Straight 2 Jackie

From Downton Abbey to the swinging Hamptons...

2012-02-10T10:20:00.005-06:00

We're still voting for your favorite British Comedies...be sure to watch Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, then register your top two choices with a phone call, email, or our website!

This weekend features more music from Michael Feinstein's American Songbook,
Friday night at 8pm...

Jimmy Cliff on Austin City Limits Saturday at 10...

And Downton Abbey continues Sunday night at 7, followed by the Unforgettable Hampton Family, a documentary exploring how Deacon Clark Hampton, a son of slaves, lifted his twelve children out of poverty by making them into successful musicians...10:30

From dumpster diving to a doctorate...

2012-02-09T08:08:00.002-06:00

Donna Beegle grew up poor - really poor. She was married at 15 and by 25 was struggling as a single mother. That was then. Now after a long climb out, Beegle has a doctorate degree and works to move other people out of poverty...Ellen Robertson Green gets her fascinating story tonight on Face to Face...8pm

They really like to dissect things on this show...

2012-02-08T11:17:00.002-06:00

Last week it was a great white shark...tonight the experts dissect a lion and a tiger. From the outside, the two look very different, but once their skins are removed, even the experts find it hard to tell them apart.Among other experiments, biologists investigate their ability to roar, by delving into the lion's throat to find the voicebox...and makes a discovery that helps explain the way the vocal apparatus works....they also explain what a "liger" is...INSIDE NATURE'S GIANTS: THE BIG CATS...9pm

Six months in 1961, that changed America forever...

2012-02-07T08:19:00.002-06:00

From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson's documentary is the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil-rights activists, and their experiences flaunting the Jim Crow laws of the deep south...FREEDOM RIDERS: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE...7pm

Antiques and NASA? Doesn't seem possible...

2012-02-06T10:51:00.002-06:00

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA...ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's final episode from Houston features host Mark L. Walberg at the Houston Space Center for a briefing on NASA collectibles. Highlights include a magical collection of Wedgwood Fairyland Lustreware; a gold charm that once belonged to Lucille Ball; and a romantic English Regency rosewood settee that makes the appraiser swoon as he declares an estimated value of $9,500...8PM

Blimey...it's a British Invasion!

2012-02-03T08:50:00.003-06:00

Did you know that all the programs on KACV have to be purchased? And money spent on programs leaves less money for other purposes, like community outreach or operating expenses? Here's the challenge...how best to spend limited programming dollars versus a rabid britcom fanbase. So we've put together a total of 24 episodes of 8 different British programs, 4 old & 4 newer, and on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we're rotating all of them so our viewers can see what they're about. Then we're asking for you to call or email with your top 2 favorite programs...and we'll make our purchasing decision based on the vote. Every weekend in February, 9 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Let us know what you think!

The things you learn when dissecting a shark...

2012-02-01T08:49:00.002-06:00

Inside Nature's Giants sends the experts to South Africa to dissect a 15-foot-long great white shark, uncovering an amazing array of a sharks senses, including the ability to detect the electro-magnetic field given off by other creatures. We also get up close and personal with the shark's infamous killing bite, and learn how sharks' teeth and jaws evolved from their outer skin and gill arches. There's even a warning disclaimer before the show - I wonder what else they found? Inside Nature's Giants: Great White Shark...9pm.

He met what was perhaps the most fitting end...

2012-01-31T08:06:00.004-06:00

Jesse James himself was an unarmed man when he was shot in the back.
His story remains one of America's most cherished myths and one of its most wrong-headed. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE looks at the life and times, and the legend of Jesse James, as well as the woman Will Rogers described as "the greatest woman rifle shot the world has ever produced." Her fame and fortune came from her skill with guns, yet she was a Quaker. This film is the story of five-foot-tall sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who pulled herself out of the depths of poverty to become known the world over as a symbol of the Wild West...Back to back stories from American Experience...7 & 8 pm

Antiques Roadshow goes to Houston...

2012-01-30T10:13:00.002-06:00

for a tour of the extraordinary museum and gardens that once were home to famed philanthropist and antiques collector Ima Hogg. Modern-day collectors arrive at the Reliant Center with everything from an early 19th-century box desk made by a renowned supplier to the British royal family, to a 1959 replica of artist Edith Parson's early 19th-century Turtle Baby bronze sculpture, valued at $35,000 to $40,000...8pm

Then Secrets of the Dead investigates the disappearance of the Minoans...the first Europeans to use writing, becoming the setting for famous Greek myths about Theseus, Icarus and the Minotaur. 5000 years ago the Minoans were wiped from the pages of history. Was it from a massive volcano that buried them in ash or Greek invaders who conquered and killed them? Drawing from the archaeological records, new revelations about Minoan language and religion, and shocking new geological discoveries, the film connects fact with fiction, and reveals the truth behind the reign and fall of the great Minoan civilization...9pm

How the West Was Won in an afternoon...

2012-01-27T09:18:00.003-06:00

Tony Bennett sings tonight with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga on Great Performances...8pm

One of the great architects of our time is examined in "Architect Robert A.M. Stern: Presence of the Past"...exploring how Stern bridges the very divide in modern architecture that he has to define -- that between the modernists and the traditionalists...tonight 9:30

On Sunday we catch up with the American Experience western series and the episode that was missed due to political programming last Tuesday...the episode focusing on Wyatt Earp and his emergence as a folk hero of the west...2pm

And don't miss more of of our western heritage with Annie Oakley and Quanah Parker following Wyatt Earp...3 & 4pm

All those triumphs have led to this...

2012-01-26T11:06:00.003-06:00

She starred in the 1992 Olympics by winning more medals than any other US athlete, then in '96 she led the Magnificent Seven to the US Women's first ever team gold. Shannon became the first American gymnast to capture the gold on the balance beam, a law degree from Boston College, has her own radio show, a series of fitness books and some DVDs about how to stay fit during pregnancy...and now, as a wife and mother, Shannon Miller has taken on another challenge...fighting ovarian cancer. She talks with Ellen Robertson Green about her magnificent past and promising future this week on Face to Face...8pm

Should have been on Antiques Roadshow...

2012-01-25T09:41:00.002-06:00

A striking portrait of a young woman in Renaissance dress originally sold in 2007 for around $20,000...fast forward to the present and the portrait is now thought to be an undiscovered masterwork by Leonardo da Vinci worth - wait for it - more than $100 million. NOVA meets a new breed of experts who are approaching "cold case" art mysteries as if they were crime scenes, and follows art sleuths as they deploy new techniques to combat the multi-billion dollar criminal market in stolen and fraudulent art...Nova...8pm

Just before the State of the Union...

2012-01-24T17:11:00.002-06:00

Tonight we pre-empt American Masters with an encore episode of MOYERS & COMPANY, a new weekly hour of compelling and vital conversation about life and the state of American democracy, featuring some of the best thinkers of our time...7pm

...and no spittin' on the sidewalk...

2012-01-24T07:48:00.002-06:00

Wyatt Earp's Tombstone was one tough town...and he's been portrayed in countless movies and television shows by some of Hollywood's greatest actors, including Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Kevin Costner, and Kurt Russell...as a man whose life is a lens on politics, justice and economic opportunity in the American frontier. As a young man, Wyatt Earp was a caricature of the Western lawman and gained notoriety in the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Tonight American Experience presents the real tale of Wyatt Earp...7pm

From the panhandle to singing for princes & presidents...

2012-01-19T08:12:00.003-06:00

The recent PBS documentary, Young Opera, called him "the next big thing in the tenor world." But Eric Barry says he basically tripped into an offer for voice lessons while studying business at West Texas A&M University. In seven years that voice lesson catapulted Barry from WT to the State University of New York to Yale and now on international tour as a full-fledged Opera star. Ellen talks to Barry about life on the operatic road, Face to Face...8pm

Squids have beaks? I did not know that...

2012-01-18T11:13:00.002-06:00

Veterinary scientist Mark Evans and comparative anatomist Joy Reidenberg dissect a sperm whale's enormous organs to reveal the secrets of this 45-foot deep-sea giant, found stranded and dead in England. As the team ventures inside the whale, biologist Simon Watt tracks whales in the Azores with a modern-day Jonah, Malcolm Clarke, who shows him the huge number of squid beaks in a whale's stomach. And evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins marvels at the gigantic teeth that have evolved in the lower jaw of a sperm whale...this talk of stomachs and teeth is making me hungry...Inside Nature's Giants: Sperm Whale...9pm

By days end, Custer and nearly a third of his army were dead...

2012-01-17T09:22:00.003-06:00

This biography of one of the most charismatic and contradictory American leaders of the 19th century takes viewers on a journey from Custer's memorable, wild charge at Gettysburg that turned the tide of the battle, to his lonely, untimely death on the windswept plains of the west. General George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, and the battle of the Little Big Horn...one of the most iconic events in American history...American Experience...7pm

This television weekend has to be Movies & Moyers...

2012-01-13T11:04:00.004-06:00

The subject of movies and their historical and cultural significance is the focus of the National Film Registry, and the cinematic treasures it strives to save, from Hollywood blockbusters to avant-garde gems, and from the earliest days of film to today. Ted Turner's quest to colorize everything he could get his hands on, in the hopes securing even greater wealth, forced Hollywood and Washington to come to recognize the value of classic film.
Watch Independent Lens, Saturday at 11pm for a walk down movie memory lane...

And Bill Moyers returns to television with Moyers & Company, a weekly series of smart talk and new ideas aimed at helping viewers make sense of our tumultuous times through the insight of America’s strongest thinkers. Welcome back, Bill...Sunday night at 10:30...

Best selling authors come from the strangest places...

2012-01-12T14:02:00.002-06:00

Fresh and seasoned indie rock hits the AUSTIN CITY LIMITS stage with the Head and the Heart and Gomez. Seattle's the Head and the Heart performs tunes from its self-titled debut LP. British veterans Gomez follow with their eclectic modern rock...7pm

Face to Face with Ellen Robertson Green looks at the new book by Dr. Harry Haines, the WT music professor turned best selling author and his new book "Cover Up in Ann Arbor"...a big plus in the show is the detailed info about what it takes to becone a published author. Dr. Haines has some great insights into the process...8pm

And you complained there are too many cats...

2012-01-11T14:21:00.003-06:00

Street Smart kangaroos have moved into Canberra. Over the course of one drought-stricken year we follow a kangaroo mob leader and his family through the streets of Australia's capital city, and document the obstacles they face to survive. Here is a look at what happens when human development encroaches on wildlife habitat and two very different species are forced to co-exist.

He had the perfect cover: he was an American citizen.

2012-01-10T10:38:00.002-06:00

On the night of November 26, 2008, 10 men armed with guns and grenades launched an assault on Mumbai with a military precision that killed 166...a Pakistani militant group associated with Pakistan's ISI was responsible. And American citizen David Coleman Headley had been casing the city for two years, developing a blueprint for terror. FRONTLINE and ProPublica reporter Sebastian Rotella team up to investigate the mysterious circumstances behind Headley's rise from heroin dealer and U.S. government informant to master plotter of the 2008 attack on Mumbai...9pm

I always think of Woody Allen's "Manhattan"...

2012-01-06T10:21:00.003-06:00

GREAT PERFORMANCES and music director Gustavo Dudamel present an all-Gershwin repertoire including "An American in Paris," "Rhapsody in Blue" and a solo performance of "Someone to Watch Over Me," spotlighting the jazz piano of Herbie Hancock...tonight at 8

INDEPENDENT LENS presents the fascinating "The Woodmans"...a documentary looking at an entire family of artists, and the heavy price they pay for the privelege...Saturday at 10

And Sunday there's much, much more DOWNTON ABBEY...beginning at 6:30

Mylo Zyloto on KACV!

2012-01-05T08:40:00.003-06:00

Coldplay’s stunning performance on the ACL stage is their second appearance on the show, and the first in the new studio...and only Austin City Limits could handle the band’s unique production. If you missed this show on New Year's Eve, here's your chance to catch it and record it...Austin City Limits, 7pm

Birds of a pretty feather...

2012-01-04T16:28:00.002-06:00

When Europeans first saw the plumes of these fabulous creatures in the 16th century, they believed they must be from heaven and called them Birds of Paradise. The people of New Guinea make even greater claims. They say the birds possess supernatural powers and magic. David Attenborough introduces a team of scientists on a grueling expedition to find and film these Birds of Paradise; the holy grail of wildlife filmmakers.

Recharged and rarin' to go...

2012-01-03T13:32:00.002-06:00

Just got back from Christmas Break...my favorite time of the work year! Alot has been on the tube, and 2012 promises to be an even better year for PBS...

Egypt had been through very hard times, but one family was determined to revive it -- the king of Thebes and his two young sons Ahmose and Kamose, who became f reedom fighters, liberators of Egypt. Through enormous struggle, hardships and personal tragedy, the enemy Hykos was expelled, and Egypt was finally reunited. This is the beginning of royal intrigue that makes Game of Thrones look like Tiddly Winks. Watch the multi-part EGYPT'S GOLDEN EMPIRE tonight beginning at 7pm

Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world's illicit opium. Opium farmers have long borrowed money from drug gangs, some with links to the Taliban, to subsidize their crops. Now, as the Afghan government destroys their livelihood in an eradication program,the farmers find themselves in a horrifying situation: repay their debts or give their daughters to drug-traffickers, often to be used for sex. Award-winning Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi reports on the harrowing story of families torn apart and the collateral damage of the counter-narcotics effort in Afghanistan...FRONTLINE...9pm

If you're having trouble picking up KACV...

2011-12-16T15:48:00.003-06:00

We're on the air with a new transmitter and antenna...if you watch KACV over the air with an antenna, you'll need to re-scan or re-program your box to pick up the new and improved signal...still having problems? Email me at jwsmith@actx.edu and I'll contact you.
We're out until January 3...may you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did...

2011-12-15T08:32:00.004-06:00

She just did it backwards and in high heels.” The famous quote from Texas Governor Ann Richards is just one of the ways Holland Taylor brings her back to life these days.
The Emmy-winning actress has been on stage, in movies and on television, from The Practice, the Truman Show, Two and a Half Men and The L Word. But her solo show about Texas governor Ann Richards will certainly get Evan Smith's attention tonight on Overheard.
8pm

Just how did Pluto stop being a planet?

2011-12-14T13:15:00.001-06:00

Live from Lincoln Center returns to the New York City Ballet for "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker." 7pm

When the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium stopped calling Pluto a planet, director Neil deGrasse Tyson found himself at the center of a firestorm -- a firestorm led by angry, Pluto-loving elementary school students.
Nova examines the controversy...9pm

FRONTLINE does CHRISTIANITY...

2011-12-13T09:39:00.003-06:00

Nothing says Christmas like the pomp and majesty of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir...holiday music with orchestra and dancers...7pm

And a special 2 part series from FRONTLINE begins tonight on the epic story of the rise of Christianity. Drawing upon new and sometimes controversial historical evidence, viewers are transported back two thousand years to the time and place where Jesus of Nazareth once lived and preached and challenges familiar assumptions and conventional notions about the origins of Christianity. Be prepared to learn something you didn't know...9 - 11 pm

After they saw the Statue of Liberty...

2011-12-12T10:40:00.004-06:00

"Forgotten Ellis Island" is the first film to be produced about the abandoned immigrant hospital on Ellis Island. Massive and modern, the hospital was America's first line of defense against contagious, often virulent disease from other countries. Many never-before-published photographs are featured in the film as well as excerpts from oral histories with medical staff, ward matrons, and patients. As America wrestles once again with the issue of immigration, this film looks at some of the issues then, and now...9pm

Lucy - you have some 'splainin to do...

2011-12-09T09:31:00.003-06:00

As our December Membership Drive winds down, some weekend highlights...

Friday night we premiere artZONE 4, our local production featuring art in the Panhandle. Tonight's focus is on young piano prodigy J.T.Hassell in a performance at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church...8pm

When "I Love Lucy" debuted in the fall of 1951, it became an instant sensation, defining the situation comedy format, and turned its unlikely star, Lucille Ball, into a legend. This program revisits the life of Lucille Ball - the first female television superstar and first solo female head of a major studio. "Finding Lucy" also showcases the most extensive set of film clips from the comedienne's life, thanks to an unprecedented agreement between "American Masters," CBS and the estate of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz...Saturday at 6:30

On Sunday, get a double shot of the Irish sound...Christmas with The Celts celebrates the holidays by bringing Irish and Scottish music - which was the underpinning of today's American Country music - full circle to the world famous home of country music, the historical Ryman Auditorium...Sunday at 8pm

Classic Irish songs "The Water Is Wide," "Green Grow The Rushes," "A Woman's Heart" are performed in Celtic Woman: Believe...Sunday 9:30

Don't it make your brown eyes blue...

2011-12-08T09:37:00.002-06:00

The still lovely Crystal Gayle answers that question quite well tonight as we present Country Pop Legends...a fun walk down memory lane with new performances from Glen Campbell, Hank Locklin, Bill Anderson, BJ Thomas, the Bellamy Brothers, the Browns and more...mixed in with classic full-length vintage gems from the vaults. The country pop hits of the 50's, 60's and 70's are alive and kickin' tonight during our pledge drive...7pm

Tommy Lee Jones considers him a hero...

2011-12-07T08:45:00.003-06:00

Tonight our pledge drive continues with a local bent...our documentary about the prisoner of war camp in Hereford during WWII, and the fascinating interaction with the both the community and St. Mary's Catholic Church needs to inspire a screenplay...Cathedral in the Desert: The POWs of Hereford Camp 31...7pm

At 7:35 we introduce the Lubbock PBS doc about the south plains connection to hang gliders during the war in Through Thin Air...followed by our close up look at the life of Charles Goodnight, from rancher and Texas Ranger, to cattle baron and pillar of the community...not to mention his marriage at age 91...8:55pm

Still crazy, after all these years...

2011-12-06T08:27:00.002-06:00

Yet another reason why PBS is like no other...this past June, Paul Simon and his eight-piece band filled the stage at Webster Hall, the historic New York City club. With many of the musicians who have played with him since Graceland, in a band of virtuosic, multi-instrumental players, Paul Simon's repertoire ranges from his years with Art Garfunkel ("Sound of Silence") through a solo career which produced classics including "Kodachrome," "Slip Slidin' Away," "Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes," and "Still Crazy after All These Years." Included in the evening are songs from So Beautiful or So What, considered his best work since Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints...Should be Magic...8:30

A very nice birthday present for Buddy...

2011-12-05T08:39:00.002-06:00

KACV kicks off a "LIVE" pledge night with Buddy Holly: Listen to Me...a tribute show featuring everyone from Stevie Nicks and Linda Ronstadt to Brian Wilson, Jeff Lynne and Lyle Lovett...all crooning Buddy's best songs...not to be missed, and a fine example of the value of Public Television...7pm

Legends of the 1960s unite in this all-new live performance "My Music" special. Co-hosts Peter Noone and Davy Jones sing their biggest hits focusing on the years 1965 - 1969...with many artists and groups appearing for the first time on the "My Music" stage...60's Pop, Rock and Soul...8:30pm

Thank you, PBS, for transporting me to the park...

2011-12-02T08:30:00.002-06:00

Tenor Andrea Bocelli plays to 75,000 in Central Park tonight, kicking off our week long December Membership Drive...and he's joined onstage by Tony Bennett, trumpeter Chris Botti, and Celine Dione...8pm

There's plenty of great musical performancea all weekend - pre-teen opera phenom Jackie Evancho, also tonight...10:30.

Saturday features a Classic Gospel Special and Christmas with Daniel O'Donnell...

Sunday's highlights include a replay of Andrea Bocelli and Jackie Evancho, and the premiere of Christmas with the Annie Moses Band...a very cool, classically trained young group who're all from the same family...hold on tight - their muscical abilities are astounding...check our website for the schedule.

Here we go again...

2011-12-01T13:02:00.003-06:00

Alt-Rock supergroup Monsters of Folk hit the stage on Austin City Limits...7pm

Gail Collins's column for The New York Times examines politics and social issues with a sharp wit. She has been with the Times since 1995, and in 2001 became the first woman to serve as editor of the paper's editorial page. Collins is also the author of four books, including two examining the role of women in American culture and history...Overheard with Evan Smith...8pm

Friday night starts our December Membership Drive...we're featuring everything from Andrea Bocelli and Jackie Evancho to Buddy Holly and Christmas with the Annie Moses Band...be sure to watch and support public tv!

Suddenly, my troubles seem easy...

2011-11-30T08:49:00.006-06:00

Like clockwork each year, 100 million monarch butterflies set off on an incredible journey across North America, flying 2,000 miles to reach their remote destination: a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico. How do the butterflies achieve this tremendous feat of endurance - and how, year after year, do the monarchs navigate with such hair's-breadth precision. NOVA flies along, visiting the spectacular locations the butterflies call home and meeting the dangers they encounter along the way...The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies...8PM

The "un-won" war that never ended...

2011-11-28T08:15:00.003-06:00

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's visits Madison, Wisconsin and Denver...Highlights include an heirloom 1938 Martin D-18 guitar, and an angry 1976 letter from Frank Sinatra to Chicago Daily News columnist Mike Royko, auctioned off for charity by Royko and now worth $15,000...7pm

Korean War veterans remember the late 1940s and early 1950s, when young men from all over the country were being shipped off to defend South Korea against the advancing Red Army in the north. UNFORGETTABLE: THE KOREAN WAR recalls the "un-won" war that never ended...9pm

Turkey legs are for eating, drum sticks are for pounding...

2011-11-23T09:32:00.003-06:00

Here we are, the day before Thanksgiving and a long weekend of football and music on the tube...and some mighty fine music at that.

We start off with In Perforance at the White House - Country style, featuring the exquisite Alison Krauss, James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson, among others...7pm

Then on Thursday Austin City Limits presents highlights from the Americana Music Festival, featuring Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Robert Plant, Emmy Lou Harris and the incomparable Avett Brothers...a fantastic show from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville...Thursday at 7pm

Friday night at 8pm the PBS Arts Festival continues with tenor Placido Domingo performing with the LA Opera in Il Postino...and Saturday it's back to ACL with the Monsters of Folk...starts at 10pm...

Sometimes you can't tell a book by...

2011-11-22T09:12:00.003-06:00

On the night of November 26, 2008, 10 men armed with guns and grenades launched an assault on Mumbai with a military precision that left 166 dead. Six were Americans. Lashkar-e-Taiba,a Pakistani militant group associated with Pakistan's secretive intelligence agency, the ISI took credit for the attack. But the man who had been casing the city for two years, developing a blueprint for terror was David Coleman Headley...because he had the perfect cover: he was an American citizen. FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigates the mysterious circumstances behind Headley's rise from heroin dealer and U.S. government informant to master plotter of the 2008 attack on Mumbai...9pm

The subject is Woody Allen...

2011-11-21T10:17:00.003-06:00

and people will talk. The second part of the American Masters doc features Diane Keaton, Louise Lasser, Scarlett Johansson, Martin Scorsese, Dick Cavett, Larry David and so many more. And there's inspiration and process...why and how he makes what he makes...there are outtakes, shots of Allen giving direction to his actors and stories of major rewrites, the portable typewriter he has typed out every movie script, play and New Yorker piece since he began writing...key inspirations, from Bob Hope to Ingmar Bergman. And there's countless classic scenes from movies we can't forget...the bank robbery scene from Take the Money and Run. The translation scene from Bananas. The beautiful Gershwin music from Manhattan. And so many, many scenes from Annie Hall.
American Masters has outdone itself with this documentary on Woody Allen, and you owe it to yourself if you love movies to drink it in...8pm
last night's part 1 will be rebroadcast tonight at 1am)

Woody Allen in the editing room? Really?

2011-11-18T08:13:00.003-06:00

Darlene Love, Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, and Debbie Harry are just a few of the women profiled in the film about the story of Women Who Rock...8pm

The President and First Lady host IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, featuring performers Smokey Robinson, Natasha Bedingfield, Sheryl Crow, John Legend and others...9:30pm

Austin City Limits keeps the music rocking with highlights from the annual Americana Music Awards ceremony in Nashville... includes performances by Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman and Robert Plant...Saturday at 10pm

For me the highlight of the weekend is this new, two-part documentary on Woody Allen...Exploring the ultimate "independent filmmaker's" writing habits, casting, directing and relationship with his actors, the editing room and his childhood haunts in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. New interviews with practically everyone who knows him...Woody Allen: American Masters...Sunday at 8pm

Direct from America's funny factory...

2011-11-17T10:11:00.002-06:00

He's all over YOUTUBE and HULU...and he's hilarious. Wyatt Cenac reports for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a fake news writer and correspondent. Fans can also find him doing standup on tour and in a soon-to-be released hour-long special...not quite sure Evan Smith knows what he's in for...check out OVERHEARD tonight at 8pm

Joe Hutto spent each day living as a turkey mother...

2011-11-16T08:51:00.002-06:00

Deep in the wilds of Florida, writer and naturalist Joe Hutto was given the rare opportunity to raise wild turkeys from chicks...each day he went out and about as a "wild turkey" with his family of chicks, until the day came when he had to let his children grow up and go off on their own. As it turned out, this was harder than he ever imagined...and let's not even get into Thanksgiving!
Nature: My Life As A Turkey...7pm

Churchill had to make a very, very hard choice...

2011-11-15T08:08:00.002-06:00

He could either trust the promises of the new French government that they would never hand over their ships to Hitler after their surrender. Or he could make sure that the ships never joined the German navy by destroying them himself. Secrets of the Dead: Churchill's Deadliest Decision reveals the darkest side of Britain's Finest Hour. This is the story of what Churchill did next, and why; and how 1,300 French sailors died as a result in what the French still call 'our Pearl Harbour'...7pm

The Globetrekker crew does Dallas, with stops at Cowboys Stadium and the Texas Book School Depository...Next it's Fort Worth and the National Cowgirl Museum and the historic Stockyards, then Austin and the State Capitol, followed by a sunset stroll across the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch the skies fill up with Mexican free-tail bats...see Texas from outsider's eyes...8pm

please pass the gravy...very carefully.

2011-11-14T10:17:00.003-06:00

Plucked from ROADSHOW's appraisal archive, highlights feature an heirloom Tlingit Indian oil bowl and ladle, acquired by the owner's great-great-grandfather during a military posting to Sitka, Alaska, in 1877, valued at a jaw-dropping $250,000 to $300,000...ANTIQUES ROADSHOW special edition, "Tasty Treasures"...7pm

Followed by ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's "Simply the Best," showcasing objects deemed the finest examples of their kind ever seen...featuring a staggeringly rare 19th-century Rhode Island rifle and powderhorn, valued at $100,000 to $120,000...8pm

What would we do without them?

2011-11-11T15:51:00.003-06:00

In the third installment of the fascinating series "America In Primetime", we
celebrate the "misfit"...unique characters who defied comic stereotypes and societal expectations to reflect America's diverse personalities. Interviews range from Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"); Diablo Cody ("The United States of Tara"); Greg Daniels and Rainn Wilson ("The Office"), to Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Seinfeld")and Garry Shandling ("The Larry Sanders Show")...
What would we do without them? Sunday at 7pm

Then, there's the two ex-lovers who meet for lunch at their favorite haunt from years before. Will sparks reignite to rekinkle love or rage? Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman star in this funny, bittersweet drama adapted from Christopher Reid's captivating poem. Sex, temptation, guilt and revenge are all on the menu.
Sunday at 8pm

Photographing in Big Bend...

2011-11-10T10:14:00.002-06:00

From landscape photography to performance theatre WESTERN PERSPECTIVE takes the audience on a journey to the creative side of West Texas. Learn more about what molds us into the unique characters, artists, and individual personalities who make up our wide and open spaces. As West Texas widens its creative boundaries we can only hope you will too...8pm

First go the monkeys, then go the camera people...

2011-11-09T08:44:00.003-06:00

The most powerful raptor in the world, harpy eagles are barely ever seen, let alone filmed. In this extraordinary documentary, NATURE steps into the world of this monkey-eating eagle, risking injury to obtain intimate pictures of them bringing back large monkeys to the nest. But then, what do you know...one of these massive birds starts following the team...NATURE...7pm

Time. We waste it, save it, kill it, make it. The world runs on it. Yet, ask physicists what time actually is, and the answer might shock you: They have no idea. Even more surprising, the deep sense we have of time passing from present to past may be nothing more than an illusion. How can our understanding of something so familiar be so wrong? In search of answers, Brian Greene takes us on the ultimate time traveling adventure. You'll never look at your wristwatch the same way again...The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time...8pm

Behind the lines with FRONTLINE...

2011-11-08T08:57:00.002-06:00

Secrets of the Dead: Japanese SuperSub investigates the startling story of Japan's creation of a tech masterpiece-an aircraft carrier submarine that could blow up the Panama Canal and attack the U.S. How close did Japan's secret sub come, and how did we stop it? Find out tonight at 7pm

As dictators are toppling like dominoes, FRONTLINE offers a rare look from inside war ravaged Syria...we travel with undercover reporter Ramita Navai into some of the most dangerous areas to meet members of the opposition movement forced into hiding. Navai experiences first-hand life as a fugitive when she is trapped in a safe house with three opposition coordinators on the government's most wanted list...reality TV at it's "realest"...9pm

Well...nobody's perfect...

2011-11-07T08:32:00.003-06:00

The last line in the movie "Some Like it Hot" speaks for a generation with the exception, of course, of Marilyn Monroe...Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and now Antiques Roadshow appraises her dress from the film...valued upwards of a quarter of a million dollars...tonight at 7 & 7:30pm.

Part One of "Looking for Lincoln" explores how Abraham Lincoln the man was transformed into Abraham Lincoln the legend...8pm

If you missed it Sunday night, here's your chance to record some really intelligent television...it's Masterpiece Contemporary's "Page Eight", a contemporary spy thriller starring Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient) and Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener). Written and directed by Sir David Hare (Oscar-nominated adapter of The Reader and The Hours)...1am

Some say his ideas are a revolution in education...

2011-11-03T10:38:00.002-05:00

Damen Lopez changed his school from a career-ender to the model facility in California in just seven years. During his tenure the school, the largest in the district, became an excellent model that performed within the top ten percent of all schools within the state of California. How did he do it? Damen’s model affects nearly 60,000 students in 18 states. Tonight he sits Face to Face with Ellen Robertson Green in the KACV studios tells how he does it, and how we all play a part in helping children, especially those living in poverty, be successful...8pm

Are we complex enough to appreciate the simple?

2011-11-02T09:19:00.002-05:00

Amazing night for television... physicist and author Brian Greene reveals "space" as a dynamic fabric that can stretch, twist, warp and ripple under the influence of gravity...definitely not the empty void we tend to believe. Nova does what only Nova can do in the premiere of "Fabric of the Cosmos: What is Space"...8pm

After the passing of Steve Jobs, PBS has produced a doc which takes an in-depth look at the genius who put life changing technology in the palm of our hands...
ONE LAST THING (a tribute to his lecture style) tonight at 9pm

And the winner is...

2011-11-01T16:53:00.003-05:00

The 50-year anniversary of the atomic bomb provides the perfect opportunity share a very chilling story with the world. Beginning in the 1950s, American and Soviet scientists engaged in a dangerous race to see who could build and detonate the world's largest bomb. The story of the race has never been fully told.
Tonight on Secrets of the Dead...7pm

Something to watch while answering the doorbell...

2011-10-31T08:06:00.002-05:00

ROADSHOW gets strange on Halloween with a Weller pottery humidor in the shape of a skull; a chair once belonging to Chang Boker, the owner's great-grandfather and half of the 19th-century's world famous conjoined twins, Chang and Eng; and a collection of tin cans from a 19th-century dump...valued at $10,000 to $14,000.
Tonight at 7pm

From the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the high class "roast" known as The Mark Twain Prize sets it's sights on Will Ferrell with friends Christina Applegate, Jack Black and Zach Galifianakis...and music from Green Day...8pm

Roseanne & Murphy Brown? Watch out...

2011-10-28T08:36:00.003-05:00

Edward Villela, George Balanchine, and Twyla Tharp...a mash-up of signature works from these dance masters including the critically acclaimed "Square Dance & "The Golden Section." Miami City Ballet is the performing entity bringing these pieces back to life for the PBS Fall Festival of the Arts...Friday at 8pm

Saturday on Austin City Limits, the classic sounds of the Steve Miller Band...10pm

And Sunday we premiere America in Primetime...examining the modern era tube we all grew up with and it's has effects on society. Witness the transformation of women from model housewives to complex, and sometimes controversial, characters. Interviews include Roseanne Barr ("Roseanne"); Candice Bergen ("Murphy Brown"); Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives"), Robert and Michelle King and Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"); James L. Brooks and Mary Tyler Moore ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show"); Shonda Rhimes and Sandra Oh ("Grey's Anatomy")among others...7pm

The man with the red shoes...

2011-10-27T10:47:00.001-05:00

If you've listened to public radio at almost any time, in almost any place, you probably know Garrison Keillor's voice and his work. A Prairie Home Companion began in 1974, and today it's broadcast around the world to more than four million listeners each week...Saturday afternoon just wouldn't be the same without it. Keillor's other work includes The Writer's Almanac and more than a dozen books. Tonight Evan Smith sits down with Garrison, and gets all the latest from Lake Woebegone...OVERHEARD WITH EVAN SMITH...8pm

What if we looked at war as though women mattered?

2011-10-25T08:09:00.002-05:00

That's the question the ground breaking PBS series Women, War, and Peace poses
to the viewer...and the answer is both shocking and uplifting.
Tonight's episode tells the story of three brave Afghan women who, in the midst of peace talks with the Taliban in 2009, organize to protect women's rights. Peace Unveiled takes viewers behind the scenes, and reveals the Afghani government from the inside out, exposing the resistance women must overcome to make their voices heard in the political process...8pm

Beer, guitars and radioactive wolves...must be Monday night !

2011-10-24T08:56:00.004-05:00

Early in the evening, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW travels to Milwaukee for the city's traditional German Fest, where host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Stuart Whitehurst soak up the atmosphere, among other things, and talk about collectible German beer steins. And then they look at the real treasure - a much sought after 1952 Fender Esquire guitar...7pm

Later you have an opportunity to record the excellent Nature episode "Radioactive Wolves", broadcast Sunday night, about wildlife surviving alongside the ruins of Chernobyl...followed by Masterpiece Mystery with the second installment of the new series "Case Histories"...all beginning at midnight.

Let your flannel freak flags fly…

2011-10-21T14:29:00.001-05:00

Pearl Jam Twenty -- carved from never-before-seen archival footage and many hours of recently shot interviews and live performances -- is a definitive portrait of the groundbreaking band, as told by award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe. The Seattle musicians became the sound of a generation, reluctantly moving from small clubs to the world stage, they resisted stardom, remaining true to their art and retaining truth in that art. As part of the ongoing PBS Fall Arts Festival, this film is an exciting addition to a classic lineup of programs…8pm

On Sunday we confront our own secret passions and admit to our one obsessive goal -- to raise the biggest giant pumpkin in the world. Lords of the Gourd follows Joe Pukos and his fellow competitors through the final harrowing days of harvest and the journey across New York State with the bulging behemoths strapped into the backs of their pick-ups…each hoping they have the biggest pumpkins to smash the world record...Sunday night at 10pm

He's the one who says " We're in some real pretty s***t now man..."

2011-10-20T07:56:00.004-05:00

Absolutely the best thing about ALIENS...Evan Smith sits down with actor Bill Paxton tonight, and rehashes some of the most intriguing movies of the last 20 years...he landed his first movie role in 1975's Crazy Mama, but followed up with gems like One False Move, A Simple Plan, Aliens, Traveler, Apollo 13, to name just a few...and of course HBO's controversial Big Love. Get the scoop tonight on OVERHEARD with Evan Smith...8pm

Howdy neighbor...

2011-10-19T08:13:00.003-05:00

We used to think our neighboring planets and moons were fairly boring - mostly cold, dead rocks where life could never take hold. Today, not so much. Powerful telescopes and unmanned space missions have revealed a wide range of dynamic environments - atmospheres thick with organic molecules, active volcanoes and vast saltwater oceans...set an extra plate, we might be having company.
NOVA presents "Finding Life Beyond Earth", tonight at 8pm

If mama's not happy...nobody's happy...

2011-10-18T08:18:00.002-05:00

As part of the PBS series "Women and War", tonight's film reinforces the power of women when channeled with conviction to a just end. "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" is the story of the Liberian women who took on the warlords in the midst of a brutal civil war. As the rebel noose tightened around the capital city of Monrovia, thousands of women -- ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim, literally faced down the killers who had turned Liberia into hell on earth...9pm

Is talent inherited? I must have been cut out of the will...

2011-10-17T08:16:00.002-05:00

CRAFT IN AMERICA returns tonight with another fascinating look at the inner workings of art. This episode explores the creative home environments and personal dynamics of four families of craft artists and asks: Is talent inherited? What's it like to live in a household where objects are made by hand? Artists include Oklahoma's Lisa Sorrell, one of a very few women who make custom cowboy boots. Are you by chance wearing some? Tune in tonight at 9pm to find out.

It opened in 1878, and the piano score sold 10,000 copies...

2011-10-14T15:53:00.002-05:00

PBS kicks off it's Fall Festival of the Arts with a new production of the beloved Gilbert and Sullivan classic H.M.S. Pinafore, infused with fresh musical arrangements of Sullivan's memorable melodies ranging from big band swing to classic pop...Friday at 8pm

Hilarity ensues(?) when a Kuwaiti psychologist launches a comic series with 99 superheroes based on the 99 virtues of Allah...WHAM! BAM! ISLAM! on Independent Lens Saturday at 11pm

Sunday night Masterpiece Mystery! begins a new round of dramas by introducing private investigator Jackson Brodie, the tough former soldier and policeman with a heart of gold, from this series based on the acclaimed novels by Kate Atkinson.
Case Histories, Part 1...8pm

Brad Paisley on Sesame Street tonight...

2011-10-13T15:15:00.002-05:00

During a food drive on Sesame Street, Elmo meets guest stars Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and learns how the struggle with hunger affects a new friend, Lily. The seeds of hope are planted when they visit a community garden and learn with Rosita how people can work together to take steps towards solutions...tonight at 7pm

And our newest local production centering on the importance of education and the dangers of drop outs is examined as Ellen Robertson Green hosts Success By Degree: a Community Conversation...8pm

Women, War & Peace...

2011-10-11T08:38:00.002-05:00

Tonight begins a 5-part series chronicling women and war around the world.
When the Balkans exploded into war in the 1990s, reports that tens of thousands of women were being systematically raped as a tactic of ethnic cleansing captured the international spotlight. "I Came to Testify" is the story of 16 women who stepped forward to take the witness stand in an international court of law. Narrated by Matt Damon...8pm

In the fall of 2001 envelopes carrying deadly Anthrax were delivered to U.S. Senate offices, network news divisions and a tabloid newspaper. Five people were killed, many more infected and the nation was terrorized. FRONTLINE takes a hard look at the FBI's investigation of the country's most notorious act of bioterrorism...9pm

Old ironsides, "Don't give up the ship", and the Battle of New Orleans...

2011-10-10T07:56:00.004-05:00

did you know that the war of 1812 had ended months earlier, making this battle irrelevant? Did you know the war of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner? Did you know that Canada thinks they won this war? Tune in tonight and find out the truth about the "Forgotten War"...The War of 1812...8pm

D.A. Pennebaker...Monterey Pop to politics, now pastry...

2011-10-07T09:24:00.003-05:00

British comedies return to the Saturday night line-up with a double shot of Are You Being Served starting at 9pm...

In "Kings of Pastry," 16 chefs whip up the most gorgeous, delectable, gravity-defying concoctions, along with edge-of-your-seat drama as they deliver their spun-sugar desserts to the display table. The filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus bring the intensity they delivered in The War Room...this time with food...POV, Saturday at 11pm.

Kevin Whately returns as Inspector Lewis for the fourth season of the detective series...Masterpiece Mystery!...Sunday at 8pm

Like it or not, we're all connected...

2011-10-06T08:15:00.002-05:00

In Amarillo, one in five adults do not have a high school diploma...a fourth of all adults in the Texas Panhandle are trying to make a living without a high school diploma. Poverty expert Dr. Donna Beegle discusses poverty – its causes, effects and the role of education in improving lives and communities. Having been raised in a large family of migrant workers, she has first hand knowledge of the barriers faced by the poor trying to get an education. And it's the education that will help break the cycle of poverty...be sure to watch a special one-hour edition of Face to Face...tonight 8p.m.

When science and faith worked in harmony...

2011-10-05T09:09:00.003-05:00

Carved from 100 million pounds of stone, soaring effortlessly atop a spiderweb of masonry, Gothic cathedrals are marvels of human achievement and artistry. But how did medieval builders reach such spectacular heights? Using simple hand tools and stone, entire towns took sometimes 100 years to erect some of the most beautiful structures on earth.
NOVA's teams perform hands-on experiments to investigate and reveal the architectural secrets and hidden formulas, drawn from the pages of the Bible itself, that drove medieval builders ever upward...8pm

"A nation of wets, drys and hypocrites"...

2011-10-04T08:26:00.003-05:00

The final installment of Ken Burns' doc on the history and effects of prohibition...leading up to December 1933, when Americans could finally, legally buy a drink...Prohibition...7pm

On the tenth anniversary of September 11, the FRONTLINE team that produced "Bush's War," "The Torture Question" and "Cheney's Law" teams up with Pultizer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest to investigate the dramatic changes that have reshaped America...and asks how a decade of fighting terrorism has made us any safer...9pm

Lips that have touched alcohol shall never touch...

2011-09-30T16:19:00.002-05:00

Austin City Limits kicks off it's 37th season with Mumford & Sons, and celtic rockers Flogging Molly...both performing in the new home for ACL...Saturday at 10.

Filmmaker Ken Burns premieres another excellent documentary on the heels of such classics as The Civil War, The War, and The National Parks...this 3 part project looks at the history of Prohibition, and the lasting effects on the country.
Since the early years of the American Republic, alcohol had been embedded in the fabric of American culture. But by 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year, three times as much as we drink today. To slow the alcolohic scourge, Prohibition was enacted in 1917...
but Americans were about to discover that making Prohibition the law of the land had been one thing; enforcing it would be another...Sunday at 7pm

And for something completely different, check out Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer John Kaplan's journey to fight his cancer - documented through his own photographs as he turns the lens on himself...Not As I pictured sunday at 10pm

He is cyberlaw...

2011-09-29T09:41:00.002-05:00

so says Wired Magazine (and they should know) when describing Lawrence Lessig's work on copyright law in the digital age, the intersection of law and technology and an idea he calls "institutional corruption." As a lawyer, a writer and an advocate, Lessig has played a huge role in the development of modern copyright law and in the creation of theories and movements to support change in the law.
In the realm of Internet politics and law, no one even approaches Lessig's stature, and his experience of suing Microsoft only added to his legend.
OVERHEARD with Evan Smith attempts to tap his brain tonight at 8pm

In the blink of an eye...

2011-09-28T07:58:00.002-05:00

The facts and figures are astonishing. The March 11th earthquake was the world's fourth largest earthquake since record keeping began in 1900 and the worst ever to shake Japan. The seismic shock wave released over 4,000 times the energy of the largest nuclear test ever conducted; it shifted the earth's axis by 6 inches and shortened the day by a few millionths of a second. The tsunami slammed Japan's coast with 30 feet-high waves that traveled 6 miles inland, obliterating entire towns in a matter of minutes. JAPAN'S KILLER QUAKE...8pm

Part 2 of tonight's tsunami extravanganza features stunning photos and video of survivors and their stories...SURVIVING THE TSUNAMI...9pm

It became the most controversial building in America...

2011-09-27T07:55:00.003-05:00

A mostly derelict property in lower Manhattan made infamous overnight as the Ground Zero Mosque. FRONTLINE tells the inside stories of Sharif El-Gamal, a real estate developer, and of the victims' relatives and anti-Islam activists who helped turn his project into a continuing battle over faith, values, and the meaning of being American. Also in this hour: Adam Davidson of NPR's "Planet Money" returns to Haiti to meet a man with an unlikely plan to help turn around his country's economy through tourism...tonight on FRONTLINE...9pm

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

...the highest value appraisal in Roadshow history...

2011-09-26T08:07:00.003-05:00

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is beaming from Raleigh NC with a rare 1960's Gibson Double 12 Electric Guitar and a set of four Chinese Quianlong Period (1736-1795) carved jade objects whose auction estimate of $710,000 to $1,070,000 makes it the highest value appraisal in ROADSHOW history...7pm

Then in part 2 - Salt Lake City, Utah, is the scene where ANTIQUES ROADSHOW host Mark Walberg takes the plunge down Olympic Park's bobsled run to get in the zone for a look at Olympics collectibles...8pm

He was boxy, stumpy, straggly and ungainly...but Seabiscuit was one of the most remarkable thoroughbred racehorses in history. Learn about the four men who turned this unlikely horse into a national hero and explore the fascinating behind-the-scenes world of thoroughbred racing...American Experience...9pm

Placido, Plant & Hummingbirds in High Def...

2011-09-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

Celebrated tenor Placido Domingo shines in this performance documentary, looking back and reflecting on his favorite roles from opera houses around the world.
This special begins a long run of arts programs on Friday nights...it's PBS Fall Festival of the Arts...tonight at 8pm

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robert Plant performing with his new, Grammy-nominated group - aptly titled the Band of Joy - features both Led Zeppelin classics and new songs on Live From The Artists Den...Saturday 9pm

This week on Nature we stare in disbelief at one of nature's most interesting paradoxes -- hummingbirds are the tiniest of birds, yet they qualify as some of the toughest and most energetic creatures on the planet. Stunningly beautiful high-definition, high speed footage of hummingbirds in the wild combined with high-tech presentations of their remarkable abilities help us to understand their world as we never have before...Sunday at 7pm

Once you go Whole Foods, you never look back...

2011-09-22T08:19:00.003-05:00

Meet John Mackey...a meat-eating former philosophy major in his early 20s who moves into a vegetarian cooperative to meet women. Fast forward to 2011, and you'll meet an updated version: co-founder and CEO of WHOLE FOODS...a huge natural and organic grocery company with stores in three countries, a "company with a conscience" and a major force behind the growth of the local and organic food movement in the US...OVERHEARD WITH EVAN SMITH...8pm

we're your front row seat and backstage pass...

2011-09-21T10:59:00.003-05:00

Join the New York Philharmonic for the opening night of their 2011-2012 season.
LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER remains the only series of live broadcast performances on American television today...tonight celebrated soprano Deborah Voigt is on hand for an evening of music by Barber, Wagner and Richard Strauss...7pm

In 2008 in Patchogue, NY, a series of attacks against Latino residents ended with the killing of 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant who had lived there for 13 years. Seven local high school students arrested for the crime admitted they were "looking for a Mexican" to beat up. Over a two-year period, the film followed Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri as he led a diverse group of residents to confront the anti-immigrant bias in their town and repair the fabric of their community life...NOT IN OUR TOWN: LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS...9pm

Finding our way through the fog of war...

2011-09-20T08:40:00.003-05:00

16 suicides, 15 convicted soldiers and 11 killings, tripled arrest rates for Ft. Carson soldiers in the first five years since the Irag War began. Clearly, something is going on. Many of the most violent crimes involved men who had served in the same battalion in Iraq. FRONTLINE tells the dark tale of the men of Third Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st battalion of the 506th infantry and how the war followed them home. It is a story of heroism, grief, and a powerful portrait of what multiple tours and post-traumatic stress are doing to a generation of young American soldiers...The Wounded Platoon tonight at 9pm.

Honey...where's that old jersey that I like to wear during the game...

2011-09-19T13:24:00.003-05:00

A couple of special shows on Antiques Roadshow tonight...the first one recalls such spectacular windfalls as a landscape painting acquired for $1.50 at a Salvation Army "half price" sale and valued at $10,000 to $15,000; a 19th-century album of watercolor paintings, scooped up at a yard sale for a quarter, with an estimated value of $20,000 to $30,000; and a 1951 Minneapolis Millers baseball uniform worn by Willie Mays, scored at a sports collectibles show for $50 and valued at $60,000 to $80,000...7 and 8pm

And The Storm that Swept Mexico chronicles The Mexican Revolution, which was the first major political and social revolution of the 20th century, and not only changed the course of Mexican history, but also profoundly impacted its relationships with the rest of the world...9pm

Scorsese gets the coolest jobs...

2011-09-16T08:18:00.005-05:00

Elia Kazan...best remembered for his film directing in the
1950s -- Award winners like On the Waterfront, East of Eden, A Streetcar Named Desire, Gentleman's Agreement, A Face in the Crowd -- yet tainted as a controversial figure. To many, he was emblematic of the sin of "naming names" before HUAC in the darkest days of the Hollywood Blacklist. To others, his extraordinary body of work deserved honors. Martin Scorsese, the director of this documentary, presents a meditation on the nature of art and influence...American Masters, Friday 8pm.

POV again explores two of America's most pressing issues -- environmentalism and terrorism -- by lifting the veil on a radical environmental group the FBI calls the country's "number one domestic terrorism threat." How could a working class kid from Queens face life in prison for two multimillion dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies? Producer Marshall Curry provides a provocative account that is part coming-of-age story, part cautionary tale and part cops- and-robbers thriller...Saturday at 11pm.

Horses and Horny Toads...oh my...

2011-09-15T09:42:00.003-05:00

ACL welcomes the cream of underground rock with The National and Band of Horses. The National plays songs from its acclaimed record High Violet, while Band of Horses highlights its latest LP Infinite Arms...7pm

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. uses his family name and skill as a lawyer/environmentalist to protect water worldwide through the Hudson Riverkeeper group and the international Waterkeeper Alliance...and he reaches out to a wide audience through a radio show, books, articles and political activism.
Let's see how he does with Evan Smith...OVERHEARD at 8pm

Texas Parks and Wildlife shows us where the horny toads went...8:30pm

I'll take "Magic 8 Ball" for a thousand, Alex...

2011-09-14T11:10:00.002-05:00

In "Artificial Intelligence," NOVA takes viewers inside an IBM lab where a crack team has been working for nearly three years to perfect a machine that can answer any question. The scientists hope their machine will be able to beat expert contestants in the challenging TV quiz show Jeopardy. "Artificial Intelligence" presents the exclusive inside story of how the IBM team developed the world's smartest computer from scratch...8pm

Too important to miss...

2011-09-13T08:31:00.003-05:00

Tavis Smiley tackles one of the nation's biggest problems...the astronomical drop-out rate as it relates to the black male...almost 50%. He travels the country talking with parents, educators and most importantly - students, many of whom find the most difficult challenge they face is not mastering math, science or reading, but surviving the 15-minute walk from home to school.
TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS: TOO IMPORTANT TO FAIL...7pm

Watch the full episode. See more Tavis Smiley.

FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith uncovers an insider’s view in a rare conversation with Ali Soufan, the FBI agent who was at the center of the 9/11 investigations. One of only eight Arabic-speaking FBI agents, Soufan explains why he believes the attacks on the World Trade Center could have been prevented and how the use of torture failed to produce actionable intelligence..FRONTLINE 9pm

and you might even spot Elvis in the congregation...

2011-09-12T08:35:00.002-05:00

The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas is the setting for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW host Mark L. Walberg to talk white diamonds...and an 1870s Belleek vase made in Trenton, New Jersey; a pair of beautiful - and valuable - Art Nouveau posters; and an iconic movie prop - purchased for $195 at a southern California swap meet - and identified as the Barranca Airways prop plane used in the 1939 Oscar winning film Only Angels Have Wings...ANTIQUES ROADSHOW...7 & 8pm

Just like her husband Ronald Reagan, Nancy had a job as well. From California to the White House she was advising and protecting him...even during the long, lonely years when he battled and finally lost his fight with Alzheimer's disease. His agenda was her agenda. Making sure that Reagan was healthy and successful was her number one concern. She balanced his optimism with reality and made sure that his aides translated his broad ideas into policy. While the public saw a traditional First Lady, behind the scenes she was much more involved with personnel and policy issues than the public realized. This program takes an intimate look at this complicated First Lady...
NANCY REAGAN: THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME...9PM

How in the world could two boys from Midland...

2011-09-09T09:01:00.002-05:00

get into so much trouble? Eight homemade bombs, multiple domestic terrorism charges and a high-stakes entrapment defense hinging on the actions of a controversial FBI informant? The story of Bradley Crowder and David McKay, who were accused of intending to firebomb the 2008 Republican National Convention, is a dramatic tale of idealism, loyalty, crime and betrayal. POV follows the radicalization of these boyhood friends who fell under the tutelage of revolutionary activist Brandon Darby. This film goes to the heart of the war on terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America..."Better This World"...Saturday at 11pm.

And on September 11, Newshour correspondents travel across the country to get the personal perspectives of Americans as they look back on the events of 9/11 and the effect on their lives over the past decade..."America Remembers"...7pm

Followed by a 90 minute special concert with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center..."A Concert for New York"...8pm

Football, politics...or music!

2011-09-08T08:08:00.002-05:00

Tonight Austin City Limits features Roy Orbison from 1982 in all his glory...7pm

Evan Smith profiles singer Chely Wright on OVERHEARD...she began writing songs as a teenager in Kansas - the start of a career that has brought hit songs and the Academy of Country Music Award for Best New Female Vocalist in 1995. In 2010, she launched a parallel career as an author and activist, publishing a memoir titled Like Me and coming out as the first openly gay country music star...8pm

Ten years after...

2011-09-07T09:25:00.001-05:00

With extraordinary access granted by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, "Rebuilding Ground Zero" follows the five-year construction of the Freedom Tower and the World Trade Center Memorial. NOVA captures the behind-the-scenes struggle of architects and engineers with the pressures of a tight schedule, the demands of practical office space and efficient, "green" architecture and the public's expectations of a fitting site for national remembrance...8PM

The luxury of hindsight...

2011-09-06T10:19:00.002-05:00

In the years after September 11, FRONTLINE produced more than 45 hours of award-winning films documenting the 9/11 attacks and America's response to them. Now, on the tenth anniversary of September 11, the FRONTLINE team that produced "Bush's War," "The Torture Question" and "Cheney's Law" teams up with Pultizer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest to investigate the dramatic changes that have reshaped America in the last decade...and asks how a decade of fighting terrorism has made us any safer...FRONTLINE, 9pm

Roy Orbison on Austin City Limits in 1982...

2011-09-02T08:23:00.004-05:00

Orbison's appearance was a milestone in the 25-year history of AUSTIN CITY LIMITS. He became the first bona fide legend to step onto their stage. His performance took the show to a new level...this proved to be the catalyst that brought Orbison back to the forefront of the popular music scene. This live version from the August 5, 1982, telecast has been digitally remastered and edited...Saturday at 10pm

Then POV brings us "Armadillo"...In 2009, Janus Metz and cameraman Lars Skree accompanied a platoon of Danish soldiers to Armadillo, a combat operations base in southern Afghanistan. For six months, often while under fire, they captured the lives of the young soldiers fighting the Taliban in a hostile and confusing environment, where official rhetoric about helping civilians too often met the unforgiving reality of being a foreign occupier. Winner of the Critics' Week Grand Prix at Cannes, "Armadillo" is one of the most dramatic and candid accounts of combat to come out of Afghanistan...Saturday at 11pm

Nova's giving "I Love Lucy" a whole new meaning...

2011-09-01T11:23:00.003-05:00

It's Thursday night...that means Austin City Limits featuring Cheap Trick at 7, and This Old House Hour at 9...

And as is our habit, we're re-broadcasting NOVA's comprehensive three-part, three-hour special - investigating explosive new discoveries that are transforming the picture of how we became human. Shot "in the trenches" as discoveries were unearthed throughout Africa and Europe, each hour of "Becoming Human" unfolds with a forensic investigation into the life and death of a specific hominid ancestor, such as Lucy's Child. Dry bones spring back to vivid life with stunning animation, the product of a unique NOVA collaboration between top anthropologists and a talented team of movie animators...tonight at midnight.

Take a trip to the End of the World...

2011-08-24T08:13:00.003-05:00

Covering more than 500,000 square miles of Chile and Argentina, this wild place is known as Patagonia. At its crown tip is a grand island, Tierra del Fuego, a land as harsh as it is beautiful. This film tracks several species that call this extreme environment home. Meet the neighbors...guanaco, condors, Magellanic penguins, orcas, parrots and elephant seals. Eden at the End of the World...7pm

Watch the full episode. See more PBS Presents.

Are you ready for some football?

2011-08-23T07:33:00.002-05:00

High school football has never had a higher profile, with nationally televised games, corporate sponsorships and minute-by-minute coverage on sports websites. In northwest Arkansas, FRONTLINE examines one ambitious high school team working its way towards national renown. With a superstar quarterback at the helm, tiny Shiloh Christian is striving to join the ranks of the country's best high school teams -- teams whose workout schedules, practices and styles of play increasingly imitate the pros. But as high school players grow bigger,faster and stronger, there are growing concerns about the health and safety of these young players...FOOTBALL HIGH...9pm

Baez and Dylan, back together again...

2011-08-22T09:47:00.004-05:00

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW arrives in Hartford...appraisal highlights include a 1963 poster for a Joan Baez/Bob Dylan concert at New Haven Arena, a pair of silk shoes purportedly worn by one of George Washington's dance partners; and a collection of 200-year-old Wedgwood pottery buttons found in an attic and valued at $1,500 to $2,000 for the set...7pm

RFK IN THE LAND OF APARTHEID: A RIPPLE OF HOPE tells the unknown story of Robert Kennedy's 1966 visit to South Africa during the worst years of Apartheid. The film follows Senator Kennedy to the site of his famous "Ripple of Hope" speech at the University of Cape Town and his encounter with Afrikaans students at Stellenbosch, the pro-Apartheid university. With an original sound track by American musician Jason Moran and voices from the University of Cape Town Africa Choir, the film evokes the connections between the American Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa...9pm

Amarillo has a poetry slam?

2011-08-18T08:22:00.003-05:00

Poets from a wide range of backgrounds and age groups contributed Amarillo Public Library’s “After Hours Open Mic Night Poetry Reading and Coffee House” series in tonight's artZONE. Also featured, the Lone Star Ballet’s original production, “Lone Star Trilogy,” about Panhandle legends Cynthia Ann Parker, Mary Ann Goodnight and Frenchy McCormick...and a highlight of the piece would be the elegant pas de deux between dancers portraying Cynthia Ann Parker and Comanche Chief Peta Nocona, with accompaniment by Kwahadi dancer and flutist Daniel Rigsby.
That's the third installment of KACV's local production artZONE...8pm

Summer too hot? Here are some shows about ice...

2011-08-17T11:19:00.002-05:00

Nature presents Fellowship of the Whales...
This is the story of a humpback whale's first year as she makes the long journey from her birthplace in the subtropical waters in Hawaii to summer feeding grounds in the cold seas off Alaska's southeast coast...wacky adventures ensue...7pm

On an ice shelf at the South Pole, NOVA studies evidence from the seabed that reveals details of climate and fauna from a time when dinosaurs and forests once thrived in Antarctica. Once thought to be locked in a solid deep freeze for the last 15 million years, it now looks like Antarctica's ice has melted and frozen again dozens of times during that period. This breakthrough discovery carries ominous implications for coastal cities around the globe...of course...8pm

The REAL pirates of the Caribbean...

2011-08-16T08:28:00.002-05:00

Globe Trekker reveals 250 years of perilous treasure hunting and brutal competition among the Spanish, English, Dutch, French and Portuguese. Pirates were vying for gold, silver and other riches. Galleons were sunk, thousands were killed and, for centuries after the New World was discovered in 1492, it was the pirates who ruled the waves. Megan explores the legend and lore to find out how far they went to lay their hands on these treasures, how hard it was to keep, and what still remains from that extraordinary era...8pm