Olympics: Week 1
XVIII WINTER GAMES
Best Events
The greatest snow on Earth--yes, even better than perpetually
hibernal South Park--commences from Nagano on CBS (nightly, at 8
p.m. and at various later hours; Saturday, at 4 p.m.; Sunday, at
3 p.m.; and weekdays, at 7 a.m.) and on TNT (Saturday, at 6
p.m.; Sunday, at 7 p.m.; and weekdays, at 1 p.m.). Our armchair
medal picks: Gold, to the live broadcast of the men's ice hockey
match between the United States and Sweden (CBS, Thursday, 12:35
a.m.). Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche, whose overtime
shootout goal earned Sweden the gold medal at the 1994
Lillehammer Games, returns along with countryman Nicklas
Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings), the best defenseman in the NHL.
The reigning World Cup champion Americans will counter with
Forsberg's Avalanche teammate Adam Deadmarsh and John LeClair of
the Philadelphia Flyers. Silver, to two Alpine skiing events:
the men's downhill from the Happo'one ski area (CBS, Saturday, 8
p.m.), where Tommy Moe (left) of the U.S. will defend his
Olympic title; and the men's and the women's half-pipe
snowboarding (CBS, Thursday, 8 p.m.), in which America's Ross
Powers, 18, has a chance of winning a medal. Bronze, to the
figure skating pairs free program (CBS, Tuesday, 8 p.m.), in
which the artistry of Russian skaters Elena Bereznaya and Anton
Sikharulidze will compensate for the absence of ABC's Dick
Button behind the microphone.
Saturday 2/7
PRO BASKETBALL
NBA All-Star Weekend
Had Western Conference starters Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett
attended college, they might recognize All-Star Saturday night's
activities as electives and Sunday's game as a required course.
Last year's All-Star Game MVP, the Charlotte Hornets'
high-scoring forward Glen Rice (left), is carrying nearly a full
load. On Saturday he will try to win a second three-point
shootout title and will team with Andrea Stinson of the WNBA's
Charlotte Sting in the inaugural 2ball contest. (Alas, Rice, a
nine-year vet, can't play in the evening's other event, the
rookie all-star game.) The next night he'll be a reserve on the
Eastern Conference squad. Madison Square Garden regulars will
grit their teeth as old nemesis Larry Bird coaches Knicks killer
Michael Jordan for an East team devoid of New York players. The
Western Conference team will feature four Los Angeles Lakers:
Bryant, center Shaquille O'Neal, swingman Eddie Jones and guard
Nick Van Exel.
TNT, SATURDAY, 7 PM; NBC, SUNDAY, 6 PM
Sunday 2/8
DRAMA
Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story
Snubbed from today's All-Star Game, Rodman gets the last laugh
in prime time. Dwayne Adway (left, with Rodman, who appears in
the movie to offer commentary on his life and times) captures
the vulnerability and posturing of the title character (was
RuPaul busy?) as the Worm turns from an aimless juco player into
an NBA icon. In one key supporting role, talk about typecasting:
Dee Wallace Stone, whom you may recall as the mom in E.T., plays
the mother of a lonesome boy who befriends Rodman, then a
student at Southeastern Oklahoma State. The film's weakest link
is the basketball action. Why does the guy portraying Larry Bird
look more like Zan Tabak?
ABC , 9 PM
Monday 2/9
AWARD SHOWS
ESPY Awards
Tonight's host, Norm MacDonald, was yanked from Saturday Night
Live's Weekend Update desk for not being funny. In other words,
he can always find work as a replacement anchor on NFL
Primetime. The most nominated athlete is (surprise!) Michael
Jordan, for Pro Basketball, Best Performance under Pressure and
Male Athlete of the Year. Other awards we'd like to see:
Felonious Act of the Year (Latrell Sprewell has a stranglehold),
Terrell Davis Award (for unwavering humility in the face of
adulation), Jerry Maguire Award (to Eric Fleisher, Kevin
Garnett's agent) and Best Screenplay (to John Stockton).
ESPN, 8 PM
ALL TIMES EASTERN. SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
COLOR PHOTO: NATHAN BILOW/AP [Tommy Moe skiing]
COLOR PHOTO: DAVID LIAM KYLE [Glen Rice in game]
COLOR PHOTO: FRANK OCKENFELS/ABC [Dwayne Adway and Dennis Rodman]
THE ! ZAPPER
Plei bol! Latin lovers are well aware that last year's World
Series and All-Star Game MVPs (Livan Hernandez and Sandy Alomar
Jr., respectively) hail from the Caribbean. This week from
Saturday through Tuesday you can glimpse some of the region's
best ballplayers competing in the Caribbean World Series
(Galavision, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily). The games are telecast in
Spanish.... Nagano Nanny: CBS is dispatching one of its sitcom
stars, Fran Drescher, to serve as a roving correspondent during
the Winter Olympics.
