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These listings cover television programs up to Thursday, March
28th.
Greetings, TV viewers!
This week's MediaHour is not a specific show -- we will be discussing the media's coverage of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and how you feel about the events of the day. I will still highlight two picks of the week, and if you prefer, we can discuss them instead (both are very non-war related): the first is Beauty in a Jar, an A&E special on Friday about the makeup industry; the second is Becoming American: The Chinese Experience, a three-part PBS show starting Tuesday night. And don't forget to go to your local bookstore or library and pick up a copy of Newberry-award winning The Tiger Rising, the MediaHour special book pick for April 9th!
Want some clams? Watch the show-of-the-week, then talk about them with me and other citizens (including other city workers, if they're available) in the House of Illusions Geek Speak. We usually meet on Wednesdays between 6:30pm and 7:30pm Whyville Time.
If you come and really take part in the meeting, you'll get up to 50 clams from City Hall (or more, if your efforts are exceptional)... you like that?
To sum up: tune to the show, show up to the chat, chat up your thoughts, and know you get clams!
Some interesting issues on self-respect, athlete motivation, reality television and so forth were brought up at last week's MediaHour, but the meeting itself was a fairly distracted event.
We were joined by City Workers Bigfoot Bill and cyranojoe, who spent much of their time trying to encourage a few less-than-considerate citizens to either participate in the MediaHour or find another location to chat. Pretty frustrating, that! Please, only bring yourselves to the Illusions Talk if you will join us -- it gets pretty cramped in there otherwise.
We're considering moving the chat to another room. What do you folks think?
Everyone is welcome to email me what you and your parents think -- you can
get clams for constructive advice and comments.
Email me, the MediaWiz of Whyville!
And now... the Media Menu!
Thursday, March 20
"An American in Paris" (Turner Classic Movies, 8-10pm ET, 5-7pm PT)
Franco-American relations are in the news these days. Here's a movie about a time when things were going well. Magnifique in fact. A 6 Oscar-winning musical based on the music of George Gershwin, it's the story of an ex-GI (Gene Kelly) who remains in France after WWII to study and paint. He falls in love with an awesome ballerina (Leslie Caron), an enchanting girl... not really beautiful... yet, she
has great beauty. The story leads to an extravagant climactic ballet about Paris as viewed through the huge special effects-backdrops of some of France's most Impressionist painters -- Manet, Renoir, Utrillo, Van Gogh, Rousseau, Dufy and Toulouse-Lautrec. You'll see the Place de la Concorde Fountain... the Madeleine flower market, the Place de l'Opera and Montmartre with a representation of
Toulouse-Lautrec's Moulin Rouge. (the nightclub also depicted in the recent Nicole Kidman movie). Gershwin's 'Concerto in F' is performed in this movie -- by a smart-alecy but gifted pianist (Oscar Levant) who plays not only the piano but the other instruments in the accompanying orchestra as well, also conducts and even applauds himself as a member of the audience. Available on video.
Friday, March 21
Pick of the Week "Beauty In A Jar" (A&E Network, 9-11 pm E/P) This documentary reports on the $39 billion-a-year American "beauty business". Asking how lipstick, powder and paint, once viewed as immoral and unrespectable, become such an essential part of women's lives, the film covers social, racial, sexual, and political issues. How was the American ideal of beauty transformed over time? How were beauty ideals of the past century changed; from white complexion and rosy cheeks to the flappers; from the lipstick craze to the natural look; from black is beautiful to glam-rock. Some of the people who led historic changes were Elizabeth Arden, Madame C.J. Walker, Helena Rubenstein, Max Factor, Estee Lauder, and Charles Revson. Featured interviews include former supermodel and current industry executive Iman, "The Beauty Myth" author Naomi Wolf, "Hope in a Jar" author Kathy Peiss, Cosmopolitan's Helen Gurley Brown, Allure's editor-in-chief Linda Wells, Fire & Ice author Andrew Tobias, actress Debi Mazar and Mary Kay's sales director Juanita Johnson-Moton. (By coincidence, Estee Lauder's company is the topic of yet another report -- which airs tomorrow, March 22.)
Saturday, March 22
"2002-03 Women's College Basketball Schedule" (ESPN and ESPN2 -- all times below
are Eastern Time) Here's the whole schedule of coverage in the first two rounds
of the 2002-03 Women's College Basketball Schedule. Check out the games involving
teams from your part of the country.
11 a.m. ESPN Alabama State vs. Tennessee and Old Dominion vs. Boston College
(regional)
11 a.m. ESPN2 Western Kentucky vs. Rutgers and Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech
(regional)
1 p.m. ESPN2 Illinois vs. Virginia, Charlotte vs. Georgia, Liberty vs. Vanderbilt
and Valparaiso vs. Purdue (regional)
9 p.m. ESPN2 Washington vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay, Tulane vs. Minnesota, Manhattan
vs. Mississippi State and Austin Peay vs. North Carolina (regional)
11 p.m. ESPN2 Southwest Texas State vs. LSU, Western Michigan vs. Stanford,
Miami vs. New Mexico and BYU vs. Colorado (regional)
"Behind Closed Doors with Joan Lunden: Centers for Disease Control/Estee
Lauder" (A&E Network, 3-4 pm E/P) This documentary contains 2 reports. Don't ask
me why the producers have combined the topics of anthrax and cosmetics, but they
did. At least they're not in the very same segments of the hour. Host Joan Lunden
enters laboratories operated by the U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control
to see how it's preparing for bio-terror attack. She's the first reporter to
enter a bio safety level 3 lab where anthrax is studied. Then, she goes behind
the normally closed doors of one of the world's biggest cosmetics companies to
discovers that beauty may only be skin deep, but the business of beauty goes
deeper. Founded in 1946 by Estee Lauder, this international family-run company
owns 16 brands and its sales hit $4.7 billion in 2002.
Sunday, March 23
"Top Ten Fun Food Factories" (Travel Channel, 9-10pm E/P) This is a documentary
about the business and technical aspects of manufacturing stuff we probably shouldn't eat or drink. I even feel guilty telling you to watch this show, because if you're like me, you're somebody who can resist everything except temptation. Anyway, here's the story: You get to tour ten delicious
destinations, witnessing the production of stuff like Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Coca-Cola's line of beverages from around the world, and at the Kellogg factory you'll meet their trademark mascot Tony the Tiger.
Monday, March 24
"Howard Goodall's Big Bangs: The Thin Red Line" (Ovation Network, 7-8pm ET, 4-5pm PT) This is episode 1 of a popular BBC series devised by composer-musician
Howard Goodall. It's about the big events -- according to him -- in the evolution
of music. This episode focuses on the invention of musical notation. Each weekday this week at this hour through Friday he describes another "bang". Tuesday's topic is Monteverdi and the birth of opera. Wednesday's, entitled "Equal Temperament" is about the concept of music being "in tune". Thursday it's about the invention of the piano and Friday's program focuses on the invention of
recorded sound and technology's role in the creation of music in the 20th Century. The series is based on his book "Big Bangs: The Story of Five Discoveries that Changed Musical History" and there's a useful website about him at http://www.howardgoodall.co.uk/presenting/pres.htm .
Tuesday, March 25
Pick of the Week "Becoming American: The Chinese Experience" (PBS, 9-10:30pm E/P -- check local
listings) This is the initial episode of a 3-part series about what it means to
an immigrant to become an American. In every immigrant group, each generation
finds a balance between the values and practices of its heritage, and the mores
of its adopted country. What is lost and what is gained, both personally and
culturally, when one sheds part of one's heritage to make way for a new
self-identity? PBS commentator Bill Moyers and a team of filmmakers
explore these questions. In the mid-19th century, civil war, flood and famine in Southern China persuaded thousands of young men to pursue the hope that they could find a fortune in the California Gold Rush. The welcome they first received in America soon turned cold. Even as they contributed to this country by helping to build the transcontinental railroad, setting new precedents in law and
founding thriving businesses, Chinese-Americans continued to battle the
perception that they are "permanent foreigners" and somehow not fully American.
Episodes 2 and 3 air in this timeslot March 27 and 28 -- check local listings for
confirmation. Also visit the website http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/index.html.
Wednesday, March 26
"Journey To Planet Earth: On The Brink" (PBS, 8-9pm E/P -- also check local
listings and the website given below) This documentary focuses on case studies
that link armed conflict and political crises with environmental issues such as
the loss of grasslands, spreading disease, deforestation, soil erosion, water
scarcities, surging populations and global climate change. The program features
the work of scientists, community organizers and political leaders, as they
grapple with the fact that the world's political security may be bound up with
the quality of the land, air and water. Locations shown a include India,
Bangladesh, South Africa, Peru, Haiti, Mexico and the United States. For American
audiences, it is particularly important to understand that struggles over natural
resources can lead to instability in regions critical to the well being of the
West. Matt Damon hosts and narrates. Check out the educational resources at
http://www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/about/onthebrink.html.
Thursday, March 27
"Helen Thomas: First Lady of the Press" (A&E, 7-8 am E/P) This is an early morning
telecast of a biography that's intended to be taped and brought into a classroom. I am suggesting it because it's interesting to see a veteran reporter at work -- in contrast to the just-out-of-communications-school people you see on so many newscasts. Thomas is the legendary White House reporter who broke ground for women in journalism and who has kept presidents since Truman on the defensive with her probing questions and coverage. More info at
http://www.aeispeakers.com/Thomas-Helen.htm.
"Monster Machines: Big Builders" (The Learning Channel, 8-9 pm E/P) In this
documentary you will meet the experts who build and operate the massive equipment used in the most ambitious civil engineering projects of modern history. Also, tunnel-machine operators, crane supervisors, designers and project managers describe their lives on the job.
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