blue glow
SALON'S TV PICKS FOR HOLIDAY WEEK
THURSDAY, DEC. 24-THURS. DEC. 31. 1998
BY JOYCE MILLMAN

THURSDAY, DEC. 24, CHRISTMAS EVE

The American Red Cross Celebrates Real Life Miracles (8 p.m., CBS) features Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Roma Downey, Ken Olin and Red Cross president Elizabeth Dole in a salute to humanitarians and heroes. Do you like the movie "A Christmas Story," the adaptation of Jean Shepherd's comic story about a young boy's wish for a BB gun over his parents' objections? I mean, do you really like it, enough to watch it 12 times in a row? Then enjoy the 24-hour Christmas Story Marathon (beginning 8 p.m., TNT). "A Christmas Story" also shows up in The Great Christmas Movies (8 p.m. EST/9:30 PST, American Movie Classics), which features clips from yuletide flicks old and new. It's followed by the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol (9 p.m. EST/10:30 PST), starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge. Compare and contrast with the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol (9 p.m. EST/10 PST, History Channel), with Reginald Owen as the heartless miser.

FRIDAY, DEC. 25, CHRISTMAS

Phil Hartman hosted The Grinch: Special Edition (8 p.m., TNT), an airing of the Dr. Seuss tale that's followed by a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the TV classic. It's the last call for It's a Wonderful Life (8 p.m., NBC) for 1998 -- or is it?

SATURDAY, DEC. 26

If holiday depression hasn't gotten you yet, a 10-hour Real World Marathon (beginning 8 p.m., MTV) ought to do the trick. The 25 most popular episodes of the year are unveiled at this time, running through Wednesday in Casey Kasem's Nick at Nite 1998 TV Hits Countdown (10 p.m., Nickelodeon).

SUNDAY, DEC. 27

The E! True Hollywood Story (8 p.m., E!) turns a two-hour spotlight on the rise and fall of the sitcom "Three's Company," and, no, I'm not making this up. The Practice (10 p.m., ABC) concludes a rerun of the ballad of Joey Heric, the erudite psycho killer played to perfection by John Larroquette.

MONDAY, DEC. 28

As the year winds down, the lists keep coming. Biography of the Year (8 p.m. EST/9 PST, A&E) chooses the person who had the most impact in 1998, and odds are you're probably tired of hearing about him/her by now. Ladies Home Journal's Most Fascinating Women of '98 (10 p.m., CBS) salutes Mary Bono, Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah, Judge Judy and Camryn Manheim, among others.

TUESDAY, DEC. 29

Bobby Simone lives! Jimmy Smits returns in a rerun of NYPD Blue (10 p.m., ABC) from back when he was the picture of health.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30

Anthony Edwards hosts LIFE Remembers (8 p.m., CBS), a tribute to notables who passed away in 1998, including Frank Sinatra, Shari Lewis, Phil Hartman and astronaut Alan Shepard. Bill Cosby, Shirley Temple Black, Willie Nelson, John Kander and Fred Ebb and Andre Previn receive their due in The 21st Annual Kennedy Center Honors (9 p.m., CBS). Performances include Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam and Kris Kristofferson saluting Nelson and Liza Minnelli, Alan Cumming and Joel Grey singing numbers by "Cabaret" songwriters Kander and Ebb. Great Performances (check local times, PBS) presents the San Francisco Opera's world premiere of Andre Previn's opera "A Streetcar Named Desire," with Renee Fleming and Rodney Gilfrey.

THURSDAY, DEC. 31, NEW YEAR'S EVE

Live From Lincoln Center (check local times, PBS) presents the New York Philharmonic's New Year's Eve gala, a salute to Strauss (all of them). Great Performances (check local times, PBS) has a new profile of Hollywood director-choreographer Busby Berkeley. Billboard's Musical New Year's Eve (11 p.m., Fox) is an edited version of performances from the recent Billboard Music Awards telecast, interspersed with live shots from Times Square. Lauryn Hill, Whitney Houston and the Backstreet Boys are among the performers. D.L. Hughley and Elise Neal help out the ageless wonder on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve '99 (11:35 p.m., ABC), which features Vegas performances from Barenaked Ladies, Fastball, Monica and others. At midnight, a 24-hour Homicide: Life on the Street Marathon (Midnight, Court TV) begins, marking the acquisition of nightly reruns by the formerly all-trial cable channel. Here are the first 24 episodes of the show, in order, and they are amazing.

Blue Glow returns Monday, Jan. 4.
SALON | Dec. 24, 1998

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Blue Glow for Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1998