What's On TV
SATURDAY 9/04 Track and Field Highlights (NBC, 2-2:30 p.m.): Chances are most of us missed the World Championships held last week in Seville, Spain. The highlights are worth a view, especially the 400-meter world record by Michael Johnson, who's simply poetry in motion.
When We Were Kings (NBC, 9-11 p.m.): This movie has an unusual finesse that floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. The Oscar-winning documentary twirls around the events of the 1974 Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight in Kinshasa, Zaire. Yet, it's not all about boxing. It's about people, places, and politics.
SUNDAY 9/05 Happy Face Murders (Showtime, 8-9:40 p.m.): The fact-based story begins as a tidy mystery, but eventually loses discipline and comes to an unengaging conclusion. Ann-Margret plays a dowdy grandmother, who's in a rotten relationship with her abusive boyfriend. A gruesome murder, a wild-goose chase, and a courtroom trial make up the ingredients. A 20-minute documentary on the real Happy Face Killer follows.
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (ABC, 9 p.m.-6:30 p.m. the following day): When it comes to fund-raising, comedian Jerry Lewis has shown the Midas touch. He's been doing it for 33 years, and this year he plans to surpass the $51.5 million he received in pledges last year. From the silent art of mime Marcel Marceau to the bang of the Goo Goo Dolls, it's going to be a live blast.
MONDAY 9/6 Biography (A&E, 8-9 p.m.): Beginning tonight with Ron Howard, the biography series focuses on child stars. Rounding out the week are Kurt Russell, Drew Barrymore, The Osmonds, and Hayley Mills.
Going Places (PBS, check local listings): The popular travel series returns for its third season, with a trip to Bali, an enchanting Indonesian island of temples, palaces, and smoky volcanoes.
TUESDAY 9/7 ABC News Special (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): Correspondent John Quinones examines Latin inroads into the entertainment industry through profiles of Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Gloria Estefan.
Pete Peterson: Assignment Hanoi (PBS, check local listings): This story of the first US ambassador to Vietnam since the 1975 communist takeover and his longtime ties to that country - as a POW and now as a diplomat - is both gripping and grim. It offers a rare glimpse into Vietnam and some extraordinary moments. Peterson's story sheds light on the war and recovery.
THURSDAY 9/9 Video Music Awards 1999 (MTV, 8-11 p.m.): Comedian Chris Rock hosts the 16th edition live from New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Among the likely performers at the rock, rap, and rave extravaganza are Madonna, U2, Ricky Martin, Sting, Lauryn Hill, and TLC.
(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society
