Corpus Christi Caller-Times TV/Radio by Elaine Liner, media critic

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Elaine Liner is Caller-Times' media critic. Her columns are published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. She has been known to occasionally gossip with her readers in the Elaine Liner Forum. Elaine can be reached at linere@caller.com

Tuesday, September 7, 1999

Network premiere of 'Selena' on ABC to be simulcast in Spanish

Also: To beat the rush, Fox debuts new series 'Get Real' Wednesday

ABC is going bilingual for the three-hour Sept. 25 network television premiere of the feature film "Selena." The 1997 movie starring Jennifer Lopez as Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Perez will be simulcast in Spanish using the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) available on newer TVs. The Spanish-language dubbing track was made by Warner Bros. when the movie first hit theaters.
   Previously, ABC has offered Spanish-language simulcasts only on "NFL Monday Night Football" and a few other sports programs.
   "Selena," written and directed by Gregory Nava, marks the season debut of ABC's Saturday night movie showcase and is the first movie in the history of the network to be aired nationally on the SAP. The addition of the Spanish-language track is a move by the network to draw Spanish-speaking viewers away from the Saturday night programs on Univision and Telemundo, particularly in Spanish-dominant markets such as Miami, Los Angeles and South Texas.
   Following the airing of "Selena," ABC will show the world premiere of the music video for "Best I Can," a tribute to the singer written by her widower, guitarist Chris Perez, and performed by his Chris Perez Band. The song is included on the band's new CD, "Resurrection."
   The passionate film biography of Selena co-stars Jon Seda as Chris Perez, Edward James Olmos as her father, Abraham Quintanilla, and Lupe Ontiveros as Yolanda Saldivar, the former fan club president who shot and killed Selena at a Corpus Christi Days Inn motel. Rebecca Lee Meza protrays Selena as a young girl.
   If offering "Selena" in Spanish boosts Nielsen ratings for ABC, look for the network to air more shows with SAP.
   Currently, Fox offers Spanish-language versions of "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted."
   Around the dial
   Jack Ford joins ABC today, working for "Good Morning America" as Charlie Gibson's regular substitute, and "20/20" as a reporter/anchor. The former "Saturday Today" show co-host has been courted by the alphabet network for more than a year. His contract at NBC ended Sunday. That's cutting it close.
   Tonight's "City Confidential" (9 p.m., A&E) goes to Wilmington, Del., and the sensational trial and conviction for murder of influential attorney Thomas Capano, who murdered statehouse secretary Anne Fahey when she tried to end their secret affair.
   Fox gets the jump on network premieres with the debut of "Get Real" (8 p.m. Wednesday). This new "dramedy" series looks at a family with three high-school-age kids and a live-in grandmother. Debrah Farentino and Jon Tenney play the parents of this unusual household. When the 16-year-old son lets his girlfriend sleep naked in his bed, Mom simply shrugs her shoulders and makes them both breakfast.
   Wow.