Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 14

2S TIMES WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1995 FLASH uradleir' the gun lf i Paramount Pictures Cher (Alicia Silverstone), left, Tai (Brittany Murphy) and Dionne (Stacey Dash) are three Clueless friends. LIVE FROM LA forces that will drive his character through the emotional trial. And of the possibility he too will become an unlikely sex symbol, Benzali said only: "It goes with the territory." Afterward, Bochco defended the reluctant actor. "He's very shy. He's never been exposed to this stuff before.

It's scary. Give him a break." Shyness is fine, as long as Benzali pulls his weight on the set. ABC has invested more than $30-million for 23 episodes of the series, significantly more than the six- or 13-episode commitment most new series get. If it works, it may just help ABC keep alive two Bochco series long after the Emmy winner leaves for his new home at CBS. Bochco has already sold the sagging network on one idea ABC didn't want: Public Morals, a comedy set in the division of the New York Police Department that deals with prostitution, gambling and other after-hours illegal activities.

It's been a long wait nearly 1 5 years but the lovable Muppets will return to prime-time TV midseason on ABC. The new series will center around a fictional TV station, KMUP, where the Muppets perform a live variety show each week. Celebrity guests will drop by as they did before, helping the gang cope with the chaos of live TV. The series doesn't have a name yet, though Gonzo has suggested the Tl 1 XVOCKDOIT 'Clueless' lives tip to its name oh-so-original Roseanne's Funniest Home Improvements, She Wrote. Because of the death of creator Jim Henson and the changing times from the 1970s to 1995, not all the original characters will be back.

The psychedelic house band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, for instance, might be replaced with a more modern group; though Animal, the drummer, will likely return. And though the porcine chanteuse Miss Piggy may not command as much attention as before, Henson's son Brian assures fans that she will be back to torture her beloved Kermit. Carrying on with the TV tradition of naming one's character after oneself, Tony Danza will again play a Tony in the new ABC comedy Hudson Street. On Taxi, he played the boxer Tony Banta.

On Who 's the Boss, he was Tony Micelli. Now, he will be Tony Canetti, a divorced New Jersey police detective who meets his match in a brash young reporter, played by Full House 's Lori Loughlin. Danza has the clout to push for another name if he wanted. With the successful run of Who 's the Boss, Danza has become one of those likable stars who just can't miss in the wholesome-family-sitcom department. Loughlin hasn't done too badly for herself either, and together, they've practically owned Tuesday nights on ABC.

That's just where their new show will wind up this fall, sandwiched between Roseanne and Home Improvement. Can you spell I-N-S-T-A-N-TH-I-T? I FOR MEN AND WOMEN I PRO-WALKER! 00 WE CARRY YOUR SIZE! WHITE BONE BLACK TAUPE lAUrc MciS 9 UNIT Compiled from wire reports Divine pleads innocent A smiling Divine Brown, wearing a low-cut, tailored black suit, pleaded Innocent Tuesday in Hollywood (Calif.) Municipal Court to a charge of lewd conduct stemming from her arrest last month with actor Hugh Grant. Court commissioner Robert Sandoval ordered her to appear at a pretrial hearing Aug. 18 and to post $25,000 bail, reduced from $30,000, for two charges of probation violation from earlier prostitution convictions. Her lawyer, Richard Nahijian, said she would seek a jury trial.

City Attorney William Sterling told Reuters he would seek the maximum 18-month prison term for Brown. Meanwhile, Grant's late-night atonement July 10 boosted Jay Leno and NBC's Tonight Show to its first head-to-head weekly victory over CBS' Late Show with David Letterman. In other news An indecent-exposure charge against country star Ty Herndon was dropped Monday in a Fort Worth, Texas, court in exchange for a guilty plea for drug possession. Police said he was found with 212 grams of methamphetamine June 13 when he was arrested for masturbating in front of an undercover officer. Herndon, 33, got five years' probation and a $1,000 fine and was ordered to do 200 hours of community service.

Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson expect their second child in the winter. They have a son, Chester, 5. A televised performance of the farewell concert of rappers Public Enemy, to be staged in Great Britain, is set to hit European and U.S. screens this year. Public Enemy's final live performance is scheduled for Tuesday at London's Hackney Empire.

Negotiations are under way with the BBC and MTV to acquire broadcast rights. MOVIE REVIEW Clueless Grade: B- Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Wallace Shawn a Rating: PG-13; profanity, sexual situations By STEVE PERSALL Times Film Critic Thirteen years ago, filmmaker Amy Heckerling revealed those Fast Times at Ridgemont High, arid teen movie comedies had a new standard to meet. She doesn't qiite do it with Clueless, a cheeky update of what it's like to be young ajid foolish in America, but that may be the fault of her self-centered subjects rather than her talent. Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher, a naive, narcissistic 15-year-old student whose greatest concerns are passing her driver's test and wearing the right clothes for any occasion at Beverly Hills High School. Silverstone is a treat, as vapid as she is beautiful, with the cockeyed notion that anyone would die tp be her.

But she's a walking ego with a streak of goodwill; the VALUES TO ii 1 1 li in hi "StL i ,11 Fiju-S: i i I 1 1' TSfcl. mp iui. i I ww jtnibj BBm.jiiiiiiiii lil f' A 1-1 SALE! GOOD THRU 72295 OMLC murd Steven Bocho's Murder One has a tall order this fall on ABC: tracing a single murder trial through 23 episodes. By MONICA YANT Times Television Critic PASADENA, Calif. Dennis Franz turned a foul mouth and a lousy fashion sense into a new breed of TV sex symbol on NYPD Blue.

Will Daniel Benzali do the same this fall as the bald-headed, brooding defense lawyer on Steven Bochco's Murder One? The cards are certainly in place. Benzali will be the focal point in the bold ABC series that will follow a single murder case for the entire season. He will play Theodore Hoffman, a prominent defense attorney who takes on the high-profile Hollywood case BENZALI and the media frenzy that comes with it. Though creator Steven Bochco swears he developed the idea years ago while working on LA. Law, similarities to the O.

J. Simpson murder trial are clear. Bochco has even created a place in the series for Law TV, a fictionalized Court TV segment at the beginning of each episode that will update viewers on the trial's developments. Noted celebrity attorney Howard Weitzman who once represented Simpson and Michael Jackson will appear as himself on the Law TV updates analyzing the trial. If the show's premise, or following it, sounds confusing, try listening to Benzali mumble through questions about his exploding career.

For an actor who's about to go to war against NBC's blockbuster hit ER, on Thursdays at 10 p.m., Benzali hasn't exactly mastered the battle cry. Looking somewhat ominous in a black suit and tie, Benzali muddled through an explanation of his shaven Kojak look, which he got before playing a mob lawyer on NYPD Blue. He would not give any insight into the UP TO A BIG SPECl 14K Solid Gold Diamond Slide Pendant 44 GEES CARAT $399 tJ V- I UJtlUUi I I WWW CT. $700 IfflU May vary by V- No tOnn itw a Phmoi enlaigod Ouanimoi WulH may vary to taa Not nMpomtW lot pnmmg pncng trim '10K OoU TW If IO JrY VV 101 iJ i I HSZiWT ft slip jm- id SsffiP ii i ai a I I I I A boy and his whale spin an appealing tale SWREWE SAVINGS! Mother Teresa of makeovers, willing to mold others in her image, even if it's only a good excuse to visit a mall. Funny stuff, and Heckerling milks it for all it's worth, which, sadly, doesn't amount to a 97-min-ute movie.

Clueless is a one-note parody which Silverstone occasionally elevates to a song and never reveals anything more about today's teenagers than their very conspicuous consumption. It's as if Ridgemont 's Jeff Spicoli made a bundle surfing and spawned a generation. Sex and uncertainty are still the buzzwords, but Fast Times at Ridgemont High was about kids who didn't know what to think about them. The ones in Clueless think they know everything, which amounts to whatever TV and the movies have taught them. Once we get over the amusement of everyone carrying cellular phones, and decode Heckerling's manufactured teen-speak, there isn't much left to contemplate.

Teenagers will need to become much more interesting before great teen comedies can be created again. seems to exist only to set up another breathtaking rescue, but it's a serviceable means to deliver pro-environment messages and let the shiny new animatronic Willy give us cute nods and sympathetic looks in close-ups. Better yet, the landlubbers have more to do this time around. Jesse Gason James Richter) has grown into a more credible teenager, dealing with a crush and a half-brother he never knew before. Francis Capra, so appealing in A Bronx Tale, adds a brash spunk to this film that the sappy first stanza didn't have.

Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) still looks more comfortable as a crook than a stepdad, but Jesse's relationships with these two lend a comically touching layer to what could have been just another money-grubbing rehash of an inexplicable success. Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home makes sitting through the first film worthwhile. twang theory Rivers. "In years past, these have included George Strait, Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks, so we're proud to continue the tradition." The series begins Aug. 11 at 8 p.m.

with Lynne, who has attracted a strong following in Nashville circles with her groundbreaking debut album, Temptation. Carson, who performs Aug. 18, got his start in the business as a successful demo singer (for hits like Always Runnin' Behind, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and This Woman and This Man). Now he's working on his self-titled debut album. On Aug.

25, Singletary will take the stage, bolstered by his honky-tonk hit single Vm Living Up To Her Low Expectations. And James, known for his hard-rocking style, wraps up the series Sept. 1. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at all Ticketmaster locations (287-8844) and the Bayfront Center box office.

Select-seating tickets are $5. Reserved seats are $9.95 with a special buy-3-get-l-free offer. Doors open at 7 p.m. and all concerts begin at 8. SAVE $300 fJTSgSg ON MOBILE HOME SAVE10ON ROOFOVERS mrl 5" SEAMLESS GUTTERS I Selected slylea.

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I'D IS UT'N 1 Ho IHIIVHIN II $99 g- IB I I TVv ZT SS I 111 111 1 1 1 1 I 'I' I I i i Id I I ll I 19 I I I I vS. XV SS Vi I i I I li i 1 ll1 l' 1 i 1 1 I Jl I II I I I I All Diamond Tennis Bracelet Clearance! lit ill MOVIE REVIEW Free Willy 2 Grade: B- Cast: Jason James Richter, Michael Madsen, Francis Capra Hating: PGprofanity violence By STEVE PERSALL Times Film Critic Like most fish tales, the story of Willy the whale gets bigger and better with each retelling. Okay, he's a mammal, but you get the idea. Now that all the introductions and Willy-as-Father Flanagan foolishness from the original movie are out of the way, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Hometmns out to be a moderately exciting family-friendly film. This time, Willy returns with his entire clan just in time to be trapped off the Seattle coast by a dangerous oil spill.

The crisis comes as an afterthought and A low-cost, big By LOGAN NEILL Time'i Correspondent Call it country music on a budget. The NationsBank Cheap Thrills Country Concert Series was unveiled Tuesday, featuring four discount performances by a lineup of up-and-coming country stars at St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater. The Friday evening series, which begins Aug. 1 1 and will run successive Fridays through Sept.

1 showcases emerging talents Shelby Lynne, Jeff Carson, Daryle Singletary and Brett James not to mention tickets prices of $5 and $9.95. Local artist Ricky Truett will open each show, with area band Stalled On The Tracks performing pre- and post-concert dance sets in the lounge. The series is sponsored by WQYK-FM 99.5, the Bayfront Center Foundation and the Weekend section of the Times. "WQYK has always had a tradition of introducing new country artists to the bay said WQYK operations manager Tom III Vt I yX III II! Ill 1 1 1 klffr CCMniM I SPECIALS 1 I ill I iJ I 1JUJ SSv 777f 18KGOLD JZWELRY ON SAl! III niwr JI' iNI'i'i HI KRHRiinMPiiBtj)wifjiBsi9MMPjmi Diamond Bracelet' ,12 CT. $399 1 i i Ik 1 I ACFENESTIMATE IlillFllii The Trusted Name for 3 Generations ILVERBERG AND PATIO DOORS Selected styles.

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