Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"Rain Man" (1988), 7 p.m., NBC. One of the great movies of the 1980s gets another network turn. It's funny, sad and moving — sometimes all at the same time. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as an idiot savant, seeming to know almost everything and nothing. Tom Cruise is just as good as his overwrought brother. Now these two opposites must travel across the country. The result won the Academy Award for best picture. It also got Oscars for its script, director Barry Levinson and Hoffman.

"Sexaholix ... A Love Story," 7 p.m., HBO. It takes a one-man stage show to capture the immense talents of John Leguizamo. The gifted actor leaps nimbly between impersonations of men, women, the old and the young. He dances and sings well, and under a mask of cynicism and harsh language, he sensitively views human nature. This is his third stage show, and it provides a fascinating ride through his life.

Of Note

"Titanic" (1996), 7 p.m., Lifetime. This seemed like a pretty good miniseries when it aired on CBS. A year later, alas, the blockbuster movie came out and showed how it should be done. In this version, Catherine Zeta-Jones (not yet a big star then) played a beauty being sought by Peter Gallagher, while the ship prepared to go glug.

"Touched By an Angel," 7 p.m., CBS. Here's a new episode that's been on the shelf since Sept. 11. It involves picked-on students who plan to retaliate with a bomb.

"Volcano" (1997), 8 p.m., ABC. As if it didn't have enough troubles, Los Angeles now has a volcano bubbling underneath it. Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche are quite concerned about this.

"The District," 9 p.m., CBS. This reruns an episode that came after McGregor was killed. Nancy is still reeling from the loss. Meanwhile, Mannion (Craig T. Nelson) knows he'll have to face his archenemy, Putin (Michael Ironside).