With "And the Band Played On," HBO proves once again that it - not the networks - is the place to turn for quality made-for-television movies.
This ambitious project, which debuts tonight at 9, isn't perfect. But it's far above not only the TV-movie pack but most of what gets released theatrically as well."Band" is a no-nonsense but horrifying look at how the AIDS epidemic got out of hand in this country.
And there's plenty of blame to go around. There's the Reagan administration, which tried to ignore it because it was a "gay" disease. There's the medical community, which was more interested in fighting over credit for discovering the virus than in curing it.
There are those who controlled the nation's blood supply, who - even when alerted to the danger - kept on killing people because it feared financial losses. And there was the gay community, which resisted campaigns to curb risky sexual behavior.
Turning Randy Shilts' book into a movie wasn't easy. As has been well-documented, lots of people gave up in the attempt. And the movie does soften a number of the book's edges.
The movie follows the story from the perspective of Don Francis (Matthew Modine), a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control, from the first reports of what was called "gay cancer" to the time when hundreds of thousands had died and millions were infected.
The approach is almost documentarylike, with a series of individual incidents building the horror and frustration as AIDS spread.
This is not a weepy drama, however. Until the conclusion, the emotional level is kept largely under control. Although Francis does himself display emotion, the movie takes a clinical approach to match his outlook.
The cast includes appearances by Steve Martin, Swoozie Kurtz, Anjelica Huston, Phil Collins, B.D. Wong, Richard Gere, Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin and Ian McKellan.
"And the Band Played On" is not necessarily an easy movie to watch. But it's certainly a worthwhile one.
NICE GUY, LOUSY SHOW: That rather concisely sums up the premiere of "Townsend Television," which airs Sunday at 6 p.m. on Ch. 13.
Robert Townsend is a genuinely talented man who's trying to bring back some of the feel of the old Ed Sullivan shows. Unfortunately, this hour draaaags along with sketches that are waaay too long (and not really funny) and musical interludes that just don't work.
I'd like to think there's hope for "TT," but there's little indication of that.
FAREWELL, NICK: Nick Clooney, KSTU's anchorman, signed off for the final time last night. And displayed the same class and professionalism he has since he debuted on the station 201/2 months ago.
Some have questioned why Ch. 13 chose to drop Clooney. There are petitions supporting him floating around indicating it was because the anchor is "old."
That's not the case. The management at KSTU - which is not the same group that hired Clooney - wanted to go in a direction that Clooney wasn't comfortable with. And their research indicated a change could boost ratings.
That's not necessarily pleasant, but it is the way TV works. And it was done without a hint of ill will or malice.
"It's been a marvelous adventures," Clooney wrote me last week. "No complaints, no regrets. I wish my replacements the best."
And I'd like to wish Clooney the same.