What's On!

Hello everyone! In an upcoming week, I plan to kick off a MediaWiz Show-of-the-Week Club -- join up and you'll be looking at an official way to get clams from me and the Times Editor! The short version is, I'll highlight a show during the week for everybody to watch, and then once a week we'll get together in Whyville and talk about everything from the show to the state of television to whatever else seems interesting. If you come and really take part in the meetings, you'll get a few dozen clams a week extra... sound like a deal?

To sum up: tune to the show, show up to the chat, chat up your thoughts, and know you get clams!

This week, I have an example show, about recreating classic Roman chariot races. Ever wondered what it would be like to race a "real" smart car? ;-)

Watch the shows and tell me what you and your parents think. Email me, the MediaWiz of Whyville!

I've once decided to pass on laying out the menu's index. Write me ASAP if you think that's a bad idea, kk? And now... the Media Menu!

Thursday, November 28

"Run Before You Can Fly: A Portrait of Cirque du Soliel" (Bravo 4-5 pm E/P) This documentary is an insider's perspective (from the creators and performers) about the success and artistic influence of Canada's world-renowned performance troupe. Wonderful stuff. And if you want to see more, tune in also from 7-8 pm E/P for "Cirque du Soliel's Nouvelle Experience" to see an hour of special filmed excerpts from their zaniest, most enchanting performances. (A Thanksgiving feast for the mind and the eye!)

Friday, November 29

"NOW with Bill Moyers" (PBS, 9-10 pm E/P) This documentary follows a trio of creative people in their quest for the Big Idea that they need to get them going on a new artistic project. Host Bill Moyers talks to film and theater visionary Julie Taymore ("The Lion King") about creativity and her latest project, "Frida" which is about the great Mexican painter. Filmmaker Gregory Nava ("El Norte") discusses the influence on his work of pre-Columbian mythology. And Sherman Alexie, the Native American writer-director ("Smoke Signals") searches for inspiration on the streets of Seattle.

Saturday, November 30

"CNBC: Inside China" (CNBC, 9-10 pm ET, 6-7 pm PT -- repeating at those times on Sunday, December 1) This documentary, hosted by CNBC's business-savvy reporter Sue Herera, will explore the stock market, education system, real estate developments, factories and agriculture of the People's Republic of China. The motto of the government there used to be: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." The new slogan is: "It is glorious to be rich."

Sunday, December 1

"60 Minutes" (CBS, 7-8 pm E/P) This newsmagazine looks at the way male college athletes have reacted to the anti-discrimination law passed 30 years ago to open up collegiate sports to more women. Men are now are suing to change the law because they say their programs are being dropped or trimmed to comply with the pro-female measure. Another report looks at the practice of medicine in prisons. Good healthcare is not guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and many struggle to get it. But commit a crime and go to prison, and almost every drug or procedure -- even a heart transplant -- is your Constitutional right. The final story in the show has a catchy headline, "Was It Done with Mirrors" and a catchy theme: About 500 years ago the "old masters" began painting the human figure with such lifelike detail that a new theory says they used projection devices and may have traced the images.

"Chariot Race" (The Learning Channel, 8-10 pm E/P) This documentary should interest people who have tried to drive Smart Cars on the Whyville.net site. One of the earliest "live" forms of vehicle racing took place in Roman times -- with horse-powered chariots. This documentary recreates that ancient and very dangerous sport. Using 2000 year old technology to build chariots and race course, four teams compete in Spain in races so wild that you'll really get the idea why, in the old days, these events caused riots that led to Emperors losing their jobs. An accompanying website has a computer-game version of this contest and section comparing chariot racing events to the Indianapolis 500: http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/chariotrace/chariotrace.html

"CNN Presents: Urban Warfare" (CNN, 8-9 pm E/P) According to this documentary the US Army says the battlefield of tomorrow is likely to be in a city -- where every building is a sniper's nest and every intersection is an ambush. In a city, even friendly casualties can exceed 30%. Can new training and weapons improve the odds? CNN cameras follow U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne during a war game training exercise. There's an educational website devoted to this topic, complete with a high school-level lesson plan, at http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/fyi/lesson.plans/11/25/urbancombat.overview/index.html.

Monday, December 2

"Weather Extremes: Dallas Tornado" (Discovery Channel, 9-10 pm E/P) This documentary describes ways to cope with the arrival of a tornado. Dallas, TX, which is situated in a meteorological region known as "Tornado Alley", Dallas has been preparing for the highest-classification of this storm, an F-5. So, how does a city prepare for blasts of wind of up to 300 mph which can transform a piece of straw into a projectile that can pierce through the trunk of a tree? For further, and rather frightening details about this meteorological phenomenon log on to http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tornado/tornado.html

Tuesday, December 3

"Travel Scams and Rip-Offs: Los Angeles" (Travel Channel, 8-9 pm E/P) Some people might consider the last 2 words of the title of this documentary to be just a synonym of the first 4 words. But, snide remarks aside, this program is about something serious that could be going on wherever you travel during the holidays. A police detective and founder of Corporate Travel Safety, a company in Los Angeles, identifies the most common methods and locations used by professional criminals who target travelers. You'll learn how to spoil attempted luggage theft and shuttle-bus crimes.

"Secret Passages:America's Stonehenge" (History Channel, 8-9 pm E/P) This archaeology documentary is set in New Hampshire where there's long underground stone passageway leads from ancient rock monoliths into a chamber with a mysterious "speaking tube" and a slab known as the "sacrificial table". The origins and builders of these mysterious rock structures remain in great dispute -- which you'll see happening onscreen between scholars.

Wednesday, December 4

"Supernature: Extra Sensory Perception" (Discovery Channel, 6-7 pm E/P) This documentary describes how some animals can communicate over long distances. Examples: When a group of people who have survived a plane crash at sea and are attacked by sharks, they are sometimes rescued by dolphins. You'll also find out how elephants and hippos communicate long distances with low rumbles and underwater messages. For a cool, but rather technical website about this kind of animal communication (elephants, whales, birds) log on to http://birds.cornell.edu/BRP.

Thursday, December 5

"The Fighting Seabees" (American Movie Classics, 6-8 pm ET, 3-5 pm PT) This is a movie about engineers and construction workers during World War II in the Pacific who were needed to build military sites, but found the work dangerous and began to doubt the ability of the U.S. Navy to protect them. After a series of attacks by the Japanese, new procedures are tried, including the formation of armed Construction Battalions (C.B. became "Seabees"). Because this is a movie rather than a documentary, drama has been worked into the action involving professional rivalries and even a love-story involving a female war correspondent. Available on video. The website http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq67-1.htm gives a good idea what was really involved with this unusual branch of the engineering profession, from WWII all the way to the Gulf War.