Screen Time

familyfun SATURDAY Blackbeard’s Ghost 7 a.m. on (HALL) Peter Ustinov stars as the legendary pirate who — thanks to his wife’s curse — is destined to wander the earth as a ghost forever in this 1968 Disney adventure. To break the witchy woman’s spell, he must perform a selfless act. So who’s his Good Samaritan victim? A track coach (Dean Jones) who needs a little help in life and love. Suzanne Pleshette and Elsa Lanchester also star. The Black Cauldron 7:30 a.m. on (FAM) A rare Disney animated feature without songs, this 1985 tale has a definite dark side to it. Taran is a young pig keeper who dreams of excitement. He gets it in the form of Hen Wen, a sweet pig that can find the location of a mystical cauldron that can gives its owner control of the world. The undead Horned King (voice of John Hurt) seeks the power, and Taran’s master orders him to protect Hen Wen at all costs. Bedknobs and Broomsticks 9:30 a.m. on (HALL) The Little Vampire Sunday, 11 a.m. on (FAM) Jonathan Lipnicki (“Jerry Maguire”) stars in this 2000 movie based on the popular books by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg. Tony Thompson (Lipnicki) is a lonely child who just wants someone with whom to pal around. What he gets is a juvenile vampire who also just wants to be loved. But it’s not all fun and games when they realize the vampire race could be wiped out in one night. Richard E. Grant, Jim Carter and Alice Krige co-star. Corey Stoll (left) and Skeet Ulrich Angela Lansbury stars as a nov- ice witch who is assigned three children (Ian Weighill, Cindy O’Callaghan, Roy Snart) to care for during wartime. Their presence disrupts her spells and casting, so she creates a way for them to travel wherever they want. She also uses the means of transportation to find the missing half of a vital spell. Ani- mation and live action combine in this 1971 Disney feature co-starring David Tomlinson (“Mary Poppins”). Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride 2 p.m. on (FAM) Be careful what you touch; it could be a twig or the skeleton figure of a young woman who was murdered by her future groom on their wed- ding day. We know it’s hard to tell the difference. Johnny Depp pro- vides the voice of the hapless stick figure who accidentally pledges himself to the deceased. This is a bit of a sticky wicket as he has fallen for someone else, and unfor- tunately for the dead woman, she can reproduce. SUNDAY Mad Monster Party? 6 a.m. on (HALL) Boris Karloff provides the voice of Baron Von Frankenstein in this 1967 stop-motion animated come- dy from Rankin-Bass. The story finds the doctor planning to announce his retirement at a convention of mon- sters. The voice cast also includes Phyllis Diller and Gale Garnett. Nature 8 p.m. on (PBS-9) Although Florida’s Everglades Na- tional Park is a protected wilderness that is home to endangered animals and plants, it also has become the home for non-native species, per- haps most dramatically the Burmese pythons. Thousands of these huge reptiles now are thriving in the region, having been dumped by pet owners or accidentally released into the Everglades by hurricanes that hit Florida’s animal warehouses in “Invasion of the Giant Pythons.” Ernest Scared Stupid 8 p.m. on (CMT) While parents may find inane comedy irritating, children seem to thrive on it. Actor Jim Varney reprises his role of the well-meaning but often-bumbling Ernest P. Worrell in this 1991 flick. This time around, he battles an evil troll who intends to destroy the town’s children. It may sound stupid, but isn’t that the point? Co-stars include Eartha Kitt, Larry Black and Shay Astar. MONDAY American Experience 9 p.m. on (PBS-9) “Trail of Tears” chronicles the heart- wrenching 1838 forced march of thousands of Cherokee from their homes in the southeastern United States to eastern Oklahoma, a brutal trek that claimed the lives of more than 4,000 Indians from disease and starvation along the way. Benjamin Bratt narrates this, the third episode of “We Shall Re- main.” TUESDAY Harriet the Spy 6 a.m. on (HBO) A curious sixth-grader who wants to be a writer keeps close watch on everything and everyone, put- ting all her observations on paper. When her classmates, friends and enemies alike, read her less-than- flattering notes about them, there’s heck to pay ... then it’s payback time. Michelle Trachtenberg plays the title character in this 1996 com- edy based on the popular children’s book, with Rosie O’Donnell as her beloved nanny. BY KATE O’HARE One week to the day after Los Angeles sweltered in record triple- digit heat, it’s in the 60s with a light drizzle in a residential cul-de- sac in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Encino. In production is NBC’s new Wednesday crime drama “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” the latest incarnation of the venerable cops- and-prosecutors franchise. The script for the scene being filmed says a character looks “up and down the sun-blasted street” – which probably seemed a reasonable assumption when it was written. Despite the damp, the crew readies for the big shot of the day – a fireball from an exploding meth lab that will engulf a vehicle in a driveway. “We’re in a residential neighborhood,” says veteran producer Christopher Misiano (“Eli Stone,” “The West Wing,” “ER”), “so that brings with it parameters in terms of permitting. We had to figure out how we could do most of the explosion in this location but generate the first beat of it elsewhere.” Basically, that means the actual explosion – which would be quite loud and dangerous – is not being done on the street, but the 10 select TV Daily News resulting fireball is. On hand are real Los Angeles firefighters and EMTs, who not only oversee the safety of the stunt but also will play themselves in the scene depicting the fireball’s aftermath. Much of the conversation when the show premiered in late September was about whether it could live up to the original, which was set in New York – Manhattan, in particular. Today’s scene could probably not have been done on the original “Law & Order.” “That would be kind of hard to hide,” says Corey Stoll, a native New Yorker who plays Detective Tomas “TJ” Jarusalski, “a meth lab in Manhattan.” After much preparation and a lengthy safety briefing, it’s now time for the fireball. It goes off spectacularly without a hitch, turning the unfortunate vehicle into a smoking, charred husk. Unlike the crew and cast’s friends and family – who will get to see one of the many cell phone videos shot – you’ll have to wait to see it on television. October 30 - November 5, 2010

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