SMALL SCREEN THE BUZZ ON TELEVISION.

Byline: - Compiled by Valerie Kuklenski

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS: Fabien Cousteau, grandson of famed undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, has been comparing shark attacks in 1916 and the spate last summer along the East Coast, and he has concluded that the culprits in both cases probably were bull sharks, known to swim in salt or fresh water. The third-generation adventurer has made his first film for National Geographic on that subject, ``Attacks of the Mystery Shark,'' and it premieres today on MSNBC. Cousteau believes the great white shark of ``Jaws'' fame may have gotten its nasty reputation from being wrongly blamed for four deaths in New Jersey in 1916. The bull variety, on the other hand, is thought to be safe near humans in the Bahamas, where divers often swim among them. Then again, if anything approaches in the ocean with a firm dorsal fin, we're not sticking around long enough to verify its breed.

ATTACKS OF THE MYSTERY SHARK, 5 p.m. today, MSNBC.

HANG LOOSE: Later this evening, forget about deadly predators and remember the carefree beach life with Turner Classic Movies' surf series. Surfing documentarian Bruce Brown, soon to release his latest, ``Blue Crush,'' in theaters, will co-host a festival of his classics with TCM's Robert Osbourne each Sunday night this month. It begins tonight with ``The Endless Summer,'' a 1966 film covering two surfers traveling the world in search of year-round curls and pipelines. It's followed by ``Slippery When Wet,'' Brown's first film shot for $5,000.

THE ENDLESS SUMMER, 6 tonight; SLIPPERY WHEN WET, 7:45 tonight, TCM.

INSIDE ANNA: The waiting is over. ``The Anna Nicole Show,'' an apparent knock-off of MTV's wildly successful ``The Osbournes,'' debuts tonight on E!, giving viewers a peek into the private side of former Playboy pinup Anna Nicole Smith. I mean, who hasn't been lying awake wondering what day-to-day-life must be like for a non-rocket-scientist buxom blonde most famous for marrying a really old, really rich man and becoming a widow a short time later? The unscripted cast of characters includes her purple-haired assistant, Kim, who has ``Anna Nicole'' tattooed on her arm (in case she forgets her boss's name, we guess), and Anna Nicole's toy poodle, Sugar Pie. Note to Sugar Pie: If you're thinking about peeing on the furniture in front of the camera - it's been done.

THE ANNA NICOLE SHOW, 10 tonight, E!.

RINGING SUCCESS: If Nielsen weren't counting viewers for NBC, the network could gauge the success of its ``Crime & Punishment'' summer series from the hotline phone calls. Organizations operating the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the National Sexual Assault Hotline and Childhelp USA's hotline have reported spikes of 100 percent to 650 percent in 800-number calls following every episode of the courtroom reality series featuring San Diego criminal cases. Hotlines suited to the nature of the week's crime are shown at the end of the program.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT, 10 tonight, NBC.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Fabien Cousteau, following in his grandfather's footsteps.

(2) no caption (Bruce Brown)