Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Sports can be so much more than just sports...

Talk about diverse programming...nowhere else but PBS...

Tavis Smiley Reports is a PBS special, delving into Martin Luther King's great 1967 speech about the war in Viet Nam. Tavis interviews Harry Belafonte, Cornel West, and Tony Bennet among others, as they examine not only the meaning of King's words, but their legacy...
this speech originally was given exactly one year prior to the assasination of Dr. King...7pm

American Masters profiles architect I.M. Pei, now in his 90's, as he remembers his student days in China, the Harvard education, and his career which brought us some of the major building designs of the last century...8pm

And then there's the legendary Bob Hurley Sr., considered by many as one of the best and most inspiring high school basketball coaches in America. We learn about his life long struggle to inspire and motivate those around him in order to support a poor, inner city Catholic high school in Jersey City. And his ability to motivate the kids going through that school to break the cycle of poverty through education. Not to be missed...Street Stops Here...9pm

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Haiti still needs help...

On Nova tonight we have the harrowing story of a region in India where the bamboo blooms every 48 years...followed immediately by an influx of rats running amok, feeding off the blooms, destroying crops, and creating famine conditions...7pm

Face to Face returns us to Dayton Duncan, the author/filmmaker partner of Ken Burns, and he takes us inside the process of such films as The National Parks, Baseball, and the Civil War. He was in the area as they are shooting and producing a documentary on the dust bowl.
Fascinating interview...8pm

A special Frontline looks at the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti last January, and the overwhelming task of trying to get relief to survivors in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere...9pm

Monday, March 29, 2010

Victory on television...

What a great weekend...Final Four was set, Duke made it in as the last #1 seed of the tourney...

Tonight Antiques Roadshow travels to Denver for the first of 3 episodes appraising fabulous finds in the mile high city...7pm

American Experience goes 2 hours with "Victory in the Pacific", an in-depth view of the horrific battles in that campaign...from the perspective of soldiers on both sides of the conflict...8pm

What's ahead? Wednesday brings us MLK and his 1967 speech slamming the war in Viet Nam, a close up look at architect I.M. Pei, and an uplifting story of how sports spills over into life and can affect it...Street Stops Here with Bob Hurley Sr. profiles the man who inspired teen athletes and became one of the nation's best high school basketball coaches...9pm

Friday, March 26, 2010

In case you're not watching NCAA basketball...

Highlights for the weekend:

Friday - As Time Goes By and The Last of the Summer Wine...British humor rules!

Saturday - Welk 25th Anniversary show, Ben Harper on Austin City Limits, and the story of 2 U.S. servicemen who find themselves deported to Mexico, a country neither considered home, on Independent Lens...

Sunday - Jon Meacham on Texas Monthly Talks, Dolley Madison on American Experience, monkey culture and how they communicate with each other on Nature, and another installment of Sharpe's Challenge on Masterpiece Classic...

Enjoy your weekend, and as always, check your local listings - Jackie

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The art of the permanent smile...

Tonight we revisit the fascinating series of documentaries under the heading of "The Pursuit of Excellence" with a look at the rigorous and amusing training regimen of synchronized swimming. Filmmakers follow two teams of girls...and one determined teenage boy...through the intense training and team bonding necessary for the pursuit of Olympic Gold, with a competitive streak many thought reserved for football or boxing...8pm

If you can catch your breath after being in the water for an hour, follow Globe Trekker to the Normandy beaches and the island of Crete...9pm

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Jerome Robbins makes a comeback...

Performing Arts lovers, this is your night! First, a new production of Great Performances, in HD, called "Dance in America: NY Export - Opus Jazz"...a new version of the Jerome Robbins' 1958 classic filmed all over NYC with updated music and exciting young dancers...7pm

Then we switch gears and get into opera with Great Performances at the Met presenting "Les Contes D'Hoffman"...Tony award winning director Bartlett Sher directs this fascinating psychological journey about the life and loves of German romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffman...8pm

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

They do what in Canadian???

Tonight on Nova we see Mayan temples, art, heiroglyphics, and one of the greatest detective stories in all of archeology, told for the first time in depth on television...7pm

Did you know that there's a major stock trader headquartered in Canadian, making deals worth millions, then going home to his high school sweetheart and their children? Learn some tips of the trading game with Salem Abraham tonight on Face to Face...8pm

Frontline presents stories of surviving the recession, as told by a diverse group of people getting their hair done at a New York salon...9pm

Monday, March 22, 2010

Birds and Brains...

Great weekend of NCAA tournament basketball...witnessed #1 seed Kansas being knocked out by 11 seeded underdog University of Northern Iowa in OKC...unbelievable...but I digress...

If you've ever thought your clueless friend has received a lobotomy, tune in to the American Experience tonight and meet Walter Freeman, the man who invented the procedure that was hailed as a triumph at first, then declared a barbarous mistake...8pm, right after the Roadshow.

And in a true contadiction, the man synomous with the wilderness and conservation is also the man who killed more birds than any other in history...all for the sake of painting them. American Masters brings us the story of James Audubon, who published the amazing "The Birds of America", a collection of 435 life sized prints...9pm.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The last vacation...

Tonight Nova travels to a remote mountain region of China to explore our fascination with flowers and the puzzle of how they began...7pm

Face to Face features Nightly Business Report's Darren Gersh, in an interview which occured just before the financial meltdown we're still struggling with...8pm

Academy award-winning filmmaker John Zinitsky offers a revealing look at a couple making the most difficult decision of their lives in tonight's FrontLine...he travels with them to Switzerland to document a vacation, where only one will return...The Suicide Tourist...9pm

Monday, March 15, 2010

The First First Lady...

The good news is that the March Membership Drive is over and done with for 2010...the bad news is that continuing to fund public television is an ongoing effort, so you may reasonably expect that another pledge drive will occur later in the year...

Tonight Antiques Roadshow returns with the 2nd part of their trip to Baltimore, and such treasures as a jacket from the closet of Colts legend Johnny Unitas...7pm

American Experience profiles the emergence of Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison, as the first "first lady"...establishing the template that all first ladies have aspired to since the early 1800's, including adopting social causes and originating stylish fashions which influence the rest of the country...8pm

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Even more Irish smiling eyes...

The companion piece to Celtic Woman has to be Celtic Thunder, 5 multi-talented male singers, in various sizes and hairstyles strutting across the outdoor stage in Toronto, performing classics and contemporary hits that span six decades...8:30pm

The only way to follow that show is to bring back 2 of KACV's finest productions...
The Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon at 10,
Polk Street Jazz: One Night Only at 11:30...

We're in our last few days of the March Membership Drive...regular programming is almost back...weekend britcoms are mere hours away!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Eye Candy Night...

Our March Membership Drive is going well...eager volunteers and generous sponsors are answering phones and providing support for their favorite public tv station, which in turn benefits the community as a whole...but we're still getting frustrated callers missing their regular shows. Not to worry, the drive ends this saturday, and we're back to the normal schedule on sunday...believe me - we're as glad about that as you are.

Tonight we rebroadcast the premiere of our newest local production...Polk Street Jazz: One Night Only, which was a blast to work on and is even more fun to see and hear on the air...
It's amazing to see the level of musical talent right here in river city...7pm

Then blue-eyed soul kicks in with Michael Bolton: Live at the Royal Albert Hall...numbers such as "When A Man Loves A Woman" will be belted out as only Michael can do it...8:30pm

The gorgeous productions of Chris Botti and Celtic Woman round out the night...eye candy delux.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Lots of fiddlin' around...

Tonight's special features one of our most popular attractions: the lovely ladies known as Celtic Woman...this production was shot in HD at the Powers Court Estate, which is based on the gardens at the Palace of Versaille, and the setting for such movies as Barry Lyndon and HBO's The Tudors...stunning visuals and powerful performances keeps the Irish eyes a-smilin'...7pm

Then to continue the international musical theme, we bring you Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Reiu and his Live in Dresden: Wedding at the Opera, which features a real wedding party, dancers, singers and the Johanne Strauss Orchestra and Choir...9pm

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rockin' around the clock...

March Pledge Drive...one week down, one week to go...
Tonight we return to Antiques Roadshow for our rabid fans at 7...

Then it's an excellent documentary about the life and times of musician Roy Orbison, who opened for the Beatles and was a big influence for most of our rock icons...in the middle of a major comeback when he died of a heart attack at 52...In Dreams at 8:30...

And we rebroadcast what many consider the first concert film, which includes performances by The Supremes, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye and the Beach Boys...9:30.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Smoke gets in your eyes...

Summer is just around the corner...time to get your "grill" on and make your reservations for the Steven Raichlen Steak-Off coming to town this May...the star of Primal Grill will judge the cooking teams, do a demonstration, and sign his new book on May 23, and you can support your public televison station and get your tickets at the same time. Tune into "Primal Grill Special Edition" saturday at 1:30 to find out how.

The rest of the weekend is a veritable smorgasbord of music and amusement as the first weekend of our March Membership Drive wraps up...Chet Atkins, Rounder Records 40th, Daniel O'Donnell, Roy Orbison and More Funny Ladies of British Comedy all make an appearance on Saturday...Sunday brings in the Big Band Years, Polk Street Jazz, Celtic Woman, Chris Botti in Boston and Little Stevie Wonder to sing you to sleep...just check your program listings for show times, and please remember to call in your support.

We have one more week of special programs, then all your favorite nightly shows will return.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Get Back To Where You Once Belonged...

We're LIVE in the studio tonight for our March Membership Drive, with what promises to be a rockin' good time. We start off with "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live", a compilation show - 24 years in the making - of performances, acceptance speeches, and behind the scenes footage from Rock's Royalty. The biggest names in rock will perform in intimate settings, and in combinations
not seen anywhere else...and who knows what they'll say on stage...7pm

KACV is featuring "Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles" this week, and we're offering tickets to the upcoming concert when this show comes to town as a thank you gift for people who pledge.
This is the kind of show where you sit back, suspend reality and immerse yourself in the greatest music of the last 50 years...with a little help from your friends....8:30pm

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Stand By Me with the world...

I'm sure many of you saw the video flying around the internet of many different musicians and singers in many different cities and countries, all singing the same song..."Stand By Me". This moving documentary shines a light on the power of music, and the filmmakers' quest to literally unite a world of performers...7pm

And as the March Membership Drive continues, Rick Steves' Mediterranean Mosaic piques the travel bug in all of us as he visits Greece, Turkey and Croatia...and includes the ruins of Olympia and Istanbul's Grand Bazaar...8:30pm

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Josh and Chris make beautiful music together...

If you missed last night's "Chris Botti: Live in Boston", you didn't see a truly amazing performance by Chris, Sting and Josh Groban...that show rebroadcasts on Wednesday night at 10:30 and is worth catching for the sheer variety of artists joining the trumpeter: Yo Yo Ma, Steven Tyler, Katherine McPhee along with Josh and Sting...beautiful show...

"Josh Groban: An Evening in New York City" is featured tonight as part of our pledge specials...followed by The Love Songs of Elvis, and Levon Helm and Ramble at the Ryman...where else can you see the broad spectrum of music and performances? PBS.

Monday, March 1, 2010

A full night of Jazz...

Tonight, KACV premiers its latest musical performance documentary with "Polk Street Jazz: One Night Only"...90 minutes of top notch jazz in a very cool setting, and the musicians discussing their instruments and music. Our March Membership Drive is in full swing, and the jazz show is just the beginning...

After Polk Street Jazz, stay tuned for trumpeter Chris Botti, who's joined with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Sting, John Mayer and Josh Groban...filmed at Boston's symphony hall, this show should be swinging...