First In-depth Television of THE SUPREME COURT and the Media in FRONTLINE's "News War"
AMERICA AT A CROSSROADS Examines the Challenges to America Post 9/11 in 12 Hours of Independently Produced Documentaries
From the first television series to fully explore the inner workings of THE SUPREME COURT to a probing look at the changing role of a free press on FRONTLINE's "News War," PBS presents a line-up with unsurpassed depth and variety this winter/spring.
New specials will take a far-reaching look at the war in Iraq and the war on terror with AMERICA AT A CROSSROADS, a major national television event consisting of 11 independently produced documentaries that will air in two-hour blocks for six nights in April.
PBS' ongoing series continue to offer a range of compelling programs every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday; highlights include:
On Sundays
NATURE showcases "Dogs That Changed the World," the fascinating story of the evolution of man's best friend;
MASTERPIECE THEATRE opens its season with a new adaptation of "Jane Eyre," Charlotte Bront's beloved gothic novel;
On Mondays
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW voyages across the ocean for a first-ever visit to Hawaii, followed by a return to Philadelphia, one of its very first stops over a decade ago;
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, in a first-ever collaboration with FRONTLINE, looks at one of America's fastest growing religions in THE MORMONS, along with portraits of "New Orleans" and "Jonestown";
On Tuesdays
NOVA presents the life story of Percy Julian, "Forgotten Genius," and one of the great African-American scientists of the 20th century;
Along with new specials to be announced, FRONTLINE's notable season includes the afore-mentioned "News War" and THE MORMONS.
JANUARY
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW "Honolulu"
Mondays, January 1-15, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW says "Aloha!" to its 2007 season with a voyage to sunny Honolulu, Hawaii. At the Hawai'i Convention Center, host Mark L. Walberg and the ROADSHOW appraisers stitch together a vivid portrait of the past when they discover ancient Hawaiian treasures.
AMERICAN MASTERS "Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens"
Wednesday, January 3, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
Annie Leibovitz's iconic photographs are stories in themselves. Many are instantly recognizable: a shirtless Arnold Schwarzenegger atop a white stallion, Whoopi Goldberg in a tub of milk, a naked John Lennon with a fully clothed Yoko Ono. Now, the camera is turned towards Leibovitz in an intimate new film by her younger sister, director Barbara Leibovitz.
NOVA "NOVA scienceNOW"
Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts this third installment of the fast-paced and provocative science newsmagazine, now in its second season on PBS. "NOVA scienceNOW" will bring viewers an array of intriguing reports from the frontlines of scientific research and discovery. Tyson's enthusiasm and scientific background complement the series' signature flair for bringing to life the "how and why" behind exciting new discoveries in science and technology.
FRONTLINE "Hand of God"
Tuesday, January 16, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
In recent decades, more than 10,000 children reportedly were sexually abused by Catholic priests in the United States. From behind the headlines, filmmaker Joe Cultrera tells the very personal story of how the crisis affected his own family in Salem, Massachusetts. It is the intimate story of how his brother, Paul, was molested in the 1960s by Father Joseph Birmingham, who also reportedly abused nearly 100 other children.
MASTERPIECE THEATRE "Jane Eyre"
Sundays, January 21-28, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Susanna White ("Bleak House") directs a new adaptation of Charlotte Bront's beloved gothic novel about the courtship between a governess and her tortured master. The two-part film stars newcomer Ruth Wilson as Jane, Toby Stephens ("The Queen's Sister") as Mr. Rochester and Francesca Annis ("Reckless") as Lady Ingram.
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW "Philadelphia"
Mondays, January 22-February 5, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Philadelphia has the distinction of being one of the stops in ROADSHOW's first season, taped in 1996. Flash forward a decade and the ROADSHOW is back "where it all began" for the popular PBS series, as well as for the United States.
OPRAH'S ROOTS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES SPECIAL
Wednesday, January 24, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
When AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES premiered on PBS in February 2006, the series was hailed by the New York Times as "the most exciting and stirring documentary on any subject to appear on television in a long time." Audiences and critics were especially drawn to the powerfully moving discussions between Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., series host and executive producer, and TV pioneer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, which revealed the struggles and accomplishments of Winfrey's ancestors. Now, combining new genealogical and historical research with state-of-the-art DNA analysis, Winfrey and Professor Gates continue their dramatic and illuminating quest to discover a fuller history of Winfrey's ancestry.
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET "The Magic Flute"
Wednesday, January 24, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Celebrated director Julie Taymor, who brought The Lion King to Broadway, casts her spell on Mozart's The Magic Flute. Dancing bears, flying birds, even a giant serpent are all brought vividly to life through Taymor's ingenious use of puppetry. This abridged version of Mozart's opera is sung in English by an attractive young cast that includes Nathan Gunn (Papageno), Erika Miklosa (Queen of the Night), Rene Pape (Sarastro), Ying Huang (Pamina), Matthew Polenzani (Tamino), Greg Fedderly (Monostatos) and Jennifer Aylmer (Papagena), conducted by beloved maestro James Levine.
NATURE "Rhinoceros"
Sunday, January 28, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Millions of rhinos, hundreds of species of all shapes and sizes, once roamed the Earth. But today, the rhinoceros is one of the planet's rarest animals, with three of its species on the brink of extinction. While there's still a chance to save them, teams of rhino experts work to protect them from poachers, relocate them to better habitats and breed them in captivity.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "The Berlin Airlift"
Monday, January 29, 2007, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked railroad and street access to West Berlin, starving the population and choking commerce. Allied forces refused to cede the city, and for nearly a year, succeeded in doing what even the best military minds considered impossible: supply two million civilians and 20,000 allied soldiers entirely from the air. American and British pilots, so recently delivering death, were now angels of mercy, supplying coal, flour, coffee and chocolate to the beleaguered city. Through the personal stories of those who were there, this program provides a striking look at the first battle of the Cold War and the largest humanitarian campaign the world had ever seen.
AMERICA'S BALLROOM CHALLENGE
Premieres Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET (Wednesdays, January 31-February 28, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
This exciting new five-part series captures the sizzling action at the world's largest ballroom dancing competition. Top couples from North America compete across dance styles, with just one couple emerging as "America's best ballroom dance couple." Stage and screen actress Marilu Henner and former U.S. Latin dance champion Tony Meredith host.
THE SUPREME COURT
Wednesdays, January 31-February 7, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
By fusing history with biography, the first television series to fully profile the inner workings of America's highest court humanizes the enigmatic black-robed figures who sit on the court, revealing their temperaments, passions, deeply held personal beliefs and life stories. The four-part series also explores the dramatic stories of the people whose cases have come before the court, as well as the often controversial rulings that govern our everyday lives. David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) narrates.
FEBRUARY
MASTERPIECE THEATRE "The Ruby in the Smoke"
Sunday, February 4, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
In this vivid adaptation of the first book in Phillip Pullman's acclaimed quartet of novels about a scrappy teen detective, the orphan Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper), armed with a pearl handled pistol and her keen mind, uncovers the secrets of her father's death, discovers hidden cursed jewels and faces England's deadliest villains with bold courage.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "The Living Weapon"
Monday, February 5, 2007, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
This program examines the international race to develop biological weapons in the 1940s and 1950s, revealing the scientific and technical challenges scientists faced, and the moral dilemmas posed by their eventual success.
NOVA "Forgotten Genius"
Tuesday, February, 6, 2007, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET
NOVA presents the remarkable life story of Percy Julian. Not only was this grandson of Alabama slaves one of the great African-American scientists of the 20th century, he was also an industrialist, self-made millionaire, humanitarian and civil-rights pioneer.
NATURE "Supersize Crocs"
Sunday, February 11, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Some crocodile species, such as Nile crocs and American crocs, have been known to exceed 20 feet; the Asian-Pacific saltwater croc has been recorded to 23 feet. Today these gigantic creatures are very rare, but some of them are still out there in the wild, with a few held in captivity. Renowned herpetologist Romulus Whitaker attempts to ensure the future of the last of these leviathans.
MASTERPIECE THEATRE "Dracula"
Sunday, February 11, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
This bold adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel gives the vampire classic a new, modern sensibility. The cast includes Marc Warren ("Band of Brothers"), Sophia Myles ("Miss Marple") and David Suchet ("Poirot").
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW "Tucson"
Mondays, February 12-26, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Part adventure, part history lesson and part treasure hunt, four-time Emmy-nominated ANTIQUES ROADSHOW heads to the Grand Canyon State for a stop in Tucson, Arizona.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "New Orleans"
Monday, February 12, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast of the United States. When the skies finally cleared, the survival of a major American city hung in the balance, raising a stark and previously unthinkable question: What exactly would America be without New Orleans? From AMERICAN EXPERIENCE comes "New Orleans," a fascinating portrait of one of America's most distinctive and beloved cities. Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat) narrates.
NOVA "The Last Great Ape"
Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Like chimpanzees, bonobo apes, a little-studied group of apes that lives deep in the Congo, are among humans closest relatives. But the bonobos resolve conflict in an unusual way - by having sex. Much like humans, bonobos have sex not just to procreate, but for pleasure as well. In 1997, just as research on these elusive apes was getting off the ground, bonobo researchers were forced to evacuate the Congo because of civil war. Now, years later, NOVA returns to the Congo with veteran bonobo researchers who are worried that war and the bush meat industry may have decimated the bonobo population.
FRONTLINE "News War"
Tuesdays, February 13-27 and March 27, 2007, 9:00 p.m. ET
Through interviews with key figures in the print and electronic media, and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to today's most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism in this three-part special, from the Nixon administration's attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing - and challenging - the role of a free press in our society.
THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC: HEART DISEASE IN AMERICA
Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Part of the PBS Health Initiative, THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC showcases the stunning scientific advances that are transforming the field of cardiology, and the effect these changes will have on people stricken with the disease. Dramatic personal stories include that of Ken Christianson, the rare recipient of two transplanted hearts, whom viewers meet at a critical stage following his second surgery.
INDEPENDENT LENS "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes"
Tuesday, February 20, 2007, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET
This film takes an in-depth look at machismo in rap music and hip-hop culture; where creative genius, poetic beauty and mad beats collide with misogyny, violence and homophobia. By Byron Hurt.
AMERICA'S BALLROOM CHALLENGE
Finale Wednesday, February 28, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
This exciting new five-part series captures the sizzling action at the world's largest ballroom dancing competition. Top couples from North America compete across dance styles, with just one couple emerging as "America's best ballroom dance couple." Stage and screen actress Marilu Henner and former U.S. Latin dance champion Tony Meredith host.
MARCH
THROUGH DEAF EYES
Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
This high-definition documentary explores 200 years of deaf life in America. The film presents the shared experiences of American history - family life, education, work, sports and technology - from the perspective of deaf citizens.
GREAT PERFORMANCES "Barenboim on Beethoven"
Thursday, March 22, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Legendary pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim performed the complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle in eight concerts at Berlin's Staatsoper - one of the world's most beautiful opera houses. This GREAT PERFORMANCES special features the entire fourth concert, which consists of five sonatas. Also featured are excerpts from Barenboim's master classes with acclaimed young pianists Lang Lang, Jonathan Biss and Shai Wosner.
PILGRIMAGE TO KARBALA, A WIDE ANGLE SPECIAL
Monday, March 26, 2007, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET
Amid the violence in Iraq and Lebanon in the summer of 2006, WIDE ANGLE followed a bus full of Iranian pilgrims through the sacred cities of Iran to the holy sites of Iraq, Karbala and Najaf. PILGRIMAGE TO KARBALA is a breathtaking journey into the hidden heartlands of Shi'a Islam, revealing how two ancient crimes, the murder of Mohammed's grandson and the disappearance of a six-year-old boy, became the founding legends of Shi'ism and still shape events in the Middle East today.
JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH "The State of the Ocean's Animals"
Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
Matt Damon returns to PBS for his fourth season as the host and narrator of television's only continuing science and nature series focusing on the environment. "State of the Ocean's Animals" features case studies in the Pacific Northwest (salmon, sea otters, orcas), New England (coastal fisheries and cod), Brittany (coastal fisheries) and elsewhere.
THE BOOMER CENTURY: 1946-2046
Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Boomers have redefined every stage of life they have passed through, and will continue to re-write the rules as they enter the second half of their lives. THE BOOMER CENTURY: 1946-2046 covers the past, present and future as the boomers transform from innocent children into the idealistic and self-empowering adults of today.
APRIL
NOVEL REFLECTIONS...THE AMERICAN DREAM
Wednesday, April 4, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, John Steinbeck- many of America's finest writers have wrestled with the inequities that belie the American Dream - class and money and, often, a false promise of upward mobility. These themes are reflected through universal characters found in many "great American novels." NOVEL REFLECTIONS...THE AMERICAN DREAM dramatizes passages from American literature through haunting still photography, woven with original and archival footage to form an evocative, intimate tapestry.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple"
Monday, April 9, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
On November 17, 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan traveled to an isolated rainforest in Guyana to investigate rumors of human rights abuse in a jungle compound known as Jonestown. Within 48 hours, Jim Jones, the compound's leader, Ryan and more than 900 Jonestown settlers were dead; casualties of the largest mass murder-suicide in history. In "Jonestown," AMERICAN EXPERIENCE goes beyond the salacious headlines to provide a revealing portrait of Jones, his followers and the times that produced the calamity in the Guyanese jungle.
FAT: WHAT NO ONE IS TELLING YOU
Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
While obesity is gaining attention as a national public health crisis, corpulence is still viewed primarily as a personal failing. This program goes beyond the promises of this week's best-selling diet book to explore the many psychological, physiological and environmental factors that can make losing weight so difficult.
AMERICA AT A CROSSROADS
Sunday-Friday, April 15-20, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
This major public television event explores the world post-9/11; the impact of the war on terror and the Iraq war; U.S. military strategy and the experience of American troops; the emergence of Islamic terrorism; and cultural and religious tensions within the Muslim world. Robin MacNeil hosts.
NATURE "Dogs That Changed the World"
Sundays, April 22-29, 2007, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET
From the tiniest Chihuahua to the largest St. Bernard, all dogs claim the wolf as their ancestor. But just how did the hundreds of breeds we know today come to be so different? Using DNA analysis and other research, scientists have now pieced together the puzzle of canine evolution, creating a fascinating picture of 10 essential dogs vital to the canine population. A two-part special.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "Summer of Love"
Monday, April 23, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
In the summer of 1967, thousands of young people from across the U.S. flocked to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district to join in the hippie experience, only to discover that what they had come for was already disappearing. Through interviews with a broad range of individuals who lived through the summer of love, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE offers a complex portrait of the notorious event that many consider the peak of the 1960s counter-culture movement.
BILL MOYERS JOURNAL "Buying the War"
Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
In the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, the government's claims about weapons of mass destruction and terrorist ties to Saddam Hussein went mostly unchallenged by the media. Four years after "shock and awe," how the government sold the war has been much examined, but a big question remains: how and why did the press buy it? Bill Moyers and his team piece together the reporting that shows how the media were complicit in shaping the "public mind" toward the war, and ask what's happened to the press' role as skeptical "watchdog" over government power.
THE MORMONS
Monday-Tuesday, April 30-May 1, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormons) is one of America's fastest growing religions, and its influence circles the globe. Yet the birth of Mormonism and its history is one of America's great neglected narratives. This two-part documentary brings together FRONTLINE and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in their first co-production to provide a searching portrait of this fascinating but often misunderstood religion. Produced by Helen Whitney ("Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero," "John Paul II: The Millennial Pope").
MAY
SECRET FILES OF THE INQUISITION
Wednesdays, May 9-16, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
With powerful themes of holy wars and crusades, torture and terror and the struggle for human rights and dignity, this miniseries tells a story of epic proportions. Based on previously unreleased secret documents from European archives, including the Vatican's, the four-part SECRET FILES OF THE INQUISITION unveils the true story of the Catholic Church's 500-year struggle to remain the world's only true Christian religion.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "Alexander Hamilton"
Monday, May 14, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
One of the most controversial men of his age, Alexander Hamilton was a gifted statesman brought down by the fatal flaws of stubbornness, extreme candor and arrogance. This episode tells the story of the underappreciated genius who laid the groundwork for the nation's modern economy, including the banking system, Wall Street and an "opportunity society" in which talent and hard work, not birth, determined success.
NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007, 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET
It is a day to remember the sacrifices made by so many, and a day for healing. On the eve of Memorial Day, PBS brings the nation together with the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, a deeply moving and reverential tribute to the men and women who have given so much to preserve America's freedoms. Gary Sinise ("CSI: New York") and Joe Mantegna ("The Simpsons") host the live program featuring an all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Erich Kunzel.
INDEPENDENT LENS "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"
Tuesday, May 29, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
This film tells the true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots. Former street musician and San Francisco dharma bum Mark Bittner falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the parrots will bring him everything he seeks. By Judy Irving.
Contact:
Carrie Johnson, 703-739-5129; cjohson@pbs.org