The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 49

THE TAMPA TRIBUNE Monday, April 23, 1984 Section Feeling Good focuses on health and fitness Walt Belcher Television zsr1 lt Lrzr Lira-1 fcr Lr Lssr Lzr1 over your gad 'Special Bulletin': Channel 8 gives it special treatment Making amends for not showing "Special Bulletin" the first time around, Channel 8 (WXFL) plans a three-part news report this week to tie in with a network rebroadcast of the movie. "Special Bulletin," which deals with a fictional terrorist attack on Charleston, S.C, will air at 9 p.m Sunday, on Channel 8. Some viewers may remember the national controversy surrounding the film when it first aired in March 1983. The entire movie looks exactly like a network newscast with anchors, reporters and live shots. Preceding the movie at 6 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday, reporter Chris Hansen explores the threat of nuclear terrorism and the role of television in disaster coverage.

The reports repeat at 11 p.m. each of those days. Although "Special Bulletin" features the fictional RBS network, NBC was concerned viewers who tuned in late might think it was the real thing. Channel 8 did not air "Special Bulletin" last year because Program Director Doug Duperrault had scheduled an old movie, "Oklahoma!" on the night of the telecast At the time, he said he didn't realize "Special Bulletin" would be so special. The film received widespread critical acclaim and won four Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Special during the 1982-83 season.

It's an explosive tale in more ways than one. While taping a feature on the Coast Guard, an RBS television reporter and cameraman are taken hostage by a group of terrorists who demand live network exposure. The group threatens to blow up Charleston if its demands for nuclear disarmament are not met RBS, realizing it has a blockbuster exclusive, cranks up the graphics and turns the event into marathon coverage "Flashpoint: America Under Siege." We join RBS anchors John Woodley (Ed Flanders) and Susan Miles (Kathryn Walker) to watch a stunning nuclear disaster unfold. The film pokes fun at the format of television news coverage and at the same time raises interesting questions about the role of television during a crisis. Shape up, grunt The most bizarre exercise videocassette thus far might be "The Armed Forces Workout" from Dominion Music Corp.

The tape features Marine Sgt. Bill Dower (the guy who trained Lou Gossett for "An Officer and a barking out orders: "This 'Armed Forces Workout' is for real men and women. You don't need any leg warmers, fancy running suits or head bands. What you need is discipline!" Promos Channel 8 has some new promotional ads which retain "the spirit of Tampa Bay" theme but add a new slogan "NewsWatch 8 is newswatching out for you." The new ads feature snappy music, fancy graphics and a chorus whispering "watch us." The ads also showcase talents of various Channel 8 news staffers. My favorite has Bob Hite in scuba gear flipping off the side of a boat while the announcer calls Hite "one anchor you can't anchor down." Animated rock? NBC has announced that "Hot Rock," a cartoon series featuring animated Top 40 music videos, will join the Saturday morning lineup next fall.

Please spare me from any more clones of MTV. Never too old? Channel 10 (WTSP) co-anchor Sheryl Browne begins a five-part series today (at noon and 1 1 p.m.) on "Birth After 30." Sounds like it could be about very old and very odd infants, but it's See BELCHER, Page 9D If your idea of skiing fun includes a six-pack of beer and some daredevil stunts, you're apt to end up in hot water. Tribune art by MIKE SHERARD the beach and tumbling onto the hard ground. Let go of the tow line far enough from the shoreline so that you sink into 4 or 5 feet of water. Check out the water for pilings, stumps and other protruding objects.

This is especially important for boaters vacationing in unfamiliar waters. Never ski when visibility is poor. Skiing at night, in the rain or fog or at dusk is dangerous. If the boat driver can't see, what's to keep him from running over you? When you see lightning, get out of the water. And don't wait under a tree for the storm to pass.

Skiing and drinking don't mix. An intoxicated skier or driver is more apt to get injured than a sober one. Skiing and boat driving require coordination and mental judgment skills which alcohol impairs. Try to avoid showing off; that's when most injuries happen. Wrapping the rope around an arm or neck or crossing under another skier's rope may wow the people on the shore, but it also can put a "hotdog" in the emergency room.

No matter how much fun you're having, when you become tired, stop skiing. Many ski injuries occur when a skier is fatigued. Don't try the stunts you see in ski shows. Jumping, barefooting and pyramid-building are performed by skiers with special training and See SAFETY, Page 2D When you want to ski faster, point your thumb up. Thumb down means go slower, and a hand across the throat tells the driver to cut the motor.

When you fall, a clasp of hands above the head tells the driver you're OK. If you don't give the OK signal, a driver should assume you're hurt and rush back to help. A pat on the head tells the driver you want to go back to the starting dock or shore. Don't be impressed by a boat driver's quick turns and rapid accelerations. Those fancy maneuvers could throw you and the other passengers out of the boat.

Have an observer in the boat and make sure he is paying attention. A daydreamer won't see you fall. And you could be stuck in the middle of a lake filled with speeding boats. Beware of the driver who watches the skier instead of the water ahead. He could very well crash into another boat.

Drivers shouldn't accelerate until the skier yells, "Hit it." Otherwise, a driver may try pulling up a skier who still has a rope wrapped around his leg or arm. Never ski in water that's less than 5 feet deep. If you fall the wrong way in shallow water, you could break your neck. If you're a beginner, don't ski into shore. An inexperienced skier often misjudges his speed, flying onto "If you don't respect the power of the boat or the tow line, if you wrap the tow line around your body or do this hotshot business of spraying people on the dock, you're asking for trouble." But since hot everyone uses eonv mon sense on the water, we've rounded up a list of tips designed to keep skiers on the water and off the crutches." The following tips are based on advice from Galloway and the American Water Ski Association.

Stay in shape. Sit-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks can help you prepare your body for the rigors of skiing. Stretch your muscles before skiing. This is especially important for the weekend skier who sits behind a desk all day. A strained back or a pulled muscle will leave an out-of-shape skier sulking on the beach.

Always (and we mean ALWAYS), wear a life vest Even the best swimmers will drown if a ski knocks them unconscious. Ski belts aren't as safe as vests because a belt can be torn off during a hard fall; a vest that is properly fastened will stay on, keeping a skier's upper body afloat And because today's vests are lighter and less bulky than those of yesteryear, there's no excuse for not wearing one. Make sure you and the boat driver speak the same language. By DEBBI PORTERFIELD Tribune Staff Writer A few summers ago, I skied at a resort with a show troupe whose members spent more time in the emergency room than on the water. By Labor Day, we'd suffered from concussions, broken arms, twisted knees, cracked ribs and dislocated shoulders.

Adding insult to injuries, the resort's first aid crew began attending our performances just in case. Clearly, we were in need of expert advice on water safety. Had we first talked to Greg Galloway, Sea World's show ski-fitness supervisor, we might have enjoyed a healthier summer. The Orlando-based performer claims safe skiing requires nothing more than common sense. Bruce Kistler of the American Water Ski Association agrees.

"When you're flouting common sense, that's when you get hurt," Kistler said. Inside Two kinds of cultural experience A difficult choice 3 Can a woman who has had her tubes tied change her mind and have a baby? Yes, according to The Kinsey Report but it's complicated, costly and involves major surgery. Saturday was a day for culture. At the Lakeland Civic Center, Boy George (below) and Culture Club entertained fans like Robin Martin (in the kimono) and Darci Pappano, left. In Ybor City, Norma Hilton manned her son's booth during the Rites of Spring art festival.

Critic Kurt Loft reviews the festival on Page 5D. IV' i 1 VV" 1 Tvr it I A real 'Pearl' After pleasing thousands of readers, columnist Erma Bombeck recently ran across a real "Pearl" who wasn't a gem. I US v. I i I i 1 1 imam itii mtnritiifiiimiiii- itriuai -w ritiWiMMiiM Still fun, fun, fun A A The Beach Boys never promise anything different, and their fans don't expect it. At Friday night's concert at the Sun Dome, nobody appeared to care.

See David Okamoto's review. Tribune photo by BRITT LAUGHLIN Tribune photos by CLIFF McBRIDE.