Top drawer directors' trilogy
THE storylines for the ''nerve-jolting'' trilogy Two-Fisted Tales (World 9.30pm, Original Running Time 100 mins) don't sound promising, but the directors' credits do.
Based on the E.C. Comics anthology of the same name, the three stories were directed by Richard Donner, Tom Holland and Robert Zemeckis.
Donner's other directing credits include all three Lethal Weapon films, and The Lost Boys; horror-man Holland gave us Child's Play and Fright Night: and Zemeckis lists the Back to the Future movies and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on his CV.
First of the tales is Showdown, a journey into America's old wild west. Next up, King of the Road, concerns a 50s drag racing challenge relived after 27 years.
And finally, Yellow is a story of cowardice in the trenches in World War I starring Kirk Douglas and Dan Aykroyd.
THE fourth Test has begun in The Ashes cricket series between England and Australia and Prime Sports has highlights of the first day's play, from Headingley in Yorkshire, at 8am and 10pm.
England must win this match if their Ashes dream is to stay alive. Optimism has been rekindled after Gooch's side - with four first-time players - drew the third Test at Trent Bridge a fortnight ago. That result ended a sequence of seven consecutive Test defeats.
''WOMEN and the Media'' is the subject of Media Watch (World 7.30pm), which looks at how women are portrayed in the press and adverts in Hongkong and asks ''Is there any sexism involved?'' Does Rose Kennedy have a black dress? Do bears relieve themselves in the woods? In Hongkong you'd be hard-pressed to find an advert involving a female that wasn't sexist. This is one subject Media Watch is going to be hard-pressed to cover in 30 minutes.
SHARON Gomes and Rita Tsang, hosts of MTV Asia's news programme Week in Rock (MTV 8pm), present their pacey show from aboard a boat this week - and why not? It includes footage of the WHF 'Estival in Washington at which INXS performed, and Paula Abdul gives her side of the current court battle over who sang what on her 1988 album Forever Your Girl.
Billboard's editor in chief Adam White talked to WiR during his recent trip to Hongkong and revealed the 99-year-old magazine's proposals to ''encapsulate'' the Asian audience.
On top of that, Blondie veteran Debbie Harry talks about her new album Debravation, and there's a preview of the hit romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, which stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
SWEDISH-born Dolph Lundgren first broke into movies as a two-bit tough guy in the 1985 Bond movie A View to a Kill - a part which his then girlfriend Grace Jones helped him secure. He quickly followed that up playing Sly Stallone's icy Russian opponent in Rocky IV, in which he spoke a total of five lines.
That's when Dolph decided it was time to tell the world he was no dummy, and wanted to do more than play tough guys. Apparently no one was listening, for in the 1991 movie Dark Angel (Pearl 9.30pm) he plays ''no stranger to danger'' vice cop Jack Caine.
Caine's pitting his 6ft 5-inch brawn - and brain, of course - against a seven foot inter-galactic drug-dealer.
WORLD'S late night comedy (the term is used loosely), Stroker Ace (midnight, ORT 96 mins) is worth a mention if only for it's cringe-inducing qualities. Burt Reynolds plays a thick, ''good ole boy'' racing driver who's sponsored by a fried chicken franchiser . . . and, boy, is this finger-lickin' bad. Worse, Loni Anderson - whom Reynolds is now divorcing - plays a virginal (yes, really) PR woman.
