Best Wishes to Bold, Beauties and the Beasts

Merry Christmas to. . . .

LARRY KING: For his CNN talk show, the best on TV. And for nailing the old Morton Downey Jr. series, later canceled, as “talk wrestling.”

JAY LENO: Subbing for Johnny Carson, he’s late-night’s top new host by far. Yes, better than Arsenio Hall. Leno also disclosed after the Alaskan oil spill that TV news “showed baby seals clubbing Exxon officials.”

RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN AND LINDSAY WAGNER: For raw courage--he for risking the airwaves in “Island Son,” she for doing the same in “Peaceable Kingdom.”

JACKIE MASON: If “Chicken Soup” had started with his playing a TV talk-show host, instead of toying with the idea after it was too late, it might have been a long-run hit.

PETER FALK: For showing he could go home again in “Columbo.” It’s so nice to have him back where he belongs.

TED TURNER: For explaining his philosophy for colorizing films: “I think the movies look better in color, pal. And they’re my movies.”

CITIZEN WELLES: The late Orson Welles had such an ironclad contract protecting “Citizen Kane” that Turner surrendered this year and gave up attempts to colorize it for TV.

KCBS CHANNEL 2: For the most absurd press release of the year: “KCBS-TV is pleased to announce that Action News anchors Bree Walker and Jim Lampley will be married in April, 1990. No interviews will be granted.”

SIR JOHN GIELGUD: For the best network TV performance in memory, as Jewish scholar Aaron Jastrow in “War and Remembrance.”

NBC NEWS: For the brilliant move forcing Jane Pauley out of “Today” at the peak of her career and popularity, and bringing in Deborah Norville, who’ll probably take several years to settle into the job. And people get paid for those decisions.

JANE PAULEY: She came out smelling like a rose, bargained for a firm 52-week commitment for a new NBC prime-time series and co-hosts the special “The Eighties” with Tom Brokaw Dec. 27.

“TWILIGHT ZONE” FANS: A reminder--Rod Serling would have been 65 on Christmas Day. He died in 1975 at age 50.

SAM DONALDSON AND DIANE SAWYER: It’s not working, so why not pack it in with “PrimeTime Live” and start the new year fresh, with something worthwhile?

ROSEANNE BARR: She’s sitting on top of the world, so is it necessary to throw her weight around behind the scenes on “Roseanne”? It started with creator Matt Williams being forced out of the show.

C-SPAN: Happy 10th anniversary. The best way to get an instant fix on public opinion of major issues is to tune in C-SPAN’s phone-in shows. They’re like national letters-to-the-editor columns.

ROBERT DUVALL: Hope it’s not true that he’s sworn off TV because he didn’t win an Emmy for his extraordinary performance in “Lonesome Dove.”

JOHNNY CARSON: For informing us that Michigan turned down the license-plate slogan “Keeping Japan on Top Since 1973.”

CHARLIE ROSE: TV’s best-kept secret with his really fine “Nightwatch” talk show for insomniacs--on CBS from 2 to 6 a.m. daily.

“L.A. LAW”: For finally planning to re-shoot its opening title sequence to reflect the changing L.A. skyline. The Wells Fargo logo no longer is atop the building that supposedly houses the law firm of McKenzie, Brackman et al. In fact, Wells Fargo has moved from that building. And how could any new skyline shot not include the First Interstate building, the tallest west of the Mississippi? Case closed.

SCOTT ST. JAMES: KCAL Channel 9 could no longer find room on its staff for St. James, one of L.A.’s best sportscasters, and that makes you wonder about the judgment behind its twice-delayed, nightly three-hour news program that begins in March--maybe.

HUELL HOWSER: For the best programs on KCET Channel 28--his series of human-interest “Videolog” shorts that reflect life in Southern California. Remember the one on the 102-year-old man who ate nothing but his own homemade yogurt? Well, Huell asked viewers to send cards and letters to the old-timer for his 105th birthday--and 1,200 greetings poured in through the mail.

CONNIE CHUNG: Things seemed good at NBC--high-rated prime-time specials, one after another. Then she defected to CBS for more money and her own series, “Saturday Night With Connie Chung.” No more high ratings. Money doesn’t buy everything.

“TOUR OF DUTY”: While “China Beach” gets lots of press, and deservedly so, “Tour of Duty” renders a much more accurate image of the heavy presence of blacks among U.S. troops in Vietnam. And that’s an important accomplishment.

JOHN WILCOCK: A founder of the Village Voice, this bon vivant and travel expert now has a public access show full of TV experimentation and witty notes. For instance: “Sex relieves tension, and love causes it.”

KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR: Some genius at NBC decided to give him a deserving hour tribute on his retirement--and then scheduled it opposite a Lakers game in which he was playing. Guess which got the most viewers?

CHRIS BURKE: This young actor with Down’s syndrome gave prime time its most inspirational moments in the new season in the notable family drama series “Life Goes On.”

GEORGE BUSH: Lesley Stahl and some other electronic reporters weren’t thrilled when the President made clear he didn’t cater to TV the way Ronald Reagan did. Well, tough for TV. And good for Bush. He is, by the way, more truly natural on the tube than either J.F.K. or Reagan. So there.

DAVID LETTERMAN: For discovering the least popular 976 telephone sex line: “Amish Courting Tips.”

“MURPHY BROWN” AND “DESIGNING WOMEN”: A comedy tandem that ranks with the best TV has produced--but no chance for the gold ring in the ratings simply because they’re on CBS. On NBC, they’d be a smash.

VINCENT: Glad that this noble creature (as played by Ron Perlman) is back in “Beauty and the Beast,” but he’s really got to see a dentist. Anybody who’d kiss him the way he is now . . . well, never mind.

BLAIR BROWN: There she is, as splendid as ever in “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” on Lifetime cable, proving NBC’s cancellation of the show wrong week in and week out. Here’s looking at you, kid.