Friday, May 28, 2010

Let the summer begin...

Finally...here's the long Memorial Day Weekend...and Saturday night the Foo Fighters are rocking Austin City Limits, followed by a fascinating documentary about the Vietnamese community struggling like everybody else to survive Katrina and it's aftermath...A Village Called Versailles...10 & 11pm

On Sunday, PBS will unite the nation with an evening that has become an American tradition. The multi award-winning NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, featuring an all-star line-up in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, honors the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for this country. The top-rated show will be broadcast live in HD from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and is co-hosted for the fifth time by Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise ("CSI: New York") and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna ("Criminal Minds"), two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veterans' causes and supporting the troops in active service...7pm

And on Monday, see how the country dealt with it's economic crisis...in the 1930's. American Experience presents "Civilian Conservation Corps". Throughout the decade, the CCC put more than three million young men to work in the nation's forests and parks, planting trees, building flood barriers, fighting fires and maintaining roads and trails. Corps workers lived in camps under quasi-military discipline, and received a wage of 30 dollars per month, 25 of which they were required to send home to their families...8pm

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Are you really smarter than a 4th grader?

The guys are still working on the Newton Centre Project in this edition of This Old House Hour...7pm

The annual National Geographic Bee returns for the 22nd consecutive year with host and moderator Alex Trebek. The 2010 National Geographic Bee will feature 54 fourth- to eighth-graders, all winners of their state-level geographic bees, triumphing over a field of nearly 5 million students to earn a place in the national championships...8pm

And finally, Globe Trekker rolls the dice and heads into truly dangerous waters...
Las Vegas...9pm

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Boots on the ground...

Tonight on KACV we conclude the fascinating documentary series Ground War, exploring the technological innovations that have transformed warfare throughout the ages.
Parts 3 and 4 tonight tracks the development of artillery from the ancient Greeks through the invention of gunpowder in China, to the very latest generation of big guns and directed-energy weapons...Ground War...8pm

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

the BIG BANG theory...

Hot on the heels of the Icelandic volcano that erupted in April, disrupting European air travel, tonight's Nova investigates the Mystery of the Megavolcano...A remote lake in Southeast Asia conceals evidence of Earth's greatest volcanic cataclysm that exploded so violently during the Ice Age that gases and ash may have encircled the globe and blotted out the sun for years on end...7pm

Face to Face visits with State Representative David Swinford, as he prepares to retire after two decades of service...8pm

One year after the deadliest domestic airline accident in seven years,FRONTLINE investigates the crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, NY...9pm

Monday, May 24, 2010

how to be a hobo...

Back from Austin for the PBS annual conference...heard about some great shows on the horizon...details coming up!

Meanwhile, tonight Antiques Roadshow is still in San Jose...7pm

American Experience takes us Riding The Rails. During the Depression-era of the 1930s, tens of thousands of teenagers hopped freight trains in search of a better life elsewhere. What they discovered was a mixture of adventure, camaraderie, hardship and loneliness. Sound romantic?
Find out the truth tonight...8pm

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Still the best and the brightest...

Tonight on "Recreating America: Creativity and Learning"...

For much of its history, the word "America" has stood for the brightest ideas, the most resourceful solutions and the most provocative insights. Is this still true today? The documentary explores the importance of creativity in education by highlighting four schools in Oklahoma and assessing how the state's teachers are attempting to teach and promote creativity as a new standard in education...8pm

Learn more about the world with a trip to Senegal and it's capital city Dakar...
Globe Trekker at 9pm

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

When You're Strange...

Rock fans are in for a treat...American Masters presents The Doors: When You're Strange.
The creative chemistry of four brilliant artists -- drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, and singer Jim Morrison -- made The Doors one of America's most iconic and influential, theatrical and mysterious rock bands. This film is the first feature documentary to tell their story, with original footage shot between their formation in 1965 and Morrison's death in 1971. It follows the band from the corridors of UCLA's film school, where Manzarek and Morrison met, onto the stages of electrifying sold-out performances and chronicles the creation of their six landmark studio albums. Narrated by Johnny Depp, rare cinema verite allows an intimate glimpse into their musical collaboration -- and their offstage lives...8pm