Jazz, Opera, Country Music Make for Tuneful Viewing

Music is in the air and on the airwaves this weekend, whether it be country, hot jazz or opera.

Conrad Janis and the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, Jack Lemmon, Dudley Moore, Bea Arthur and Jackie Cooper make beautiful jazz music together on “This Joint Is Jumpin’,” Saturday at 10 p.m. on KCET-TV Channel 28. The session was taped at Hollywood’s Sunset Gower Studios.

“The Three Sopranos”--Kathleen Casello, Kallen Esperion and Cynthia Lawrence--sing highlights from “Tosca” and “La Traviata” in a concert taped last year in Los Angeles, Sunday at 9 p.m. on KCET.

Country legends Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson perform on the latest edition of VH1’s “Storytellers,” at 10 p.m. Sunday. Cash sings “Ring of Fire” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” and Nelson croons “On the Road Again,” “Funny How Time Slips Away” and “Crazy.”

Other weekend fare:

Today

HBO’s “Heart of a Child,” at 8 p.m., chronicles the story of Amy, a little girl who endured multiple transplant surgeries for her heart and lungs. The documentary, from Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon, covers four years in the youngster’s life.

Former “Saturday Night Live” star Mike Myers, now headlining in the hit comedy “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” hosts the “1997 MTV Movie Awards,” scheduled for 9 p.m. on MTV. The offbeat categories include best kiss and best on-screen duo. Bush, En Vogue and Jewel are among the performers. Chris O’Donnell, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, Alicia Silverstone and Michael Richards are scheduled to present. The special was taped last Saturday at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

“Not a Simple Story” and “Out in Silence” are two half-hour films by Christine Choy that tell the stories of two Asian Pacific Americans--one straight and one gay--who have both lost loved ones to AIDS. The telecast begins at 10 p.m. on KCET-TV Channel 28.

Friday

Showtime presents the Oscar-winning classic “The Godfather” at 8 p.m., in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The Academy Award-winning 1974 sequel, “The Godfather Part II,” is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m.

Charles Kuralt narrates “First Person Singular,” at 10 p.m. on Channel 28, a documentary about historian John Hope Franklin. The Oklahoma native witnessed race riots in Tulsa, taught African American history and was involved in the civil rights struggle.

Saturday

East Los Angeles’ newly crowned world welterweight champ, Oscar De La Hoya, takes on Kenya’s David Kamu in a scheduled 12-round bout from the Alamodome in San Antonio, at 6:30 p.m. on HBO. Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and George Foreman will be ringside.

KCET’s popular Huell Howser hosts “Huell’s Movable Feast,” at 7 p.m. on Channel 28. He visits some of the City of Angels’ favorite restaurants, sampling everything from French fries to French cuisine.

Peter Gallagher, Marcia Gay Harden and Art Malik star in the HBO docudrama “Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing” at 9 p.m. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the extremist followers of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman narrowly eluded authorities.

Robert Wuhl returns as the fast-talking sports agent in the HBO comedy series “Arli$$,” which kicks off its second season at midnight.

Sunday

KCET repeats “A Grand Day Out” and “A Close Shave,” starting at 2 p.m. on Channel 28. Animator Nick Parks’ Oscar-winning shorts feature his beloved creations Wallace and Gromit.

Rosie Rowell stars in the A&E; drama “Kiss and Tell,” at 5 and 9 p.m. Rowell plays a cop who goes undercover as a lonely woman in order to get a man to confess he killed his wife.

“Power, Greed, Murder: The Making of ‘The Cotton Club’ Movie,” at 5 p.m. on E! Entertainment Television, is a docudrama investigating the slaying of producer Roy Radin, who was involved in financing the 1984 movie.

“Bravo Profiles,” at 5 and 10 p.m., offers a look at legendary Howard Hawks, who directed such films as “The Big Sleep,” “Red River” and “His Girl Friday.”

The Disney Channel offers up the “Hercules World Premiere Special,” at 7:30 p.m., which features coverage of the gala premiere festivities in New York of Disney’s 35th full-length animated feature. Celebrity arrivals, a “Hercules Electrical Parade” and a fireworks display with Michael Bolton singing are among the highlights.

“Incredible Journeys,” airing at 8 p.m. and midnight on Discovery, is a BBC miniseries which looks at the lengthy and dangerous migrations of different animals, including the caribou calf, the western diamondback rattlesnake, monarch butterflies and eels.