charges April 15. In exchange for a guilty plea on possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, crack cocaine and marijuana, Sorkin agreed to enroll in a rehab program. As if that weren't troubling enough to Emmy voters, many of whom write for television, Sorkin posted a lot of mean things about a former writer on "The West Wing" to an online message board two weeks ago. In the message, Sorkin claimed that he wrote all the show's scripts and only handed out credits to the other writers on the show "by way of a gratuity." (Sorkin later apologized for his comments.) And The New York Times ran an embarrassing story last month revealing that writers on the show would not get previously promised raises as a cost-cutting measure. The bitter irony: One of the top producers of "The West Wing" is John Wells, who recently led the Writers Guild of America in negotiations for higher payments from the big TV studios. If you are wondering what the key to a hit drama series is, think ensemble. Of the 10 nominees for Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama, eight appear on "The West Wing" or "The Sopranos." Newcomers to the Emmys this year included Frankie Muniz of the hit comedy "Malcolm in the Middle" and Marg Helgenberger of the new CBS drama "CSI." Calista Flockhart returned to the Best Comedic Actress category, replacing "Dharma & Greg's" Jenna Elfman. On the outside looking in again is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," despite the efforts of an online fan group to draw attention to it. A group called Give Buffy an Emmy collected more than $5,000 from viewers and took out "For Your Consideration" ads in trade magazines urging Emmy voters to give "Buffy" a closer look. But the show once again failed to get a nomination in any of the major categories. The academy this year added several categories to honor nonfiction television. They were dominated by the cable networks, with such nominees as "Road Rules," "Junkyard Wars," "Taxicab Confessions" and "The E! True Hollywood Story." ("Survivor" also got a nod.) You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Clockwise, from upper left: Peter Boyle, Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton and Doris Roberts @ART CREDIT:CBS @ART CAPTION:James Gandolfini @ART:Photos (2, color)

Computerized dinos walk the Discovery channel again

The movie "Jurassic Park" may have been short on science and long on imagination, but it did teach us this immutable law of evolution: One dinosaur show begets another. We see this principle at work in "When Dinosaurs Roamed America," the sequel to the Discovery channel's hugely popular special "Walking With Dinosaurs." Like its ancestor, this program airing at 7 p.m. Sunday uses computer imagery to re-create scenes from prehistoric eras. (It arrives just ahead of the third "Jurassic Park" film, which opens in theaters July 18.) The part I previewed took place - or to my creationist friends, allegedly took place - in New Mexico about 90 million years ago, when that now-arid land looked more like a Louisiana bayou. Several exotic species roamed there, such as the zuniceratops, a funny little thing with rhinolike features, as well as the more familiar raptor. "When Dinosaurs Roamed America" seems like a realistic simulation, but I wonder how much it owes to Steven Spielberg. For instance, the hideous-looking raptors get typecast as the bad guys preying on more docile and homely looking leaf eaters. Last year the Fox network sent TV critics preview tapes of a new show, "Night Visions," that was to appear on its fall schedule. Fall came and went and still no "Night Visions." It's finally arrived, but if you think the network has any plans to bring this show back this fall, think again. "Night Visions" mades its premiere with two hourlong episodes at 7 p.m. Thursday and is scheduled to move to 8 p.m. Thursdays in following weeks. It's a classic summer "burn-off" of a series that's going nowhere fast. Nor is it hard to see why. While Rod Serling's twisted mind - and the necessity of conforming to a prudish broadcast code - made "Twilight Zone" a sometimes oddball but rarely violent fantasy chiller, "Night Visions" takes mediocre scripts and works in a few contrived screams using dark lighting, spooky music and the usual Fox-network ration of gratuitous blood-letting. By contrast, the Sci-Fi Channel's hilarious new series, "The Chronicle," understands that modern audiences want more than just the usual grim-faced horror. It debuts at 8 p.m. Saturday also with two hourlong episodes. "The Chronicle" asks the question: What if all those alien-abduction stories in tabloid newspapers are true? Chad Willett stars as young Tucker Burns, a journalism-school disgrace who can't find work until one day he stumbles into the bizarre offices of the World Chronicle, a periodical not unlike some we see in the supermarket checkout lane. To his chagrin, Tucker finds that everyone working at the Chronicle is a true believer, right down to the in-house psychic who says "bless you" before you sneeze. Inevitably, Tucker is drawn into the murky realm of space creatures and the like - as are we, thanks to a terrific cast led by Jon Polito, the bald character actor whose cartoonlike eyes and mustache have made him a familiar face in Coen brothers films. He plays Tucker's boss, a sort of loony Lou Grant. Reno Wilson plays the far-out staff photographer who can't wait for E.T. to take him home. (In case you're wondering, no, Sci-Fi is not burning off "The Chronicle"; summer is to cable channels as fall is to the networks.) Movie notes: "P.O.V.," public TV's annual summer documentary series, this week sheds new light on the Japanese-American internment during World War II, one of this country's great miscarriages of justice. "Of Civil Wrongs & Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story" (11 p.m. Sunday, KCPT, Channel 19) recounts the 1942 case in which a young man, born and raised in California, was convicted for violating Executive Order 9066, the law that sent 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry to concentration camps during the war. The Korematsu case, as one lawyer quoted in the film says, was that rare instance where "every branch of government that is responsible for protecting the Constitution failed." The film does an admirable job explaining the legal, social and personal sides to the case, which was ultimately overturned - more than 40 years after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Korematsu's appeal. Also, this week marks the annual film preservation festival on American Movie Classics. This year's honoree is John Wayne, with restored works of the Duke airing Thursday through Sunday. AMC will also auction off memorabilia from some of moviedom's biggest stars on "The Hollywood Auction," a live event beginning 8 p.m. Thursday. Viewers bid via the Internet. And for those of you who wondered whatever became of "ER's" Nurse Hathaway, Julianna Margulies, she's wearing fancy clothes in "The Mists of Avalon," the splashy TNT miniseries that begins 7 p.m. Sunday on TNT. Based on the legend of King Arthur, "Mists" tells the Arthurian legend through the eyes of the women of his court, including Morgaine, the king's half sister (Marguiles). You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CREDIT:TNT @ART CAPTION:Julianna Margulies stars in the TNT miniseries "The Mists of Avalon." It begins at 7 p.m. Sunday. @ART CREDIT:Sci-Fi Channel @ART CAPTION:TV highlights range from "When Dinosaurs Roamed America," left, to "The Chronicle," above. @ART:Photos (2, color and b/w) @ART:Graphic (color illustration) @ART CREDIT:Discovery channel

Busting bad pet owners. Wrestling alligators. Rehabilitating dogs through prison programs. It's all part of TV's animal crush

The two uniformed officers pull up to the house. They've told the camera what they're going to do, now they get out of the car and do it. A knock at the door; questions for the people inside; a quick inspection; evidence; and then the officers take action - but gingerly, so as not to provoke an already jittery suspect. It would be an entirely familiar televised scene, straight out of "Cops." Except that the victims walk around on all fours. And the officers do not work for an urban police department but rather for the New York City chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA. The show, though clearly modeled on "Cops," is called "Animal Precinct," and it's the newest pup from the kennel of Animal Planet, which has become one of cable TV's hottest networks by emphasizing the interconnectedness between humans and animals. The cops on "Animal Precinct" carry guns and they arrest bad guys - people who abuse or neglect their pets. Just 10 officers are expected to handle animal cruelty cases across New York's five boroughs. (Before they can show an animal owner on television, Animal Planet must get a signed broadcast waiver. If owners don't sign, their images are fuzzed out.) "I never saw this dog before in my life," says the truth-challenged owner of a mutt found dead in his back yard. The rib cage of another emaciated dog, this one kept in a basement, can be plainly seen. Cats crawl out from piles of trash in their owner's living room. It is not an easy show to watch. Yet more than a million viewers tuned in for the "Animal Precinct" premiere late last month, making it Animal Planet's highest-rated debut ever. Paul Romano, one of the ASPCA officers featured on the show, watches it with his 8-year-old daughter. "I tell her there are things on this show that will scare her," says Romano, who has been in law enforcement 20 years, the last three as an ASPCA officer. "But we've seen cases of children shooting animals, torturing them. It's so important that we educate our children. We know Jeffrey Dahmer started torturing animals as a kid, then he grew up and killed people." The subject matter is unprecedented for Animal Planet, a channel better known for whimsical shows such as "America's Funniest Pets" and a ubiquitous Aussie who cheerfully wrestles crocodiles. But "Animal Precinct" vividly demonstrates what makes the new generation of animal TV so different from the nature programming we grew up with. Old programs such as "Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom" kept the humans in the background - not unlike the new movie "Cats & Dogs," in which people are oblivious to the cold war going on among their pets. By contrast, animal TV brings humans into the drama and shows how animals are often barometers of our capacity for compassion or selfishness. "Let's face it, animals are endlessly fascinating, but the real secret to this channel is its humanity," says Michael Cascio, the new executive in charge of Animal Planet. "It's the idea that humans can become better people by observing the behavior of the world around them." That includes - at the opposite end of "Animal Precinct" - the story of inmates at an Ohio prison, recently featured on an Animal Planet documentary, who give obedience training to dogs rescued from area shelters. The training draws out the tender sides of the incarcerated men, and it also gives the once-condemned animals - who because of the training can be sold to new owners - the prospect of long and happy lives. Humans rescuing animals is a common theme of animal TV. But so is the opposite. The weekly series "Miracle Pets" on the Pax network, for example, tells of dogs who alert their owners to house fires and so forth. And so often, as with the Ohio inmates, animal TV warms viewers' hearts by showing that people who improve the welfare of animals boost their own as well. It may explain why Animal Planet is the fastest-growing cable channel in history and is now carried in 70 million homes. Though not among the top-rated cable channels, it always enjoys a ratings spike when its star, Steve Irwin, a.k.a. "the Crocodile Hunter," appears. A stocky bloke in khakis, Irwin is the kind of guy who gets excited trying a new flavor of ice cream. As we watch Irwin zanily profess his love for a croc that has just sunk her teeth into his thigh, or roll around in the mud with an exotic lizard, it's easy to forget that he is a respected zoologist who is on the forefront of saving marine life in his native Australia. Irwin also has achieved rare crossover success, appearing in four NBC specials last season. Despite network shows being expected to draw several times the audience of the average cable program, "The Crocodile Hunter" boosted NBC's ratings by more than 20 percent, and by even more among younger viewers, said spokesman Mike Nelson. "To take someone who is committed to science and exploit those parts of his personality that make him bigger than life - not everybody in that field wants to do that," Cascio says of Irwin. "But they understand it helps to get the message across if you make it fun or melodramatic. And incidentally, that's the way Steve really is. In much the same way Carl Sagan once represented science, Steve represents science and adventure." The same could be said of Jacques Cousteau, the original scientist-adventurer-personality who, like Sagan, was seen by millions on public TV. At least one current PBS show continues in that tradition - "Ocean Wilds" with marine biologist Feodor Pitcairn and his underwater friends - while others encourage humans to do it themselves, such as "Stokes Birds at Home," with birdwatchers Don and Lillian Stokes showing viewers how to build bird houses and identify species. Another member of the old guard, National Geographic, has responded to the growing popularity of animal TV by starting its own cable channel. Time Warner Cable is in negotiations to add National Geographic Channel to its lineup. Of course, naysayers argue that watching nature on television is a poor substitute for the real thing. But don't tell that to Animal Planet's Cascio, who's rolling out a new slate of shows including "Hollywood Unleashed," in which celebrities coo over their pets. One of them is Bettie Currie, the former assistant to Bill Clinton who inherited Socks, the presidential cat. Noting that it is Currie's first interview since the election, Cascio says: "We told her we don't care about the scandal. We want to know how Socks is." You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. An Animal Planet sampler "Emergency Vets" - This real-life "ER," filmed as it happens at a veterinary hospital in Colorado, is one of Animal Planet's best-loved shows. "Judge Wapner's Animal Court" - The retired "People's Court" judge returns to TV to adjudicate tiffs between pet owners. "Wild on the Set" - Secrets of how animals are trained for movies and commercials. (Does that chihuahua really say, "Yo quiero Taco Bell"?) "The Jeff Corwin Experience" - Animal Planet's other big personality is this amiable biologist-anthropologist who introduces viewers to interesting animals and their even more interesting keepers. "The Retrievers" - In this coming (July 30) movie, a rare fictional offering, Robert Hays ("Airplane!") and Mel Harris ("thirtysomething") rekindle their marriage with the help of a homeless golden retriever and its brood of young pups. "Moorpark 24/7" - Reality series follows 50 young people from around the world as they train to become zookeepers at a one-of-a-kind institute. "Big Cat Diary" - Filmmakers chronicle the lives, beginning at birth, of lions, cheetahs and cougars in the Kenyan wilderness. @ART CAPTION:Animal Planet's "The Awesome Pawsome" followed the first year of life for four Bengal tigers living in captivity. @ART CAPTION:Special Investigator Joann Sandano is one of the New York officers featured in Animal Planet's new series "Animal Precinct." @ART CAPTION:Steve Irwin, along with his wife, Terri, is behind much of Animal Planet's success. "The Crocodile Hunter" is one of the network's most popular shows. @ART CAPTION:Kevin T. Fitzgerald is one of the Emergency Vets on one of Animal Planet's most-watched shows. @ART:Photos (4, color and b/w) @ART CREDIT:Photos by Animal Planet

Entercom hopes signal change will reverse KXTR ratings drop

If recent ratings are to be believed, many Kansas Citians who once supported classical music radio no longer care whether it lives or dies. According to Arbitron's winter 2001 book, the most recent period for which ratings are available, the number of people listening to KXTR radio on average fell by more than half in the six-month period after Entercom Communications moved the station from the FM band to 1250 AM. Arbitron doesn't publish ratings for noncommercial station KCUR-FM (89.3), which also broadcasts classical music. But Entercom management believes that KXTR's audience will grow now that the station is heard at its new home, 1660 AM. The sound quality at 1660 is as rich a sound as you're likely to hear on AM, and the more powerful signal no longer fizzles out at 75th Street. Still, if you're a listener wondering whether to go out and get a new radio - because your old one doesn't go up to 1660 AM - you've got to be wondering: Just how long will it last? How long before Entercom gives up on classical completely? The answer turns on whether Entercom succeeds at selling advertisers on KXTR's classical-music-loving audience, a goal that eluded two previous owners. That won't be easy with KXTR on the AM band; advertisers prefer FM. But Bob Zuroweste, Entercom's top manager in Kansas City, says KXTR was a hard sell on FM. Indeed, in 1999 KXTR outrated smooth-jazz KCIY-FM (106.5), and the two stations shared the same sales force, yet "The City" made three times as much money as KXTR, according to figures compiled by Duncan's American Radio in Cincinnati. Moving KXTR to AM relieved it of the heavy expectations laid on an FM station, Zuroweste said, adding that he is "not going to get any heat from up above" if KXTR makes just $300,000 in revenues - a tiny fraction of what the average FM station takes in. Also in KXTR's favor: The chairman of Entercom's board is "committed" to the classical station, Zuroweste said. It was Joseph Field who authorized the $3 million needed to improve KXTR's reach and sound quality. As for skeptics who say Entercom doesn't know how to run a classical station, Zuroweste points to his company's success keeping another one-of-a-kind station, WDAF-AM (610), top-rated and profitable. "WDAF is the most successful AM music station in the country, and we're doing a lot better than five years ago," Zuroweste said. "It's tough, but it can be done." Ratings roundup Speaking of WDAF, it was about the only country station not singing the blues after Arbitron's winter ratings book. While perennial leader KPRS-FM (103.3) claimed the top spot again, "61 Country" finished second, just ahead of "The Rock," KQRC-FM (98.9). KPRS averaged a 7.3 percent "share" of the overall listening audience during the day, compared with a 6.4 share for WDAF and 6.2 for KQRC. But the other country stations in town did not fare well, as KFKF-FM (94.1) fell to ninth and KBEQ-FM (104.3) slumped to a tie for 11th overall. KFKF's Dale Carter doesn't think country music is in trouble. Kansas City is still one of the dominant big-city markets for country. The problem is that radio today is hypercompetitive. New stations are signing on - witness the debut of "E-105" last month - and owners are upgrading their weaker stations. Entercom turned KXTR's FM into "The Buzz" last year; the station's ratings are up 37 percent. "It's happening all over the country," Carter said. "It's a battle for every 10th of a point." WDAF's David Lawrence reclaimed his half of the morning-radio lead from KQRC's Johnny Dare and Murphy Wells, with Lawrence finishing first during his 5 to 9 a.m. shift and Dare and Wells winning the 6 to 10 a.m. stretch. The top 10 among listeners ages 12-up (all-day average): KPRS, WDAF, KQRC, KCMO-FM (94.9), KMBZ-AM (980), KMXV-FM (93.3), KRBZ-FM (96.5), KUDL-FM (98.1), KFKF and KYYS-FM (99.7). WDAF has been nominated for the radio industry's top honor. The Marconi Award for "Legendary Station of the Year" will be presented at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual radio convention in September. WDAF won a 1999 Marconi Award as country station of the year. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com

TCM special makes most of what's left of 'Oz'

It's been more than six decades since "The Wizard of Oz" was released, and, as you might imagine, rounding up the old gang for a look back at the 1939 classic is not so simple as clicking your shoes three times. That much is clear from "Memories of Oz" (6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Turner Classic Movies), which accompanies the annual showing of the movie on TCM. The 30-minute special features just three actors who appeared on-screen in the movie and they're all Munchkins. If you count Buddy Ebsen, who was the original Tin Man but got sick from the aluminum dust in his makeup and was replaced by Jack Haley, that makes four. To their credit, the producers of "Memories" have made the most of what life, or rather death, has dealt them. The result is not a comprehensive look back at Oz, but a fascinating slice from behind the scenes at one of MGM's greatest productions. Memorabilia buffs tell how MGM merchandised the film on the cheap (with poor knockoffs of its popular Shirley Temple doll). A historian explains some of the film's technical tricks, like the one that allowed Judy Garland to step through the Technicolor curtain. And so on. Oh - and they put the Munchkins in Munchkin outfits for their interviews. "The Wizard of Oz" will air at 7 p.m. Tuesday (immediately after "Memories of Oz") and 5 p.m. Wednesday. Visually impaired viewers can tune to the SAP channel during Wednesday's telecast and listen to the video description of the movie. If you've never listened to the video description (also known as DVS), do it. It's the best thing since closed captioning. Many a TV show winds up on the scrap heap but usually not by choice. Lately, though, there's been a surge of cable programs devoted to the amazing things that can be built out of old junk. There are "Battlebots," "Robotica" and the amazing "Junkyard Wars," where two teams of scavengers race the clock and each other in a test of their true scrap mettle. In a new two-hour "Junkyard Wars" special airing at 8 p.m. Wednesday on TLC, the American champs square off against the top team from the show's British equivalent, "Scrap Heap Challenge." The two teams are given 10 hours and the run of a junkyard to build the ultimate car crusher. It's a raucous competition that ends in a surprisingly tense crush-off. Speaking of British TV, did you hear "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett say recently he'd like to do a "Celebrity Survivor"? Wonder where he got that idea? You won't after seeing "Celebrity Castaway," a thoroughly enjoyable variant on the BBC's "Castaway" series that will debut at 6 p.m. Sunday on BBC America. Unlike "Survivor," "Castaway" is not a game but a social experiment. In its first season it sent 36 strangers to a remote island off the Scottish coast - for a year. Kind of like MTV's "The Real World," except "Castaway" actually took place in the real world. "Celebrity Castaway" sends one British star to a far-off locale for one week. In Sunday's episode actor-composer-writer Billy Connolly goes to the top of the earth to camp on a forsaken patch of the frozen Arctic Ocean. Connolly has never been anyplace this cold before, but as you watch him talk to the camcorder in his tent, with a blizzard howling outside, you sense he's entirely in his element. But if your idea of a great escape involves warmer climes, more people and an overpriced room, there's always "The Real World." It's back for its 10th season beginning at 9 p.m. Tuesday on MTV. Watch as seven all-American kids inhabit a jaw-dropping loft in lower Manhattan and get jobs shilling for a record company. Tune in at 7 p.m. for the "casting special" and see how they and their "Road Rules" counterparts got picked. (One of the "Road Rules" hopefuls is from Lawrence.) A few surprises, mostly pleasant, trickled in after I wrote about Time Warner Cable's channel changes last week. Time Warner announced that it added the Outdoor Life Network to its digital tier at Channel 207. Also, the cable company said it would get ESPN's ducks in a row, moving ESPN2 to Channel 34 and ESPN Classic to 35, next to ESPN at 33. To do this, it moved USA Network to Channel 39 and Comedy Central to 67. But a few unhappy customers with AXS boxes found out last week that the Encore channel and Music Choice were leaving AXS and would only be available on the pricier digital tier. One of them, Al Waller, says he will have to spend another $8 a month to replace his four AXS boxes with digital set-tops - including the one hooked up to his stereo - so he can keep listening to his jazz and big-band favorites on Music Choice. The decision to remove Music Choice was pragmatic: With the bandwidth those 31 stations were taking up, Time Warner can now add up to 12 extra video channels. Besides, Music Choice is already on the digital tier, with nine extra stations in the bargain (channels 501-540). But it's not a bargain to Waller, or to anyone else now shelling out extra cash for Encore or Music Choice. "I didn't think this was a particularly good customer move," says Waller, who admits he probably will upgrade. "That's the way to tick your customers off and make them take another look at satellite." In other local cable news, Comcast Cable added Toon Disney (135), SoapNet (120) and ESPNews (102) to its Digital Basic service last month. Comcast serves 98,500 customers in the Kansas City area. You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:A special adds to "The Wizard of Oz" with Judy Garland (center) on TCM this week. @ART:Photo (color) @ART CREDIT:Turner Classic Movies