Red Deer Advocate from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada • 25

RED DEER ADVOCATE COVER STORY, Thursday, Jan. 4, 1996 5 PrimeTime Extended Family Man SAY WHAT? TV Sources: Nice work "It's amazing and great. I have no complaints about my job." Jennifer Love Hewitt of "Party of Five," who plays the girlfriend of hunk Scott Wolf Hairy "It's bizarre. I keep thinking, 'Wait it's just Jennifer Aniston of "Friends," on all the fuss surrounding her Java jive "Talk to me before I've had my caffeine in the morning." Kim Delaney of "NYPD Blue," admitting that she has a dark side Tuning In People Guide, By HARVEY SOLOMON Busfield is a champ at handling multiple broods CLAIMED "thirtysomeA thing" actor didn't Timothy have to research his role as a family man in the new sitcom He's got enough source material at home. "My 6-year-old, I can read her like a book and my 4-year-old, I can really get a hold of what he's going through," says Busfield, who lives with his wife and three kids in Sacramento, Calif.

"But my 13- year-old is starting to put up these veils. And it's hard to get a track on when he's had a good day or a bad I've never had an eighthgrader before. I don't know and I'm going to make mistakes." In "Champs," Tom McManus (Busfield) has not one family but two: his wife and kids, plus an extended entourage of high school basketball Ont "Champs," Timothy buddies hoop it up. Paul McCrane, Ron Marinaro. buddies.

McManus' home becomes a magnet for regular poker nights and back-yard basketball games with former teammates played by Ed Marinaro, Kevin Nealon and Paul McCrane, plus Ron McLarty as their former coach. The host has 9:30 p.m. (ET) Jan. 9 on ABC had the most success with women; his pals are divorced, single or widowed and usually looking. The show's executive producer is Gary David Goldberg, the Emmy Award-winning writer and producer who started as a writer on "The Bob Newhart Show" and later created "Family Ties" and "Brooklyn Bridge." Goldberg revels in the pressure-packed world of half-hour sitcoms.

"There is a joy available in this process that is Busfield (center) and his Bustield's pals include (from left) McLarty, Kevin Nealon and Ed Champs just not available anywhere else," he says. Veteran actor Busfield has won supporting roles in films such as "Sneakers" and "Field of Dreams," he has scored his biggest successes on television. Best remembered for his Emmy Award-winning role as Elliott in "thirtysomething," he also starred in last season's shortlived Steven Bochco series "The Byrds of Paradise." "I love TV," he says. "I don't have any problem doing TV as long as the producer is Nobody's lining up to see Tim Busfield movies. If I was getting $14 million a movie, you know, I think it would be an easier choice to stay with films.

But I'm just a working actor and this is a great part: TV, film, theater, it doesn't matter to me." Torpey kisses phone privileges goodbye FTER six years on "One A Life Erin to Torpey, Live," who you'd plays think Jessica, would be an old hand ready for anything. In truth, she's not. But it's not the longer hours or her contract status that make her nervous. "It's the involved kissing," Torpey says. Nonetheless, she's looking forward to the romantic storyline between Jessica and Cristian.

"I think it would be good to stay together, but don't think that's gonna happen," she says. Of Yorlin Madera, the actor who plays Cristian, she says, "He's just like my older brother. No romance between me and Yorlin. He's 20 and I'm 14, so Erin does have a boyfriend, Brett, from her school. The two recently celebrated their two Maybe Mike Tyson should do this free TV thing more often.

Even with a half-filled Philadelphia Spectrum and an opponent in Buster Mathis who looked more like a professional wrestler than a heavyweight boxer, Tyson managed to give Fox one of its highest-rated nights in its history. Tyson had been scheduled to defeat his tomato can of the month Nov. 4, at the height of the important sweeps period. But a broken thumb forced the fight to be pushed back to Dec. 16.

Look for Fox, which already has bought its way into NFL, NHL and majorleague baseball broadcasts, to stage more high-profile boxing matchups as well. Maybe they can get Riddick Bowe to take on Homer Simpson! W. TERRIFIC TV TRIVIA On "Taxi," what were the names of the two goldfish owned by would-be middleweight contender Tony Banta (played by Tony Danza)? Ajuo auem Kaurinq queue saweu eul 'NO) epueM pue keep in high school, but it's pretty easy. I have to work at it, though, to keep my grades up. "I talk on the phone a lot, and that's not very good, because I talk all night.

I don't do my homework very often or study. I got grounded from the phone. Now I can only talk for an hour until I get my grades Tennis, basketball and field hockey are sports Torpey enjoys; she baby -sits to make money and support her habit: Swedish fish candy. She says of her charges, "I liked kids more when I was little, but now that I'm growing up I see I get a little annoyed with them easier." Her other line of work isn't discussed among her friends. "They don't really say anything.

It's not a topic, ever. Because it's Craig BY DIANE BAILEY month anniversary, but because they had school, they didn't do much celebrating. "'We did something for our one-month," Erin says. "He took me out to dinner:" Erin lives in a small town outside Philadelphia with her parents and older sister Shannon, 17. A ninth grader, Erin attends reg.

ular school. She likes home economics and social studies but admits, "I'm finding it harder Erin Torpey separate. I don't really like to talk about it. When you start talking about it, everyone thinks you're a.