Dalmatians and Dinosaurs Help Kick Off Ratings Sweeps

The November ratings sweeps begin this weekend with several big made-for-TV movies as well as blockbuster theatricals.

ABC’s “The Wonderful World of Disney” presents the network premiere of the 1996 box-office hit “101 Dalmatians” Sunday at 7 p.m. This live-action version of the 1961 animated classic features Glenn Close’s funny performance as Cruella DeVil.

If you prefer dinosaurs, check out “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” Sunday at 7 p.m. on Fox.

Chuck Norris and Eddie Cibrian headline the CBS movie “Logan’s War: Bound by Honor” Sunday at 9 p.m. Norris plays mentor to a martial arts expert out to avenge the murder of his family by the Mafia.

Leon, Obba Babatunde and Alan Rosenberg are featured in NBC’s “The Temptations” Sunday at 9 p.m. The four-hour drama with music looks at the rise of the famed Motown group.

Sidney Poitier, Lukas Haas and Brittany Murphy headline ABC’s “Oprah Winfrey Presents” drama, “David & Lisa,” Sunday at 9 p.m. Adapted from the 1962 film classic, the drama deals with two disturbed teens who fall in love.

Jonathan LaPaglia stars in “Inferno” tonight at 8 on KCOP, a UPN thriller about a city going insane because of the high temperatures.

Megan Ward and Terry Kinney star in “Don’t Look Down” tonight at 9 on ABC, a thriller from executive producer Wes Craven (“Scream”) about a woman haunted by visions of her sister falling off a cliff.

Werner Herzog is the director of “Escape From Laos” tonight at 11:30 on Cinemax, a documentary about a U.S. pilot who escaped from a North Vietnamese prison in the mid 1960s.

The Cartoon Network premieres the Halloween adventure “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” Saturday at 8 p.m. In this outing, the Great Dane goes ghost-busting with his buddies at a haunted house.

Specials

“CNN Today,” today at 10 a.m. on CNN, is part of the networks’ coverage of John Glenn’s historic space shuttle launch. Check listings for other telecasts.

The Masked Magician is supposed to reveal his identity on Fox’s “Breaking the Magician’s Code 4” tonight at 9.

William Shatner hosts AMC’s Halloween special, “Hollywood Ghost Stories,” Friday at 6 and 9 p.m. The hourlong documentary revisits tales of famous spirits and haunted studios.

Director James Cameron celebrates the 60th anniversary of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel special “Martian Mania,” Friday at 6 p.m.

CBS dusts off the classic animated Halloween specials “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Garfield’s Halloween Adventure,” Friday at 8 and 8:30 p.m.

KCET-TV presents “Gargoyles: Guardians of the Gate” Friday at 9 p.m., a special exploring the history of the grotesque figures. Following at 10 p.m. is “Dracula: The True Story.”

Dennis Miller hosts VH1’s “GQ Men of the Year Awards” Saturday at 9 p.m. Awards go to men in entertainment, sports, music, fashion and the arts, with appearances by Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cameron Diaz and Salma Hayek.

Fox unveils “KISS Live: The Ultimate Halloween Party” Saturday at midnight. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss perform their hits from Dodger Stadium.

The Learning Channel’s “Tales From the Tower,” Sunday at 5 p.m., is a three-hour tour of the tales of tortures and other grisly executions that took place at England’s Tower of London.

Eight masked he-men reveal the tricks of their trade on NBC’s “Exposed! Pro Wrestling’s Greatest Secrets” Sunday at 7 p.m.

On a special “Visiting . . . With Huell Howser” Sunday at 7 p.m. on KCET-TV, he drops by the Biltmore Hotel, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in downtown Los Angeles.

Series

CBS’ “Diagnosis Murder,” tonight at 9, features an episode starring “Star Trek” veterans Walter Koenig, George Takei, Majel Barrett Roddenberry; Wil Wheaton from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; and Billy Mumy of “Lost in Space” and “Babylon 5.”

Teri Hatcher (“Lois & Clark”) guests on NBC’s “Frasier,” tonight at 9, as the shrink’s new love interest, a woman with many phobias.

Nick at Nite presents eight Halloween-themed episodes of its popular series: “The Brady Bunch,” “Bewitched,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” beginning tonight at 9 on Nickelodeon.

The cast of the old “The Love Boat” meet the cast of “Love Boat: The Next Wave” in an episode directed by Anson Williams (Potsie of “Happy Days”) Friday at 9 p.m. on UPN.

PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre,” Sunday at 9 p.m. on KCET-TV, celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Armistice with the drama “The Unknown Soldier.” Gary Mavers plays an unidentified World War I amnesiac who is found wandering on the battlefield. Juliet Aubrey is the upper-class nurse who falls in love with him.