WORTH NOTING ON TV
This guide is designed to alert readers to the scope and variety of programming coming up. Listing is not meant to represent blanket endorsement. Viewers are urged to be selective. FRIDAY Wimbledon (NBC, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; check local listings for weekend coverage): The All English Tennis Championships. Firing Line (PBS, check local listings): New format for William F. Buckley Jr.'s discussion show features Tipper Gore crusading against dirty rock lyrics. (For a full review, please see Page 29.)
SATURDAY The Return of Ruben Blades (PBS, 8-9 p.m.): Premi`ere of ``Summer Night Music'' series of documentaries on innovative musicians. Blades mixes Latino music with political messages.
SUNDAY Second Annual Star-Spangled Celebration (ABC, 9-11 p.m.): Patrick Duffy and Joanna Kerns host Independence Day celebration from St. Louis with lots of guest stars - and fireworks, of course. Our Century (A&E/cable, 9-10 p.m.): Premi'ere of new series focusing on the great events shaping the 20th century. Edward Herrmann is host. Dreams Along the Little Big Horn (PBS, 10-11 p.m.): The inside story behind ``Custer's Last Stand.'' Western Open (CBS, 3:30-6 p.m. ET): Live from Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Ill., the final rounds in this event - reported by Pat Summeral, Ken Venturi, Steve Melnyk, Ben Wright, Verne Lundquist, and Gary McCord.
MONDAY A Capitol Fourth, 1988 (PBS, 9-10:30 p.m.): The music of Irving Berlin highlights this celebration of his 100th birthday, during the annual July 4 celebration on the lawn of the US Capitol, complete with fireworks, etc. Collecting America (PBS, 10:30-11 p.m.): Folk art collection at Vermont's Shelburne Museum.
TUESDAY P.O.V.: `American Tongues' and `Acting Our Age' (PBS, 9-11 p.m.): Premi`ere of 10-week series featuring documentaries by top independent US filmmakers. The first investigates dialects and word choice as evidence of American diversity. The second features six older women in the process of taking charge of their lives. Of Macho and Men (NBC, 10-11 p.m.): Deborah Norville and Lucky Severson re-examine the role of men in our changing society.
WEDNESDAY Young at Heart (PBS, 10:30-11 p.m.): Academy Award-winning documentary about the life-long love story of two elderly artists.
THURSDAY Ballerina: Body and Soul (A&E/cable, 9-10 p.m., ET): Prima ballerina Natalia Makarova analyzes the world of the female dancer.
Listings are in Eastern time; other zones may vary. Please check listings for all PBS programs, since local option often results in differing days and times. -30-{et