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August 2009 Program Highlights
Saturday
Media Meet “Making Ends Meet in 2009” With budgets short and expenses high, how can residents make ends meet in 2009? We'll hear from financial experts on what families and individuals can do to make a dollar work harder in today's economy. Saturday, August 1 at 6:30 pm ET Repeats 8/2 at 1:30 pm ET
Great Performances
“Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Celebration From Madison Square Garden” Pete Seeger, legendary folk artist and pioneer of protest music, turned 90 in May 2009. Joining him for a concert event at Madison Square Garden to celebrate this milestone birthday are Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie, Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal, Dave Matthews, Roger McGuinn, John Mellencamp, Peggy Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and many others who perform songs inspired by his music and activism. Saturday, August 1 at 7 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Repeats 8/6 at 8 pm ET
My Music: My Generation – The 60s
This production from the MY MUSIC series focuses on the years 1965-1969 and includes essential 60s folk rock, R&B and pop hits from the decade of change, peace, love and protest music. Performers include: Marilyn McCooÊand Billy Davis Jr., original members of the Fifth Dimension, performing a pair of their million-selling hits, “Wedding Bell Blues” and “One Less Bell to Answer;” Jackie DeShannon singing her Grammy Hall of Fame classic “What The World Needs Now Is Love;” and the legendary jazz-pop group Blood, Sweat and Tears with their 1969 gold records “Spinning Wheel” and “You Made Me So Very Happy.” Also performing are Ron Dante, lead singer of the animated music group the Archies, soft-rock pioneers the Association, Dennis Tufano, lead singer of the Buckinghams, folk-rock group We Five, and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. Saturday, August 1 at 9 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Repeats 8/6 at 1 pm ET
Sunday
NOW on PBS PBS’ Emmy-winning weekly newsmagazine engages viewers by probing the most important issues facing democracy. Hosted by veteran journalist David Brancaccio, NOW on PBS pursues the stories overlooked by other public affairs broadcasts and travels the nation to shed light on the important public policy issues that have real-world impact on working Americans. Details on this week's program will be available closer to air date. Sunday, August 2 at 11:30 am ET
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind This powerful and informative health and wellness series continues with a strong line-up of topics for its 12th season. Uplifting and energizing, this award-winning series explores the personal side of health breakthroughs in treatment, prevention and research with well-told real stores of doctors, scientists and patients. Every episode focuses on the stories of real people who are working to make life better for themselves and their families, despite tremendous medical obstacles. Sundays at 3 pm ET, begins August 2
Immaculée: Hold Onto Hope
Immaculée Ilibagiza survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide — which left a million people dead, including her parents — by hiding in a tiny bathroom with seven other women for 91 days. She tells her story of survival and forgiveness in this program, which features highlights from her speech at the Magnolia Performing Arts Pavilion on the Baton Rouge Community College campus. Ilibagiza is the author of two books, Left to Tell and Led by Faith: Rising From the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide. Both books explain how she has found the strength to overcome the tragedy and forgive the people who perpetrated it. She hopes that speaking out will help prevent genocide and that her message of faith, hope, forgiveness and reconciliation can help people seek peace in their own lives. Sunday, August 2 at 4 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Daniel O’Donnell at Home in Ireland
For Daniel O’Donnell, there’s no place like home. In this special, O’Donnell, with his longtime singing partner Mary Duff, performs for the people at home in Ireland at a new concert hall in Letterkenny, located in his home county of Donegal. The program presents a combination of familiar Irish tunes and American favorites. Throughout the special, O’Donnell sings at some of his favorite locations in Ireland. Sunday, August 2 at 5:30 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Repeats 8/3 at 1 pm ET
Julia Child Memories: Bon Appetit!
Celebrate the woman who has been credited with introducing French cooking techniques to mainstream America. Julia will also forever be remembered as the country’s first celebrity chef that brought the world of food to television viewers when she flipped a ground breaking omelet on national public television on Feb 11, 1963. That moment signaled the launch of decades of cooking on television—the first ten of which were most memorably, "The French Chef with Julia Child." Sunday, August 2 at 7 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Repeats 8/4 at 1 pm ET
Great Performances “Vivere: Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany”
Superstar Andrea Bocelli returns to his native Italy for a concert of his greatest hits, along with the debut of new songs. Taped at a specially constructed theater on the slopes of the ancient hill town of Lajatico in Tuscany, Bocelli is joined by special guests Chris Botti, Heather Headley, Kenny G., David Foster, Lang Lang, Eliza, Laura Pausini and Sarah Brightman for an evening of romantic favorites. Sunday, August 2 at 9 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Big Band Boogie Woogie: Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival One magical evening not long ago 22 musicians and an ecstatic audience were transported back to a time when big bands ruled the dance halls and the boogie woogie beat was king. This unique concert event is punctuated by insightful commentary from the artists about the music and its history, and gives you the best seats in the house - and the best spots on the dance floor. Sunday, August 2 at Midnight ET Repeats 8/3 at Noon ET
Monday
Andre Rieu: Live in Vienna Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra and Choir perform on the square in front of the Hofburg Palace in the heart of Vienna. The concert includes compositions by famous Viennese composers Johann Strauss, Franz Lehar, Emmerich Kalman, W.A. Mozart, Robert Stolz and others. Joining the musicians are the Ballet of Vienna State Opera, the Vienna debutantes from the Elmayer Dance School, the Platinum Tenors and sopranos Carmen Monarcha, Carla Maffioletti, Mirusia Louwerse and Suzan Erens. Monday, August 3 at 9 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Repeats 8/5 at 1 pm ET
Tuesday
American Barn Stories and Other Tales From the Heartlands This program profiles a number of old barns in Wisconsin and Illinois, and visits with historians, academics, farmers and a batch of quirky local characters working to save old barns in the heartland of the midwest. Barn owners are encouraged to save their old structures and the program offers information on how to approach the preservation process. Tuesday, August 4 at 3 pm ET
Dr. Wayne Dyer: Excuses Begone!
Ten years after his first public television pledge special, Dr. Wayne Dyer presents a program based on his newest book, Excuses Begone! Through identifying excuses that are self-defeating, Dr. Dyer teaches viewers that they can choose their way of thinking, change damaging habits and move into new realms of possibility. Tuesday, August 4 at 8 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Wednesday
The Big Band Years
My Music presents its first “Big Band” music retrospective featuring the biggest songs that got us through World War II and kick-started the baby boom with brassy legends that will take you on a sentimental journey. This warm and nostalgic program compiles the original hit makers and legends who define the GI generations’ memories. Peter Marshall (of the legendary Hollywood Squares) hosts this event which, for the first time, mixes vintage live, rare, and unreleased footage from the Big Band days. Wednesday, August 5 at 8 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Repeats 8/11 at 1 pm ET
Levon Helm Ramble at the Ryman
Most Saturdays since January 2004, Levon Helm has hosted evenings of music at his home studio in Woodstock, New York, that have come to be known as “The Midnight Ramble.” On September 17, 2008, Levon took the Midnight Ramble on the road to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville where -- accompanied by such luminaries as Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow and Sam Bush, among others -- the Levon Helm Band gave birth to a performance that will live for the ages. Wednesday, August 5 at 10 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Thursday
Great Performances
“Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Celebration From Madison Square Garden” Pete Seeger, legendary folk artist and pioneer of protest music, turned 90 in May 2009. Joining him for a concert event at Madison Square Garden to celebrate this milestone birthday are Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie, Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal, Dave Matthews, Roger McGuinn, John Mellencamp, Peggy Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and many others who perform songs inspired by his music and activism. Thursday, August 6 at 8 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Rick Steves’ European Insights Rick Steves brings art and history to life in Pisa, provides thoughtful history lessons while visiting Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden and the Danish Nazi Resistance Museum in Copenhagen, and keeps viewers up-to-speed on breaking developments in Europe's ethnic diversity and investment in its infrastructure. Thursday, August 6 at 10:30 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Repeats 8/11 at 3 pm ET
Friday
P.O.V. “Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music”
In this classic 1969 documentary, the Man in Black is captured at his peak, the first of many in a looming roller-coaster career. Fresh on the heels of his Folsom Prison album, Cash displays the dark intensity and raw talent that made him a country music star and cultural icon. Director Robert Elfstrom got closer than any other filmmaker to Cash, who is seen performing with his new bride, June Carter Cash; in a rare duet with Bob Dylan; and behind the scenes with friends, family and aspiring young musicians. This program paints an unforgettable portrait that endures beyond the singer’s 2003 death. Friday, August 7 at 1 pm ET
NOW on PBS
“The Green Energy Dream”
As America looks to dramatically increase its use of renewable energy, an inconvenient reality stands in the way: the need to upgrade the country's antiquated electricity grid. Part of that overhaul involves the construction of gigantic and expensive long-distance transmission lines to carry clean energy from remote sites to population centers. This week NOW travels to California, which has the most ambitious clean energy plan in the nation. But the state's efforts face stiff opposition from property owners and conservationists who prefer renewable energy from "local sources," such as photovoltaic rooftop solar panels. Complicating the matter are claims that the transmission lines are not actually carrying renewable energy at all, but represent a thinly-disguised strategy to stick to old energy practices. Friday, August 7 at 8:30 pm ET
Repeats Sunday at 11:30 am ET
Bill Moyers Journal
“Change, Growth, and New Learning”
There's a cultural shift in America, says Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. This week, Bill Moyers speaks with one of America's leading educators and author of The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot is the first African American woman in the history of Harvard to have an endowed professorship named in her honor. She's been on the faculty for 37 years, and her career as a scholar has won her the prestigious MacArthur fellowship and the George Ledlie prize for research. And, photographic artist Chris Jordan turns the statistics of consumerism into palpable images in his startling series Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait and Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption. Friday, August 7 at 9 pm ET
Saturday
Media Meet
“The State of the State of Michigan”
Representative Steve Lindberg and Senator Mike Prusi discuss the state of Michigan including the economy, the budget, how the stimulus package is working and much more. Saturday, August 8 at 6:30 pm ET
Repeats 8/9 at 1:30 pm ET
Daniel O’Donnell at Home in Ireland
For Daniel O’Donnell, there’s no place like home. In this special, O’Donnell, with his longtime singing partner Mary Duff, performs for the people at home in Ireland at a new concert hall in Letterkenny, located in his home county of Donegal. The program presents a combination of familiar Irish tunes and American favorites. Throughout the special, O’Donnell sings at some of his favorite locations in Ireland. Saturday, August 8 at 8 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Last of the Breed The hit album by the legendary Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price is now a once-in-a-lifetime concert event. Taped in March 2007, at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago during the final performance of their sold out tour, the threesome delivers rousing performances of their greatest hits in the richest voices this side of the Rio Grande. Saturday, August 8 at 9:30 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Repeats 8/10 at 1 pm ET
Sunday
Loretta Laroche: Juicy Living, Juicy Aging
Loretta LaRoche, the irreverent humorist, speaker, author and health expert, tackles the question uppermost in the minds of many viewers: How can a person age with energy and vitality? Using the most recent scientific findings about linguistics, positive psychology and diet, she covers the full spectrum of “juicy content” — language, energy, diet, emotions and behavior. Sunday, August 9 at 4 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
The UltraMind Solution: Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety and Sharpen Your Mind with Mark Hyman, MD Is it possible to cure depression, recover from autism, reverse dementiaÉwithout the use of drugs or psychotherapy? In a radical departure from the classic therapies, Dr. Mark Hyman shares a revolutionary new method for treating this invisible epidemic of “broken brains” that affect one out of every four of us. Sunday, August 9 at 5:30 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop
Take a stroll down memory lane with some of the greatest recording artists from the 50s pop era. The second installment of the My Music series, hosted by Mary Lou Metzker, Phyllis McGuire, Pat Boone, Debbie Reynolds and Patti Page, features a cavalcade of 1950s pop music recording legends, who reunite to perform their biggest hits. Sunday, August 9 at 8 pm ET - also on TV13/HD Great Performances
“Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Celebration From Madison Square Garden”
Pete Seeger, legendary folk artist and pioneer of protest music, turned 90 in May 2009. Joining him for a concert event at Madison Square Garden to celebrate this milestone birthday are Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie, Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Kris Kristofferson, Taj Mahal, Dave Matthews, Roger McGuinn, John Mellencamp, Peggy Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and many others who perform songs inspired by his music and activism. Sunday, August 9 at 9:30 pm ET - also on TV13/HD
Big Band Blues: Motor City Blues & Boogie Woogie Festival “If you cannot play the blues,” says saxophonist Red Holloway, “you cannot play good jazz.” This program presents performances from a magical concert event where 22 musicians and an ecstatic audience were transported back to a time when big bands ruled the dance halls, punctuated by insightful commentary from the artists about the relationship between, blues, boogie woogie, jazz and swing music. You’ll have the best seats in the house - and the best spots on the dance floor! Sunday, August 9 at Midnight ET Repeats 8/10 at Noon ET
Monday
Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the FSA/OWI Photographers This film brings to life the remarkable stories behind the legendary group of New Deal-sponsored photographers who traversed the country in the 1930s and early 1940s, capturing the face of Depression-era America. The program explores the personal vision and the struggles experienced by photographers Gordon Parks, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott and Jack Delano, who created some of the most iconic images in history. This unlikely group of photographers and artists was brought together by a fiery prairie populist and government bureaucrat named Roy Stryker. Julian Bond narrates. Monday, August 10 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/12 at 2 pm ET
Tuesday
Rick Steves’ European Insights Rick Steves brings art and history to life in Pisa, provides thoughtful history lessons while visiting Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden and the Danish Nazi Resistance Museum in Copenhagen, and keeps viewers up-to-speed on breaking developments in Europe's ethnic diversity and investment in its infrastructure. Tuesday, August 11 at 3 pm ET
NOVA “The Deadliest Plane Crash” NOVA presents a gripping investigation of what went wrong when two Boeing 747 airliners collided in thick fog on the runway at a tiny airport in the Canary Islands, killing 583 passengers and crew — the worst loss of life in any air disaster. With heart-breaking survivor interviews, re-enactments and a detective story approach, NOVA pieces together the clues that led to a fatal take-off decision by the highly experienced captain of the KLM 747, who couldn’t see the Pan Am 747 still parked on the runway, lost in the fog ahead of him. The disaster led to fundamental improvements in air safety, but experts worry that a repeat of the Tenerife disaster could still happen. Tuesday, August 11 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/12 at Noon ET
Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-energize America This award-winning film is a timely, solutions-oriented look at one of America’s most pressing environmental challenges: energy. Filmmaker Jeff Barrie offers hope as he turns the camera on himself and asks, How can I make a difference? In his journey Barrie explores the source of our electricity and the problems caused by energy production including mountain top removal, childhood asthma and global warming. Tuesday, August 11 at 10 pm ET
Wednesday
Live from Lincoln Center
“Joshua Bell and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra”
The Mostly Mozart Festival this summer marks the 200th anniversaries of Haydn’s death and Mendelssohn’s birth. Maestro Louis Langrée leads the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and master violinist Joshua Bell in two works by Mendelssohn: the illustrious Violin Concerto and his stand-alone concert work, “The Hebrides”; Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D Major (“London”); and Mozart’s Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in C Major and Adagio for Violin and Orchestra in E Major. Wednesday, August 12 at 8 pm ET
Wide Angle “Victory Is Your Duty” Dominating the field of Olympic boxing for the past quarter-century, Cuba's gold medal-winning athletes have propelled their tiny nation onto the world stage and served as an unconventional tool of foreign and domestic policy. Now, for the first time ever, the legendary Havana Boxing Academy - where physical training and revolutionary indoctrination go hand in hand - has opened its doors to a foreign film crew. As Fidel Castro's faltering health throws the future into question, this program reveals the academy as a microcosm of Cuban society, where grade-school boys are groomed to fight for the honor of the revolution. Wednesday, August 12 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/13 at 2 pm ET
Thursday
Walking the Great Divide: A Journey Along the Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide Trail provides a 3,100-mile scenic backdrop — from the mountain lakes and grizzly bears of Glacier National Park to the crimson sunsets and lava flows of El Malpais National Monument. Award-winning filmmaker Mark Flagler embarks on a six-month journey to traverse the primitive backcountry trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada. The film captures Flagler's trials and triumphs as he braves high-altitude trekking, intense desert heat, cross-country navigation and deep canyons in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Part 1 of 2. Thursday, August 13 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/14 at 2:30 pm ET
America’s Ballroom Challenge “American Smooth” They come by the thousands to see if they have what it takes to be the best. The finest ballroom dancers in North America gather annually at the greater Columbus convention center in the heart of Ohio to compete to be named America’s best. In the third season of this series, the top professional dancers compete in the four most popular ballroom styles: American Smooth, American Rhythm, International Standard and International Latin. This week, dancers compete in the American Smooth division. Adapted from the traditional standard dances of Europe, American Smooth includes four dances: waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz. At the end of the episode, the judges will announce the winners in this category. Thursday, August 13 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/16 at Midnight ET
Friday
NOW on PBS
PBS ’ Emmy-winning weekly newsmagazine engages viewers by probing the most important issues facing democracy. Hosted by veteran journalist David Brancaccio, NOW on PBS pursues the stories overlooked by other public affairs broadcasts and travels the nation to shed light on the important public policy issues that have real-world impact on working Americans. Details on this week's program will be available closer to air date. Friday, August 14 at 8:30 pm ET Repeats 8/16 at 11:30 am ET
Bill Moyers Journal Features interviews and news analysis on a wide range of subjects, including politics, arts and culture, the media, the economy and issues facing democracy. Detailed program information will be available just prior to broadcast. Friday, August 14 at 9 pm ET
Saturday
Media Meet
“Congressman Bart Stupak”
How will economic stimulus programs and health care reform affect Upper Peninsula residents? Congressman Bart Stupak will discuss current issues before Congress, including health care legislation and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and their local impacts. Saturday, August 15 at 6:30 pm ET Repeats 8/16 at 1:30 pm ET
Special TV13/HD Presentation:
Great Performances at the MET
“La Cenerentola” After her triumphant 2008 Met debut as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Elina Garanca portrays another Rossini heroine in this operatic Cinderella story. Lawrence Brownlee is her Prince Charming, with veteran baritone Alessandro Corbelli and Met favorite John Relyea rounding out the cast and Maurizio Benini conducting. (Please note: This program will be presented on TV13/HD, Channel 13.2 only.) Saturday, August 15 at 9 pm ET on TV13/HD, Channel 13.2 Only
Austin City Limits “Manu Chao” French/Spanish singer/songwriter and international star Manu Chao showcases politically charged, danceable rock ‘n’ roll from his album La Radiolina. Saturday, August 15 at 10 pm ET
Sunday
Nature
“Horse and Rider”
Every relationship between horse and rider rests on a few fundamental principles — understanding the animal, building trust, communication and working in unison. Sunday, August 16 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/20 at Noon ET
Masterpiece Mystery! “Inspector Lewis: Old School Ties” In an encore of the first series featuring Kevin Whately as Inspector Lewis, the much-loved Oxford policeman is joined by Laurence Fox as his young partner, DS Hathaway. This week, Lewis and Hathaway are called in to investigate the death of an ambitious Oxford student, revealing a case driven by celebrity, ambition and dangerous sexual politics. Sunday, August 16 at 9 pm ET Repeats 8/17 at 1 pm ET
Atchafalaya Houseboat
This journey back in time goes deep into Louisiana’s million-acre Atchafalaya Swamp for an adventure with writer Gwen Roland, who 30 years earlier built a houseboat by hand and lived as her forebears had generations earlier. Roland’s heritage provides an unusual backdrop for a universal story of self-discovery and the embrace of youthful idealism and a simpler life. The program features images by National Geographic photographer C.C. Lockwood. Sunday, August 16 at 10:30 pm ET
Monday
Objects and Memory
This program examines the response to items recovered or offered after 9/11 and other national tragedies. The film uses objects and accounts of people whose lives were affected, interviews with historians and poignant, powerful photographic images. Why do people value objects? What is it about a piece of paper, a chunk of metal or a small coin that provokes such powerful memories? Without the objects, the stories would lack vibrancy; without the stories, the objects would lack significance. Taken together, images of these objects, the memories they evoke and the accounts of their collection lead viewers on a path where the commonplace is transformed into the remarkable and the stuff of history is highly personalized. Monday, August 17 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/19 at 2 pm ET
Tuesday
Cinema XIII Classics
“Adventures of Tartu”
At the height of World War II, British military captain Robert Donat goes undercover as a Rumanian guard in order to destroy a German poison gas factory. After his contact his captured, he is left stranded in Nazi-controlled territory. But when he befriends a local Czech girl, will she help him complete his mission or turn him in? Riveting thriller co-stars Valerie Hobson, Walter Rilla, Glynis Johns. (1943) Tuesday, August 18 at 1 pm ET
Untold Stories From America’s National Parks “City Kids” Explores National Park Service efforts to bring inner city kids into the parks, often for their first encounters with wilderness. The film tells the story through the lens of two programs — Biscayne National Park, a successful, well-established program working with fifth graders from greater Miami, and Death Valley National Park, a new program working with seventh grade students from Las Vegas — and is underpinned by the kids themselves: what they're learning about the earth, about teamwork, and about themselves. Tuesday, August 18 at 2:45 pm ET
Making the Connection: Rail-Trails in Michigan Today As told by trail users, business owners, residents, and elected officials, this program describes the successes of trail development and use across the state of Michigan. The Pere-Marquette Rail-Trail, the Paint Creek Trail, the Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation trails, the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail, and the Lansing River Trail are featured. Tuesday, August 18 at 3 pm ET
NOVA “Hunting the Hidden Dimension” What do movie special effects, the stock market, heart attacks and the rings of Saturn have in common? They’re all connected by a revolutionary new branch of math called fractals, which changed the way we see the world and opened up a vast new territory to scientific analysis and understanding. NOVA tells the dramatic story of a group of pioneering mathematicians who developed fractals from a curiosity that few took seriously to an approach that is touching nearly every branch of understanding — including what happened after the Big Bang and the ultimate fate of our universe. Tuesday, August 18 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/19 at Noon ET
P.O.V. “P.O.V. Shorts Program” This collection of acclaimed documentary shorts by established and emerging filmmakers includes: Utopia, Part 3: The World’s Largest Shopping Mall, Nutkin’s Last Stand, 34x25x36, and City of Cranes. Tuesday, August 18 at 10 pm ET
Wednesday
Objects and Memory
This program examines the response to items recovered or offered after 9/11 and other national tragedies. The film uses objects and accounts of people whose lives were affected, interviews with historians and poignant, powerful photographic images. Why do people value objects? What is it about a piece of paper, a chunk of metal or a small coin that provokes such powerful memories? Without the objects, the stories would lack vibrancy; without the stories, the objects would lack significance. Taken together, images of these objects, the memories they evoke and the accounts of their collection lead viewers on a path where the commonplace is transformed into the remarkable and the stuff of history is highly personalized. Wednesday, August 19 at 2 pm ET
Time Team Special Edition This special from the original UK Time Team series takes viewers on an expedition to Jamestown, where a British company’s commercial enterprise planted the seeds of the United States. There have been nearly a million finds from the site’s trenches, but this is far more than just an excavation. The team retrieves piles of perfectly preserved 17th-century pieces, traces the names and life stories of the early American pioneers, and learns why a third of them died within months of arrival. Then, in part two, Britain’s most famous archaeologists tear into The Queen’s gardens in an unprecedented opportunity to unearth the secrets of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. Wednesday, August 19 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/21 at Noon ET
Wide Angle
“Eyes of the Storm”
On May 2, 2008, a Category 4 cyclone made landfall on Burma’s southern coast. Winds of 130 miles per hour raged all night, and storm surge drowned much of the Irrawaddy Delta in over 12 feet of water. Whole villages vanished, at least 130,000 people died, and two million were left homeless, making Cyclone Nargis the worst natural disaster in Burma’s history. Among the survivors were thousands of children orphaned or separated from their parents. “Eyes of the Storm” tells the struggles of several orphaned children left to fend for themselves and rebuild their shattered lives in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. Wednesday, August 19 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/20 at 2 pm ET
Thursday
Walking the Great Divide: A Journey Along the Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide Trail provides a 3,100-mile scenic backdrop — from the mountain lakes and grizzly bears of Glacier National Park to the crimson sunsets and lava flows of El Malpais National Monument. Award-winning filmmaker Mark Flagler meets fellow endurance hikers, takes in spectacular scenery and discovers hidden jewels, and highlights some of the issues that have surrounded the "King of Trails" since its inception. (Part 2 of 2.) Thursday, August 20 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/21 at 2:30 pm ET
America’s Ballroom Challenge “American Rhythm” They come by the thousands to see if they have what it takes to be the best. The finest ballroom dancers in North America gather annually at the greater Columbus convention center in the heart of Ohio to compete to be named America’s best. this week, dancers compete in the American Rhythm division. Dances in this category consist of the cha cha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo. With the exception of swing, which began in America, these sultry, sexy dances originated in Africa and Cuba. At the end of the episode, the judges will announce the winners in this category. Thursday, August 20 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/23 at Midnight ET
Friday
NOW on PBS
“Rape Evidence Backlog”
A terrible statistic: one in six women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. But an even more shocking reality: A backlog in processing rape kits – crucial evidence in arresting violent predators – is delaying and sometimes denying justice for tens of thousands of American women. This week NOW travels to Los Angeles County to investigate why it has the country’s largest known rape kit backlog. An internal audit found that more than 50 of their cases have already exceeded the 10-year statute of limitations on rape. NOW talks with courageous rape survivors and law enforcement experts for insight and answers in this disturbing report. Are these women being victimized twice? Friday, August 21 at 8:30 pm ET Repeats 8/23 at 11:30 am ET
Bill Moyers Journal
“Critical Condition”
This week the Journal presents Critical Condition, a film about the current state of health care in the U.S. Filmmaker Roger Weisberg puts a human face to the 47 million uninsured in America. Follow three American families as they fight illness without health insurance. Friday, August 21 at 9 pm ET
Saturday
Media Meet
“College Tuition”
University Presidents from the U.P. will talk about how the state of the economy and budget cuts will affect tuition and enrollment this upcoming school year. Saturday, August 22 at 6:30 pm ET Repeats 8/23 at 1:30 pm ET
Austin City Limits “Nick Lowe/The Swell Season: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova” British songwriting legend Nick Lowe surveys his 30-plus year catalog with classics and new tunes. Oscar-winning Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, aka the Swell Season, perform cuts from the soundtrack of their movie Once. Saturday, August 22 at 10 pm ET
Sunday
Nature
“Sharkland”
In a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Southern Africa, a unique pattern of warm and cold currents brings together an astounding variety of sharks. Nearly 150 species of all colors, shapes and sizes gather there — including pajama sharks, leopard cat sharks, seven-gill cow sharks and the great white. Sunday, August 23 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/27 at Noon ET
Masterpiece Mystery! “Inspector Lewis: Expiation” In an encore of the first series featuring Kevin Whately as Inspector Lewis, the much-loved Oxford policeman is joined by Laurence Fox as his young partner, DS Hathaway. This week, when an Oxford housewife is found hanged in her home, Lewis and Hathaway unearth a far darker murder case than the initial suicide verdict suggests. Sunday, August 23 at 9 pm ET Repeats 8/24 at 1 pm ET
PBS Previews: The National Parks: America's Best Idea PBS presents a preview of the new Ken Burns film NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA. The 12-hour, six-part documentary series, directed by Burns and co-produced with his longtime colleague, Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script, is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. Sunday, August 23 at 10:30 pm ET Repeats 8/26 at 9:30 pm ET
Monday
American Masters
“The World of Nat King Cole”
This film focuses not just on Cole’s celebrity, but on the Civil Rights movement and how the singer of such popular songs as “Mona Lisa,” “Too Young” and “Pretend” broke through major racial barriers in the entertainment industry as the first black American to have his own national radio show and the first black American to have his own television show. Monday, August 24 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/26 at 2 pm ET
Tuesday
Cinema XIII Classics
“The Third Man”
In this stylish thriller, an American writer (Joseph Cotton) in Vienna is drawn into post-war intrigue as he tries to understand the death of an old friend. Tuesday, August 25 at 1 pm ET
Untold Stories From America’s National Parks “Manzanar” Looks at the interconnected stories of Japanese internment during World War II, Sue Kunitomi Embrey's efforts to commemorate Manzanar internment camp, and the ongoing work of Manzanar National Historic Site to educate visitors about civil rights. At the heart of the of the film is the site's annual pilgrimage and the words of Sue Embrey, who speaks movingly about protecting all citizens' rights, especially in times of national crisis. Tuesday, August 25 at 2:45 pm ET
Defending Favorite Places: How Hunters and Anglers Can Stop the Spread of Invasive Species Invasive species threaten the future of hunting and fishing. This documentary, part of the National Invasive Species Threat Campaign, shows how linking invasive species management principles with the hunting and angling conservation ethic is critical to battling this threat. Tuesday, August 25 at 3 pm ET
NOVA “Monster of the Milky Way” Astronomers are closing in on the proof they've sought for years that one of the most destructive objects in the universe - a supermassive black hole - is lurking right in the center of our own galaxy. Could it flare up and devour our entire galactic neighborhood? NOVA mounts a mind-bending investigation into one of the most bizarre corners of cosmological science: the truth about black holes. From supernova to event horizon, the dark secrets of supermassive black holes are revealed through stunning computer-generated imagery, including an extraordinary simulation of what it might look like to fall into the belly of such a beast. Tuesday, August 25 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/26 at Noon ET
P.O.V. “This Way Up” This is a story about a wall — the separations it’s meant to enforce and the unintended ones to which it gives birth. The security wall being constructed by Israel on the West Bank has divided Palestinian families and communities. It has also isolated the Catholic-run Our Lady of Sorrows nursing home outside Jerusalem, leaving its feisty residents to face old age in the throes of one of the world’s most bitter conflicts. With beautiful imagery, moments of laughter and use of a quietly eccentric older guide, “This Way Up” examines the social, economic and religious barriers that arise from physical ones. Tuesday, August 25 at 10 pm ET
Wednesday
Great Performances
“Harlem in Montmartre”
This program tells the story of the jazz age in Paris between the First and Second World Wars, exploring a fascinating yet often neglected era in African-American cultural history. After peace was signed at Versailles, many black Americans remained in Europe rather than return to the segregation and racism of America; over the next two decades, they created an expatriate community of musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, primarily congregating in Paris’ hilly Montmartre neighborhood. Features footage of such key figures as James Reese Europe, Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet, Bricktop, Eugene Bullard, Django Reinhardt (pictured) and many more. Wednesday, August 26 at 8 pm ET
PBS Previews: The National Parks: America's Best Idea PBS presents a preview of the new Ken Burns film NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA. The 12-hour, six-part documentary series, directed by Burns and co-produced with his longtime colleague, Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script, is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. Wednesday, August 26 at 9:30 pm ET
Wide Angle “Once Upon a Coup”
A failed coup attempt... a British mercenary in a notorious African prison... a dictator suspicious of Western powers... and beneath it all, a spectacular underwater oil reserve that the world’s major powers would love to get their hands on. It may sound like the latest John LeCarré best-seller, but in fact it’s real-life intrigue. WIDE ANGLE takes a penetrating look at the mysterious goings-on in Equatorial Guinea, a tiny West African nation newly rich with oil and infamous for corruption. Wednesday, August 26 at 10 pm ET Repeats 8/27 at 2 pm ET
Thursday
Richard Bangs’ Adventures With Purpose Assam India: Quest for the One-horned Rhinoceros
In his latest special, renowned adventurer Richard Bangs treks through the remote state of Assam in India — a region of rushing rivers, strapping monsoons, vast expanses of unspoiled land and a staggering array of wildlife, including the one-horned rhinoceros. What kept these rare rhinos from falling into extinction? What does their story reveal about the world and about saving precious wildlife? Richard sets off to discover what this elusive rhino represents to the people of Assam — and to the world. Thursday, August 27 at 8 pm ET Repeats 8/28 at 2:30 pm ET
America’s Ballroom Challenge “International Standard”
This exciting special captures the sizzling action at the world’s largest ballroom dancing competition. Top couples from North America compete across dance styles — with just one couple emerging as “America’s best.” This week, dancers compete in the International Standard division. With steps that date back hundreds of years to the royal courts of Europe, International Standard is ballroom’s oldest style, its most recognizable and, some would say, its most elegant. The dances in this competition include waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, fox trot and quickstep. At the end of the episode, the judges will announce the winners in this category. Thursday, August 27 at 10 pm ET
Friday
The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s
This Emmy Award-winning documentary, originally broadcast in 2004, returns to PBS in an encore presentation. Actor David Hyde Pierce hosts “The Future of Alzheimer’s,” a new half-hour panel discussion that follows the 90-minute documentary. Pierce, who has experienced Alzheimer’s first-hand through the illness of his grandfather and his father, moderates a panel of medical experts and scientists who discuss the latest developments in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and what it means for you and your loved ones. Friday, August 28 at Noon ET
NOW on PBS
The majority of American goods are transported by trucks, even though freight trains are greener and more fuel-efficient. Where should America be placing its bets for moving our economy and what would you personally sacrifice for it? On this week's NOW, Correspondent Miles O'Brien looks at the contemporary needs, challenges, and solutions for transporting vital cargo across America, and how those decisions affect the way you live, work, and travel. Friday, August 28 at 8:30 pm ET Repeats 8/30 at 11:30 am ET
Bill Moyers Journal
“Money-Driven Medicine”
The Journal presents a film about the business of health care in America. Produced by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) and based on Maggie Mahar’s acclaimed book of the same name, Money-Driven Medicine reveals how a profit-hungry “medical-industrial complex” has turned health care into a system where millions are squandered on unnecessary tests, unproven and sometimes unwanted procedures and overpriced prescription drugs. Friday, August 28 at 9 pm ET
Saturday
Media Meet
“National Health Care”
Elder Law attorney Paul Sturgul and representatives from local healthcare providers will discuss issues of national health care including what is being proposed in Washington and how will it affect health care in the Upper Peninsula. Saturday, August 29 at 6:30 pm ET Repeats 8/30 at 1:30 pm ET
Austin City Limits
“R.E.M.”
Influential superstars R.E.M. take the stage in support of their acclaimed record Accelerate. Saturday, August 29 at 10 pm ET
Sunday
Nature
“The Queen of Trees”
The story of the sycamore fig and its tiny pollinator describes one of the most remarkable relationships in the natural world — between a tree and a wasp. It is a relationship of utter dependency and a triumph of co-evolution. The detailed behavioral intrigue of the wasps that live hidden inside each fig contrasts with the tree’s prominence in the African bush, where it is central to the lives of many animals — from elephants and ants to birds and crocodiles. It provides for all, in ways that are diverse yet connected. Ultra-macro photography makes it possible to tell a wildlife story that has never been told before. Sunday, August 30 at 8 pm ET
Masterpiece Mystery!
“Inspector Lewis: Moonbeams Kiss the Sea” Kevin Whately returns as Inspector Lewis for a second season of seven new episodes. The much-loved Oxford policeman is joined once again by Laurence Fox as his young partner DS Hathaway. This week: Stolen rare books and the murders of a brilliant Oxford fine arts student and a library maintenance engineer lead Lewis and Hathaway to connect the crimes to a local gambling addiction group and two talented painters. Can Oxford’s finest trace the killers before they claim their next victim? Sunday, August 30 at 9 pm ET Repeats 8/31 at 1 pm ET
American Horizons: The Photographs of Art Sinsabaugh Art Sinsabaugh’s Midwest landscapes, photographed between 1960 and 1963, were unprecedented in both subject matter and format. He used a gigantic 12x20-inch “banquet” camera to capture panoramic photographs of rural and suburban spaces in the Midwest United States. His work represented a radical break with the romantic tradition of landscape photography and prefigured the quasi-documentary perspectives of the “New Topographics” by about a decade. Sinsabaugh’s large-format photographs were shown at venues such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He was instrumental in the development of photographic education and built one of the country’s leading photography programs, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, from scratch. Sunday, August 30 at 10:30 pm ET
Monday
Great Performances
“Herbert von Karajan: Beauty As I See It”
One of the 20th century’s most famous and influential figures in classical music, conductor Herbert von Karajan would have turned 100 in 2008. In his illustrious career, von Karajan led the legendary Berlin Philharmonic for 35 years, was closely associated with the Vienna Philharmonic and served as artistic director of the Vienna State Opera. But who was this admired yet intimidating and seemingly unapproachable individual? What lies behind the enigmatic face of a man who remains one of the most written-about members of his profession? He was the last dictator among conductors and the first successful large-scale classical music entrepreneur. In everything he did, he was ahead of his time. The film, produced on the occasion of the von Karajan centenary, chronicles the career of a true giant of classical music. Monday, August 31 at 10 pm ET
