As Told By Ginger to Az

NBC p.m., Feb. 16, 1997

W: Special Visual Effects (Richard O. Helmer, Tom Sindicich, Sam Nicholson, Dan Schmit, Steve Melchoirre, Jaison Stritch, Adam Ealovega, Larry Detwiler)

Actually, it’s an array of asteroids that Michael Biehn battle, along with basic laws of physics and trite dialogue that constantly remind us how millions will die when the meteorites hit. Dumb, dumb, dumb disaster miniseries that nevertheless was a ratings hit when it first aired thanks to the impressive depiction of devastation sustained in Dallas and other parts of America targeted in the destruction (it certainly was not the cast – Biehn and Sciorra were the biggest names in it).

The Atlanta Child Murders

CBS Sunday 8-10 p.m. and Tuesday 8-11 p.m., Feb. 10 and 12, 1985

N: Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Special (Rip Torn); Hairstyling (Janice D. Brandow, Robert L. Stevenson)

Torn: Chicago Hope, The Larry Sanders Show, 30 Rock. Brandow: Father Damien: The Leper Priest, George Washington, Missing Children: A Mother’s Story, Star Trek: Voyager, The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal, A Year in the Life. Stevenson: The Jacksons: An American Dream, The Jesse Owens Story.

The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank

CBS Sunday 9-11 p.m., April 17, 1988

W: Writing, Miniseries or Special (William Hanley)

N: Drama/Comedy Special (Michael Lepiner, Kenneth Kaufman, EP; Hanley, David Cunliffe, co-EP; John Erman, supervising P; Marjorie Kalins, Timothy J. Fee, Nick Gilliott, P); Lead Actress, Miniseries or Special (Mary Steenburgen); Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Special (Lisa Jacobs); Directing, Miniseries or Special (Erman); Editing, Miniseries or Special, Single Camera (Jerrold L. Ludwig);

Ludwig: Afterburn, Dash & Lilly, An Early Frost, Kenny Rogers as the Gambler, Rich Man Poor Man Book II, A Streetcar Named Desire, Who Will Love My Children?

Attica

ABC Sunday 9-11 p.m., March 2, 1980

W: Director – Limited Series or Special (Marvin J. Chomsky)

N: Supporting Actor – Limited Series or Special (Charles Durning); Writing – Limited Series or Special (James S. Henerson); Film Editing (Paul La Mastra); Film Sound Editing (Michael Redbourn, Tom Cornwell, Linda Dove, Don Ernst, Peter Harrison, Andrew Herbert, Fred Judkins, Russ Tinsley)

Based on the book by journalist Tom Wicker, who both covered the event and took part in it and was portrayed here by George Grizzard, Attica told of the 23-day siege in 1971 of Attica State Prison in New York by prisoners demanding better living conditions that resulted tragically in 39 deaths and tarnished the officials who mishandled the debacle. Durning played Corrections Commissioner Russell Oswald, who negotiated the prisoners’ demands to the outside world. Ironically, Durning played a cop who had “Attica!” yelled at him by Al Pacino in the 1975 movie Dog Day Afternoon. Henerson, whose previous scripts for the likes of I Dream of Jeannie and TV-movies like The Feminist and the Fuzz hardly indicated he could create an affecting screenplay from Wicker’s book, continued to write for TV into the 1990s with no Emmy nominations thereafter. See also Against the Wall.

Chomsky: Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, Billionaire Boys Club, Evita Peron, Holocaust, Inside the Third Reich, Peter the Great, Roots. Durning: Captain and the Kings, Death of a Salesman, Evening Shade, Homicide: Life on the Street, NCIS, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. La Mastra: Alex Haley’s Queen, Caroline?, Firefox, Unnatural Causes, Wallenberg. Redbourn: Ike. Cornwell: Amber Waves, Blue and the Gray, Capture of Grizzly Adams, Crazy Horse, Evita Peron, Inside the Third Reich, Marian Rose White, Murder of Mary Phagan, A Whale for the Killing, White Mile, The Women’s Room. Dove: Ike, The Women’s Room. Ernst: Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Marian Rose White, The Plutonium Incident, Raid on Entebbe, St. Elsewhere, The Women’s Room. Harrison: Amber Waves, Capture of Grizzly Adams, Crazy Horse, Evita Peron, Ike, Inside the Third Reich, Murder of Mary Phagan, Plutonium Incident, White Mile, The Women’s Room. Herbert: Amber Waves, Plutonium Incident. Judkins: Amber Waves, Blue and Gray, Capture of Grizzly Adams, Children in the Crossfire, Day After, Desperation, Embassy, Marian Rose White, Women’s Room. Tinsley: Alice in Wonderland, Amber Waves, Blue and the Gray, Buffalo Girls, A Bunny’s Tale, Capture of Grizzly Adams, Children in the Crossfire, David, Day Lincoln Was Shot, Embassy, Evita Peron, Fire Next Time, Gypsy, Heart of Darkness, the Hunley, Ike, Inside the Third Reich, Into the West, Joseph, Julius Caesar, Lost Battalion, Marian Rose White, Monte Walsh, NetForce, OP Center, Out on a Limb, Plutonium Incident, Positively True Adventures of the …, Raid on Entebbe, Rough Riders, Stalin, Steal the Sky, Uncommon Valor, Under Siege, Whale for the Killing, Who Will Love My Children?, Women’s Room.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

CBS Thursday 9-11 p.m., Jan. 31, 1974

W: Special, Comedy or Drama (Robert W. Christiansen, Rick Rosenberg, P); Actress, Drama Special (Cicely Tyson); Actress of the Year, Special (Tyson); Director, Drama (John Korty); Writing – Drama, Adaptation (Tracy Keenan Wynn); Music Composition (Fred Karlin); Costume Design (Bruce Walkup, Sandy Stewart); Makeup (Stan Winston, Rick Baker); Achievement in Creative Technical Crafts (Lynda Gurasich, hair stylist)

N: Song or Theme (“The Love That Lights Our Way,” Karlin); Art Direction or Scenic Design (Michael Haller); Film Editing (Sidney Levin); Film or Tape Sound Mixing (Charles T. Knight and Don Minkler)

After celebrating her 110th birthday in the early 1960s, Louisiana native Jane Pittman (Tyson) recounted her life to a reporter, detailing her days as a slave child through her growth as a woman with dignity, culminating in her protest against segregation by drinking from a whites-only fountain (water is a symbol for liberation throughout the story). This moving, magnificent TV-movie was a critical and commercial hit – nearly half the sets in use watched its debut. Its success paved the way for more dramas examining racism in America, particularly Roots, and propelled Tyson into leading lady status in TV-movies for a decade. All the nominations and wins were well deserved, but there was a serious omission of James Crabe for his fine cinematography on location. What was really astounding was the way Rick Baker and Stan Winston transformed Tyson into an aged woman (Tyson’s rasping voice aided immeasurably in the illusion too). It gained them both notice in the industry and generated more work in movies thereafter. Ironically, Baker won the first Oscar for Best Makeup in 1981 for An American Werewolf in London by defeating Winston for Heartbeeps. All told, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman won nine Emmys from 13 nominations, tallies surpassed only by Eleanor and Franklin among TV-movies.

Christiansen: A Death in Canaan, Lincoln, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, Robert Kennedy & His Times. Rosenberg: A Death in Canaan, Lincoln, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, Robert Kennedy & His Times. Tyson: King, A Lesson Before Dying, Marva Collns Story, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Roots, Sweet Justice. Korty: Farewell to Manzanar, Resting Place. Wynn: The Glass House, Tribes. Karlin: The Awakening Land, Bridge to Silence, Dadah is Death, Homeward Bound, Minstrel Man, Paris, Survive the Savage Sea. Walkup: Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. Stewart: Cindy. Winston: An Evening With Diana Ross, Gargoyles, Masquerade Party, Pinocchio. Baker: Beauty and the Beast, Something is Out There. Gurasich: Buffalo Girls, From the Earth to the Moon, Robert Kennedy & His Times. Knight: The Day After, Karen Carpenter Story. Minkler: Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Nickelodeon Fridays 8:30-9 p.m., Feb. 21, 2005-

W: Individual Achievement in Animation (Sang-Jin Kim), 2007

N: Animated Program, Less Than One Hour (Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Erin Coleman, EP; Aaron Ehasz, co-EP; Tim Hedrick, writer; Lauren MacMullan, director; Jae-Myung Yu, animation director), 2007

Aang (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) was a 12-year-old summoned to become the latest Avatar, the spirit of the planet and prime defender of its peace who after years of training will be able to “bend” (manipulate) the four basic elements – earth, water, air and fire – to use for his power. Each element was represented by a nation, and the Fire Nation went on the offensive to rule over the rest, forcing Aang, who only knew airbending, to master bending the other elements as soon as he can to prevent them for overtaking the world. Some allies from the other non-Fire Nations helped Aang in his mission. With the artwork and Asian imagery, you might think this was an anime offering from Japan, but in fact it came from American producers/creators DiMartino and Konietzko, who took years to get it developed until it debuted on Nickelodeon as one of that network’s biggest hits, with many adults watching along with kids. There are plans to make it into a trilogy of live-action films – hopefully the cartoon’s winning combination of mysticism, symbolism and even occasional humor will not be sacrificed in the adaptations.

The Avengers

ABC Mondays 7:30-8:30 p.m.*, March 28, 1966-Sept. 15, 1969

N: Drama Series (Julian Wintle, EP), 1967 and (Brian Clemens, Albert Fennell, P), 1968; Lead Actress, Drama (Diana Rigg), 1967, 1968

Spies John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Emma Peel (Diana Rigg 1966-68) sleekly battled some of the most bizarre evildoers ever seen, with he rarely being ruffled sporting his bowler and umbrella and she employing kung fu when needed while wearing skintight outfits. This long-running British import began in 1961 and had Honor Blackman as Steed’s first female partner Catherine Gale from 1962-65 before Rigg replaced her and the episodes came stateside. Never a hit in America partly due to scheduling – it was a midseason entry in different time slots every season except its last – it had a strong cult following thanks to its outlandish plots, beautiful overall production, and especially the witty interplay between its leads. Macnee was fine, but Rigg was excellent – athletic, gorgeous, clever and resourceful, she provided American TV with the best regular female dramatic role up to that time. It has not reflected well on the TV academy that she lost twice to Barbara Bain in Mission: Impossible, whose Cinnamon Carter had none of the warmth or depth of Emma. When Rigg departed, her replacement Tara King (Linda Thorson 1968-69) was found lacking by both fans and critics, resulting in cancellation a year later. A series remake with Macnee called The New Avengers aired on CBS late Friday nights from 1978-79, and there was a 1998 film version too, but without Rigg – and good writing, I might add – the revivals came to naught.

Rigg: In This House of Brede, Rebecca, Victoria and Albert.

Avonlea

Disney Mondays 8-9 p.m., March 5, 1990-1996

W: Children’s Program (Trudy Grant, Kevin Sullivan, EP; Brian Leslie Parker, line P), 1993; Lead Actor, Drama Series (Christopher Lloyd), 1992; Costume Design, Series (Madeline Stewart), 1995; Guest Actress, Drama Series (Dianne Weist), 1997

N: Children’s Program (Grant, Sullivan, EP), 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and (Grant, Sullivan, EP; Nicholas Gray, line P), 1994; Guest Actress, Drama Series (Colleen Dewhurst), 1990, 1991, (Kate Nelligan), 1992, (Stockard Channing), 1994 and (Maureen Stapleton), 1996; Guest Actor, Drama Series (Peter Coyote), 1991; Costume Design, Series (Madeline Stewart), 1996 and (Ruth Secord), 1997

The town of Avonlea (pronounced “av-un-LEE”) on the coastline of Prince Edward Island was home in the early 1900s to sweet young Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley), who relocated there from Montreal under her dad’s orders to live with her aunts Hetty King (Jackie Burroughs) and Olivia King (Mag Ruffman) and meet new friends and family. Later other characters were emphasized. A light drama like Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons – if you liked those, you will love this. If not …. A top-rated series in Canada, where it was produced and aired as Road to Avonlea starting Jan. 7, 1990, its lush filming on location and emphasis on sound family storytelling attracted many top actors as guests, including its Emmy nominees. This provided the only Emmy nomination for Nelligan (and the same for Coyote, but only for acting – he won a news and documentary Emmy in 1993 for Outstanding Historical Program as narrator of The Pacific Century), and gave Stapleton her last TV acting role. It remained popular in reruns – a 2006 cast reunion at the Royal Ontario Museum attracted visitors worldwide.

Sullivan: Anne of Green Gables. Lloyd: Taxi. Wiest: The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn. Dewhurst: Between Two Women, The Crucible, Focus, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Lantern Hill, Moon for the Misbegotten, Murphy Brown, Those She Left Behind, Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story, The Women’s Room. Channing: Stapleton: Among the Paths to Eden, B.L. Stryker, The Gathering, Kraft Television Theatre, Miss Rose White, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.