Banner Graphic, Volume 19, Number 28, Greencastle, Putnam County, 7 October 1988 — Page 28

Page 16

New series has Cortese all abuzz By JERRY BUCK AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) Bees are buzzing around the Griffith Park carousel where they are filming the first episode of NBC’s “Something Is Out There,” a new series about a Los Angeles homicide detective and a beautiful alien from another planet who investigate things that go bump in the night. Joe Cortese is the detective and Maryam D’Abo is the alien, reprising their roles from the hit miniseries last May that gave birth to the series. But the outerspace monster that D’Abo chased in the miniseries has yielded to more down-to-earth, although equally spooky, evils. “IT’S NOT GOING TO BE a creature of the week show,” Cortese says. “And it’s not going to be another cop show or romantic comedy. It’ll have a supernatural element and our cases will be a little more eerie.” The gaiety at the carousel is interrupted by the screams of a young girl. She jumps off a horse as Cortese, flashing his detective’s badge, tries to stop her. She kicks him on the shin and runs off into the park. “In this episode the girl has telekinetic powers and she knows something is going to happen,” Cortese explains. “Two renegade intelligence agents are after her because her father invented a serum that gives her these powers. They want to sell it to the highest bidder.” Cortese plays Det. Jack Breslin and D’Abo is Ta’ra. In the fall series she will be earthbound, but is still an alien with special powers. The miniseries, which topped ABC’s “Bourne Identity” and CBS’s “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” in the ratings, is now being packaged as a movie for theatrical release in Europe and for videocassette release here. ‘THERE’S GOING TO BE a lot of humor between this man and woman,” Cortese says. “She’ll help him solve the cases with her power. There’ll be bantering and some sexual tension between them, but that’s it. They’ll never get together.” Cortese shoos away a honey bee attempting to take a swig of his soft drink. Then, director Richard Colla (who also did the miniseries) calls him back for another take beneath the roof of die merry-go-round, which was built in 1932 for the San Diego World’s Fair and moved to Griffith Park in 1936. Later, in his trailer dressing room, Cortese says,

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“Breslin is a guy with a cynical sense of humor. He can make fun of himself, but he won’t let anyone else make fun of him. He’s a diamond in the rough. We’re trying to do a different show. Every kind of story you can do in a cop show’s been done. So, we’re taking a risk. It’s a new arena and it could be a hit or a miss.” CORTESE HAS HAD HIS share of misses. He starred in the NBC movie “C.A.T. Squad,” which came a cropper two years ago. He also stars in the forthcoming “C.A.T. Squad II Python Wolf.” He was also in such movies as “Monsignor” and “Windows.” “I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve never been in a hit,” he says. “I have been in a series of flops. When this came on last May I never thought it would do as well as it did. It was up against some tough competition, but it Same out on top. I was pleasantly surprised.”

TV channels on Greencastle cable

2 CNN (Cable News Network) 3 USA Network (Family Appeal) 4 CBN Cable Network 5 American Movie Classics 6 WRTV-TV (ABC/6) 7 Showtime 8 ESPN (Sports) 9 Lifetime 10 WTHI-TV (CBS/10) 11 Nickelodeon

D 2 WTWO, Terre Haute, NBC 04 WTTV, Indianapolis, Indp. 06 WRTV, Indianapolis, ABC 08 WISH, Indianapolis, CBS 010 WTHI, Terre Haute, CBS 013 WTHR, Indianapolis 020 WFYI, Indianapolis, PBS

Cortese grew up in Paterson, N.J., but attended Midwestern College in Denison, lowa. “It was a cultural shock,” he says, “but a great learning experience. I had to get away from my roots and find out who I was.” He began acting his sophomore year of college and after graduation worked in many regional theaters in the Midwest. CORTESE ADMITS HE WAS discouraged by the flops in his career. “But about four or five years ago I decided I wasn’t going to blame myself for it,” he says. “I worked hard to change myself. I stopped drinking. I started working with more unfortunate people. I donated my time to help other people. I took therapy. And when I did that, little by little it changed me and I had a better life.”

12 The Discovery Channel 13 WTHR-TV (NBC/13) 14 Cable Value Network 15 The Nashville Network 16VH-1 (Video Hits) 17 Arts & Entertainment 18 MTV (Music Television) 19 Local Programming 20 The Disney Channel 21 Headline News

Off-air channels available in area

A smart and sassy undercover cop (portrayed by Joe Cortese) is aided by a beautiful alien (Maryan d’Abo), whose special powers of perception help him investigate strange phenomena in the criminal world in the NBC series, “Something Is Out There.” Based on the popular miniseries by the same name that aired last year, the new series will debut Friday, Oct. 21 and be seen 910 p.m. Fridays during the TV season.

22 HBO (Home Box Office) 23 C-Span (U.S. Congress) 24 WTBS-TV (Atlanta) 25 WGN-TV (Chicago) 26 WTTV-TV (lndj'4) 27 WHMB-TV (lnd./40) 28 WISH-TV (CBS/8) 29 WTIU-TV (PBS/30) 30 WXIN-TV (lnd./59)

El 30 WTIU, Bloomington, PBS El 38 WBAK, Terre Haute, ABC BE 40 WHBM, Indianapolis, Indp. El 59 WXIN, Indianapolis, Indp. Also available in some areas: Channel 15, Champaign, III.; Channel 18, Lafayette; Channel 23, WMCC, Noblesville; Channel 42, WCLJ, Indianapolis