The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 96

8G sattrmy march ifi mofi THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER DAILY BREAK sound mixer Bernard has an armful of Emmys won so many Emmys notes the Los Angeles- By IAN SPELLING a saying that space no one can hear you Well really true only on Trek: if Alan Ber- INSIDE TREK we used to call portable recorders took two men and a boy to carry Now all on digital audiotape and the equipment is so much ALAN BERNARD make his directorial debut with a May episode Paramount Home Video will begin offering episodes in September Meanwhile episodes 79 to 82 and are available at video stores for $1495 each Happy birthday to William Shatner Leonard Nimoy and Marina Sirtis who celebrate their big days on Friday March 26 and March 29 respectively If you have Trek or science fiction news trivia or questions write to Ian Spelling New York Times Syndicate 122 42nd St New York NY 10168 Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want a reply shot we use radio mikes on the Bernard 62 has been with since day one and he spent seven years recording sound for winning four Emmy Awards in the process shows are a lot harder to do than street shows or any other kind of he says on location we rarely have natural background noise so very quiet which can be a challenge is also tough because the costumes are so tight-fitting Some scenes like the ones on the bridge or in sick bay where several people can talk from different spots require two three even four mikes going at Perhaps why Bernard has Asked to assess his contribution to Bernard thinks long and hard before answering people contribute a lot to what goes on he says and sound are equal so far as making what goes on the screen seem believable course there are the actors music and the effects that enhance a scene But it all begins with what is done on the Trek specs official: Jonathan Frakes will direct the upcoming movie and all regulars are signed to appear Look for star Michael McKean to appear in an upcoming episode Also Robert Duncan McNeill will think a matter of people in the industry knowing this kind of show is sometimes a nightmare to Bernard began his career in 1957 when his best friend sound man Dick Overton landed him a job at Twentieth Century Fox He counts among his credits 100 movies of the week the epic miniseries Winds of (1983 ABC) and feature films such as (1981) and Christmas (1983) Over the years sound recording has changed dramatically Bernard says we used to call portable recorders took two men and a boy to carry" he says all on digital audiotape and the equipment is so much better nard on the set doing his job the production sound he explains task is to (record and) mix the sound as you see it actually I should say hear it on the set while a scene is happening men work with me One is a cable man and the other is the boom man who handles the microphone on the fish pole Sometimes when we have to do a very wide based Bernard who has 13 Emmy nominations to his credit BEST BETS Bill Campbell stars in at 9 pm on ABC 7 pm FAMILY: CHRISTY In the people of Cutter Gap are at odds with one another after learning a wealthy benefactor (guest star John Lo-prieno) has ulterior motives when he offers to buy their land The series based on the novel by Catherine Marshall stars Kellie Martin in the title role Randall Batinkoff and Stewart Finlay-McLennan also star 8 pm ABC: WORLD OF DISCOVERY Host James Brolin narrates "Tiger: Lord of the examining the big cats and the international efforts being made to save them from extinction The special travels to a park outside Katmandu Nepal where animal behav-lorist Charles McDougal follows a tigress to ensure her safety The show also explores the demand for tiger parts on the black market 9 pm ABC: MOVIE: THE ROCKETEER Bill Campbell stars in this 1991 movie as Cliff a handsome stunt pilot who discovers an experimental rocket pack that gives him the ability to fly While he is pursued by Nazi spies who want the pack Cliff dons a mask and becomes a flying superhero Directed by Joe Johnston the film also stars Jennifer Connelly Alan Arkm and Timothy Dalton 9 pm NBC: HOPE GLORIA In Sorry Mother" Hope (Cynthia Stevenson) and Gwillem (Taylor Negron) rush to put together a momentous program for the 5000th telecast of Dennis Dupree Show" Gloria (Jessica Lundy) becomes a night school student and hits the books with such fervor that her son begins to feel neglected 9 pm INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS explosive episode New Bomb Makers" examines how easy it has become for anyone to make a bomb With manuals and materials easily available the number of bombings has increased by 425 percent in the past decade The show also examines common motivations for amateur bombers Bill Kurtis serves as host 10 pm NBC: SISTERS Friends and family work overtime to console Georgie (Patricia Kalember) after she learns Trevor (Ryan Francis) is missing in action in Before You Look" Teddy (Sela Ward) and Dr Sorenson (Stephen Collins) have a hard time agreeing on a place when they start house-hunting And Beatrice (Elizabeth Hoffman) considers buying the Sweet Sixteen CAR TALK How can I get my Econoline shiny again? By TOM and RAY MAGUOZZI QDo you have any advice for shining up a gray Ford Econoline? The roof and hood are very dull and now they are under several layers of wax none of which shined up the paint How do I strip off the old stuff to get down to the bottom? Can you give me a brand name? Don TOM: Sure give you two: Earl Scheib and Maaco RAY: Actually before you have it repainted you can try a can of DuPont Polishing Compound That stuff removes the top oxidized layers of paint Of course if that oxidized layer is your last layer of paint then the van will be shiny but the shine will be coming from the bare metal TOM: Alternatively you also can have a body shop compound and then wax it for you RAY: But when you find out how much that costs you might just decide to go into Maaco or Earl Scheib and get one of their paint jobs 1 think I have the best of all possible cars a 1989 750iL BMW I recently had my rear brakes repaired In doing so the BMW shop said I would need new pads and rotors The problem is I believe they ever removed the rear wheels to check In questioning this I was told this car we can check the rear brakes without removing the Is this possible? Bill TOM: Yes it is You can see the pads and rotors on a lot of cars without taking off the wheels And you can usually tell whether the pads are worn out or the rotors are chewed and pitted I would like to know the information you have on platinum-tipped spark plugs I have an Chevy S10 pickup with a 28 V6 and 98000 miles I was thinking about putting platinum plugs into my truck Mel TOM: The big advantage of platinum plugs is longevity supposed to last 60000 to 100000 miles or roughly three times as long as regular plugs And although manufacturers claim that platinum plugs improve mileage and performance never seen any real evidence of this RAY: One reason they exist is so that some newer cars can claim not to need a tune-up for 100000 miles TOM: The second reason manufacturers like platinum plugs is that some engines are wedged into cars in such a way that some of their spark plugs are extremely hard to get at If the customer knew it was going to cost him 100 bucks in labor just to change the spark plugs every 30000 miles he might keep his old Peugeot a couple of more years So platinum plugs eliminate the need for more frequent spark plug changes on cars whose plugs are difficult to reach RAY: The down side is that when plugs stay in an engine for 100000 miles which can easily be seven years they tend to get frozen in place and can be nearly impossible to remove TOM: Of course that be much of a concern for you Mel because unlikely to get another 100000 miles out of this truck So if you want to put platinum plugs in go for it be your last set of plugs no matter how long the truck lasts In fact see if give you the kit along with them RAY: And for those of you who own newer cars with platinum plugs our recommendation is to unscrew them (and screw them back in) every 30000 miles or so just to be sure they one" with the cylinder head TALKING Today: Spring fashions gymnasts Bart Conner and Dominique Dawes Irish flutist James Galway authors Ellen Tien and Valerie Frankel I Hate My Job Substitute co-anchor Dawn Fratan-gelo (8 am WCNC channel 36 10 am WCNC channel 36) (For times and stations outside the Charlotte area please refer to TV Week HOWTO 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 Sunday's Observer for other cable channels) Time Warner (Charlotte) Prestige Time Warner (County) Monroe York Rock Hill Palmetto I Clover Hills Chester Great Falls See TV Week in Sunday Observer (or complete 24-hour listings and VCR Plus numbers cc Closed-captloned (or the hearing impaired MPAA puts wheels in motion for ratings system By RICHARD HUFF New York Daily News Representatives of the entertainment industry Wednesday took their first formal steps toward creating a ratings system for TV Advertise Your Home To More Than Half A Million Adults 377-5555 ObserverHome SECTION TV TIDBITS next week they earn they Brokaw who penned the I Were column said adopt the style of JFK and the me techniques of Ronald Reagan" in dealing with the press ratings respectable Dana series certainly didn't thrill critics but it earned respectable ratings with its Tuesday premiere The show averaged a 142 rating (percentage of the 959 million TV homes) and a 23 share (percentage of sets in use) to win the 9:30 slot But it fell nearly three ratings points below the show that preceded it their television sets to block certain programs Congress voted for a v-chip and President Clinton approved the message in a measure that was part of a massive telecommunications reform bill passed last month According to a source at the MPAA meeting going to take a before any solid decisions are made Brokaw has column in George Elsewhere if NBC anchor Tom Brokaw were president hey you never know the White House press corps be peering into every aspect of his administra tion would be wrong (to assume have open Brokaw writes of his news brethren in the April issue of George out No specific conclusions were reached by the group of industry reps Jack Valenti father of the current movie-rating system and the head of the Motion Picture Association of America presided The MPAA is responsible for coming up with the system that will act as a guide for parents and others who want to use v-chips Tom and Ray Maghozzi can he heard at 10 am Saturdays on WTAE-FM (90 7 Charlotte) and WNSC-FM (8 89 Rock Hill) and at noon Saturdays on WNCW-FM (1 007 Charlotte 887 Spmdale).