Dangerous Minds

With sweeps behind us, you can be sure March will be full of two things: reruns and new series. Tonight's emphasis is on the former."ABC's Wide World of Sports" (4: 30 p.m.-6 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- With Sugar Ray Leonard set to come out of retirement (again) tonight, "Wide World" looks back at two of his greatest fights: the 1981 bout against Thomas Hearns, when a TKO earned him the undisputed World Welterweight crown, and the 1987 brawl against Marvelous Marvin Hagler, when he won a split decision against the defending Middleweight champion.

In the TV version of America, Newman of "Seinfeld" mostly doesn't deliver the mail. Marge Simpson's chain-smoking sisters, Selma and Patty Bouvier, are uncaring clerks at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Springfield. New York Mayor Randall Winston bungles through every episode of "Spin City." And a social worker on "The X-Files" turns out to be the devil in disguise."In the 1990s, public officials have the worst image of any major occupational group on television, and civil servants aren't far ahead of them," concluded a recent report by the Center for Media and Public Affairs.

Maryland Public Television will cover President Clinton's address to the Maryland General Assembly in its entirety starting at 11 a.m. today. Coverage will be rebroadcast at 7 tonight."

The parade of beautiful people continues on "Melrose Place," although now the show is borrowing them from its nighttime soap predecessors -- in this case, "Knots Landing.""National Geographic Presents" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- "Puma, Lion of the Andes" tracks a big cat named Penny through two years of living and raising young in the mountains of South America. NBC."Dangerous Minds" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Super-teacher Louanne takes an unpopular stand when she sticks up for a convicted child molester.

"Dangerous Minds" appears to have been made by people with simple minds.One of those inspirational-teacher things, it watches as a spunky, dedicated new educator brings her passion and commitment to her ragtag inner-city students and somehow manages to light their fires.That's the answer! Yes, spunk! That's what's wrong with America! We need more spunk! We have a spunk shortage, by gosh, and here's Michelle Pfeiffer to pitch in a couple of dozens of gallons of pure, creamy, Grade A spunk!

HOLLYWOOD -- Back in the '80s, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were featured members of Prince and the Revolution, living in the world of rock star royalty, platinum records and sold-out concerts. Those days -- as well as the gartered stockings and revealing blouses they wore on stage -- are a distant memory. Instead of facing a stadium of screaming fans, they're scoring a TV show, NBC's Crossing Jordan. Also making the jump from tour bus to tube is Mark Mothersbaugh, singer and songwriter of the group Devo, which achieved new wave prominence in the 1980s with the hit "Whip It."

I'M VERY SHALLOW AND EMPTY, AND HAVE no ideas and nothing interesting to say," a pale blonde (Shelley Hack) who is the image of WASP pulchritude informs Woody Allen in Annie Hall. Michelle Pfeiffer is the prototype of the pale blonde, but she cuts against this insult to her type with every acting move she makes. The 49-year-old actress accepts her cover-girl looks while bringing her characters' hidden yearnings and confusions to the fore, and even their twisted villainy. In 2001's White Oleander she tore into the role of an impossibly beautiful and talented artist-mother -- a mother as bad news and muse -- who sees her daughter only as an extension of herself and involves the girl in preparations for a murder.

Despite what the ads promised, the real star of the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards wasn't big winner the Smashing Pumpkins, who won in virtually every category in which they were nominated, including Video of the Year. Nor was it a multiple winner such as Coolio (who took the Best Dance and Best Rap Video awards), Best Female Video winner Alanis Morissette, or Viewers' Choice winner Bush.It certainly wasn't one of the performers, despite what Neil Young, the Fugees or KISS did on stage. It wasn't even one of the celebrity presenters, despite the best efforts of Rosie O'Donnell, Dennis Rodman, Jenny McCarthy, host Dennis Miller or the MIR cosmonauts.

Here are highlights from the long list of movies that are hoping to win big this summer. As always, some will change their release dates or drop out of the game altogether.May 19A Little Princess: From "Secret Garden" author Frances Hodgson Burnett, another tale of a plucky young British girl uprooted from her home in India and deposited in a grim place, this time a strict New York boarding school.Die Hard With a Vengeance: Bruce Willis' third attempt to stop the destruction of a large space pits unlucky detective John McClane against a mad bomber terrorizing Manhattan.

One in a series of occasional articles. It was in language arts class, four weeks into the school year, when Aileen Mercado saw the impact she was having on American children. As usual, her sixth-grade pupils were spending the first 10 minutes writing in journals. Unprompted, Elizabeth Mendoza decided to write about her teacher. I am going to tell you about Mrs. Mercado she is a very nice person and she is a beutiful lady. Then also Mrs Mercado is really helpful to me and every one in the school.