Media Menu

These listings cover television programs up to Sunday, July 25.

Greetings, TV viewers!

This week we are going to skip having a regular Media Hour until next Wednesday, July 28, when MediaWiz gets back from traveling. However, because there are several interesting shows this week about high-achieving women, plus programs based on important books written by women, some of you may want to gather in the Greek Theater by yourselves to discuss what you've seen. If you're lucky, one of the City Workers may come by to join in, too!

Monday, July 19

"Dare To Compete: The Struggle Of Women In Sports" (HBO, 6:30-8 p.m. E/P) This documentary highlights many of the 20th century's greatest female athletes -- how they excelled in the male-dominated sports world -- and closed the gender gap on and off the field. It combines rare footage with more than 40 interviews, including WNBA star Lynette Woodard and tennis legends Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova. Lauren Hutton narrates. Rated TV-PG due to adult language.

Tuesday, July 20

"Lost At Sea: The Search For Longitude" (PBS, 8-9 p.m. E/P) This documentary, based on Dava Sobel's book Longitude, is about a technical problem so complex that it challenged the best minds of its time. But the program, and her book are fun for the brain. The problem involved navigation at sea: how sailors could know where they were when they sailed beyond the sight of land. John Harrison, an 18th-century English clock-maker, toiled for decades to find a solution. His elegant invention, which remains the basis for most modern forms of navigation in the world today, made him an unlikely hero. This program is both a celebration of Harrison's chronometer and an adventure story. An expedition on a period sailing vessel as it journeys to the open ocean demonstrates the life and death importance of finding longitude at sea. More info at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/longitude/.

"Scientific American Frontiers: Coming To America" (PBS, 9-10 p.m. E/P) This documentary asks, "Who were the first people to inhabit the Americas and when did they arrive? Did they get here by land or sea? Was it one group that started it all, or many different groups?" Experts used to agree that the first settlers walked over a land bridge crossing what is now the Bering Sea between Alaska and Siberia about 12,000 years ago. And then they found their way south, colonizing all of North and South America. But new finds at sites on both continents have triggered new theories. More details at http://www.pbs.org/saf/.

Wednesday, July 23

"1421: The Year China Discovered America" (PBS, 9-11 p.m. E/P -- check local listings) This 2-part documentary introduces a controversial theory from a book, 1421, by British author Gavin Menzies. He devoted nine years to proving that Chinese admiral Zheng He and his Ming Dynasty fleet of more than 100 ships reached America before Columbus. The program retraces the armada's journey to far-flung outposts throughout China, southeast Asia, Arabia, India and Africa. Dramatic reconstructions using computer graphics bring to life the Ming fleet's scale and the unique design of the spectacular 400-foot treasure ships within the armada -- a nautical achievement never surpassed by any other wooden fleet. Could the armada truly have sailed around Africa's Cape of Good Hope and reached the Americas? The Chinese court burned all the records of Zheng He's daring journeys and fabulous achievements, unwittingly creating a remarkable mystery that tantalizes the world 500 years later. More info at http://www.1421.tv.

Thursday, July 24

"Frankenstein" (TCM - Turner Classic Movie Channel, 8-9:30 p.m. ET., 5-6:30 p.m. PT, Available on video) This is a movie version of Mary Shelley's classic story about a scientist who creates an artificial human. Her novel has been filmed many times, but never better than this black and white version, although not all the book is included in it. For more about the book and author log on to this university-based site http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/english016/franken/franken.htm.

Friday, July 25

"Tony Danza's Brooklyn" (Travel Channel, 10-11 p.m. E/P) In this geography documentary actor Tony Danza takes viewers on a personal tour of his hometown, Brooklyn -- through the diverse and ever-changing neighborhoods that make up NYC's largest borough. It visits historic landmarks like the majestic Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island and Prospect Park.

Saturday, July 24