The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 59

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Friday March 26 1 993 3E No more self-esteem problems in the OutFront column gang PEOPLE The big news: Farrow takes the stand There are huge fields of fast-growing rayon plants and glades of artificial Christmas trees covered with industrious nylon worms busily spinning their fine threads So come on pensioners crackpots and former PTL partners with money to flush down the loo withdraw those savings and send them to us Get in on the ground floor be glad you did Ax Kaptain Cnowledge: Dear Kap-tain For hundreds of years people died of syphilis and other venereal diseases Now folks are dying of AIDS and some people say punishment on homosexuals How can they be so self-righteous about it? the real difference between AIDS and syphilis anyway? Mixed up Dear Mixed: They found a cure for AIDS yet erything that expressly forbidden should be mandatory GOP Cue Ay: A question-and-answer from David Evans of Laurinburg: do you have if Bill Clinton A1 Gore and Dolly Parton all enter a room at the same A big boobs and a pretty good country Opportunity: financial arm is advising investors to sell cotton and wool stock and get into big moneymaking opportunity: polyester ranching As it happens able to sell you shares in this high-tech field We can make you a partner in a Carolina polyester ranch where herds of gentle sloe-eyed dacrons dot the landscape cropping the fields of Astroturf and growing thick luxuriant fleeces of lovely synthetic fibers Discerning OutFront readers (oh now there's a keeper oxymoron connoisseurs) will notice writing in the first person instead of using that annoying editorial Why? Because darn it I feel good about myself been using those self-esteembuilding techniques and they really work Sure had low self-esteem but now I tell myself good smart handsome and you drive the babes wild" Do I really mean it? Of course not But so great about it I just say it even if convinced a bunch of bull Gee now I can not only con and manipulate other people I can tell a bunch of insincere crap to myself too Hey you gotta feel good about that Restrictions: An editorial lauded the city council for killing proposed restrictions on ticket-selling at the Coliseum Then a columnist criticized the council for the same action Clearly writing too much about this minor subject And that means only one thing to a news-paperdude: Time for another article on it So because sure dying to know how we feel about it we just want to say we were in favor of the restrictions just that we think there are enough rules regulations restrictions and rot governing our lives find new areas to regulate dammit In fact we believe ev BEST BETS Edited by KATHIE GIMLA The Woody Allen-Mia Farrow child custody battle rages on big news: After three days of hearing herself described in testimony as hysterical and manipulative Farrow got a chance to tell her side of the story Called to the stand by lawyer Farrow testified Allen behaved inappropriately with his daughter Dylan for years before sexual abuse allegations were filed she visited his apartment they would end up playing in his bed The quality of it would arouse her and she would grab at said Farrow happened three Asked what was wrong with behavior toward Dylan she replied quality of it The intensity of it His own neediness rather than what she needed It was relentless and overpowering all the Edited by DAVE WHITE best Cooking: Simmer up a black bean soup recipe from the Mideast on 12:30 pm Nashville Network Nature: looks at the varied places animals dwell 2:30 pm WTVI channel 42 Prime best Special: Mouse Club Rocks the focuses on environmental awareness through songs and monologues Fred Newman and Tern Misner are the hosts 6 pm Disney Channel Comedy: On Laura crashes a male strip club with the help of a phony ID card and is stunned when she sees Steve on stage as the star attraction 8 pm ABC Movie: the 1991 TV movie version of the Danielle Steel novel stars Cheryl Ladd Michae Nouri and James Sloyan The story involves a relationship that develops between a divorced TV anchor and a widowed surgeon 9 pm NBC Late best Allen said last week that investigators in Connecticut concluded he had not molested the girl That investigation was begun after an alleged incident last summer at Connecticut home Allen 57 and Farrow 48 are fighting in Manhattan state Supreme Court over custody of their two adopted children 7-year-old Dylan and 15-year-old Moses and their biological child 5-year-old Satchel last day on the stand was Tuesday lawyer Elkan Abra-mowitz asked Farrow why she allowed Allen to adopt Dylan in 1991 if she was concerned about his behavior toward her thought he was addressing those concerns with two or three psychiatrists and I believed I would be with him for life she said She added Allen had promised her that should their relationship falter he try to take the children The bitter breakup was triggered by discovery of affair with one of her other adopted children Soon-Yi Previn 22 for the A former vaudeville magician and a bunch of young cohorts shake up a small town with a supernatural prank Teri Garr and Shirley MacLaine lead the ghostly fun in this 199C comedy 11 pm Disney Channel The widow of an Air Force pilot sues a plane manufacturer to discover the truth behind her fatal crash Laura Dern and Robert Loggia star in this 1992 drama 3:25 am HBO talking: Donahue: How to use medications safely Regis Kathie Lee: Mark Harmon Jeff Daniels Jamie Foxx Maury Povich: Kathy Mattea and Doug Stone or health problems that almost ended their careers Also Hal Ketchum Martina McBride Diamond Rio Sally Jessy Raphael: Senseless killings over minor disputes Jenny Jones: Mother defends herself against accusations of neglect Joan Rivers: Secrets of getting rich and famous Jane Whitney: Brides from a catalogue Geraldo: Wedding mishaps (Repeat) beauty secrets Among guests Rachel Hunter Cristina Ferrare (Repeat) Oprah Winfrey: Alternative discipline tips for parents Among guests: psychologist Lawrence Kutner Jane Pratt: Hair Arsenio Hall: Academy Award nominee Miranda Richardson movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert rock group Poison performing with the AME Choir Tonight Show: Dwight Yoakam Sir Anthony Hopkins Henry Winkler David Letterman: Richard Belzer Whoopi Goldberg: Rob Reiner (Part 2) (Repeat) Montel Williams: Women who attend weddings because they like the fiances A pricey change of heart A Los Angeles jury Wednesday ordered actress Kim Basinger to pay $89 million in damages to a small independent production company for reneging on an oral agreement to do the title role in the film "Boxing The jury ruled Basinger acted with fraud and malice when she abruptly withdrew from the film in 1991 forcing Main Line Pictures to scramble to find another actress Sherilyn Fenn from "Twin Peaks" eventually took over the role No one has picked up the film for distribution in North America How to use our cable guide The Observer provides a cable channel guide for the systems listed below Find your cable company in the diagram The channel your cable system uses will always be in the same position in the prime-time grid (See TV Week in Observer for other cable Springsteen a Cyrus fan? Bruce Springsteen did another of his surprise New Jersey gigs Tuesday night in Red Bank a half of it acoustic before a sold-out crowd of 1 300 fans at the Count Basie Theatre At one point the Boss tore off his shirt and did his version of Billy Ray Breaky Heart" then told the audience: gets a giggle out of it but that tune is just damn (Bruce: Tell us you were just kidding Bruce?) Fall See TV Week in Sunday's Observer for complete 24-hour listings and VCR Plus numbers Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired 5:30 pm newscast boosts WSOC ratings ABC gets Oscars for 7 more years discussion (with Brandon)" saic Littlefield "about a couple of pro So now Tartikoff is trying tc get shows on the network where he once picked those that got on By TIM FUNK TVRadio Writer Last decision to bump Andy Griffith to late night in favor of a 5:30 pm newscast appears to be paying off for WSOC (channel 9) Recently released Nielsen ratings for February indicate 5:30 pm news is drawing a bigger and for advertisers a more desirable audience In February 1992 reruns of Andy Griffith drew a 14 rating and 27 share in the 5:30 pm slot Last month 5:30 pm newscast garnered a 19 rating and 34 share And the newscast did better among women and those 25-54 years old groups craved by advertisers Rating is the percentage of all any uptick in the February ratings WCNC general manager John Llewellyn dismissed rumors that more drastic changes like canceling a newscast were being considered is no plan whatsoever to eliminate any newscast at this television other weekday newscasts at 6 pm and 1 1 pm garnered the same ratings and shares as a year ago But Llewellyn pointed to the weekend newscasts some of which have picked up audience over the past year The latest ratings had WBTV (channel 3) winning the noon news battle against WSOC But WSOC was ahead at 6 am 5 pm 6 pm and 1 1 pm tertainment personality David Letterman got 43 Arsenio Hall 40 and Leno 7 That Letterman really gets the guests Last week it was Dan Rather Wednesday night first brother Roger Clinton Thursday night New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner a sure favorite with the college crowd role on NBC? No said NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield in answer to a question Wednesday his predecessor Brandon Tartikoff will not be returning to NBC in an executive capacity There was something about how he said it that prompted a question about whether Tartikoff would return in some other capacity are in By BEN KUBASIK Newsday ABC has signed up the Oscars through the year 2000 For the moment though seeing Monday Oscarcast through to a successful conclusion is the main concern With Billy Crystal as host for a third year in a row a record-breaking 95 countries around the world will be carrying this event live or on videotape College kids love Letterman Jay Leno should use after he hears the results of an MCI survey of 426 college kids celebrating spring break at Daytona Beach Fla the week of March 15 about their favorite late-night en TV sets share the percentage of TV sets in use Until last July when WSOC launched its 5:30 pm news WCNC (channel 36) was the only station offering a newscast in that time slot In the latest Nielsen ratings 5:30 pm numbers were down slightly from a year ago The third-ranked news station scored a 5 rating and 9 share during the time slot in February 1992 Last month the newscast could manage only a 4 rating and 8 share Before the February ratings period WCNC had changed its 5:30 pm newscast converting to a solo anchor (Jesse Johnson) and dispensing more information viewers could use in their daily lives Though the changes bring ticking toward end Joan Van Ark and Donna Mills returning to "Knots Landing" for its May 13 finale in their roles as Val Ewing and Abby Cunningham Ewing-Sumner find themselves trapped aboard a plane with a ticking time bomb Where they are flying to or from (CBS say) is to shed light on the ruthless anc mysterious corporate takeover at tempt of the Sumner Group whicl has endangered the lives of manv of the other characters" I I.