The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 77

LOS ANGELES TIMES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28. 2001 F11 TODAY ON TV Prime-Time TV Rankings Grammys-'Survivor' Duet Helps Keep CBS in Tune MTV Music Videos (TVPG) NICK Little Bear 497683 SCI-H Wonder Woman (TVG) SHOW "Men Don't Leave" '90 (PG-13)1hr55 70746041 (9:15) TBS Matlock TCM "Conflict" 1hr26 2542428 TLC A Baby Story (TVPG) TMC 'The Southerner 45 1hf31 TNN WKRP in Cincinnati TNTER(TV14) USA Something So Right (TVPG) VH1 Morning Mix(TV14 DISN The Book of Pooh (TVY) El Talk Soup (TVPG-D) 730916 ESPN2 Timbersports Series FAM Two of a Kind (TVG) FNC NewsQuinn FSN National Sports Report FSN2 Yoga Zone FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Room by Room 1hr52 2519428 (7:45) UFE Austin's Daily Workout (TVG) MTV MTV Jams (TVPG) NICK Hey Arnold! 631190 SHOW "Locked in Silence" '99 1hr36 3853770 SUNO 'The Story of Adele '75 (PG1hr37 772312 TlCNiNi'sTreehouse(TVY) ABC recorded over-the-rainbow ratings Sunday with the opening half of "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows," thus far the most-watched TV movie this season; however, the project, which stars Judy Davis, lost about a third of that audience with Part II on Monday of this week when forced to square off opposite "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Ally McBeal." Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" also ran off with the biggest audience for an animated film since "Pocahontas" in 1998. NBC's dismal XFL football ratings Saturday no doubt benefited "Kate Brasher," a new CBS drama starring Mary Stuart Masterson that showed promise as it began a trial run in place of "Walker, Texas Ranger." BRIAN LOWRY Given all the hype about Eminem and Elton John, it was another duet the Grammy Awards and "Survivor The Australian Outback" that paced CBS to victory last week, based on viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. Grammy viewing dipped slightly compared to a year ago but topped every other recent installment of the awards ceremony since 1993, siphoning viewers away from Fox's "Temptation Island" and to a much lesser degree NBC's "The West Wing." "Law Order," meanwhile, continued to put up arresting numbers, as the 11 -year-old drama delivered its biggest audience ever when televised opposite the Grammys. National Nielsen Vlewership 9:30 a.m.

8:00 a.m. fB KCOP Jenny Jones 70022 KWHY "Los Gavilanes" 24 KVCR More Than Memories 50 KCET Noddy (TVY) 48393 B3 KMEX Pobre Diabla (TVPG) 136) KMIR News 03 KTBN James Robison 142 KESQ Montel Williams 34848 S3 KDOC Headline News HI KJLA A Tu Salud ED KLCS Taxes in U.S. History $3 KADY Unhappily Ever After AMC "Charley Varrick" '73 (PG2hr 258916 Magnum, P.I. CNBC Street Signs COM Don't Forget Your Toothbrush CSPN House of Representatives DSC Jennings Design (TVG) DISN Bear in the Big Blue House ESPN NCAA Final Four Highlights FAM ItsyBitsy Time (TVY) 224799 FX Beverly Hills, 90210 (TVPG) HGTV The Carol Duvall Show HIST True Action Adventures (TVGI LIFE Unsolved Mysteries (TVPG) MTV Music Videos (TVPGI NICK Dora the Explorer 945645 SCI-H Star Trek SUND Collectors (TV14-L) TBS "Breakout" 75 (PG) 2hr 577954 TLC A Wedding Story (TVG) TNN The Wonder Years (TVG) TNT "Hollywood Confidential" '97 (R) 2hr 108428 USA Wings (TVPG-D) VH1 Cheers and Jeers (TVPG) 752138 Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Feb. 19-25) as based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish.

Nielsen U.S. viewers age 2 and older. Viewershlp is listed here in millions. compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are estimates that there are 260 million potential KCAL To Tell the Truth BO KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) S3 KCET Between the Lions (TVY) 03 KTBN Unfolding Majesty H3 KDOC Benny Hinn BD KLCS Here's How (9:45) BET AM at BET 766867 CMAX 'The Karate Kid" '84 PG2hr07 16559596 CNN Burden of Proof 7551 19 DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) El Mysteries Scandals (TVPG) ESPN2 RPM 2Night FAM CBN Special Edition 313157 FSN2 Gilad's Bodies in Motion HGTV Appraise It! IFC "My Best Fiend" '99 1hr38 87807751 (9:45) UFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) NICK Blue's Clues 100645 SUND "Kill Me Again" '89 (R)1hr31 6368577 TLC A Baby Story (TVPG) TNN WKRP in Cincinnati USA Hearts Afire (TVPG) CHANNELS LosAiigclM EB KVEA (Tele) 23 OrMgaCowty E3 KDOC (lnd.

56 0KC8SICBSIO2 HKNBC(NBC04 HKTW(WB05 KRCA find.) 20 DKABCIABCI07 PahnSpring. 3SKMKINBQ04 IB KTTV Fox 1 42 KESQ (ABC) 7 tBKC0P(UPN13 MKUABC7' 03KSCIlnd.18 BDKCET(PBS28 ED KPXN (PAX) 30 Bernardino KVCR (PBS) 24 EE KTBN (Ind.) 40 Venture County EE KOCE (P8S 50 JKADY(UPN16 Cable Services ME 39 ESPN2B4 NICK 38 AMC 35 FAM 47 SCI-FI 87 BET 57 FNC 91 SHOW 41 BRVO 54 FSN 27 SUND 36 CNBC 31 FSN2 59 trc COM 79 FX 89 CSPN 29 HBO 33 f. CMAX 45 HIST 30 CNN 42 HGTV 80 5 DSC 37 IFC 21 DISN 53 UFE 46 TNT 52 El 63 MSNBC 90 USA 44 ESPN 34 MTV 48 VH1 62 Use numbers after call letters to set VCR Plus. Where there are two numbers, repeat the procedure. (R) in the grid, denotes a repeat program.

TV RATINGS (IVY) All Children (TVY7) Directed to Older Children (1W7-FV) Directed to Older Children; fantasyViolence fJVGI General Audience (TVPG) Parental Guidance (TV1 4) Parents Strongly Cautioned (TVMA) Mature Audiences Only (0) Suggestive Dialogue jl) Coarse Language IS) Sex (V) Violence Movie Ratings A CLASSIC FIRST RATE FLAWED: HAS MOMENTS DESPERATION TIME Morning El KCAL Bewitched (TVG) KCOP KADY Sabrina, the Animated Series 44436 124 KVCR Nature (TVG) SO KCET Dragon Tales (TVY) BD KTBN Kenneth Copeland S3 KOCE Simply Painting Around the S3 KDOC James Robison 229190 EH KJLA Hollywood Treasures BO KLCS of Virtues 40652 KRCA Cine Northern Exposure (TVPG) BET Amazing Facts BRVO Bravo Profiles (TVPG) CMAX "Agnes Browne" '99 (R)1hr31 651515 COM "Nine to Five" '80 (PG)2hr 8216751 DISN Bear in the Big Blue House El FashionTelevision ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 NHL 2Night FAM Angela Anaconda (TVY7) FSN2 National Sports Report FX MASH (TVPG) HBO REAL Sports Bryant Gumbel HGTV TIPical Mary Ellen HIST Civil War Journal (TVG) LIFE Designing Women (TVPG-D) MTV Music Videos (TVPGI NICK The Wild Thornberrys (TVY) SCI-FI seaOuest DSV TBS Mama's Family TLC Salty's Lighthouse (TVY) TNT Lois Clark (TVPG) USA USAM News VH1 Top 10 Countdown fTVPG) 10:00 a.m. 79. Whose Line Is It Anyway? ABC 7.39 80. WWFSruckdownl UPN 7.08 81. Tlie Nutty Professor" FOX 6.95 82.

Dateline NBC (Sua, 8 p.m.) NBC 6.79 83. Whose Une? 10 p.m.) ABC 6.20 84. Norm ABC 6.01 85. Two Guys and a Girl ABC 5.94 86. Charmed WB 5.79 87.

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer WB 5.11 88 Star Trek Voyager UPN 4.53 89. Angel WB 4.45 90. The Parkers UPN 3.95 91. XRFoottjal NBC 3.94 Moesna UPN 394 93. TheHugMeys UPN 3.69 94.

Steve Harvey Show (Sun.) WB 3.61 95. Gllmore Girts WB 3 51 96. Sabriia, the Teenage Witch WB 3.37 97. Popstars WB 3.34 98 The Steve Harvey Show WB 3.29 99. ftoswel WB 3.27 100.

"Shocking Pokce Videos" UPN 3.25 101. MkMISun.) WB 2.96 102. NrkH WB 2.95 103. GMIends UPN 2.94 104. "Epicenter" UPN 2.66 105.

Getaway UPN 2.58 106 The Jamie Fon Show WB 2.51 107. ThePJS WB 2.45 108 7 Days WB 2.40 109. Popular WB 2.36 110. "Dawson's Creek" WB 2.11 111. XR Footpad UPN 1.93 ludy Davis Prafinni WOftt MS VTw Program 1.

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Survivor II ER Grammy Awards Friends CSI "Judy Garland" Pt 1 Will Grace CBS NBC CBS NBC CBS ABC NBC 28.78 27.13 26.65 21.22 20.88 20.31 18.51 18.38 18.24 18.12 18.01 17.57 17.55 1686 16.67 16.61 1643 16.41 15.66 15.63 15.59 15.02 14.62 14.31 13.95 13.77 13.21 13.19 13.04 12.98 12.88 12.82 1268 1266 12.56 12.55 12.35 1228 12.15 11.81 11.66 11.57 11.55 11.54 11.09 10.66 10.33 10.16 10.12 Everybody Loves Ray. CBS Law Order The Simpsons 60 Minutes Millionaire (Wed.) Makxrlm In Hie Middle ttie X-Files JustSluotMe Raster tin West Wing Miliorure (Tru.) Becker JAG law 4 Order. SVU MiionaiR(rit) Touched by an Angel "lady and the Tramp" JudgfogAmy Tte District three Sisters ABy McBeal King of Queens Boston Public Temptation Island "Good Will Hunrjnf NVTOBlue NBC FOX CBS ABC FOX FOX NBC NBC NBC ABC CBS CBS ABC CBS ABC CBS CBS NBC FOX CBS FOX FOX ABC ABC NBC CBS ABC CBS ABC FOX NBC CBS CBS FOX ABC ABC FOX FOX FOX NBC TOeMaskofZorro-TheMole Yes, Dear 2020 (Fit.) That '70s Sim Dateline N8C(Fri.) Family Law Kate Brasher King o( the Prarme Thursday Driarma Greg Dark Angel Titus Cops (8:30 p.m.) Raster (Mon.) 8:30 a.m. KCBS The Price Is Right (TVG) 3) KEYT Martha Stewart 95770 El KNBC Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus 93312 0 KTLA Sally Jessy 48886 KABC 142 KESQ The View Heather Locklear. 33954 KCAL Judge Mathis (TVPG) SB KTTV Power of Attorney KCOP Montel Williams 90886 24 KVCR Creative Living S3 KCET Sesame Street 30022 EZ3 KMEX Marta Susana 98428 136! KMIR Dr.

Laura 363616 03 KTBN Behind the Scenes 99 KVEA "Fieras Contra Fieras" B3 KDOC Southland Today EH KJLA Bandazo Musical 47312 BO KLCS Working Together (10:15) KRCA Cine Murder, She Wrote BRVO "Cyrano de Bergerac" '90 (PG)3hr 284995 CNN CNN Today COM Daily Show (TVPG) 8226138 DSC Home Matters (TVG) DISN The Book of Pooh (TVY) El The True Hollywood Story (TV14I "Judy Garland" 229225 ESPN Racehorse Digest ESPN2 In the Driver's Seat FAM The 700 Club FSN2 Yoga Zone FX Beverly Hills, 90210 (TVPG) HGTV At the Auction HIST 20th Century Mike Wallace UFE Who Knows You Best? (TVPG) NICK Bob the Builder 912577 SCI-FI Dark Shadows 7322935 TBS Hunter TLC A Dating Story (TVG) TNN Newhart(TVG) TNT ER (TVPG-L) USA Doctor. Doctor 50. Nash Bridges CBS 9.88 51. West Wmg 10 p.m.) NBC 9.87 52. The Drew Carey Show ABC 9.86 53.

"Phenomenon" ABC 9.85 54. 60 Minutes I CBS 9.84 55. EdfTue.) NBC 9.77 56. The Geena Davis Show ABC 9.61 57. America's Most Warned FOX 9.41 58 Diagnosis Murder CBS 9.15 rraster 10:30 p.m.) NBC 9.15 60.

The West Wmg (Sun, 9 p.m.) NBC 9.10 48 Hoot CBS 9.10 62. That's Lire CBS 8.88 63. Cops POX 881 64. That '70s Show (wed.) FOX 8.70 65. Whose Urn Is It? (8:30) ABC 8.53 Friends (Mon, 8 p.m.) NBC 8.53 67.

Willi Grace 8:30) NBC 8.47 Ed NBC 847 69. Win (Grace 9 p.m.) NBC 8.38 70. Futurama FOX 8.06 71. Dag NBC 8.02 72. 7th Heaven WB 7.95 Grounded for Ule FOX 7.95 74.

Spin City ABC 7.67 75. 3rd Bock From the Sun NBC 7.66 76. Just Shoot Me 9:30) NBC 7.64 77. The Fugitive CBS 7.62 78. "StarsNp Troopers" FOX 7.55 Network Averages Here is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

KCAL I Dream of Jeannie SB KCOP 63; KADY Pepper Ann S3 KCET Arthur (TVY) 83041 H3 KPXN James Robison 03 KTBN Laveme and Edith Tripp BD KOCE Teletubbies 695119 E3 KLCS Cursive Handwriting; Phonics in Context (8:45) AMC 'The Last Tycoon" '76 (PG)2hr15 80523206 (8:45 BET Peter Popoff DISN Otter (TVY) El Fashion Emergency (TVPG) ESPN2 NBA 2Night FAM Kids From Room 402 (TVY7) 686515 FSN Regional Sports Report FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Smart Solutions LIFE Designing Women (TVPG-D) NICK Rugrats 473003 TBS Cosby (TVG) TLCNiNi'sTreehousefrVY) USA Carol Burnett and Friends CBS 15.37 million 12.68 ABC 12.48 13.03 NBC 11.31 12.15 FOX 10.78 10.02 WBr- 3.76 3.94 UPN 3.47 3.92 9:00 a.m. Lowry: Guild Looks for Credits 10:30 a.m. 7:00 a.m. KCBS The Early Show 96409 a KNBC 3 KM1R Today 448770 KTLA Morning News 29751 KABC 31 KEYT42 KESQ Good Morning America 211 19 tO KTTV Good Day LA. 69393 KCOP 63 KADY Buzz Ughtyear of Star Command 82867 KWHYBizbirije 82461 24) KVCR Time to Grow 50 KCETZoboomafoofTVY) 22003 S3 KPXN Employment Television BD KMEX jDespierta America! 03 KTBN Rod Parsley SSI KOCE Real Orange 874799 KVEA Esta Mariana KDOC New Zoo Revue (TVG) EH KJLA Shepherd's Chapel EG3 KICS Learning English KRCA Nubelu2 (TVY) 70003 AMC "Hollywood or Bust" '56 1hr45 7792596 F.

Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer (TVG) BET Feed the Children CNBC Market Watch 751 19 CSPN House of Representatives DISN Rofie Polie Olie (TVY) El News Daily 751409 ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 Timbersports Series FAM Mary-Kate Ashley (TVY) FSN Regional Sports Report FSN2 Gilad's Bodies in Motion FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Decorating With Style HIST The Real West (TVG) LIFE Austin's Fit Lite (TVG) MSNBC MSNBC Live 3833393 NICK Doug 652683 SCI-FI Voyage to the TBS Little House on the Prairie TCM "High Sierra" '41 1hr40 8453409 TlCSkinnamarinkTV(TVY) TNT CHiPs (TVPG) VH1 Top 20 Countdown (TVPG) 7:30 a.m. KCAL Critter Gitters (TVG) SB KC0P63J KADY Recess DO KSCI Iran-Sima (Farsi) 97770 124) KVCR Time to Grow BD KCET Clifford the Big Red Dog ED KTBN Marilyn Hickey 03 KOCE Martha's Sewing Room ES KDOC Japanese News KLCS Clifford the Big Red Dog (TVY) 22288 S3 KRCA Los Polivoces 99138 BET Bill Winston CD KTTV Power of Attorney 124 KVCR Sew Creative 03 KTBN Casey Treat KDOC June Cain Miller BO KLCS in Me; Entrep. in You; 3-2-1 Classroom Contact (10:45) BET Oh Drama! Spirituality. 109585 COM Whose Line Is It (TVPG) DISN Out of the Box (TVY) ESPN America's Horse ESPN2 Vintage NBA 4997190 FNC NewsVester HBO "Blue Streak" '99 (PG-13) 1hr34 7668729 HGTV Collectible Treasures LIFE Operation Style (TVPG) NICK Franklin 493867 SCI-H Dark Shadows 9018683 TCM 'The Two Mrs. 1538312 TLC A Dating Story (TVG) TMC "Sublet" '99 1hr30 TNNNewhartfTVG) USA Ned and Stacey (TVPG-D) KCBS Martha Stewart 23138 KTLA Sally Jessy (TVPG) 56480 a KABC 11 KEYT (42) KESQ Live With Regis and Kelly 58848 a KCAL Family Feud SB KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) fB KCOP Maury (TVPG) Confessions.

49138 EH KSCI Kiss, Kiss, Kiss 96577 KWHY "Los Pobres Van al Cielo" '51 2hr 52732 124 KVCR Sesame Street 58480 HD KCET Barney (TVY) 74393 03 KTBN Dr. Cherry S3 KOCE Instructional TV KVEA Mbnica 67138 S3 KDOC Life in the Word 00 KLCS Algebra in My World LA Law BET Amen BRVO St. Elsewhere CNBC Power Lunch 49206 CNN Newsday DSC 170664 DISN Otter (TVY) Celebrity Homes (TVPG) ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 NBA Today FAM ItsyBitsy Time (TVY 677867 FNC NewsAsman FSN The Last Word 76751 FSN2 Regional Sports Report FXNYPDBIue(TV14) HBO "One Crazy Summer" '86 IPG) 1hr31 286799 HGTV Appraisal Fair HIST Weapons at War (TVG) UFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) 11:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. (3) KEYT News KTLA The Nanny (TVPGI KABC News DO KSCI Taiwan News 24 KVCR Quilt in a Day BO KCET Teletubbies (TVY) 49022 S6I KMIR Real TV QD KTBN Benny Hinn 09 KVEA Noticiero 03 KJLA Mexico Confidencial BO KLCS All in Your Mind BET 106 Park: BET's Top 10 Live CMAX 'The Second Arrival" '98 (R)1hr45 COM Ben Stein's Money (TVPG) DISN Otter (TVY) ESPN NCAA Women's Final Four Highlights ESPN2 Soccer- UEFA Champions League: Galatasatay SK vs.

Deportivo La Coruna. 7288461 FAM Itsy Bitsy Time (TVY) 225428 FSN Street Pace Film Festival HGTV Simply Quilts HIST Great Blunders in History IFC 'Tokyo Drifter" '66 1hr23 697515 NICK Little Bill 946374 SHOW "Short Circuit 2" '88 IPG) 1hr50 552645 TLC A Wedding Story (TVG) TNN The Wonder Years (TVG) USA Jesse (TVPG) Afternoon Noon KCBS ...2 Woman 15461 a KNBC Access Hollywood 40157 KTLA Little House a KABC 1 3 KEYT All My Children (TVPG) 11698 KCAL News ED KTTV Judge Hatchett 94515 SB KCOP Maury (TVPG) 46480 BO KSCI Mandarin Drama 24i KVCR Stokes Birds at Home KCET Caillou (TVY) 94157 KMEX La Revancha (TVPG) 361 KMIR The People's Court 03 KTBN The 700 Club f42 KESQ News 9H KVEA Cotorreando 57190 S3 KDOC Perry Mason (TVPG-V) 03 KJLA Pellcula (TVPG) BO KLCS In Focus ffl KRCANoticias 63) KADY Bloomberg Television Night Court CNN TalkBack Live 761770 COM Saturday Night Live (TV1 4) DSC Christopher Lowell (TVG) DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) El Celebrity Profile (TVPG) ESPN Snowboarding- Big Air Series. 839645 FAM Rotten Ralph 657003 FNC NewsSmith FSN Pro Hockey- Kings at Nashville Predators. (Tape) 370022 FX "Rush" (R)2hr 3738461 HBO In the Gloaming 49714041 (12:15) HGTV Decorating With Style HIST FBI: Untold Stories (TVPG) LIFE Unsolved Mysteries (TVPG) MSNBC Mitch Albom 3736003 NICK Maggie the. ..484119 SCI-H Star Trek Please see TV Log, F12 toward a virtuoso unified end.

Antonini is a flamboyant leader who stamps his feet, shakes his mop of hair and seems to release expression out of his players as if he were twisting open a valve. He was the wild soloist in the Concerto in major for flautino recorder, strings and basso continuo, RV 443, and he played his tiny instrument so excitedly, so extravagantly and with such a sense of improvisation that the result sounded almost like Baroque bebop. Unfortunately, the BartoliGiar-dino Armonico tour is a very limited one, with just three appearances in America. But at least a DVD from a Paris performance will soon be released. As enjoyable as is their CD, it is the physical presence of these spectacular artists that magically brings Vivaldi to life.

p.m.-Pacinca News, KPFK-FM (90.7). 3-4 p.m. Fresh Air, culture, KCRW-FM (89.9); also, 8-9 p.m. KPCC-FM (89.3). p.m.

All Things Considered, KPCC-FM (89.3); also, p.m., KCRW-FM (89.9). 5- 6 p.m. Beneath the Surface, KPFK-FM (90.7). 6- 6:30 p.m. Evening Update, KCSN-FM (88.5).

6-7 p.m. Evening News, KPFK-FM (90.7). Sports p.m. Pro Basketball: Lakers at Denver Nuggets, KLAC (570), KWKW (1330). p.m.

Pro Hockey: Detroit Red Wings at Mighty Ducks, XTRA (690). Talk-Interview 9-11 a.m. Larry Mantle's Alrtalk, highlights repeated 7-8 p.m., KPCC-FM (89.3). KCBS The Young and the Restless (TV1 4) 88480 KNBC News KTLA Judge Mills Lane a KABC L3J KEYT Port Charles (TVPG) 17867 EI KCAL Moral Court (TVPG) 03 KTTV Queen Latifah 68664 Vivaldi: Early Music Group II Giardino Armonico Where It Can America's basic television agreement, directors are told, "At all times, you have the right to be consulted about every creative decision." As tepid as that sounds, it essentially summarizes the consideration writers are asking related to films. In case anyone is tempted to pause here and ask why any thinking person should remotely care, let us stress no one needs to hold bake sales for anyone involved.

The money is terrific and the perks swell, even when the parking space is positioned a little farther from the stage entrance. The noteworthy point is that when armed with a big stick, writers are as prone to wield it as anyone else, largely because the prevailing attitude is you shove somebody around not because they deserve it or even necessarily because doing so benefits you but rather because you can. Networks thus play hardball with talent, sometimes arbitrarily so, until the producers of "ER" or stars of "Friends" saunter in with a network's fortunes hanging in the balance, causing cobwebbed vaults to fly open and disgorge their loot. Agents don't return phone calls from 'marginal clients but fall over "wmscivcs ycs, uicBuiura ket to court the anointed few on network and studio wish lists. From the middle of the action, one could easily overlook how such behavior can transform an arcane dispute about credits or artistic respect into a crusade and how the preoccupation with power, down to those annual lists of who has it, exacerbates this myopia.

Heck, it was even reported recently that people in Hollywood sometimes lie to get what they want. As Holland observed regarding possessory credits: "Nobody wants to talk about A fair agreement is the one you can negotiate." In other words, it's all about leverage. Or as former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman once observed: "Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat." Brian Lowry's column appears on Wednesdays. He can be reached at brian.lowrylatimes Nevertheless, it's indisputable that the adhesive holding together a hit TV series what allows the quality level to remain high from episode to episode flows from writers whose control includes passing each script through their word processors, whether it's Kelley, "The West Wing's" Aaron Sorkin or David Chase on "The Sopranos." As a result, directors face a delicate balancing act bringing their input to the process, perhaps even more so in situation comedies.

"The vast majority of half-hour directors are traffic cops, and their job is to not make waves so they can be asked back for the next episode," said director David Lee, part of the creative trio responsible for "Fra-sier." "Ultimately, somebody's got to be the boss," Lee said, citing the hat he has worn as executive producer, "but that doesn't mean that the director has got to be dismissed." None of this is to suggest writers are out of line in their attempt to garner greater respect in feature films, where the underlying arrogance of the possessory credit speaks for itself. As Steve Martin mused in a piece for the WGA magazine, "What if someone watching in Oklahoma sees the film and there's no 'A film by credit? He sees the 'Directed by credit and wonders, 'Yes, but who made the film? Whose film is it in the existential sense? Frank Capra didn't have the 'A film by credit, and he's practically forgotten." Todd Holland, an Emmy winner for directing Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," suggests that if the goal was fairness, both "A film by" in movies and "created by" in television would be jettisoned. "I think it's equally insulting to all the myriad creative minds that bring a TV series pilot to fruition to claim that 'created by' credit only for the writer," he said, citing the importance of series prototypes in setting a program's look and feel. In both' TV and film, the weaker party really just wants to be kept in the loop and have his or her contribution recognized. Under the Directors Guild of Continued from Fl The industry term affixed to top writers, "show runner," leaves little doubt as to who is in charge.

And while you don't see "A series by" David E. Kelley or Steven Bochco plastered above the title, the WGA's basic televi sion agreement stipulates that only writers are eligible to receive a "created by" credit. When the Writers Guild doles out its annual awards this Sunday, the most powerful creative talent in television will be on display; by contrast, TV directors occupy a secondary tier to their movie brethren at the Directors I Guild of America's annual back-' patting exercise the following week, which is seen as a major prelude to the Oscars. This disparity is easy to understand. A movie is a singular enterprise, while television must be replicated week after week.

Once the series prototype has been shot, the episodic television director is primarily charged with executing a writer's vision within the guidelines of that particular series. It's the difference, in essence, between designing the rail system and simply insuring the trains run on time. Mark Tinker, a director and executive producer on "NYPD Blue," notes that TV is a more collaborative medium than film, one that requires freelance directors to operate from an existing template. "We're not looking to have a guy bring a totally different look to a show," he said. "We're looking for people who flow with the river, not against it." Both Tinker and Bill D'Elia, a director and executive producer on Kelley's "Ally McBeal" and before that "Chicago Hope," stressed that television's finest programs do take the director's viewpoint into account.

And while the executive producer has ultimate authority over the final cut, directors still play a vital role. "The guys that are able to work within the tone that's established, and bring something new to the party, are the guys who work again and again in episodic television," D'Elia said. "The better shows are not just looking for somebody to crank it out." Continued from Fi on the page, he did not write for the page, he wrote for performers. And with the likes of Bartoli or Giovanni Antonini, the ensemble's director and brilliant recorder player, the music functioned something like a jazz chart. It is a place to begin, but it is what the performer makes of it that matters.

What Bartoli makes of it is astonishing. She gets into the music with the intensity of a jazz singer-even as she absorbs and moves to the instrumental introductions to the arias yet she has one of the most highly trained voices of all time. It is hard to say which is more thrilling, her tossing out the most elaborate coloratura passages with phenomenal velocity or her slow, quiet singing that stills all movement. These arias are from such little- known operas as "Bajazet," "L'O-limpiade," "II Guistino," "Juditha Triumphans," "Griselda," "Ercole sul Termondonte," "Farnace" and "Ottone in Villa." All of them focused on one or another aspect of love longing, lust, bewitchment and jealous fury and Bartoli was remarkable at capturing the raw affect of emotion. When she sings, she is not so much a character as she is the personification and distillation of ferocity, wonderment or enchantment.

You never need the text of the libretto in front of you; every muscle in her body seems centered on the precise feeling she expresses. But she can't do it alone. II Giardino Armonico is the Duke Ellington band of period-instrument groups. Every player in this stylishly dressed ensemble sounds like an individual yet is able to work RADIO Orchestra), KCSN-FM (88.5). 8- 10 p.m.

Evening Conceit With John Maucerl: Bruckner (3rd Symphony, Herbert von Karjan conducts Berlin Philharmonii), KMZT-FM (105.1). Country-Folk-Jazz-Pop 1-2 p.m. Mid-Day Jazz: "L.A. Jazz Musicians Series," Part 3, KLON-FM (88.1). News-Commentary 9- 9:15 a.m., p.m., p.m.

Paul Harvey, KABC (790). Noon-1 p.m.-The World, KCRW-FM (89.9); also, 9-10 p.m., KPCC-FM (89.3). Noon-1 p.m. Noon Business Hour, KFWB (980). 1- 2 p.m.-To the Point, KCRW-FM (89.9).

2- 2:30 p.m. Marketplace, KCRW-FM (89.9); and p.m., KPCC-FM (89.3). p.m. The Politics of Culture, KCRW-FM (89.9). Tips for Today p.m.

Rockline: "The Van Zant Brothers," KCBS-FM (93.1). p.m., a.m. The Whistler: A crook is given one week to repay a big debt, KNX (1070). 10 p.m.-mldnlght Chicago Symphony: Markus Stenz conducts Beethoven (6th Symphony), Weill (Suites from "The Silver Lake" and "The Seven Deadly KMZT-FM (105.1). Drama-Comedy-Family 9- 9:30 p.m., a.m.

Dragnet: Two elderly people are victims of a home Invasion robbery, KNX (1070). Classical 8-9 a.m. Commuter Classic: Dvorak Rhapsody in Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra), KMZT-FM (105.1). 10- 11 a.m. Morning Symphony: RossiniRespighi Boutique Fantasque," Vienna Symphony I 1 Sell virtually any listing.

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