|
|
These listings cover television programs up to Sunday, July 11.
Greetings, TV viewers!
The discussion during Media Hour in the Greek Theatre this Wednesday at 6:30 Whyville Time will be based on several programs airing this week. Think about the people in the programs who have special powers -- intelligence, resourcefulness, originality of thought. Our topic will be: "Remarkable individuals I have studied or met." Come and tell us what you think about these people?
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 Standard Time).
Monday, July 5
"Forbidden Planet" (TCM = Turner Classic Movies, 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET, 3:30-5:30
p.m. ET. Also available on video.) I have mentioned from time to time that
there is a Shakespeare program appearing every day appearing on one TV channel
or another. Some versions are more useful than others as a way of encouraging
anybody to read the play. This science-fiction movie, based on "The Tempest", is
one of the better examples. There's a wizard, Prospero (Dr. Morbius in the
movie) a smart, innocent girl, Miranda (Altaria onscreen) a witch-child, Caliban
(Id-monster) and a mischievous spirit, Ariel (played by a robot named Robby )
Nowadays, smart, nerdy characters who can solve any kind of problem are popular
onscreen. I think you'll enjoy Robby, who speaks 88 languages and can produce
whiskey out of nowhere. For further information about the play, showing where it
fits in to the public school English class standards, log on to
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/tempest/temptg.html.
"Modern Marvels: Shipyards" (History Channel, 7-8 p.m. E/P) This is a
documentary about shipbuilding and the huge tools required. Shipyards and ships
of today bear little resemblance to those of antiquity. From ancient days to the
18th Century Industrial Revolution to Pearl Harbor, the film examines the
shipyard, and look to its future. Will the craftsmanship and practical knowledge
of how to build ships disappear in the 21st century?
Tuesday, July 6
"Galileo's Battle for the Heavens" (PBS, 8-10 p.m. E/P) This NOVA special
reconstructs an epic historical confrontation: the bitter clash between a
scientific genius, and the Church authorities who tried to suppress his
discoveries. Actor Simon Callow plays Galileo in dramatic reenactments of key
moments from his life: his pioneer telescope observations of the moon and
planets, his experiments with falling objects and his trial before the
Inquisition for heresy. The program draws partly from Dava Sobel's recent
best-seller, "Galileo's Daughter", which reveals an unexpected side of this
scientist, namely that his closest confidante was his illegitimate daughter,
Sister Maria Celeste, a cloistered nun. Details at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/.
Wednesday, July 7
"60 Minutes" (CBS, 7-8 p.m. E/P) The first segment of this newsmagazine
investigates your family's money -- that is, if anyone at home has invested in
mutual funds. CBS reporter Bob Simon uncovers fraud in widely held mutual funds.
Another segment has actor Sean Penn talking about the rage that drives him.
"National Geographic: The Quest for Lost Tombs" (PBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P)
Here's the latest documentary about Egypt. Outside Cairo, in the shadow of
Egypt's first pyramid, is a city of the dead known as Saqqara, where French
archaeologist Alain Zivie has discovered tombs built for some of the
highest-ranking dignitaries of Egypt's New Kingdom period. One discovery is a
tomb belonging to an ambassador who negotiated a peace treaty between the
warring Egyptians and the Hittites during the reign of Ramses II. In a funeral
chamber filled with thousands of cat mummies, rare artifacts suggest that the
tomb originally belonged to the royal nurse of the young pharaoh-to-be,
Tutankhamun.
Thursday, July 8
"Anatomy Of A Snake Bite" (Discovery Channel, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This is a
biology documentary about the anatomy of shark bites, tiger bites and bear
attacks -- all predators with businesslike teeth, capable of shredding human
flesh. This featured assassin sports fangs as well, with lethal venom ejected
from them that fells even the largest prey.
Friday, July 9
"Modern Marvels: "The Chunnel" (History Channel, 7-8 p.m. E/P) This is a
technology documentary about the joining of Britain and France via a tunnel
under the English Channel. Geologists tracked the only safe route with satellite
technology, and French and British teams drilled towards each other using two of
the largest Tunnel Boring Machines ever made.
Saturday, July 10
"History vs Hollywood: King Arthur" (History Channel, 7-8 p.m. E/P) How
close to closely do historical movies stick to actual history? Through
interviews with historians, cast, and production team, and extensive film clips,
this program compares history to "King Arthur", currently in theatres.
"Ends Of The Earth: the Himba Chronicles" (Travel Channel, 10-11 p.m. E/P)
This is a documentary about the Himba tribe of Namibia. For thousands of years,
they have lived a traditional life in northwest Africa, herding cattle and
practicing ancient customs. They now face a government plan to construct a dam
that would flood the land and their ancestors' graves.
Sunday, July 11
"National Geographic Ultimate Explorer: Cool Quest" (MSNBC, 8-9 p.m. ET,. 5-6
p.m. PT, repeating 11 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. PT, plus Saturday, July 17, 2004, at 8
p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT) This documentary reports on the sources of what we
consider "cool", examining the influences that help create who we are, what we
buy and why we do the things we do. Host Lisa Ling explains that "cool" springs
from a mixture of art, skill, science and commerce. In this film, she is used as
the first guinea pig by scientists at Caltech in Pasadena, using the latest
magnetic resonance imaging to map areas of the brain that correspond with
memory, self-identity and emotions like pleasure. It's part of a new science
called Neuromarketing.. Some consumer groups fear neuromarketing could someday
be a powerful tool to manipulate consumers. The film also reports on "cool
skills" -- the idea that society really likes people with certain abilities --
such as video gamers. (Video gaming is already a $28 billlion industry and it??s
growing at 20 percent a year in the U.S. alone. The world??s biggest
videogame-maker, Electronic Arts, made more money last year than all of the
Hollywood movie studios combined.)
|
