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These listings cover television programs up to Friday, March 5.
Greetings, TV viewers!
Movies are on people's minds this week because of the Oscars, so let's consider
their influence. What movies have taught you the most? And did they teach you
what really happened -- what's really in the books they're based on or what
really happened in the historical times the movie showed?
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 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Whyville Time (that's the same as Eastern Daylight Time).
Friday, February 27
"J. R. R. Tolkien" (Ovation Network, 6-7 p.m. ET, 3-4 p.m. PT) This is a
biographical program about the author of the "Lord of the Rings" and "The
Hobbit" books. Orphaned at thirteen, J.R.R. Tolkien sought solace in escapism,
as reflected in his works of fantasy. As a professor at Oxford, Tolkien dazzled
the literary world with books that bridge the gap between juvenile and adult
literature, appealing to each group on a different level. Tolkien drew upon
Celtic and Norse legends to create his world of dungeons, dragons, swords and
sorcerers, where he pitted good against evil in epic battles. To learn more
about Tolkien, go to The Tolkien Society's website, http://www.tolkiensociety.org/.
The society was founded 35 years ago!
Saturday, February 28
"Driving Miss Daisy" (TCM-Turner Classic Movies, 8-10 p.m. ET, 5-7 p.m. PT)
This movie won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Acting, and Best Writing . It's
about a southern matron whose age compels her to hire a driver -- and this event
challenges her assumptions about racial matters. Movie rated PG. Available on
video. The movie is based on Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer winning play of the same
name, which is available in bookstores.
"50 Greatest Movie Animals" (Animal Planet Channel, 8-10 p.m. E/P) This
is a survey of the best roles animals have played on the big screen.
Sunday, February 29 -- Leap Day!
"60 Minutes" (CBS, 7-8 p.m. E/P) The main story in this newsmagazine is
about how history can be distorted. Many you know about the book and the movie
"The Diary Of Anne" and that it has to do with the German government's treatment
of Jewish people during WWII. But, these days, in North Korea, the contents of
the original book are being distorted so as to teach students there to hate and
fear America. Another story, on a similar theme, is about how police and other
officials who have the power to conduct interrogations can sometimes convince
innocent people to make a false confession.. The final story, on a happier
topic, is about big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton. He surfs gigantic waves, some
the size of seven-story buildings.
"The 76th Annual Academy Awards" (ABC 8-11 p.m. ET, 5-8 PT) The movies
competing for Oscar awards this year cover a lot of topics such as history and
geography. I am rooting for the one about New Zealand, starring teenager Keisha
Castle-Hughes, because of its depiction of Maori culture. Other contenders are
about the U.S. Civil War, the Napoleonic wars at sea and the youth revolt in the
U.S. during the 1960's. Details at http://www.oscar.com/.
Monday, March 1
"The Kennedy Mystique: Creating Camelot" (National Geographic Channel 9-10
ET, 10 p.m. PT) This program chronicles how the Kennedys - the first truly
'media-genic' American political family, shared their public and private lives
with the public via television and photography. "Camelot", a word originating in
legends of King Arthur, also means a kind of Paradise-On-Earth. Because of what
the Kennedys did in the1960's, photos of the President and the First Lady for
the first time seemed as appropriate in fashion and lifestyle magazines as in
news journals. This ushered in a mass media culture about the Presidency that
still affects American life.
Tuesday, March 2
"Billy the Kid Unmasked" (Discovery Channel 9-10 p.m. E/P) Here's a
program that shows how careful research can reveal what really happened -- even
though people think they know the facts already. Legend tells us that in 1881,
Sheriff Pat Garret shot and killed William Bonney, also known as "Billy The
Kid", who was a young man wanted for committing one murder for every year of his
life. But this famous criminal left behind more folk tales than facts, including
the question of whether he was killed at all. In this program, scientists
equipped with the latest forensic evidence re-opens the "Kid" case and reveals
new twists to the story.
Wednesday, March 3
"The Killer Flu" (History Channel, 8-9 p.m. E/P) The current "bird
flu" outbreak has epidemic experts worried because it might be the beginning of
a world-wide flu 'pandemic', repeating something that has happened before. This
episode of the History Channel's "Secrets Of the Dead'' looks back to 1918, when
a flu pandemic ripped through the global population with such speed and
viciousness that by the end of the following year an estimated 40 million people
would be dead. The program shows how modern scientists in both the U.K. and U.S.
are in a desperate race to determine why the 1918 flu pandemic spread so quickly
throughout the world and with such power to kill. For the latest information,
including how epidemics are mapped and charted log on
http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/uda/index.html.
"Charlie: The Life And Art Of Charles Chaplin" (TCM, 8-10:15 p.m. ET, 5-7:15
p.m. PT) This is a survey of the life and work of Charlie Chaplin, one of
the great figures in world cinema. Including interviews with Woody Allen, Johnny
Depp, Robert Downey Jr, Marcel Marceau, Martin Scorcese. Scenes from Chaplin's
most famous film include some from "Modern Times", which was a satire about
Industrial Age. In it he plays an assembly-line worker driven crazy by his job.
Interesting note: A movie studio in France sued Chaplin for plagiarizing the
Rene Clair film, A Nous la Liberte (1931), in Modern Times (1936),
but the suit was withdrawn at the insistence of Clair, who declared that all
filmmakers "flow" from Chaplin and that "I was honored if he was inspired by my
film."
Thursday, March 4
"Frontline: Inside the Teenage Brain" (PBS, 9-10 pm E/P) This is a
science program about a topic that may be somewhat better understood by younger
viewers than older ones. Maybe. Lately, experts have been exploring the
recesses of the human brain and finding explanations for why adolescents behave
the way they do and how the new discoveries can change the way we teach, or
perhaps even understand, teenagers. There's a website accompanying the program
with resources for parents and teenagers to help improve mutual understanding
and communication: http://pbs.org/frontline/shows/teenbrain.
Friday, March 5
"Dateline NBC" (NBC, 8-9 p.m. E/P) The main story in this newsmagazine is
about lies in the press. When Jayson Blair's fabrications and plagiarism at the
New York Times were discovered last May, the scandal shook journalism to its
very foundation. In an exclusive interview, Katie Couric interviews Jayson
Blair, the man responsible for one of the most embarrassing chapters in the
history of the New York Times.
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