The Daily Times from Salisbury, Maryland • 55

8unday, December 1, 2002 DAILY TIMES www DelmarvaNow.com E7 TELEVISION 'Taken' packs decades of UFO tales 'Walking contradiction' finds good roles scarce -J AC Photo Joel Gretsch portrays a military officer in a scene from the Sci-Fi Channel's produced by Steven Spielberg, debuts Monday at 9 p.m. By Lynn Elber Auodated Prwt Writer rLOS ANGELES The sky's rio libit for Sci Fi Channel's Taken," which is big by just about any measurement. The 10-part miniseries dramatizes more than five decades of alien-abduction and VFO mythology. It clocks in at 20'hours. Ten directors worked on it.

The budget was a reported $40 million. And here's the clincher: Steven Spielberg, a sizable name when it comes to movies and aliens, is the guiding hand beftind the series showing on 10 consecutive weeknights (Dec. 2-6; Dec. 9-13) starting Monday. Spielberg, whose famed otherworldly musings are "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T.

The Extra-Terrestrial, approached Sci Fi Channel in 1998 about an epic alien project. a storytelling legend behind you, you're not going to throw it away on a four- or six- chour miniseries," said Sci Fi President Bonnie Hammer. "We wanted to give him time to tell The sfbfy and we were willing to go along for the ride." The filmmaker's cachet is not squandered: The miniseries' full title is "Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken." It is in the tradition of such 5grand 1970s dramas as the 24-hour "Centennial," both in length 'and in the compressed firing. Other recent miniseries, such as HBO's "Band of 'Brothers," have been spun out fweek to week. 5.

"We wanted to create a true event as opposed to a weekly series," Hammer said. "In a sense, it's a bit of an scheduling it this way, but there's a level of excitement attached to it because we're breaking some rules." "Taken" is, rather remarkably, the work of one writer, Leslie Bohem eak," "Twenty who also served as executive producer along with Spielberg. 'Starting in 1945, the drama follows iour generations of the By Terry Morrow Scrlpps Howard Ntwt iorvtc HOLLYWOOD. Calif. -Emmys and hit shows are enough for Dana Delany, but not for At 46, the Emmy winner says finding a good part is as difficult as ever.

The problem, she says, is that Hollywood does not write roles of depth for her women her age. She's too old to the play the ingenue. She looks too young to be a believable grandmother. Few roles for women in their 40s have depth, she says. "It's hard to find anything with complexity," she says.

"I'm not just The Mom, and I'm not just The Wife. I can be a sexual creature. The obvious problem is to find a role that is complex, where I am not just serving the young character or the male lead. She came to the attention of primetime audiences while playing on "China Beach" in 1988, as Lt. Nurse Colleen McMurphy.

She won two Emmys for it. Since the show ended in the early 1990s, she has found roles in TV movies, miniseries and in voice work (playing the girlfriend of Superman and Batman in animation). Delany returned to series television in 2001 in Fox's dark drama "Pasadena," playing Catherine McAllister, the head of a wealthy family ripe with secrets. That show folded after four episodes, but she quickly landed on her feet again as Dr. Rae Brennan on "Presidio Med" (airing at 10 p.m.

Wednesdays on CBS). Brennan is a talented married doctor whose affair has come back to haunt her. She rebuffs the idea that Brennan is a victim, a loose woman or an opportunist. In real life, she is 14 years the senior of the actor who plays her on-screen lover, Oded Fehr. "If anything," she says, "she is the one in charge.

She knows what she is doing. She "Taken." The 10-part mini-series, have been booking regular Club Earth tours? Maybe, which means "God's got a bigger canvas" and our view of the universe must change, he says. But the writer admits favoring a negative answer. "I find it even more compelling if it's not true. Then the question of why we are all drawn to these stories and have been for so long comes to the fore, and I think that is the even more profound question." In line with that, Bohem saw the miniseries as a means of examining the broader concept of being taken, not just by invaders but by "love, by lust, by power, by drugs, by alcohol." Spielberg himself calls "Taken" a "character story first and foremost." "I believe what will keep people tuned in, hopefully, is that the characters are very compelling and you watch these characters evolve and age before your eyes and give birth to special children who themselves have a purpose in our story," he said.

OnTV WHAT: "Taken" WHEN: Debuts Monday at 9 p.m. CHANNEL: Sci-Fi Channel dazzle, said Bohem, who spent more than three years crafting "Taken" with guidance from Spielberg. "Our initial conversations were, 'What's intriguing about this (the subject), how do we treat it with respect, how do we make it seem as real as possible," Bohem said. Spielberg posed his own question to Bohem: If tales of blank-eyed, spindly alien invaders who spirit away humans aren't true, then why are stories told by alleged abductees so similar? "I glibly said, 'Your Bohem recalled. In a statement, Spielberg said he's uncertain about whether Earth has received visitors but insists "I know there is life off this planet." Does Bohem believe aliens SUNDAY EVENING ONiGiifs Programs 'Jethro' plans to market product tie-ins to old show DECEMBER 1, 2002 AC Photo Dana Delaney made her own decisions and has to deal with it.

There's no victimizing in that." It's quite the contradiction for most spring-fall romances in popular media. Normally, it's the older man having his way with the much younger woman. On screen, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas are usually paired with women at least 10 to 25 years younger than they are. There's no sainthood in this role for Delany, either. And she likes that most of all.

After leaving her mark as a near-saintly nurse on "China Beach," Delany wants to move beyond being stoic. Reviewing her more saintly work is a little hard for her these days. She was up one night and stumbled upon an episode of "China Beach" and decided to watch it. "I really don't like watching myself, but I forced myself to watch. I really felt kind of bittersweet because I saw this young girl there, and I thought she was so innocent.

There was something so pure about her that I liked her." Acting is her therapy. "There are some actors who would have a problem with that," she says. "But it works for me. I work at being happy. It's not hard work, but it is rewarding.

I do a lot of inner work. Highlights Sunday, Dec. 1 "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," 9:30 p.m., Fox Higher-ups decide they must hire a minority. They even offer a cash reward to the person whose candidate is chosen. Good intentions meet sheer avarice.

There are more twists, smartly spoofing a world that hasn't quite mastered political correctness. "Law Order Criminal Intent," 9 p.m., NBC. Linda Lavin plays a matriarch and business boss. When her daughter-in-law is found slain, the suspects abound. "Pinocchio" (1940), 7-9 p.m., ABC.

Here is a fresh chance to see this Disney cartoon classic. "The Simpsons," 8 p.m., Fox. The family is on a reality show, living like 1895 pioneers. "Doc," 8 p.m., Pax TV. Maria Del Mar is an impressive actress to keep an eye on.

In this OK rerun, she plays a nurse, angry at Doc after an accident. She also co-stars tonight in CBS' "Christmas Shoes" movie, playing Rob Lowe's wife. "Christmas Rush," 8 and 10 p.m., TBS. A gentleman bandit (Eric Roberts) wants to steal a fortune from a shopping mall. Alas, one of his hostages is the wife of a cop (Dean Cain) who's inside.

The bullets and punches fly. The story is pointless, but the action is brisk and skillfully done. "The Christmas Shoes," 9-11 p.m., CBS. Things are contrived in this movie based on a mini-book that was based on a song. In one family, the dad (Rob Lowe) spends too much time at work; in another, the mom (Kimberly Williams) is seriously ill.

"Alias," 9 p.m., ABC. In the start of a two-parter, Sydney must reluctantly do a mission with her enigmatic parents. "The New York Friars Club Roast," 10 p.m., Comedy Central. Here is the newest roast, with comedians taking on Chevy Chase. Keys, Crawford and Clarke families and their part in extraterrestrial encounters that affect both Earthlings and aliens.

In the first episode, World War II fighter pilot Russell Keys (Steve Burton) is in a dogfight over France when an eerie blue light envelops his plane, saving him and his crew but with lasting and dire effects. Also central to the tale is government research into a spacecraft that made a crash landing near small but destined for fame Roswell, N.M. The saga is narrated by 10-year-old Allie (Dakota Fanning), a girl with an intriguing family tree and a crucial role to play for humanity Co-stars include Eric Close, Catherine Dent, Matt Frewer, Michael Moriarty and James McDaniel and a spaceship-sized load of visual effects supervised by James Lima Days," "Space The film strives for emotional depth as well as sci-fi razzle- Tahoe, where he now has a second home. He spent years after the show ended trying to shed the Jethro persona that resonated with America and doomed his acting career. Baer, a college graduate with a degree in business and philosophy, could not escape it any more than viewers can forget the show's catchy Flatt and Scruggs theme song.

Fans loved the classic rags-to-riches story, giving it top ratings and longevity. The show aired from 1962 to '71, ranking as the No. 1 prime-time show in America its first two seasons. And now CBS is even planning a reality TV series patterned after the show. Baer earned about $4,500 an episode by the time the cast disbanded, good money but not enough to call it a career at 33.

Typecast as dumb Jethro, Baer found little work as an actor. Finally the 6-foot-4-inch, 225-pound Baer, the son of 1934-35 heavyweight boxing champ Max Baer, stopped fighting the hillbilly hex. "What happened was I turned 50," he said. "I was about as much in demand as cancer. If I have to be Jethro, I'll be Jethro." The former television star, who divorced in 1971 with no children, said he's content with his life in Nevada and the three dogs he saved from the local animal shelter.

John Densmore (The Doors) is 58. Actress-singer Bette Midler is 57. Singer Gilbert O'Sullivan is 56. Actor Treat Williams is 51. Country singer Kim Rlchey is 46.

Actress Charlene Tllton is 44. Actress-model Carol Alt is 42. Actor Jeremy Northam is 41. Actor Nestor Carbonell is 35. Actress Golden Brooks is 32.

Actor Ron Melendez is 30. Singer Sarah Masen is 27. Rock musician Brad Delson (Linkin Park) is 25. Actress Ashley Monlque Clark is 14. By Adam Goldman Auoeiated PrM Writer -rrr 4LAS VEGAS Jethro Bodine intends to prove he's no fool.

Max Baer who once played the burly, doltish character on "The Beverly Hillbillies," recently signed a ideal with International Game Technology of Reno to produce hundreds of penny slot machines featuring the show that once drew millions of loyal viewers. "It's so obvious it's not a eamble." Baer said in a recent interview at his Las Vegas hbme. "It fits in. It meshes with Ethe characters and the show." 'After nine years in prime time and 30-plus years of "syndicated and cable broadcasts, most everyone -'knows how Jethro's uncle, Jed Clampett, went shootin' for ''sbme food and struck oil in the 'Qzarks. So the Clampett family Jed, Elly May, Granny and Jethro loaded ud the truck knd they moved to Beverly nHtlls, that is swimming pools stars.

Baer, 64, hits his jackpot in 2he casinos, he wants to strike gbld in supermarkets with bakery goods, such as Elly Clay's buns, Granny's lye soap 'and perhaps Jethro's sausage. V1' Tapping into "The Beverly fMlbillies" has been a long time Jn'minn fnr Victor VL'hn lpft the "'m'Ovie and television business in 1979 and moved to Lake I 6:00 6:30 I 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 intW.uww.! ABC WId Movie: Pwoccrtio (1940. Fantasy) Voices of Alias Sydney. Jack and Practice Baa to Worse 62246 News Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Cliff Edwards. 37772 Irma must go under cover (N) 25791 WM0Ht7 86826 as a loving family.

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