Nov 20, 2009 | WDC: 57.2 °F
Washington’s source for compelling television and inspiring classical music
TV Picks
You won't want to miss these highlights from WETA Television in the next two weeks!
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Upcoming shows
Great Performances: Andrea Bocelli and David Foster: My Christmas
Top producer and keyboardist David Foster joins tenor Andrea Bocelli for a new Christmas concert of holiday classics as they share the stage to present an elegant collection of seasonal favorites. Recorded a the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, the program also features special guests Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, the Muppets and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Straight No Chaser: Live in New York, Holiday Edition
Randy Stine posted nostalgic clips on YouTube for the other alumni of his college a capella group, Straight No Chaser, to enjoy, including a quirky version of "The 12 Days of Christmas." Ten million YouTube views later, the ensemble of 10 harmonizing vocalists is a hit. This special includes holiday favorites and a mix of classical hits from the 1950s and 1960s, the Motown era, and contemporary pop.
Masterpiece Contemporary: Collision
The investigation of a multi-vehicle road accident unravels the secrets of the complete strangers involved, revealing smuggling, murder, international intrigue, and betrayal. The victims, survivors and rescuers all share a single defining moment.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is the country's most distinguished source for televised news. Each weekday, the program provides in-depth analysis of current events with a news summary, live studio interviews, discussions, and both foreign and domestic on-site reports.
The Three Tenors Christmas
José Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti perform popular holiday songs and sacred songs at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria, in this special taped in December 1999. The trio is accompanied by the Vienna Symphony and joined by the Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen Children's Choir.
Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work
In the golden era of television, Jackie Gleason was king, drawing families to see his entertaining characters on The Jackie Gleason Show. This film features a collection of Jackie Gleason's most memorable characters and skits from his long-running network television series.
Silent Witness
Friends Like These Sam is enjoying her relationship with Peter Ross when a savage and apparently random murder demands their attention. The police nab a suspect, but Sam has doubts and puts her job on the line to prove the police wrong.
The War of the Worlds Live
In 1978, acclaimed musician Jeff Wayne composed and produced the groundbreaking concept album The Musical Version of the War of the Worlds. In 2006, Wayne's seminal work of progressive/literary rock music was brought to the stage for the first time, playing to sold-out arenas across the United Kingdom, including this performance at London's Wembley Stadium.
Lost Cave Temples of the Himalaya
This National Geographic production documents the first-time exploration of mysterious caves, perched high on cliff faces and carved by humans thousands of years ago, in the kingdom of Mustang, a remote corner of the Himalaya. This program provides more background to the film Secrets of Shangri-la
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live
This special features rare performances from the induction ceremonies of the Rock Hall of Fame, filmed during the last 24 years. The biggest names in rock 'n' roll perform in intimate settings, jamming in combinations not seen anywhere else. The program presents exclusive induction speeches by rock royalty. Paul Shaffer hosts.
Secrets of the Dead: Mumbai Massacre
This film returns to the scene of the Mumbai bombings one year later to learn how current consumer technology enabled the terrorist attacks on November 26, 2008. For many, what began as a typical day in a bustling cosmopolitan city turned into a nightmarish 60 hours of orchestrated terrorism broadcast live to the world via cell phones and Internet, text and Twitter.
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal
Hosted by Gwen Ifill, PBS's longest-running public affairs series features Washington's top journalists analyzing the week's news stories and their effect on the lives of all Americans.
Doo Wop 50
Marking the 50th anniversary of Doo Wop music, vocal harmony groups of the 1950s and 1960s perform their biggest hits before an audience in Pittsburgh. Among the more than 100 original performers featured are The Platters, Gene Chandler, and The Chantels. Jerry Butler hosts.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, features dynamic Rockette performances, including a tap tour de force "12 Days of Christmas," a signature production number set in Times Square, a high-energy tap routine featuring the Rockettes as rag dolls in Santa's workshop, and a "Living Nativity" scene and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" that have been Rockette staple performances since the 1930s.
Trans Siberian Orchestra's The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Narrated by the late Ossie Davis, this Christmas fantasy spotlights a runaway girl who encounters an old theater caretaker (Davis) who guides her on her journey home. The caretaker brings the magical theater to life through various musical performances by singers Jewel, Michael Crawford and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Celtic Woman: Songs From the Heart
A new special featuring the Celtic Woman vocal/fiddle ensemble was recorded in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland at the historic Powerscout House and Gardens and features a musical repertoire ranging from spirited Celtic fiddle and bodhran pieces to lush arrangements of Irish classics, contemporary covers and original compositions. Two members of the ensemble, Alex Sharpe and Mairead Nesbitt, appear in WETA's studio to host the broadcast.
The WETA Movie: Never on Sunday
Thirty-two years before My Big Fat Greek Wedding brought Greek-American culture to a mainstream audience, Never on Sunday took mainstream culture to Greece, with similarly popular results. Expatriate director Jules Dassin wrote, directed, and costars in this vibrant and (in retrospect) rather simple-minded celebration of good living, as embodied by the vivacious Melina Mercouri in the Cannes award-winning role of her career.
The 1930s: American Experience: Seabiscuit
In the 1930s, when Americans longed to escape the grim realities of Depression-era life, the racehorse Seabiscuit became a national hero -- and one of hte most remarkable thoroughbreds in history. American Experience relates the story of Seabiscuit's unlikely career and illuminates the precarious economic conditions that defined America in the 1930s.
The Windsors: A Royal Dynasty
In the final episode, marital woes plague the royal family, and then Diana's death leaves two young princes without a mother and a country in a state of shock. But public goodwill towards the Windsors is reinvigorated in the new century.
Christmas With the Annie Moses Band
The ensemble performs an eclectic blend of classical, jazz and pop music that draws from the family's four-generation musical journey. The all-sibling group makes its debut on public television with a mix of holiday classics.
Frontline: The Card Game
As credit card companies face rising public anger, new regulation from Washington, and a potential perfect storm of economic bad news, Frontline correspondent Lowell Bergman and The New York Times examine the future of the massive consumer load industry and its impact on a fragile national economy.
Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics: The 60s
From the late 1940s until the early 1970s, millions of viewers of all ages saw great musical acts each Sunday night on The Ed Sullivan Show. This program presents classic song performances from 1963-1968, by acts including the Beatles, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Sly and the Family Stone, the Mamas and the Papas and more.
Nature: The Cheetah Orphans
Veteran filmmaker Simon King takes in two cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu, and he captures some of the most intimate moments of cheetah life ever recorded on film.Sign Up for WETA Highlights
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