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Added to the April 3rd Double Issue on 4-10-04
These listings cover television programs up to Sunday, April 18.
Greetings, TV viewers!
The discussion for the Media Hour this Wednesday in the Greek Theatre at 6:30
p.m. Whyville Time will be on the theme of the shows airing Tuesday and
Wednesday. They follow a topic that has come up from time to time in Media Hour
discussions in past months. About working for excellence in athletics or in
acting. So, the topic will be "Do you really want to be a 'player' -- and what
are you doing to pursue your goal?"
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).
Monday, April 12
"American Experience: Emma Goldman" (PBS, 9-to:30 p.m. E/P) For nearly half of
the past century, Russian emigrant Emma Goldman was the most controversial woman
in the U.S., taunting mainstream America with her criticism of government, big
business, and war. To the media, she was "Red Emma, queen of the anarchists,"
but many admired Goldman for her defense of labor rights, women's emancipation,
birth control, and free speech. This film explores the life of this political
celebrity and fearless writer. For more info log on
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldman/index.html.
Tuesday, April 13
"Showbiz Mom & Dads" (Bravo, 6-7 p.m. E/P) Follow the real lives of parents and
their would-be child stars. This is the initial episode of a documentary series
that features five families determined to find fame and fortune for their
children. You'll see each family's day-to-day struggle as the kids audition for
television shows and commercials, rehearse music routines, compete in beauty
pageants and struggle to land roles in feature films. The extreme measures some
parents will take to make their children into stars can be amazing -- whether
it's an aggressive stage mom pushing her child, or a reluctant, uncertain mother
whose child is the driving force. In the first episode, Duncan Nutter relocated
his wife and seven children from their rural home in Vermont to a tiny
two-bedroom apartment in New York so the family could pursue acting careers in
the big city. But not everyone made the move willingly, and tensions in the
Nutter home are high. With acting gigs being few and far-between, Duncan is
forced to take a low-wage job as a theater usher to support the family. Tempers
reach a boiling point and some family-members openly rebel, determined to leave
acting behind and return to their old life in the country
"Innovation: Miracle Cell" (PBS, 9-10 p.m. E/P) Are you ready for this?
Find out about a promising but controversial branch of science, regenerative
medicine -- where experimental stem cell therapies are providing new hope for
spinal cord, cancer and heart diseases. An example case shown is Laura
Dominguez, a 19-year-old quadriplegic spinal cord injury patient who, only
months after undergoing stem cell therapy in Portugal, is now able to stand up
with the aid of a walker. The official website of the program is
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/innovation/. Where you can go online and try your
hand at being a scientist working on the cutting edge of stem cell research.
Explore the methods used to acquire embryonic stem cells at
http://www.pbs.org/innovation/episode6.html.
Wednesday, April 14
"Looking For Fidel" (HBO, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This new documentary filmed in Cuba
contains interviews with people who have strong opinions for and against Fidel
Castro -- including Castro himself. Oliver Stone, otherwise know for his feature
film work, directed this documentary.
"Small Ball: A Little League Story" (PBS, 8-9:30 p.m. E/P) This documentary film
shows the hope and excitement of players, parents and coaches as a California
Little League team travels to the 2002 Little League Baseball World Series
Championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. What's it like for a small-town
Little League team to survive the rigorous All-Star season and make it to the
legendary Little League World Series to emerge as one of 8 teams out of 6,400
who make it to the championships. You can test your own baseball skills online;
play the "Homerun Derby Game" and find out how many homeruns you can make by
logging on http://www.pbs.org/smallball/.
"60 Minutes II" (CBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This newsmagazine covers two controversial
topics: (1) New fertility procedures allows parents to choose their
babies' sex. (2) The last book of the best-selling, religious-themed "Left
Behind" series.
Thursday, April 15
"Human Popsicle" (Discovery Channel, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This is a documentary about
Lynne Cox, a 46-year-old American athlete, the world's greatest, cold-water
distance swimmer. It follows her preparations to become the first person to swim
in the frigid Antarctic waters with nothing additional to her bathing suit but
goggles and a bathing cap.
Friday, April 16
"Dinosaur" (Disney channel, 8-11 p.m. E/P) This is an animated Disney movie
about an iguanodon and its friends journey to a valley to escape from meteors
and a diminishing water supply. (Rated PG because of violence among the animated
characters -- there are no humans depicted in the movie.) Available on video.
Saturday, April 17
"Forensic Case: The Hunley" (MSNBC Channel 8-9 p.m. ET, 5-6 p.m. PT) This is a
follow-up to an earlier National Geographic Ultimate Explorer program about the
raising of the sunken Civil War ship. The program unravels the mystery of the
Confederate submarine CSS Hunley. Airing on the occasion of a memorial
service in Charleston, South Carolina, to officially bury the Hunley crew
members at Magnolia Cemetery, the show chronicles what could be considered The
Last Confederate Burial. The identities of the eight crewmen (previously thought
to be nine -- another puzzle solved in this film) has eluded scholars. National
Geographic scientists examine the raised ship as a 136-year-old time-capsule
that reveals, for the first time, the faces and personal histories of those who
died aboard this historic ship. The story unfolds like a "CSI"-styled
investigation as forensic and underwater anthropologists and genealogists use
evidence from the wreck to search for clues that led to the fate of the craft.
You will learn why the crew members volunteered to take on this dangerous duty!
Sunday, April 18
"Wild Wild Web" (Animal Planet Channel 8-9 p.m. E/P) Check out this natural
history documentary. It explains how, among all the different insect secretions,
silk is a formidable medium of information which encourages social interaction
-- and can serve as a means of transportation.
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