Olympics Boiling Down To Best Athletes

Fri., Aug. 2, 1996

John Martin New York Times Syndicate

We’ve reached the last weekend of the 1996 Summer Olympics. From here on you’ll see the finals in almost every event that’s telecast. So settle back and watch the best of the best.

Unfortunately, one of the great female athletes of the world will be sitting out the finals in the long jump. Jackie Joyner-Kersee was to have made a bid to take back top honors.

She won gold in 1988 but settled for bronze in Barcelona in ‘92. She dropped out of the Games last week with a crippling injury.

Also on tap this afternoon and evening, finals in the pole vault, featuring world record-holder Sergey Bubka of Ukraine. In wrestling, medals are up for grabs in five weight classes.

In water sports, you’ll see men’s platform diving, and the eight-woman U.S. team is favored in the synchronized-swimming final.

In tennis, you’ll see highlights of the women’s singles and men’s doubles finals.

NBC will also have the latest on the final rounds of basketball, softball, volleyball and other team competitions.

Coverage is at 9 a.m. and 4:30 and 9:41 p.m.

Highlights

“Diagnosis Murder,” CBS at 8: A two-hour-long repeat (originally shown in two parts) finds Sloan (Dick Van Dyke) taken hostage by a convicted wife-killer (Jeff Allin).

“Sliders,” FOX at 8: The usually imaginative series falls back on a worn movie-of-the-week theme when Wade (Sabrina Lloyd) finds that the latest parallel world includes the man of her dreams (James Patrick Stewart).

Her joy turns to terror when he turns out to be an obsessive monster who will do anything to keep the sliders from finding their way home. Repeat.

“Boy Meets World,” ABC at 8:30: Eric (Will Friedle) becomes so enthusiastic about his internship at the television station that he announces he’s quitting school to become a parttime weatherman. There’s a good message for kids about getting their priorities straight and waiting for the best things in life.

Also (here’s another familiar sitcom scenario) Jonathan (Anthony Tyler Quinn) makes a date with Shawn’s girlfriend’s mother (Rosalind Allen).

“The X-Files,” FOX at 9: The producers are never shy about grossing out viewers. Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson) investigate a string of murders in which Chinese immigrants are found missing various internal organs.

“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper,” ABC at 9:30: Star Mark Curry shows his versatility when he plays Cooper’s grandma in a flashback episode in which Mark and Geneva (Saundra Quarterman) share differing recollections of their childhood visits. Repeat.

“Nash Bridges,” CBS at 10: Annette O’Toole, a strong supporting character as Bridges’ (Don Johnson) ex-wife in this series, gets a good share of the story line when she witnesses a murder. But when police investigate, they find no corpse and no evidence of a crime. Bridges steps in to solve the riddle. Repeat.

Cable Calls

“Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster” (1966), DISN at 5: What’s not to like about a hero that breathes fire? The Disney Channel’s Friday triple-feature hauls out a trio of Japanese imports that are still fun to watch (although it’s hard to imagine anyone sitting through all three).

“Son of Godzilla” (1967) airs at 6:30 and “Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster” (1965) at 8. The latter features Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra in a fight to the finish.

“Tremors 2: Aftershocks” (1996), MAX at 8: Another example of a sequel that should never have been made, and Kevin Bacon, who starred in the original, was smart enough not to sign on. Fred Ward reprises his role from the original scifi fantasy, battling the monster worms as they show up in Mexico. Michael Gross, way over the top, adds to the dusty disaster.

“Fluke” (1995), SHOW at 8: “Ghost” (1990) meets “The Shaggy Dog” (1959) in this contrived fantasy about a man (Matthew Modine) who is killed in a car accident and reincarnated as a dog. He returns home to find that his wife (Nancy Travis) is making time with his best friend (Eric Stoltz).

It’s a little too cute and a lot too dumb to stay with.

Talk Time

“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: From 1994, a replay of Madonna’s bleeped-out visit and music group Counting Crows.

“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Jay Leno monologue.

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