‘Trumpet’-ing black spirit; Norm updates the ‘ESPY Awards’; a teen gambles it all; ‘Magic’ straight up

Sunday

“NBA All-Star Game” / 3 p.m. NBC

Pro basketball’s smoothest movers and dunkers gather in New York for the 48th annual hoopla between Eastern and Western conferences. It’s the first time since 1968 that the game has been played at Madison Square Garden, where starters Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Grant Hill will strut and stuff. The East has won three of the last four contests, including a 132-120 victory in Cleveland last year.

****

“Trumpet Awards” / 4 p.m. TBS

Sound the trumpet. Whitney Houston, retired Gen. Colin Powell, Babyface, Wynton Marsalis and Brooklyn Dodger great Don Newcombe are among the honorees at the sixth annual ceremony recognizing African American achievers. Gladys Knight and Robert Guillaume host this year’s event, which includes the new Family Spirit Award honoring the effect of positive role models on children.

****

“Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story” / 9 p.m. ABC

Like him or loathe him, but you’ll have to accept him on his own terms. That’s the message of this TV movie based on Rodman’s autobiography. A lanky kid from the Dallas projects, the loose cannon courts trouble in college and throughout his pro basketball career, dribbling to his own drummer at all times. Newcomer Dwayne Adway scores in the title role, but the film draws a technical foul for its unconvincing depiction of NBA games.

****

“Masterpiece Theatre” / 9 p.m. KCET

“The Wingless Bird,” British novelist Catherine Cookson’s bestseller about three families on different rungs of the social ladder, takes flight as a six-hour series. Set in 1913 London, the drama revolves around Agnes (Claire Skinner), a spirited shopgirl working in her family’s candy store, where she meets Charles (Edward Atterton), an upper-class gent who falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Agnes’ younger sister carries on an ill-advised affair with a member of a disreputable working-class clan.

Monday

“1998 ESPY Awards” / 5 p.m. ESPN

Don’t expect NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer to attend the sixth annual shindig. After all, he’s the guy who dropped Norm Macdonald as anchor of “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.” And Macdonald is host of this year’s ceremony saluting top athletes at Radio City Music Hall. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire and Barry Sanders are among Performer of the Year nominees. Retired North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith is recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.

Tuesday

“Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood” / 7 and 11:30 p.m. AMC

This hourlong documentary charts the progress of African Americans in 20th Century Fox films from 1903-70. Narrated by Louis Gossett Jr., it recalls the early sterotypical roles of Stepin Fetchit, which gave way to the acclaimed work of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Paul Robeson, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones and others. Clips from films such as “Pinky,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Lilies of the Field” and “The Great White Hope” are also featured.

Wednesday

“Playing to Win” / 9 p.m. NBC

Lisa Dean Ryan, best known as Doogie Howser’s girlfriend, has an itch she just can’t scratch in the network’s latest “Moment of Truth” movie. She plays a teen hooked on gambling, thanks to the hunky new guy (“Blossom’s” David Lascher) in her life. The early winnings ultimately lead to big losses, of course, with young Dana (Ryan) forced to steal from her mother (Shelley Fabares). But don’t fear: Odds are a happy ending is in the cards. And you can bet on it.

****

“The Art of Magic” / 9 p.m. KCET

Fox scored impressive numbers in November with its revealing special illustrating the secrets of assorted tricks, escapes and levitations. Purists may have been alarmed by the network’s insolence, but viewers made it the highest-rated special in Fox history (a follow-up will air in March). In contrast, this PBS program offers a sober, comprehensive history of hocus-pocus. That means a mix of archival footage, interviews and performances by the likes of Lance Burton, the Pendragons, Max Maven and the Amazing Randi.