Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Ganett News Service

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "Jurassic Park" (1993), 7 p.m., NBC. This won an Academy Award for its special effects. Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" fills the screen with compelling images. In sheer craftsmanship, Spielberg is unmatched. He uses the movie screen powerfully — without wasting a lot of money. "Jurassic Park" cost $59 million to make. Spielberg's flaw is that he occasionally works with a weak script. The current "A.I.," which he wrote himself, is one example; "Jurassic Park" is another.

"VH1 Behind the Music: Notorious B.I.G.," 1:30 p.m., VH1. The story of the 300-pound controversial rapper Biggie Smalls, born Christopher Wallace, is told in his own words through archival footage and current interviews with friends and family in this rerun. Theories also are exposed about the circumstances surrounding his brutal slaying.

"True Grit" (1969), 2 p.m., AMC. Continuing its John Wayne weekend, AMC offers his finest role. He plays a grizzled marshal helping a cute and bitter kid (Kim Darby) find revenge.

"Escape From L.A." (1996), 8 p.m., ABC. Director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell return to the concept of their 1981 "Escape From New York." This time, Los Angeles has been turned into a prison and Snake (Russell) must retrieve something from its nasty core.

"Walker, Texas Ranger," 8 p.m., CBS. Walker probes a lawyer's death.

"The Chronicle," 9 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. Here is the premiere of an offbeat series. A young reporter (Chad Willett) works for a tacky tabloid — and finds that all the weird stories are true, after all. Rena Sofer, fresh from "Melrose Place" and "Ed" — plays an oft-abducted writer.

"The District," 9 p.m., CBS. As Manion heads to the wedding of his ex-wife (Jean Smart), he still has fond memories of their old romance. So does she, and that creates complications.