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Show 2 Tm DurHeuu Sarah Jessica Parker explores "Sex and the City" anew on HBO By Jay Bobbin, Tribune Media Services r anybody knows that "Sex" sells, s Sarah Jessica Parker. The actress has scored arguably her biggest career milestone by starring in "Sex and the City," the racy HBO comedy that has earned her two Golden Globe Awards. Inspired by the d Candace Bushnell book, the show launches its fourth season k Sunday (10 p.m.) with two episodes that continue the romantic misadventures of New York City relationship columnist Carrie (Parker) and her closest friends: pub executive Samantha (Kind Cattrall), lawyer Miranda (Cynthia and troubled Nixon) newlywed Charlotte (Kristin Davis). Though Carrie called it quits again last year with her sometimes-bea- u known only as "Mr. Big" (Chris Noth) TSex and the Citjr devotees shouldn t be too surprised to see him in the first new story, in which Carrie struggles with being single as she turns 35. The second tale makes her an amateur model in a friend's (Margaret Cho) fashion show, where she walks the runway with the likes of Heidi Klum (who plays herself). Both episodes were written and directed by Michael Patrick King, the program's executive producer. (Series mentor Darren Star now has an advisory role.) With its first two seasons now avail able on home video, the iconic status on :Sex and the City was confirmed by an issue of Time that put the four stars on the cover for a story on today's single woman. Such attention both pleases Parker and makes her nervous. "People have made a decision to pay to watch our show, and we take that very seriously," she says. "We can'fJ pull any punches with our audience. They're too smart for that, so we have to go the next step, which I feel we do in the first new episode. It may not be the most enjoyable thing, but it's the most honest, hopefully. "Being on cable, we're not exposed to as many viewers or in as many homes (as broadcast-networ- k shows), but we certainly are aware of how people have responded. Still, we recognize we can't produce a show based same-name- back-to-bac- on what we think (our audience) expects from us. We just have to do the smartest, funniest, most thought-fi- ll show we can, and not worry about living up to whatever success it has had. No one is more thrilled than we are about getting two Golden Globes (for Outstanding Comedy Series), but it also makes us scared. It's very daunting, so we just have to let it go and try to be good." As a producer of the show, Parker gets a preview of the "Sex and the City" season entire before filming begins, though she to a degree. "In late Octothat regrets ber every year, Michael Patrick pitches me the (upcoming) season. He generally does it just to see if it feels right to me, and there's nothing I ever say except, "Wow! How did you think of that? Once I've heard it, I let it all leave my brain. That way, every time I get a new script, I don't know the specifics of what's coming. I am the only woman on the show who doesn't read each script right away. It's too much information for me, since Carrie wouldn't know it yet." While "Sex and the City" is technically a comedy, it often gives Parker poignant moments to play, as with Carrie's involvement with Mr. Big while he was married last year. "I am endlessly satisfied, and surprised, by the ability of the writers to create pathos along with the funny stuff" Parker reflects. "I think men and women who are alone experience all those things, great humiliations along with wonderfully exciting moments. You never really know, once you turn the corner, what you might find next." Executive producer King strives to keep that element in the series, and he says, "It's a real treat for me to be able to decide, 'Where are they now?" We try to move these women forward as in real life, not as on a TV show. We ended last season with the four of them on a rooftop deciding they have very lovely lives, so the next thing is, 'What happens to make those lives lovely?" We're also able to play with the reality of their getting older. We don't have to pretend that they're 27. This isn't frozen the way other shows are." E3lfeproytmi5 feigned to be Ofpropratofvridiidnm WThs designed for This JSAV diil- - drogeoU0 13 parents would find this program suitable tor oil oges Most younger dadren program contains some material te SKsrit Index Rating GuideConversion Guide Sunday Programming. 2 3-- 4 . ....... Weekday Daytime ftogramming. ...... Monday Programming 5-- 8 .. 7 8 Tuesday Programming Wednesday Programming Piday Programming .. Movies and TaILL. ... . ATT Provo Animal Planet 26 . 26 .24. .23 Arts And Entertainment 42 . 24 .36. .49 AMC American Movie Classics. 30 .30 .44. BET Black Entertainment TV. CART Cartoon Network. 35. 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NIC Nickelodeon NOST Nostalgia ODY Odyssey PREVIEW Preview Channel SCIFI Science Fiction 40 TBS WTBS, Atlanta 8 FOOD Television Food Network TLC TNT The Learning Channel Turner Network TV TMNDO Telemundo TCM Turner Classic Movies TRAV The Travel Channel. USA USA Network. VH1 Video Hits WGN WGN, Chicago MTV A. : Stations . 53 50 73 21 19 39 . 35. 37 59 30 . 37 .34 46. 43 : 48 40 ; . 40 15 8 26 17 : 77 8 .58 23 38 .... 42 .27 48 23 .25 25 31 39 . '.. 45 1 . 44 33 24 .22 55 .... 18 36 36. 99 1. . . . t .49 .47 - jfce. Bas, 30 : Independent Cable Companies ' Network Affiliation An Orem 2. KUTV2 CBS,. KTVX4 ABC. ................. .4 KSL5 NBC. ......5 KUED7 PBS FOX 12-1- 3 KJZZ14 UPN 14-1- KUWB WB. 5 Provo Cable ATT Orem A & E KSTU 13 11 . ,fTJV!r,'r:,Fili ANIMAL PBS 10 .f ATT Springville Uof . . . Saturday Programming Cable Channels KULC9 : Thursday Programming fl 1 KBYU 11 ..9 ; : 3 - 9, 2001 Sulqy, U , ATT PROVO ... ... 2 2 4........ 4 4 5 5. 5 2. .7 9. 9 11 13 . ... ... ....... .7. '. 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