'Nightline' favors us with rest of Congo series

In early September "ABC News Nightline" began a five-part series on the continuing strife in the central African nation of Congo. "Strife" is too mild a word for it, actually. More than 2 million people have died of war wounds, malnutrition and disease, and millions more have had their lives turned upside down in a conflict that has involved up to eight countries and been called "the African world war." But after Sept. 11, "Nightline" put the Congo series on the back burner. This was understandable for a while, but as September gave way to October and then November, "Nightline" could not stop dialing 9-11, even when there wasn't enough news to justify the wall-to-wall treatment. When "Nightline" finally blinked, it was to devote a program to ex-Beatle George Harrison when he died. Harrison, who always considered himself a citizen of the world, would probably have wished "Nightline" spent that night on its Congo series instead of his obituary. At any rate, the series, "Heart of Darkness," will air this week in its entirety, starting at 12:05 a.m. tonight on ABC (Channel 9). It's gut-wrenching, rage-inducing video journalism of the highest caliber. Tape it. I arrived at this newspaper five years ago and, not long afterward, made the acquaintance of a smart, funny, painfully shy young woman. She cloaked herself in big thick glasses and high-necked casual wear and masked her emotions in heavy sarcasm. I fell for her instantly. Her name was Daria Morgendorffer. It seemed like we had met before. Someone said she was the tart-tongued girl on MTV's "Beavis and Butt-head." Of course. But now ... she looked different. More serious and refined. I soon learned why: MTV had gone out and hired better animators to draw her for her spinoff show. Rarely did I see a show with such perfect pitch and sense of direction as "Daria," which is leaving television tonight with a wrap-up movie, "Daria: Is It College Yet?" at 7 p.m. on MTV. Daria gave voice to teen angst in a most un-MTV-like way, twisting the usual complaints about life into a wonderfully jaded running commentary. Like most series finales, the movie, which MTV is graciously airing commercial-free, shows the main characters taking decisive steps forward in their lives. For Daria and her best friend, Jane, that means college; for her irritating little sister, Quinn, that means having to get a dreaded j-o-b; and for the rest of us, it means saying goodbye to one of the few MTV shows that didn't give us a headache. I know she was just a low-budget figment of someone's imagination, but I'm going to miss her. Later, Daria. Another woman who entered my life five years ago was Ally McBeal, though I paid her a lot less attention. Frankly, she was one of the least interesting people on "Ally McBeal," a show that marks its 100th - but not yet final - episode at 8 tonight on Fox (Channel 4). Thanks to the goofy ensemble that surrounded Ally, the show was a pop phenomenon for a while. Ally supposedly stood for the retreat from feminism. It was she, and not Calista Flockhart, who played her, who made the cover of Time. But the charge didn't stick, mainly because the whole show was such a retreat from reality (public unisex bathrooms? Sting at the piano bar?). The show's creator, David E. Kelley, said all along that "Ally" was a hot show and that someday the public would put it on ice. That day has come. Ratings are way down. Many viewers, in fact, see Ally's face only during the commercial breaks on "Boston Public," the show that precedes it on Fox. The folks at KCPT hate it when I write about programs that they could be carrying but aren't. Last week, for instance, if you lived somewhere other than Kansas City you might have seen "The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It," the story of 37,000 conscientious objectors who served their country in World War II. The show aired on PBS stations in Warrensburg, Mo., and Topeka, but not here. This week the best program you won't be able to see is "Sunflower Journeys," the cultural and historical travelogue produced by Topeka's KTWU. It signs on for its 15th season with reports from three annual Kansas festivals (Prairiesta in Russell, Svensk Hillingsfest in Lindsborg and Wichita's Riverfest). If you're in Johnson County or points west of there, you can watch it at 7 p.m. Thursday on KTWU. Otherwise, you're out of luck. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:"Daria: Is It College Yet?" airs tonight at 7 on MTV. @ART:Graphic (illustration) @ART CREDIT:MTV