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These listings cover television programs up to Friday, February 27.

Greetings, TV viewers!

The topic for discussion on the Media Hour this Wednesday in the Greek Theatre comes from several programs airing this week -- the Friday program about Jesus, the Saturday program about civil rights, the Monday program about computer hackers who don't like Big Business or the Tuesday program about fighting "lookism" (discrimination by people who just don't like the way you look). So the topic Wednesday is: "Standing up for what or who you believe in."

Friday, February 20

"Dateline NBC: The Final Days of Jesus" (NBC, 9-10 p.m. E/P) This is a special documentary episode of NBC's regular Friday newsmagazine. The topic is an event which took place nearly 2000 years ago and caused the founding of a religion that has transformed millions of lives. Evidence from those final days is scarce, limited to the books of the Christian gospel and writings by ancient historians. The accounts of what happened there have caused great debate throughout history. The report examines what forces triggered Jesus's death and who was responsible. NBC reporters traveled to Jerusalem to interview prominent Jesus scholars about the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus and its ultimate results.

Saturday, February 21

"The Color Of Courage" (CourtTV Channel, 5-7 p.m. E/P) This movie is based on a true story about black family's move into a Detroit suburb in 1944 and the Neighborhood Civic Association that took them to court to force them to move back out. It chronicles the friendship between a white woman and a black woman whose family, the McGhees, that moved into the previously all-white neighborhood. One result was a landmark civil rights court trial, dramatized in the film, Sipes vs. McGhee. A McGhee granddaughter, Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, wrote the script for this program.

Sunday, February 22

"Historic African-American Towns" (HGTV Channel, 5-6 p.m. E/P) This a one-hour special tells the stories of six towns founded for and by African-Americans. These include Eatonville, Fla., birthplace of legendary writer, Zora Neale Hurston, and Idlewild, the Black Eden of Michigan, where legendary performers like Louis Armstrong and Sarah Vaughn performed to sellout crowds. Viewers will get to know not only the towns, but the people who still call them home today. There's further info at http://hgtv.com/hgtv/spcl_prsntn/episode/0,1806,HGTV_3909_30756,00.html.

"Oscar" (A&E Channel, 8-10 p.m. E/P) This special, airing in advance of next Sunday's Academy Awards broadcast, covers the history of the most important award in the media business, from the birth and design of the statue itself to the great Oscar winners of the past, to behind the scenes of the annual awards telecast. It will feature new interviews with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Mel Gibson, Michael Caine, Jennifer Connelly, Billy Crystal, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Walken, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and others -- revealing first hand what it really means to take home an Oscar.

"Holy Cow" (PBS, 899 p.m. E/P) This episode of the PBS "Nature" series is about cows - how people changed the cow and how cows have changed people.. With the advent of domestication some 8,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley, and Africa, humans and cows have been linked. Cows have altered human life, human biology, and the geography of the world. This program examines the natural history of the cow, and its various roles, from food source to objects of worship. Learn more about the cow's role in Hinduism, about new trends in ranching and find out how real the threat of mad cow disease is at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/.

Monday, February 23

"Information Wars: The Hacktivists" (TechTV Channel, 9-10 p.m. E/P)
This is a program about people who are clogging websites and crashing companies e-commerce. These people are located all over the world: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland. Their meetings, discussions, and planning all take place online. They say their goal is to let the people, not corporations, determine the nature of world business. This program is an episode of the "Nerd Nation" series , and in it you'll meet the people and discover the websites responsible for the Hacktivisms movement. You'll learn how they take action -- and the outcomes of their online protests. You will also see how corporations are trying to fight them: The World Trade Organization. Fidelity Investments. eToys. Free Trade Area of the Americas. Amazon.com. Yahoo. CNN.com. All have been targets of virtual sit-ins and electronic civil disobedience.

Tuesday, February 24

"Happy To Be Nappy And Other Stories Of Me" (HBO, 7:30-8 p.m. E/P, TV rated G)
This is a program about "looking different" So what if you look, move or speak differently from others--it's fun to be yourself! This special reminds kids to celebrate themselves within this world of diversity and difference through a variety of uplifting personal stories and several children's books and poems that contain themes of individuality and self-esteem. The talented voice cast includes Mikhail Baryshnikov, Harvey Fierstein, Isaac Mizrahi, Melanie Griffith and Vanessa Williams.

Wednesday, February 25

"Prison Boot Camp" (Discovery Channel, 6-7 p.m. E/P, TV rated PG)
There are a lot of crime shows on TV, but not many reveal what happens after the bad guys are caught and sent to jail. This Discovery Channel documentary shows one example of that - a special incarceration and rehabilitation facility in Casidy Lake, Michigan. It's a 90-day military-style 'boot camp' intended to instill a sense of self-respect in convicted criminals so they will behave better after they have served their full sentence.

"CBS 60 Minutes II" (CBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P)
??The main stories in this newsmagazine are about a journey to one of the last wild places on earth where there are gorillas who have never before seen people, and a?? techie billionaire daredevil,??Larry Ellison of Oracle, Inc.l (he flies his own personal jet fighters). Ellison may or??not be a role model for young science students, depending on one's personal values, but he sure know his electronics.

Thursday, February 26

"Frontline: Secrets Of The War With Iraq" (PBS, 9-11 p.m. E/P)
Frontline marks the first anniversary of the Iraqi War with this investigation recounting the key strategies, battles, and turning points of the war from both sides of the battlefield. The film presents firsthand accounts from many of the war's key participants, from strategists in Washington to the soldiers who actually fought the battles. The program's website has more information: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/invasion/.

Friday, February 27

"J. R. R. Tolkien" (Ovation Network, 6-7 p.m. ET, 3-4 p.m. PT) this is a biographical program about the author of the "Lord Of The rings" and "The Hobbit" books. Orphaned at thirteen, J.R.R. Tolkien sought solace in escapism, as reflected in his works of fantasy. As a professor at Oxford, Tolkien dazzled the literary world with books that bridge the gap between juvenile and adult literature, appealing to each group on a different level. Tolkien drew upon Celtic and Norse legends to create his world of dungeons, dragons, swords and sorcerers, where he pitted good against evil in epic battles. To learn more about Tolkien, go to The Tolkien Society's website, http://www.tolkiensociety.org/. The society was founded 35 years ago!

 

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