St. Cloud Times from Saint Cloud, Minnesota • Page 79

St Cloud Times 23F Sunday, Dec 6, 1998 The Christmas Wish5 tops list of Christmas themed viewing choices Can you take the kids? Jack Gamer, chief film reviewer for Gannett News Service, offers this family movie-viewing guide to films in current release. 0 General audiences. All ages admitted. fG Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable lor children.

PC-13 Parents strongly cautioned Some material may be fiappropnate tor children under 13. Restricted. Under 17 reoures accompanyrig parent or adutt guardan NC-17 No children undar 17 admiMed. JACK'S COMMENT VIOLENCE NUDITY SEX PBOFANfTY f- i' I "1 By Mike Hughes GANNETT NEWS SERVICE WRITER Tonight's must-see: "The Christmas Wish," 8 p.m., CBS. This is why TV viewers sometimes need patience.

As the movie starts, its plot simply doesn't seen promising: A decent young man has returned home to put the family business in shape, after his grandfather's death. At the same time, however, his widowed grandmother has a request Find Come violence and ntense nwnrjnlstoprecrioriers Metgent, hrgrwnergy teens art Uxtesl lanjy rxrrndy, amrjd al pk Romance Popular femJyW seres hrrs tie big screea some Ertertanngrjurrnier Tasteless comedy loo lor the undef-17cioirdaniirApidlrjroir ArJaktyvWert HaikriOTierJflta Latest Adam Sander farce, dwtfi come sorreterences; lor mature teens and a. the identity of the woman her late husband kept mentioning in his diary. Other choices tonight include: "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, 6 p.m.,Fox. "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted 7 pm, ABC.

"Biography," 7 p.m., Arts and Entertainment. Like so many shows, this series is taking a look at a jolly old man with a white beard. As a slight variation, it goes with Colonel Sanders. A Bug's Life (G) Enemy of the State (R) I'll Be Home For Christinas (PG) Meet Joe Black (P6-13) Practical Magic (PG-13) The Rugrats Movie (G) Simon Birch (PG) There's Something About Mary (R) Very Bad Things (R) The Waterboy (PG-13) GANNETT NEWS SERVICE GRAPHIC i From Page SF lines. Pm hoping to follow his lead with the Signature Took." Sissy Spacek back with big roles this year Beck Judds for more than just a one-shot "It's hard to talk about If almost like talking about a death.

But I believe in miracles, and Fm living for the miracle of my mother and I getting back together:" Since those heady, tumultuous days, when she referred to Naomi as "my beloved enemy" Wynonna has, she says, could happen. Burt Reynolds holds an Annette Bening and their three little ones, ages 6, 4 and 2172. 'Katie Joplin' sitcom on hold for Thomas, Overall Jay Thomas and Park Overall won't be returning to the tube in early '99 after all Thomas, who starred in "Love War," and Overall, late of "Empty Nest," thought they were all set to ride the airwaves together in the WB series, "Katie Joplin." The show did start production, but there were so many problems with the sitcom it was shuttered. Odd couple back and guesting on ABC series Jack Klugman and Tony Randall will reprise their "Odd Couple" roles in an episode of ABC's "Brother Keeper." "We're going to do a dueling kind of 'Odd Couple' thing," reveals William Ragsdale, who plays a straight-laced history professor living with his wild, football-star brother on the sitcom. The star says the "Brother Keeper" producers felt the HugmanRandall guesting was a match made in heaven because "our show was compared to the 'Odd Couple' early on.

We're the odd couple for the 21st century." Fans of Oscar-winner Sissy Spacek, who feel she hasn't garnered as many big-screen roles as she's deserved in recent years, won't have cause for that complaint for a while. She comes on strong as Nick Nolte long-suffering love in "Affliction," the object of considerable buzz, which opens year-end to qualify in the '99 Oscar race. She co-stars with Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone in the upcoming time-warp comedy "Blast From the Past" And she's just wrapped David Lynch "The Straight Story" feature. 'Arlington' plagued by many gun problems Credit good acting if a big shoot-out scene in Polygram upcoming "Arlington Road" feature starring Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack and Robert lege in Boston. Once every six weeks, she goes to Massachusetts for a week." And the actress, who once co-starred with Olin on "tbirtysomething," now has many play projects in development, he says.

Meanwhile, Olin has directed one episode of "LA Docs" this year and will direct three more. Castellaneta visits NBC's Mad About You' Dan Castellaneta the voice of Homer Simpson has just completed a guesting on the Dec. IS episode of NBC's "Mad About You," in which he plays, as he puts it, "a really obnoxious guy gets into the action when cousin Ira (John Pankow) finds himself in a business slump and stages a promotion at his store "where the winner gets a new car. Except," explains Dan, "Ira just rented the car. The car is supposed to be given away to the person who keeps his hand on it the longest, but Ira has a bunch of ringers taking part in the contest He pulls a bunch of tricks to get others to take their hand off the car, but I don't fall for the tricks." Before he through, in fact, he wreaks havoc at Buchman Sporting Goods.

Reports of next Beatty project premature Reports that Warren Beatty will follow up the "Town Country" film that he's currently shooting with a Beatty production he will writedirectand headline sound like they are way way premature. "gone from feeling stuck to being completely in love with this woman." She worked for sewn years, she says, "to separate without severing our ties. Fve grown to being Wynonna Alona. Still, well, Fm hoping. I tall to her about performing together again, and she's intrigued with the idea, but says, Tm the busiest Fve ever Naomi's health has improved.

But now, says Wynonna, Naomi is on a different journey, determined to be a witness on how to stay well, and how to be positive if you are sick. "She's working on some incredible motivational tapes. She speaks at hospitals, is on the lecture circuit-." While Wynonna, who filed for divorce from husband, Arch Kelley, in November, is more a solo today than ever. Drew Carey Show cast improvises in Las Vegas MIXED MEDIA: The cast of "The Drew Carey Show" is getting its act together and taking it on the road at least as far as Las Vegas. "We're going to play Caesars Palace for three days in January," reports "Drew Carey" regular Ryan Stiles.

However, dont expect to see them in their character incarnations from the ABC sitcom. "It straight improv," says Gossett looks realistic. Gossett (cousin of Louis) relates that seven out of the eight weapons utilized for the sequence failed to work. With no time to make adjustments, in j0t; Mwtar I I option on the project, wants to direct, and reports that Jon Voight and Ned Beatty, with whom he teamed in the 1972 "Deliverance," are enthused about doing the follow-up. He adds, "We're all in pretty good health knock on whatever and it might be believable that we would start out on another canoe trip.

I don't know how long we'd last, but we would be believable starting off." Burt, whose career has been recharged by "Boogie Nights," has Disney's big-screen "Mystery, Alaska" hockey feature in the can, and the first of three TNT "Hard Time" movies on the way Dec 13. He stars in and directs the cable picture about a tough Miami cop wrongfully accused of murder. And then there's "Skin Tight," in which Burt goes into action in January as "a depraved plastic surgeon." He notes the vile doctor "is a real stretch for me, and let's underline that, please." First, the holidays. Burt's planning a Florida Christmas with son Quinton and fiancee Pam Seals. How about marriage? "I'm not good at that," he sighs.

"I'm definitely engaged, and the girl is being very patient She keeps saying to me, 1 understand you have a problem with marriage, but what about Well, weddings are good. Those I can da It's just the follow-up I have trouble with." Tim Allen started tool line to be like Newman Tun Allen wants to be another Paul Newman and is working hard to achieve that goal It has nothing to do with acting and everything to do with sharing one's fortune with children in need He says he started his Tim Allen Signature Tool line in 1996 "with the intention of doing something that was fun and creative, that would benefit children." Thus far, it's been a lot of hard work and little money. "I was a little ignorant," he admits. "There was a tremendous layout for employees, buildings, tools, dies. We came up with a hammer.

I didn't like it, and we had to start all over again. All things have been a huge expense." With the "98 Christmas buying season in full has IS tools on the market and has finally broken through at Target and Home Depot, where the tools are sold under the Husky logo. "So many kids out there need so much help," he says. "Paul Newman has done remark- ahle thinoc with nrnfits from his food There are sever raw yiiiiuui.ii.iiiiji al projects he is considering producing including "Oceans of Storms," in which he would star as an aging astronaut who returns to the space program to Minnesota Center Chorale Philip Welter, Miuic Director Stiles. "Since about the middle of last year, we've been doing improv every week at (L A's) The Improv Comedy Club.

Drew asked me to do it with him, then a couple more people from the cast joined us. We usually have six or seven players at The Improv, but therell be 10 of us in Vegas." Stiles, who also hosts "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" which returns to the tube Wednesday, says for now the Vegas date is the only gig the troupe has planned outside of their weekly spots at The Improv. "I don't really think we want to rent a bus and do a tour. We'd just get on each other's nerves. with each other enough as it is." A turn each actor was Tim Robbins given the one work- had problems tag gun for his or with gun on set her close-up.

All die other actors were issued rubber guns and shouted "BANG!" when the camera rolled. Real gunfire sounds will, of course, be substituted for the bangs in post-production. Virgin soundtrack full of musical superstars Virgin Records has a probable top soundtrack in the offing thanks to Maya Angelou's forthcoming Miramax feature, "Down in the Delta." The CD of the film, which stars Wesley Snipes and Alfre Woodard, features a blockbuster lineup of superstars including Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Janet, D'Angelo, The Leverts, Ashford Simpson and ChakaKhan. The Judds coming back Nearly seven years after hepatitis forced Naomi Judd to retire from her singing career and her daughter, Wynonna, went on to prove she could be a superstar on her own Wynonna is hoping that they might reunite as The Christiria Cabaret Sumptuous Dining I Great Music Splendid Seasonal Decor An i Elegant and Fun-filled 'I Holiday Event December 11 12, 6:30 Great Hall Saint John's University I All Seat Resemd Informationtickets 363-5888 Corporate Sponsor Bremer Bank recapture his for- Warren Beatty mer glory. And, wants to just act yes, he's still talk- in next film ing about bringing a Howard Hughes film to screen.

And, yes, he'd like to make a picture about family. However Beatty tells this column that he's been offered several films "in which Fd just act and I like that It more fun. To produce a movie, well, you're really never finished with work unless you have a healthy point of view, which I happen to lack." Fatherhood, he admits, has changed him a lot "It like being in a house with four drugs that are legal and are all uppers," he says of wife Wettig stars with real life spouse on LA. Docs' Patricia Wettig has just finished taping a guesting on CBS "LA. Docs," the series on which her husband.

Ken Olin, stars. In real life, Wettig biggest role these days is that of a student. Ken reports, "She working on her master degree in playwriting from Smith Col- t- i.