www.whyville.net Dec 5, 2003 Weekly Issue



MediaWiz
Staff Writer

Media Menu

Users' Rating
Rate this article
 
FRONT PAGE
CREATIVE WRITING
SCIENCE
HOT TOPICS
POLITICS
HEALTH
PANDEMIC

These listings cover television programs up to Friday, December 12.

Greetings, TV viewers!

The topic for the Media Hour on Wednesday, December 10th in the Greek Theatre is "Who decides what you give?" If that sounds like a strange question, just think for a minute about how you are making up your holiday gift list. Where did your ideas come from? Did friends and family give you suggestions? Did advertising influence you? What things would you be thinking about if you hadn't see ads or feature stories about those things on TV? (One example of such a story airs on CBS this Sunday.)

For the Media Hour, watch the show(s)-of-the-week, jot down some ideas, then talk about them with me and other citizens (including other City Workers, if they're available) at the Greek Theater, over in City Hall. You'll find that the Theater makes discussions pretty easy, since City Workers are able to direct people's movement and behavior, when we need to, and it keeps everyone's chat bubbles from overlapping too much. We meet for MediaHour on Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 7:30pm Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Daylight Time).

Friday, December 5

"Platypus: The World's Strangest Animal" (Discovery Channel, 6-7 p.m. E/P) Ever seen this creature with a leathery bill, webbed feet, furred
body with venomous spurs? It has babies by laying eggs! The Australian platypus, surely one of the strangest animals that has ever been seen and hasn't been seen by many, because the platypus is notoriously elusive.

Saturday, December 6

"National Geographic Explorer Ultimate Explorer: Virus Crisis" (MSNBC Channel 8-9 p.m. ET, 5-6 p.m. PT) Investigate recent outbreaks of four exotic diseases -- ebola, monkey pox, West Nile virus and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) -- and question how much we have to fear these outbreaks.

"Tora, Tora, Tora: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor" (History Channel 9-11 p.m. E/P) This documentary, airing on the eve of a day of remembrances of the events of December 7, 1941, looks deeply into how the Japanese surprised the Americans at the beginning of WWII. It was an historical turning point -- the world was forever changed after the attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It resulted from a combination of factors -- and at any point, the dangerous operation could have been called off before its Japanese commander radioed back the code words "Tora, Tora, Tora" (Tiger, Tiger, Tiger), which meant complete surprise had been achieved. The program is serious, but not so grim that it made it impossible for the producers to assign it a rating of TV-G.

Sunday, December 7

"CBS News Sunday Morning" (CBS, 9-10:30 p.m. E/P) This edition of CBS' thoughtfully compiled weekend newsmagazine includes reports on the "trading up" phenomenon -- middle class American consumers who decide that some things they buy are worthy of the "big splurge"; the first major American exhibition in decades by famous Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn; a preview of "the best" electronics gifts for the holiday season; an inquiry about what makes Reverend Al Sharpton run... for president; and finally, a look at the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra, which will perform side-by-side with the U.S. National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. this month.
.
Monday December 8

"Hidden: Inside the World's Mightiest Bank" (Travel Channel, 9-10 p.m. E/P) This documentary in a series called "Hidden" is about the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank. It explains what the world's most powerful financial institution is doing to control global demand for U.S. dollars, it investigates the Fed's control over digital-age counterfeiting and how the U.S. economy is preparing for a paperless future.

Tuesday, December 9

"Nova" The Orchid Hunter" (PBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P check local listings) Learn about orchids, nature's most highly evolves plant. Also learn about an all-consuming passion about orchids that for some people is more important than life itself. The example shown is Tom Hart Dyke. During 9 months in 2000 he was a captive of guerrillas who seized him while he was collecting wild orchids in the Colombian rainforest. After his release he was at it again, this time in the most orchid-rich and politically unstable part of Papua New Guinea. As you might suspect, there's a website about this topic, at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/orchid/.

Wednesday, December 10

"60 Minutes II" (CBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) Reports in this newsmagazine include an inquiry into employee charges that working conditions at IBM caused cancers and birth defects. And there's an interview with "Judge Judy". Judy Sheindlin is one of the highest paid women in television history -- $100 million for a four-year contract. She has broadcast hundreds of real-life cases for each of the past seven seasons, often beating "Oprah" in the ratings. Scheindlin started her career as a lawyer in New York's Family Court and was appointed to be a judge in 1982.

Thursday, December 11

"From Jesus To Christ: the First Christians" (PBS 9-11 p.m. E/P) This documentary miniseries draws upon new and sometimes controversial historical evidence, and challenges familiar assumptions about the origins of Christianity. Program 1 traces the life of Jesus of Nazareth, exploring the message that helped his ministry grow and the events that led to his crucifixion around 30 A.D. The film covers the period after Jesus' death, examining the rise of Christianity and concluding with the siege of Jerusalem and the beginning of a rift between Christianity and Judaism. The broadcast explores new evidence suggesting that Jesus' followers, because of their diversity and the differences in their cultures and languages, looked at and interpreted Jesus and his teachings in many different ways. Program 2, which airs December 18, traces the development and impact of the Gospels and looking at the increasingly hostile relationship between the Christians and the Jews. It also documents the extraordinary events of the second and third centuries in which Christianity grew from a small Jewish sect to an official religion of the Roman Empire.

Friday, December 12

"Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked" (History Channel, 6-8 p.m. E/P) Even if you hate documentaries, you might be able to sit though this one. And if you don't get History Channel where you live, you can order a tape of the show at www.historychannel.com. This 2-hour special reveals how comic book superheroes reflect their times -- from the 1930s to the 21st century -- and how these wish-fulfillment figures became role models for generations of kids It follows the most well-known cartoon crusaders and villains, as well as the industry that formed them, you'll we see how they mirrored society -- from the Depression, WWII, the Cold War, and the turbulent '60s to today -- and how they proved adaptable to other media. Rated TV-G.

 

Did you like this article?
1 Star = Bleh.5 Stars = Props!
Rate it!
Ymail this article to a friend.
Discuss this article in the Forums.

  Back to front page


times@whyville.net
3453