ABC Back in Its ‘Blue’ Period

“NYPD Blue” returns from a six-week hiatus Tuesday with a half-dozen new episodes that will run straight through May. The show comes back after an inconclusive time-period test of “The Practice”--a legal drama from “Chicago Hope” creator David E. Kelley--that raised more questions than it answered about ABC’s long-term scheduling plans. ABC’s programming division wanted to introduce “The Practice” on Tuesdays, then move the show to 10 p.m. Wednesdays in place of “PrimeTime Live.” Still, despite good reviews, ratings were marginal (the show averaged 12.7 million viewers a week, considerably fewer than “NYPD Blue”), and “PrimeTime’s” hold on the time slot seems more firm than ever now that anchor Diane Sawyer has a hefty new contract at ABC News. Beyond that, CBS is said to be eyeing the same location for “Brooklyn South,” a new police show from “NYPD” producer Steven Bochco that will premiere next fall. In the meantime, ABC hopes viewers are ready to feel “Blue” again, boosting a Tuesday lineup that frequently trailed NBC during the show’s absence. A similar spring break certainly didn’t hurt “ER,” which was back on call with blockbuster ratings last Thursday.

AFI’s Festival Challenge: It’s No Slam Dunk

This week, Jon Fitzgerald will dig into his new tasks as the director of the AFI International Film Festival, a big undertaking for the filmmaker and co-founder of Slamdance, an independent alternative to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. It is an especially tall order given the high hopes Fitzgerald has for the yearly festival, coupled by the intense competition from the rapidly proliferating number of film festivals around the world. The 1997 AFI event, which will run from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, follows on the heels of several prominent international festivals including Montreal, Venice and Toronto. “Ultimately, what we’d like to see happen is to have AFI put on an internationally acclaimed festival,” said Fitzgerald, 30. “There’s no reason why, in time, the film capital of the world can’t have the best film festival in the country.” He acknowledges that Sundance has cornered the market for independent film festivals and Cannes and Toronto have established strong reputations as the cream of the foreign festival crop. For his part, Fitzgerald plans to establish three components of the 10-day festival (shortened from last year’s 15). He wants to continue the international film aspect but also create a “first features” section and a film competition section. Also, Fitzgerald plans to stage a smaller Latino film festival, to be held probably the week before the larger festival. He faces a tough balancing act: enticing jaded industry types bent on acquiring quality independent films for distribution (and spotting the next big thing among directors) and entertaining a more general--albeit savvy--local film-going audience. “When you talk about Los Angeles you have to incorporate the film industry and the local community,” he said. “It’s a little more diverse here in Los Angeles. You’ve obviously got a much wider audience than you do in Park City, which is mostly just the industry. You have to have new films to get the industry excited. But, mostly you just have to make sure you have good films.” To reach this diverse audience, Fitzgerald--aided by a panel of film curators--will select 40 or 50 films to screen and continue the AFI tradition of holding a big movie premiere. In an effort to broaden the festival, non-cinematic activities will also be featured--for instance, a Cigar Night, to be sponsored by a liquor company, and a musical event. “We want to create activities around the festival and generate more excitement,” Fitzgerald said.

With Pals Like This, Who Needs a Producer?

Milton Berle, who is 88, is taking a new turn in his 75-year entertainment career: presenting his first theatrical endeavor. “The Last Supper,” a one-man musical comedy about eight characters from diverse backgrounds who check into America’s most prestigious fat farm, stars Berle’s longtime friend, composer-arranger Artie Butler. The show opens Friday at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood. The eight characters are all portrayed by Butler, who was 16 when he met Berle, 40 years ago. (Butler once acted as the last-minute replacement at the piano at a club where Berle was performing.) Book, music and lyrics are by Earl Brown and Butler, who has arranged and composed for Louis Armstrong, Natalie Cole, Julio Iglesias, Dionne Warwick and others. Berle said he’s backing the show because, “I immediately recognized it as an original and exciting concept and a most enjoyable evening in the theater. I was so impressed by the brilliance of my pal that I insist on presenting the show to the public.”

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers and Contributors