Dana Carvey

Life in the remote-control lane keeps getting weirder.Take Dana Carvey of "Saturday Night Live." This guy sounds more like Ross Perot than Ross Perot. The already-blurred line separating reality and entertainment is now turning to Silly Putty.How else to explain the call from the NBC publicist pitching an interview with Timothy Leary? That's right, the LSD enthusiast and '60s counterculture guru wants us to tune in and turn on "Blossom" Monday night.Why? Because Mr. Leary is making a guest appearance on the popular NBC sitcom about the teen-age ups and downs ofBlossom Russo (Mayim Bialik)

SUN SCORE The Master of Disguise is, hands-down, the best James Brolin-in-an-Italian-accent movie ever. There, that should satisfy all those who believe in the old adage about not saying anything at all if you can't say anything nice. Because that's about the only nice thing that can be said about this tired, juvenile, tedious and hopelessly witless embarrassment that's really nothing more than an excuse for Dana Carvey to use a lot of makeup and try out a host of different accents.

The world according to Wayne is divided into three parts: Babes, Babes and more Babes. In fact, where some men curse the darkness and say, "Why?," Wayne lights a candle and says, "More babes, please."Wayne Campbell, of course, is Aurora, Illinois' prime metalhead and cable access TV unstar. You may call him crude, rude, loud and lewd, but at least he was educated on the classics -- "Alice Cooper," "Motley Crue" -- before moving into the avant-garde -- "Anthrax," "MegaDeth" and "Headlice." (OK, I made up that last one.)

Lots of sophomore series like ABC's Pushing Daisies are settling into their new season with second episodes tonight, but guess what, viewers don't seem to care. Second-year broadcast network series across the board are down from where they were last year. Network viewers are going elsewhere for their prime-time pleasures, and one of those places is cable's Comedy Central, where The Sarah Silverman Show starts its second season tonight. Silverman isn't for everyone, but those who get the offbeat comedian worship her the way some of us are worshiping Tina Fey these days.

There's the perpetual steady income, the big library and that enviable personal security force, but the life of an ex-president is not always a skip through the Rose Garden.You need a gig.Gerald Ford shills for corporate clients. Jimmy Carter builds houses and solves the world's problems. And George Bush does -- well, nothing, it seems.Until now.Now we know that beneath that Yale-educated preppie exterior beats the risk-taking heart of Evel Knievel!Setting new standards for ex-presidential derring-do, the 72-year-old Bush flung himself out of an airplane Tuesday and parachuted 12,500 feet, fulfilling a promise he had made to himself during World War II.But why stop there, Mr. Ex-President?

Ellen Cleghorne is one of the few performers who would welcome (let alone answer) a reporter's telephone call at the ungodly hour of 8 a.m.As it turns out, that's the best time to catch the busy newcomer to TV's "Saturday Night Live" at her New York City apartment. Even then, you have to compete for attention with her 6-year-old daughter, Akeyla, who is getting ready for school. With questions coming at Ms. Cleghorne from two directions, the atmosphere resembles a long-distance press conference.

LOS ANGELES -- Johnny Carson and Dana Carvey got new long-term contracts. Barry Levinson got an order for six episodes of "Homicide," the TV drama based on Sun reporter David Simon's book. And David Letterman got a warning to sign or else.Those were among the announcements made by NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield at a fall preview press conference here this weekend. Following the announcements, Littlefield spent most of the hourlong session trying to fight off hostile questions about "I Witness Video," a new "reality" show that features amateur video of beatings and murder.

Garths are uncommon on TV. There's Dana Carvey's "Wayne's World" character. And there was Garth Gimble, played by Martin Mull, who was impaled by a Christmas tree on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." Tonight, the Garth in question is Garth Brooks.* "Garth Brooks: The Hits" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., Channel 11) -- This special mixes clips from previous Brooks specials with recent concert footage and a live segment in which Mr. Brooks can pick up a phone and reach out and touch someone -- in the audience.

Whether you adore him or would just as soon never see him again, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has shown a knack for self-mockery. Admit it, you've chuckled at the Sprint commercial in which a badly disguised Manning extols the virtues of cell phone video by saying, "Like Peyton Manning! That guy's pretty good, if you like 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterbacks [with a] laser rocket arm." Does Manning need a script and many takes to pull off such moments? We'll find out tonight when he becomes the 22nd athlete and 25th sports figure (not counting professional wrestlers or actors from the Rocky films)

Following are the winners in major categories at the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards presented Sunday night:* Comedy series:"Seinfeld," NBC* Drama series:"Picket Fences," CB* Made-for-television movie:"Barbarians at the Gate," HBO and "Stalin," HBO (a tie)* Miniseries:"Mystery! Prime Suspect 2," PBS* Lead actor, comedy series:Ted Danson, "Cheers," NBC* Lead actress, comedy series:Roseanne Arnold, "Roseanne," ABCBTC * Lead actor, drama series:Tom Skerritt, "Picket Fences," CBS* Lead actress, drama series:Kathy Baker, "Picket Fences," CBS* Lead actor, miniseries or special:Robert Morse, "Tru (American Playhouse)