Subdued sweeps has welcome sights
Just when I was about to write an open letter to Hollywood asking what part of normal they did not understand, along comes word that television is going to have a normal November. We're talking normal normal, not November "sweeps" normal. That's right - no idiotic reunions of "Dallas" or "Dynasty," no cheesy re-enactments of the Hula-Hoop craze. Yes sir, I'm ready for normal, and I'll take it any way I can, even from a freakishly perky mother-daughter tandem. Speaking of which ... You may recall that when the Emmys were rescheduled - the first time, that is - the E! channel yanked the red carpet from underneath Joan and Melissa Rivers. But now the carpet is back, and so are the Riverseseses. Mom will throw out the first Reagan-era joke at 5 p.m. Sunday on E!, two hours before the re-rescheduled Emmycast begins at 7 on CBS. (This newspaper printed my Emmy picks months ago; if you're still interested in them, send me an e-mail.) Movies November is usually a month for blockbuster movies and miniseries, and this year is no exception. You'll just have to look to cable to find most of them. ABC, CBS and NBC have all pared back their teleflicks the last two years. Fox is getting out of that racket entirely. Instead of making movies, the networks are finding it's more economical - and less disruptive - to make very special episodes of their most popular series. One major exception is NBC's "Uprising," a four-hour all-star miniseries about the Jewish rebellion in the Warsaw Ghetto under Nazi occupation. Starring Leelee Sobieski, David Schwimmer, Donald Sutherland and Jon Voight, it begins at 8 p.m. Sunday on Channel 41. A season of "Hallmark Hall of Fame" on CBS begins with "In Love and War" (Nov. 18). It's based on the true story of a British soldier in World War II who is protected from the Nazis by brave Italian villagers. On cable, Showtime presents "Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints," with Jennifer Beals, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. The story is about freed blacks in New Orleans in the 1840s (Nov. 11-12). USA Network gets into the holiday spirit early with "Prancer Returns" (Nov. 20), a sequel to the 1989 movie "Prancer." No word if the rights to the life stories of Donner and Blitzen have been auctioned. TNT, apparently inspired by the Sammo Hung craze of a couple years back, is bankrolling the martial-arts movie"Invincible" (Nov. 18). Specials I suppose I shouldn't be joking about this, but I'll be tuning into A&E's special on bioterrorism Tuesday, just to hear Bill Kurtis say "deadly anthrax." And, of course, to get the wits scared out of me again. Other new specials this month: "Britney Spears: Live From Las Vegas" (Nov. 18) features the trampy (not trampy!) pop star in concert. The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an award with a shallow pedigree (it was created in 1998), will be awarded to the noted literary humorist Whoopi Goldberg Nov. 21 on PBS. "Lady Liberty: Symbol of Dreams," about the Statue of Liberty and the people who care for it, airs Nov. 18 on the Travel Channel. It will reflect the events of Sept. 11. Find out how some of TV's classic shows managed to jump through the network hoops and make it onto the air in "The Pitch," a documentary on TV Land Nov. 16. On Veterans Day (Nov. 11), two new specials pay honor to those who defended freedom. "We Stand Alone Together" on HBO tells the real-life stories behind HBO's "Band of Brothers," which concludes Sunday. And PBS airs "War Letters," featuring correspondence and home movies of veterans from the American Revolution to the Gulf War. Very special episodes After three solid weeks of baseball playoffs and enough "Malcolm in the Middle" reruns to put even your overly excitable 7-year-old to sleep, Fox is getting down to business. And thank heavens - Fox's prime-time schedule is as good as it has ever been. In the next two weeks it unveils three brand-new shows at the top of my fall picks: comedies "The Tick" (Nov. 8) and "The Bernie Mac Show" (Nov. 14) and the drop-dead gorgeous drama "24" (Tuesday). Not to mention the season premieres of "The X-Files," "The Simpsons" and "Malcolm" (Nov. 11). Other special episodes of note: the all-musical "Buffy" (Tuesday); season premiere of "NYPD Blue" (also Tuesday) and weddings on "Providence" (Friday), "Roswell" (Nov. 13) and "Temptation Island" (Wednesday). Finally, the "E! True Hollywood Story" devotes a full four hours to burnishing the legacies of "Dallas" and "Dynasty" on Nov. 11. Yes, I know I promised there would be no retreads of '80s shows. But by the empty-headed standards of E!, a "Dynasty" flashback is as normal as sun rising in the east. They've done America proud. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Bernie Mac stars with Dee Dee Davis (left) and Jeremy Suarez on "The Bernie Mac Show." @ART:Photo (color) @ART CREDIT:Fox
