In the line of camera fire--a war story; stars sign onto new ‘Squares’; reopening Anne’s diary

Sunday

“Dying to Tell the Story” / 6 p.m. TBS

Photographers in war zones will say they “must be close to what’s happening” and that they can’t “hide behind the camera” in order to do their best work. It’s a case of seeing humanity at its extremes. Being perfectly blunt, another remarks, “We’re licensed idiots who go out and stand in the line of fire.” This two-hour documentary centers on the life and death of Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old journalist who was stoned to death in Somalia with three colleagues. The program is hosted by his sister, who journeys there to get a sense of what he did and why it was important to him.

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“The U.S.-Mexican War” / 9 p.m. KCET; concludes Monday

Think of this PBS program as “The Civil War” south of the border. Ricardo Montalban, Frederic Forrest, Shelley Duvall, Cliff DeYoung, Esai Morales and Eric Stoltz lend their voices to the two-part, four-hour documentary marking the 150th anniversary of the conflict over land, power and identity.

Monday

“Hollywood Squares” / 7:30 p.m. KCBS

It’s hip to be square again. Whoopi Goldberg, who knows a thing or two about failed talk shows, goes in a different direction as executive producer and center square of this game show revival. The new weeknight version, in which contestants play tic-tac-toe, has lined up celebs such as Rosie O’Donnell, Arsenio Hall, Garth Brooks and Whitney Houston. The host is Tom Bergeron (best known for “Fox After Breakfast”) who quips that, “with any luck, [it] will put my kids through college.”

Tuesday

“Anne Frank: The Missing Chapter” / 6 and 10 p.m. A&E;

A new installment of “Investigative Reports” is based on the just-released book, “Anne Frank: A Biography,” which promises new details about the Jewish teenager who hid for years from the Nazis with her family during World War II. Relying on interviews with historians and childhood friends, the documentary takes another look at Anne’s relationship with her mother, who is harshly depicted in the young woman’s renowned diary. Another question is reconsidered during the program: Who betrayed the families hiding in the annex?

Wednesday

“In Performance at the White House” / 9 p.m. KCET

Savion Glover and a host of talented hoofers strut their stuff for President and Mrs. Clinton on a PBS special taped in March. Glover opens the hour with a tap solo, then is joined by his group in a “Stomp”-style romp. Next, 70-year-old Jimmy Slyde shows off his signature tap moves and teams up on a dance number with 8-year-old Cartier Williams. Other segments feature traditional Irish “stepping,” a quartet of Lindy hoppers and Broadway performers Bebe Neuwirth and Karen Ziemba in song-and-dance routines from the musical “Chicago.”

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“Late Night With Conan O’Brien 5th Anniversary Special” / 10 p.m. NBC

When Dave Letterman was knocking ‘em dead for the Peacock, he was rewarded with his own prime-time anniversary shows. It seems only fair, then, that the network should bestow that same honor on its irreverent redhead. Consequently, he and sidekick Andy Richter look back at five years of wacky routines--from “If They Mated” and “In the Year 2000” to the no-barbs-barred “Clutch Cargo” interviews where O’Brien’s wicked writers put words in the mouths of the famous and infamous.

Saturday

“The 78th Annual Miss America Pageant” / 9 p.m. ABC

Boom or bust? Former quarterback Boomer Esiason and Meredith Vieira of “The View” are first-time hosts of the traditional telecast from Atlantic City. “Self-Expression” is the theme of this year’s spectacle focusing on the evolution of Miss America’s image. Sharon Stone will be honored as the 1998 Miss America Woman of Achievement for her humanitarian work in AIDS and HIV prevention, issues that occupied the attention of last year’s winner Kate Shindle.