Daily News from New York, New York • 69

(niiaife.iwlfni!twiiii' grasp forthe final place in the play- offs when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers at Shea Stadium. 7P1XCh. 11, 7:30 p.m. 7-v ri rs TONIGHT chairs at Chs. 2, 4 FAMILY PICTURE: MImi Rogers Gena Rowlands as mother daughter in "Charms for the Easy Life" (sons Rowlands By KAY GARDELLA DY NEWS TV COLUMNIST (S By David Bianculli NONACTION 10:30 a.m.

(AMC) "Elvis '56." This terrific documentary does more to explain the Elvis Presley phenomenon than any other, just by tracking his progress popularity and controversies over a single calendar year. On American Movie Classics, this study is followed by a day of Presley ifiims, starting at 11:30 a.m. with "Love Me Tender" and including his movie with Mary Tyler Moore as a nun, "A Change of Habit" (at 1:15 1 8:00 p.m. (NBC) "Dateline NBC." This edition of the NBC newsmagazine is only 30 minutes the better to lead into an Elvis movie, especially since the edition offers an interview with Priscilla Presley. MOVIES 7:00 p.m.

(SCIF1) "They Nest-Based on the quality of this 2000 sci-fi telemovie, they also lay eggs. 8:00 (ABC) "Speed 2: Cruise Control." For once this summer, ABC Isn't showing an old James Bond movie on Saturday night, eating up all three hours of its prime-time schedule. Instead, It's showing a rerun of this tired 1997 sequel, which not even Keanu Reeves, wanted anything to do with. The "Cruise Control" part of the title, in this case, applies to ABC's summer schedule as well. 8:30 (NBC) "Loving You." Just as NBC packages "It's a Wonderful Life" to include comments about the film from celebrities (most of Whom are associated with the network), so will it present this 1957 movie.

It's Elvis Presley's second film, and first starring vehicle, featuring him as a young rockabilly sensation. Boy, what a stretch. 9:00 (SCIFI) "Pythons II." Excellence 0. How did someone watch the movie "Python" and approve a sequel in the first place? This one stars Dana Ashcroft and Simone Jane McKinnon, who should get new agents immediately. Or maybe they should just get agents, period.

By RICHARD HUFF DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR WCBSCh. 2 soon will have a new news director. Dianne Doctor, currently news director of WNBCCh. 4. is expected to be named head of Ch.

2's news operation shortly. The shift will place Doctor among old friends. Lew Leone, the newly named general manager at Ch. 2, left Ch. 4 for that job.

And Dennis Swanson, head of the Viacom Television Stations group, including Ch. 2, was once general manager at Ch. 4. Doctor's move to Ch. 2 was not totally unexpected.

When Dan Forman left his news director slot at WABCCh. 7 to return to Ch. 4 as a senior vice president, overseeing news, it was widely believed that Doctor might look to move on-Mean while, since Swanson was named to the Viacom position, there has been much speculation that Joel Cheatwood, who is both the news director at Ch. 2 and vice president of news for the Viacom stations, might make a shift Doctor's move is just the latest amid a swirl of changes in newsrooms around town. Earlier this week, Kenny Plot-nick was elevated to news director at Ch.

7, replacing Forman. Ch. 2 has told sportscaster Brett Haber and weatherman Ira Joe Fisher they won't be around after October. And WNYWCh. 5 recently launched two new newscasts.

What this means to viewers won't be known completely for months to come. So many changes, in such a short time, are likely to result in some minor or in some cases major tweaking of news anchor lineups, the look of station newscasts and perhaps the tone of the news they'll deliver. ena Rowlands, the strong-willed Charlie Kate in Showtime's "Charms for the Easy Life," which makes its debut tomorrow night at 8, is fi(Ote stellar in things: her troubled family the small North Carolina daughter and granddaughter. "Charms for the Easy Life," based on the Kaye Gibbons novel with the same name, shows how the three generations of women bond, and the family saga gains its power from three equally outstanding performances by Rowlands, Rogers and Susan May Pratt as Margaret Margaret keeps the family in balance, as a kind of buffer between her restless mother, who has never relinquished her dream of finding a "true love," rural saga and her dedicated and determined grandmother, whom she more nearly resembles in temperament Rowlands, Rogers and Pratt draw you into this world with fine, realistic performances, making you share their characters' dreams not an easy tiling to accomplish. Usually we're on the outside looking in.

Pratt, who narrates the movie, is an iridescent presence throughout. Her soft, low-key performance leaves a warm afterglow. Geordie Johnson is appealing as a suitor of Sophia's who has to fight for the approval of hard-headed Charlie Kate. Ken Mitchell is also strong as a wounded soldier who is another of Margaret's suitors. Adapted by Angela Shelton and directed by Joan Micklin Silver, the movie effectively evokes the era with sets, costumes and mannerisms.

committed to healing two and the poor people of town where she lives. Because she's practicing homeopathic medicine in the years before and during World War II, Charlie Kate is frowned upon by the town fathers in the remote place she has settled with her husband (Ron Kennell) and daughter Sophia (Mimi Rogers). When Charlie Kate's husband deserts them, Sophia grows up to be an incurable romantic, ultimately marrying a rich man (David Macniven) and giving birth to a daughter, Margaret After Sophia's husband dies, Charlie Kate moves in with her What's great on the tube this weekend TODAY 9:30 Riigrats. Angelica and Tommy go to work with Charlotte; Chuckie's guardian angel shows him what life would be like without him. (NICK) 10:00 SpongeBob SquarePants.

Squidward gets trapped in the Krusty Krab freezer; SpongeBob must give up karate or lose his job. (NICK) '-f' 11:00 Franklin. Franklin and Bear spend a day at the beach? Franklin encourages Snail to try flying. (2) 11:30 Oswald. Oswald keeps inviting more people to the picnic, so Henry worries there won't be enough food; Oswald organizes a parade.

(2) 12:30 p.m. Kim Possible. Mutants terrorize a ski resort while Kim's parents chaperone a school trip. (MS) Bracefaca. Sharon and Maria take the car out for a joy ride.

(FAM) 6:00 As ToM by Ginger. Ginger and Dodie have a crush on the same boy; Carl and Hoodsey try to create an aphrodisiac. (NICK) 6:30 Kim Possible. A pimplelike explosive gets stuck to SUNDAY 10:00 a-m. Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.

Kendrix must decode the Galaxy Book to save the Rangers from Deviot (Part 1 of 2) (FAM) SpongeBob SquarePants. Bob gets on the wrong bus. (NICK) 10:30 SpongeBob SquarePants. Plankton invents a machine enabling him to switch lives with Mr. Krabs; SpongeBob volunteers for lifeguard duty.

(NICK) 12:00 p.m. Club 7 in Hollywood. A focus group chooses the most valuable band member, prompting an argument about money. (FAM) nose iust before detention. (DIS) menus, imuivj av Kim's jods; naroia ana ratty oecome.