WORTH NOTING ON TV

* FRIDAY

...talking with David Frost (PBS, 9-10 p.m.): Frost's guest is the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti, whose eminent status in classical music was further enhanced when his 1990 album ``Three Tenors'' (with Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo) sold some 10 million copies, becoming the the best-selling classical release of all time.

The loquacious British host asks the philosophical Italian about his personal and professional life, and Pavarotti obliges by exploring his own future and assessing the opera world today. He calls opera ``not a poker game ... a chess game ... and if you lose, you don't have any excuse.''

In 1972 Pavarotti made an impact by singing the notoriously challenging string of high C's in the aria ``Pour Mon Ame'' from ``The Daughter of the Regiment,'' a demand most tenors avoid by singing the aria in a lower key. On the show he says that next season he will attempt it again.

At another point in the interview Pavarotti stops to demonstrate his breathing exercises. Their effectiveness is demonstrated when the show offers clips of Pavarotti singing a few of his more familiar arias. * SATURDAY

Christmas at Home With the Stars (ABC, 8-9 p.m.): Here's a show whose content demonstrates how far some Christmas specials have come from the days of the all-white, all-pop, all nuclear-family Christmas specials of old that usually featured middle-aged male singers.

The old-style shows are still very much in evidence this season, but this special combines the worlds of R&B, soul, country, swing, and other genres.

A cross-section of some of today's top recording stars like Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Toni Braxton, Barry Manilow, Carly Simon, Amy Grant, Vince Gill - and some TV personalities like the Olsen twins - appear in their homes, in Los Angeles, Detroit, Nashville, and elsewhere.

It is family entertainment, but through a wider lens.

Please check local listings for these programs.

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