Musical Load of Mathis, Taylor and World Awards

A star-studded awards extravaganza and two live concerts highlight what promises to be a very musical weekend on television.

Johnny Mathis is the latest singer to grace A&E;’s “Live by Request,” tonight at 6 and 10. The crooner of such classics as “Chances Are” and “Maria” will perform his fans’ favorites during the interactive show from New York’s Sony Music Studios. Mathis will take requests via the phone and Internet.

Gloria Estefan, Jason Priestley and Daisy Fuentes host ABC’s “The 1998 World Music Awards,” tonight at 9 on Channel 7. The sixth annual special, telecast from Monte Carlo, honors best-selling recording artists. Performers include Hanson, LeAnn Rimes, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Savage Garden, All Saints, Aqua, No Doubt and Mariah Carey.

Grammy Award winner James Taylor performs both his old and new tunes in a concert from New York’s Beacon Theatre on “James Taylor Live,” Saturday at 6 and 8 p.m. on Channel 28 and 9 p.m. on Channel 50.

B.B. King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughn appear on “Big Blues Extravaganza: The Best of Austin City Limits,” Saturday at 11 p.m. on Channel 28.

Elsewhere this weekend:

Today

USA continues its coverage of the French Open tennis tournament with the men’s and women’s second-round singles matches at 7 a.m. Third-round coverage is scheduled for Friday at 7 a.m. NBC presents action on Saturday at noon and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on Channel 4.

ESPN provides live coverage of the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee from Washington at 10 a.m. Steve Cyphers hosts the competition, which features 249 children age 15 and under.

Fox’s cop show “New York Undercover” returns to the Thursday lineup with new episodes, at 9 p.m. on Channel 11.

Saturday

Faith Daniels presents an overview of the Broadway season on “Live Broadway, USA,” at 3 p.m. on Channel 2.

Steve Kmetko hosts E! Entertainment Television’s “E! Goes to Cannes ‘98,” at 6 p.m., a recap of the film festival.

Bill Paxton stars in “A Bright Shining Lie,” at 9 p.m. Terry George directed HBO’s adaptation of Neil Sheehan’s best-selling chronicle of the Vietnam War.

Kyle MacLachlan stars in the Movie Channel’s thriller “Jack Higgins’ Thunder Point,” at 9 p.m. MacLachlan plays an ex-terrorist out to find a secret document that links the Nazis to the emergence of the Fourth Reich.

HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” features heavyweight bouts: Michael Grant vs. Obed Sullivan and Chris Byrd vs. Elicer Castillo, at 11 p.m.

Sunday

“Success Through Education: A Salute to Black Achievement,” at noon on Channel 2, focuses on African American students who achieve academic goals and excel in college.

“Bob Vila’s Guide to Historic Homes: In Search of PalladioCQ --The Villas of Vento,” at 5 and 9 p.m. on A&E;, is a two-hour tour of the residences designed by the 16th century architect Palladio.

Dan Futterman, Mickey Rourke and Carlo Alban star in TNT’s “Thicker Than Blood,” at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. Based on Bill Cain’s play “Stand-Up Tragedy,” the drama deals with an Ivy League grad (Futterman) who befriends a promising teen (Alban) at a school rocked with violence. Rourke plays a priest who is the troubled school’s headmaster.

TBS’ “NASCAR at 50: Good to Go,” at 6 p.m., gives a one-hour overview of auto racing.

E! Entertainment Television presents “John Belushi: The E! True Hollywood Story,” at 8 p.m.

Ted Danson, Brian Dennehy and Marg Helgenberger star in “Thanks of a Grateful Nation,” at 8 p.m. on Showtime. The drama examines the Gulf War Syndrome.

Kate Mulgrew narrates the Discovery Channel documentary “Rocketships,” at 9 p.m.

CBS repeats the acclaimed “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation “What the Deaf Man Heard,” at 9 p.m. on Channel 2. Matthew Modine stars.

First it was “Seinfeld,” then it was “Murphy Brown.” Now, HBO’s glorious comedy “The Larry Sanders Show” is bringing down the curtain after six seasons at 10 p.m. The finale features such guests as Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Warren Beatty, Tim Allen, Carol Burnett, Jim Carrey , David Duchovny and Sean Penn.