News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 34

Ea INSIDE NEWS-PRESS SECTION IDearAbby2D I Bridge 2D I Horoscopes 2D I Day Breaks 2D I Comics 3D ITV4D ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR FEATURES: JILL FREDEL, 335-0236 (Monday Friday, 10 a.m. 6 p.m.) TUESDAY, AUG. 1, 1995 Time for change in news shows at WFTX, WBBH By LARRY A. STRAUSS News-Press staff writer '1 3 XXI i i I i A to vr jar Universal FRIENDS AGAIN: Kevin Costner, Jeanne Trippelhorn and Tina Majorino star in "Waterworld the post-apocalyptic adventure that cost more than any other movie ever made. Kid critics like Costner, special effects 4 eg back believed to be a map to dry land.

The Smokers pursue Enola throughout the movie, so they can get the map and control the wet and Costner could have gills and webbed feet." "It was neat, but it had a lot of violence," agreed Malena McHughes, 10, of Fort Myers. "The parts where the stuff blew up looked really cool. But at the end when they found land, it was pretty predictable because they were talking about it all of the time. "The worst part The battle to be tops in local television news is heating up as two television stations prepare to launch new newscasts. WFTX, the local Fox affiliate, debuts a 6 p.m.

newscast next Monday while WBBH-TV, the NBC affiliate, will begin 5 and 5:30 newscasts in September. After debuting the area's first 10 p.m. newscast in October 1993, WFTX will launch its new 30-minute newscast with anchors Pete Scovill and Michelle Tuzee, who also anchor the 10 p.m. shows. Jennifer Crawford will handle the 6 p.m.

weekend slot. "It's yet another step into providing viewers with a choice," says Mark Pierce, station managernews director. "We are no longer an alternative. We're a mainstream television station with mainstream news. We're there." In going to the 6 p.m.

newscast, WFTX will drop its 5:30 p.m. "Troubleshooter" show, and incorporate it into the new newscast. "Cops," which now airs at 6 p.m. on Fox, will move to the 5:30 p.m. slot.

Pierce says the station is exploring further news expansion. While there are no concrete plans, he says viewers could see a noon and perhaps even a morning newscast in the next year. Meanwhile, WBBH-TV plans to add 5 and 5:30 p.m. newscasts on Sept. 4 Labor Day.

Craig Wolf and Beth Hobbs will co-anchor both shows. "Most markets find the public appetite for early evening newscasts is there," says Steve Pontius, executive vice president of Waterman Broadcasting, WBBH's owner. "We decided not to renew Oprah Winfrey it's going to another station. That left an opening for other programming. There's no better way to program a station than with local news." "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will air at 4 p.m.

weekdays on WINK-TV, cable channel 5, starting Sept. 5. Pontius concedes local competition also played a part in the decision to add newscasts. In all, Waterman's Eyewitness News Network, or ENN, will feature nine newscasts: The two new ones, as well as the 6 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

broadcasts on WBBH; a 7 p.m. show on WEVU-TV; and 10 p.m. and midnight shows on cable. Pontius adds more newscasts could be forthcoming. The decision depends on the next ratings results, due in about two weeks.

"We've beefed up our personnel and equipment," Pontius says. "We are the largest broadcast operation between Tampa and Miami. No one is going to be able to touch us in terms of people or equipment." About the only area station without plans to change its lineup is CBS affiliate WINK. But that's because it already has 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

broadcasts, along with the standard 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. ones. Station manager and news director Michael Castengera who came to the station March 6 -says he finds the others' additions "interesting." "The real issue is going to be an issue of quality," he says. Men's fashions get a taste of Euro-flavor NEW YORK U.S.

designers are adding Euro-flavor to men's fashion. Following Milan and Paris' lead, bright colors; shiny techno-fabrics; shorter, skinny slacks; and nipped jackets ruled spring '96 shows here. But many retailers are unsure how much international spice U.S. males will stomach. Calvin Klein's sheer pink shirts and Richard Tyler's tight polo shirts may have limited appeal.

Some trends may affect the average guy: Techno style. Everyone is showing hightech fabrics such as laminated nylon, shiny or rubberized linen or cotton. The news is how such high-performance, sporty fabrics work with office attire. Straighten up. The body-conscious suit with slimmer, shorter slacks and nipped-waist jacket is news.

Before buying: Look behind you. The shaped suitslim pant combo can make even hunky models look like wide loads. Brighter daze. Bold colors pair with neutrals or are worn together. Seersucker chic.

The classic cool-suiting comes in pastel hues. Madras resurfaces as hip gear from Hilfiger. the dry world. "This movie turned out to be another great Costner performance," said Cristian Benejan, 13, of south Fort Myers. "It was an interesting mix of action, suspense and romance.

The best scenes were 1 MALENA a CRISTIAN was at the begin Our movie panel We asked students ages 1 0 to 14 to apply to be our 1995 movie critics. We received 75 applications and chose 10 students of varying ages. Their parents were told we would see movies rated PG-13or lower. PG-13means "special parental guidance strongly suggested for children younger than 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children." Panelists' parents are told about the movie several days in advance, and have the option of not letting their child attend.

the ones in which they display a city under water. The special effects were greatly done." Some panelists, who are younger than 13, were bothered by the vio ning when nothing was going on," Malena said. "My favorite character was the little girl, because she was funny and you don't see many kids that are By LARRY A. STRAUSS News-Press staff writer It's one of the most talked about movies of the summer. It should be: At an estimated $170 million, it's the most expensive movie ever made.

According to the News-Press kid movie panel, Universale huge investment in "Waterworld" might have been worth it. Three of our seven kid critics gave the movie four stars highest on our scale. The movie scored an average 3.29 stars. On our fiscal scale, one kid said the movie was worth paying full price to see; five said it's worth a matinee; and one said it's worth seeing at a 1 .50 movie theater. The movie is about a future world in which the polar ice caps have melted, flooding the Earth.

The humans who have survived live on small boats or tiny cities made of flotillas, forever sailing the seas. Kevin Costner plays the Mariner, a macho, gruff character who on occasion shows a gentler side. And for some unexplained reason, he has developed webbed feet and gills to breathe with underwater. Dennis Hopper plays a devious but humorous pirate, leading a band of marauders called the Smokers. Co-stars include Jeanne Tripplehorn (Helen) and Tina Majorino as Enola, her adopted daughter who has a tattoo on her lence in the PG-13-rated movie.

"It was OK. But it had too many bombs and guns and too much kissing," 10-year-old Dena Kabat of south Fort Myers said. "I think the best part was when Kevin Costner fell good at their parts." Ryan Morse, 14, of Cape Coral said he was surprised by the movie. "Most people would have thought it would have just been Robin Hood on a boat, but it was the only movie of -r' RYAN DENA down, grabbed the girl and came right back up," Dena said. "The special effects were good, because the fire and bombs looked pretty real to me.

But I don't believe Kevin its kind. It was a great movie with a lot of humorous scenes. The thing that would have made the movie better would be to change the ending. It was too sappy." Waterworld' rules Audiences made Kevin Costner's "Waterworld" No. 1 at the box office during the weekend in the wake of tepid-to-warm reviews and bad press over its bloated budget.

The weekend's top 1 0 movies: What do you think? The reviewers have had their say about "Waterworld" as a business venture and as a movie. If you've seen the film, we'd like to know whether you thought it was a hit or a miss. To vote: 1. "Waterworld," $21.6 million 2. The Net," $10 million 3.

"Apollo 13," $8.8 million 4. "Clueless," $7 million 5. "Nine Months," $6.6 million 6. "Operation Dumbo Drop," $6.3 million (n) I BY PHONE: Call 332-5600, then press 5278. I BY COMPUTER: Access our free bulletin board service news.press by dialing 332-8822 with a modem on a Macintosh or PC.

The question is listed under polls and questionnaires. 7. "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory," $4.8 million 8. "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home," $4.7 million 9. "Pocahontas," $3.8 million 10.

"Species," $3.5 million Gannett News Service BOTTOM DRAWER New music Top ticket Quick fix Survey says TV tonight BEST BET: "Elton John," 10 p.m. on the Disney Channel. In Disney's pop concert series, Captain Fantastic struts his stuff at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Songs include the oldies "Take Me to the Pilot," "Daniel" -and IN STORES: Albums scheduled to be released today include: "Barometer Soup," Jimmy Buffett "Roll of the Dice," The Fabulous Thunderbirds "We All Get Lucky Sometimes," SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT: Get an up-close look at a variety of wild animals on the mend at CROW Care and Rehabilitation of Wildlife. There's a tour at 11 a.m.

weekdays that includes a short lecture and video presentation. Admission is $3 for those older than 12. The center is on Sanibel-Captiva Road. Call 472-3644. Elton others.

Lee Roy Parnell "Fight for John jm your Mind, Ben "r-r Harper What's new VACATION BLAHS: Boring! That's what most children think of summer vacation. In fact, says a survey conducted for Sega of America, more than half of American youngsters get more bored during the summer than they do during the school year. Long trips with the family are worst of all 40 percent of the surveyed children say they'd rather eat their vegetables for dinner every night, 41 percent say they'd rather clean their room, and 46 percent of children ages 6 to 9 say they'd even prefer summer school. VCR ALERT: "The Little Foxes," 11 p.m. on American Movie Classics.

Lillian Hellman's stage hit about a predatory Southern family CASHEW RICE 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1 teaspoon olive oil ty2 CUP Imely chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot 1 cup long-grain white rice 1 (14V2-ounce) can vegetable broth plus enough water to make 2 cups ty2 teaspoon ground cumin V4 teaspoon salt V4 cup dry roasted cashews, coarsely chopped In a medium pan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger; saute 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated, about 2 minutes. Pour in the broth-water combination, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the level of the liquid just covers the rice.

Cover and turn the heat to low. Cook 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cashews and fluff with a fork. 9 "Wholesale Meats and Fish," Letters to Cleo "Al Green's Greatest Hits," Al Green NET SHOPPING: Need a good dose of consumer dirt? The National Better Business Bureau is now on the World Wide Web. The site's offerings are quite extensive, ranging from the BBB's latest press releases to its directory of publications to a listing of local BBBs.

A must stop for the informed consumer. The address: http:www.cbbb.orgcbbb in the early 1900s. This 1941 flick stars Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and "Waterworld" soundtrack, various artists "Under Siege 2" soundtrack, various artists Courtesy Peaches Music Video Teresa Wright..