Join us for these featured programs
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A Capitol
Fourth 2008 |
Friday, July 4 at
8:00 & 9:30 p.m.
Blue Ridge PBS will celebrate America's biggest birthday party with
"A Capitol Fourth," a special Independence Day broadcast live from
the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The star-spangled party,
broadcast in high definition (HD), will feature unrivaled musical
performances from some of the country's best known and award-winning
artists, as well as the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere
in the nation. This year's celebration is hosted by actor Jimmy
Smits and features performances by Huey Lewis and the News, Taylor
Hicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Hayley Westenra,
Harolyn Blackwell and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Erich Kunzel.
"The Fourth of July is a favorite holiday here at Blue Ridge PBS, a
time when we all pause to remember and celebrate the remarkable
freedoms that we enjoy in the United States of America," said James
Baum, station President and CEO. "Blue Ridge PBS viewers will love
'A Capitol Fourth.' With the all-star cast and fireworks, this will
be a truly memorable broadcast."
Following this musical salute, the Washington, D.C., skyline will
come alive with a colorful, creative and booming display of
fireworks set against silhouettes of the U.S. Capitol, the
Washington Monument, and the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.
"As President John Adams envisioned 232 years ago, we come together
to celebrate the birth of our great nation with music, fun and
fireworks," added executive producer Jerry Colbert of Capital
Concerts. "We're really glad to welcome our new host Jimmy Smits to
help celebrate the Fourth in style from the most inspiring location
in America."
Capping off the show will be a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's
"1812 Overture," complete with live cannon fire provided by the
United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite
and now "A Capitol Fourth" tradition.
"A Capitol Fourth" will also feature performances by The U.S. Army
Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery, an Armed
Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington,
D.C. and The Choral Arts Society of Washington.
Visit the companion
website at
www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/ |
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Chasing Churchill: In Search of my Grandfather |
Mondays, July 21
-August 4 at 10:00 p.m.
From England to Egypt, from Hollywood to Havana, from Virginia to
France and South Africa, CHASING CHURCHILL: IN SEARCH OF MY
GRANDFATHER follows Celia Sandy's around the world as she retraces
her grandfather Winston Churchill's footsteps to reveal the man
behind the famous facade. The series features newly discovered
archival footage, photographs and private letters, diaries and
paintings from the Churchill archives.
Churchill's public life was a remarkable journey, one recounted many
times by many people. But his life involved another, much more
private journey: to find stillness at the core of his boundless
energy; to find solitude amidst the throngs of people he loved to
have around him; to find contentment within the turmoil of his
lonely, brilliant and troubled life.
Churchill's quest for his inner-self took two forms: a constant
thirst for exotic travel and a passion for the exuberance of
painting and the beauty of words. Sandy's traveled extensively with
Churchill towards the end of his life. Now, in this intimate
portrait, she follows in her grandfather's footsteps to the furthest
reaches of the world. By examining his art and literature, viewers
will understand his dreams and anxieties and share his innermost
thoughts.
Sandy's travels to France, with which Churchill had a love affair
throughout his life, especially the south of France, a painter's
dream; to Cuba and South Africa, where, when little more than a boy,
he began to write prodigiously; to the United States, his vital
wartime ally, his mother's native land and the place where he said
he would have liked to have been born; and to Morocco, his favorite
place to paint. |
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Click
& Clack's as the Wrench Turns |
Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m.
starting July 9
The program takes off from the hit NPR show and follows the on- and
off-air escapades of Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers
(alter-egos of Tom and Ray Magliozzi) as they try to fix cars, fend
off disgruntled customers and seek out increasingly creative ways to
goof off. CLICK & CLACK'S AS THE WRENCH TURNS is set at Car Talk
Plaza, a fictional building that houses their radio studio and their
famed garage in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Click and Clack immerse themselves in such motley misadventures as a
competition with a nearby garage staffed by sexy hunks, a run-in
with the feds in their garage and a robot mechanic that causes a
power-grid meltdown all across Boston. Continuing their constant
pursuit of idleness, they tempt disaster in each episode by
constantly looking for the easy way out while ignoring the
unintended consequences, finding themselves right back where they
started - square one.
In conjunction with the series, executive producer Howard K.
Grossman also has developed an innovative partnership with The
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), whose
membership includes all state motor vehicle agencies (DMVs) in the
United States and Canada. In their role as a strategic content
partner to the series' national outreach campaign, AAMVA will
collaborate with CLICK & CLACK'S AS THE WRENCH TURNS to facilitate
the communication of safety messages, regarding such issues as
distracted driving, safety belts and teen driving, to the driving
public as they interact with AAMVA members and state and provincial
motor vehicle agencies.
"Tom and Ray have been 'animated characters' for years, so it's
fitting that we've found a way to bring these garage gurus to the
small screen," said John F. Wilson, senior vice president and chief
TV programming executive for PBS. "Even though we hide inside our
tote bags every time we say it, we're glad to welcome to PBS these
public media figures who can connect with people as quickly as they
can with carburetors. We're hoping for a truly unique experience for
the viewer that's entertaining and fresh. Through the AAMVA outreach
program, we'll also be providing useful public safety tips to
complement the series."
Visit the companion
website at
www.pbs.org/wrenchturns/ |
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History
Detectives |
Mondays at 9:00 p.m.
America's top gumshoes are back for a sixth season to prove once
again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything
but ordinary. Wesley Cowan, independent appraiser and auctioneer;
Gwendolyn Wright, professor of architecture, Columbia University;
Elyse Luray, independent appraiser and expert in art history; and
Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center
for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania leave no
stone unturned as they travel around the country to explore the
stories behind local folklore, prominent figures and family legends.
- June 30- In their sixth
season premiere, the history detectives investigate the diary of a
WWII pilot; an 1856 book purported to be the memoirs of a New York
woman married to a Mormon elder; and an 1853 Napoleon coin said to
be shot by Annie Oakley.
- July 7- A flag that may
have been carried into battle by one of the few African-American
infantry regiments in WWI; a painting that may be the work of Seth
Eastman; and a two-story building that may have housed a Chinese
Tong.
- July 14- A balloon scrap
that may be a missing piece of a secret weapon; a circus program
that connects a society woman, FDR and the Boy Scouts; and a
letter from Ronald Reagan that links a Navy captain to the
development of Camp David.
- July 21- A WWII Marine's
jacket with stitched inscriptions; a vintage Airstream that may
have made a historic journey; and sheet music bearing Abraham
Lincoln's signature.
- July 28- An artifact that
could be a souvenir of the Hindenburg disaster; a stamp that may
be connected to the Bonus Army March on Washington in 1932; and a
bell that may have been ringside at Jack Dempsey's legendary world
heavyweight championship match.
Visit the companion website
at
www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/ |
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Masterpiece Mystery! |
Sundays at 9:00 p.m.
For more than 35 years, MASTERPIECE has enthralled audiences with
the works of the finest classic and contemporary writers interpreted
by the world's foremost actors. The new MASTERPIECE schedule breaks
the year into three "seasons," each with its own host, graphics and
fresh take on the series' famous theme music. MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!
(summer) features the best British mysteries.
- June 29 - "Inspector Lewis: Old
School Ties" The death of an ambitious Oxford student
reveals a case driven by celebrity, ambition and dangerous sexual
politics.
- July 6 - "Inspector Lewis:
Expiation" Lewis and Hathaway investigate the death of an
Oxford housewife, found hanged in her home.
- July 13 - "Foyle's War: Plan of
Attack" The popular World War II whodunit stars Michael
Kitchen as Inspector Christopher Foyle, who fights crime on the
south coast of England, far from the front.
- July 20 - "Foyle's War: Broken
Souls" The murder of an unpopular young doctor yields no
shortage of potential suspects.
- July 27 -"Foyle's War: All
Clear" In his final case, Foyle must reveal truths the Allies
would rather keep hidden.
Visit the companion web
site at
www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/mystery/
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Wide
Angle |
Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m.
This acclaimed series delivers up-to-the-minute reports from
global hotspots to give American television viewers a unique
forum for understanding the complex, often dramatic, sometimes
explosive and always relevant stories that are shaping the
present and future of the world. Each program focuses on a
single subject, bringing to life international events and issues
that matter to Americans today - from global epidemics to
economic development and matters related to the war on
terrorism. WIDE ANGLE offers character-driven narratives while
eschewing on-camera correspondents, think-tank analysts or
talking heads. At the end of each documentary, Aaron Brown
conducts an interview or presents a short essay to "connect the
dots" and offer greater insight into how the subject matter of
the program affects Americans.
Visit the companion website at
www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/ |
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July 1 - "Heart of Darfur"
WIDE ANGLE's season premiere presents an account of what the
U.N. Secretary-General has called "the largest humanitarian
crisis in the world." Granted access to the capital city of
North Darfur in Sudan, WIDE ANGLE reports from Al Fasher, once
a sleepy desert town of 30,000, but today home to 100,000
refugees and 10,000 U.N. personnel. The film captures the
desperation of daily life in Al Fasher's sprawling Abu Shouk
refugee camp and travels beyond Al Fasher into the volatile
rebel-held areas of Sudan to portray the lives of black
African villagers who get up every morning to face yet another
day filled with threats of looting, murder and rape by Sudan's
pro-government Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed. Cameras
follow "the busiest man in Africa" - charismatic General
Martin Luther Agwai, commander of the new combined
U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur - on a
mission as he helicopters into hostile areas, attempting to
coax rebel leaders and some of the Arab tribes to the
negotiating table. Despite leading the world's largest
peacekeeping operation, Agwai, the former head of Nigeria's
armed forces, acknowledges the limitations of his role: "We
are not here to compel any peace. We are here to work with the
Sudanese people - both the government and the parties - to
assist them to find peace." After five years of fighting in
Sudan, an estimated two-and-a-half million people have fled
their homes, more than 200,000 have been killed and two thirds
of all Darfuris - some 4.3 million people - need humanitarian
assistance of some kind.
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July 8 - "Japan's about
Face" Granted unprecedented access to Japan's "West
Point" - the National Defense Academy - WIDE ANGLE captures a
remarkable view of the military's shifting role in post-war
Japanese society. Since WWII, Japan's American-authored,
pacifist constitution has mandated a strictly defensive
military force. But the line between defense and offense has
blurred in recent years, as Japan looks over its shoulder at
North Korea's nuclear ballistic missiles and China's growing
military and economic strength. Today, Japan's $40 billion
military budget is the fifth largest in the world. The
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces recently sent troops to
Iraq - the first time Japanese soldiers have entered an active
combat zone in three generations - and the Air Self-Defense
Forces have acquired a fleet of sophisticated fighter jets
capable of projecting power across Asia. As Japan reconsiders
its military rules of engagement, WIDE ANGLE follows National
Defense Academy cadets preparing for a future that may involve
overseas deployment . Viewers meet a group of peace marchers -
some of them atom bomb survivors - on a grueling two-month
march from Hiroshima to Tokyo dedicated to safeguarding the
constitution's Article 9 "no war" clause and keeping Japan's
troops at home. With unprecedented access to joint maneuvers
with the United States Marine Corps, surveillance flights over
the Sea of Japan and the DDH Hyuga - the first Japanese
aircraft carrier built since WWII - "Japan's About-Face"
offers unprecedented insight into the future of Asian
geopolitics.
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July 15 - "Birth of a
Surgeon" This inspiring profile travels to Mozambique,
where, for the first time, midwives are being trained in
advanced life-saving surgery. Suffering from an acute shortage
of doctors, Mozambique launched a bold grassroots initiative
that has cut the maternal death rate in half. Starting in the
capital city of Maputo, WIDE ANGLE follows student Emilia
Cumbane through intensive medical classes and night shifts in
the delivery ward as she learns to heal the life-threatening
complications of pregnancy - from eclampsia to acute bleeding
and ruptured wombs. Cumbane then parts from her husband and
six-year-old son to finish her training in a small rural
clinic nearly 100 miles from the city. Working in a makeshift
delivery room so crowded that women in labor sometimes share
beds, Cumbane becomes one of the first midwives in the world
granted the right to perform surgery. Even before her
graduation, Cumbane performs her first life-saving caesarean
section by herself - illustrating how one woman can make a
difference on the frontlines of public health in Africa. "It's
a miracle to be a midwife!" says Cumbane, beaming, as the new
mother holds her healthy baby in her arms. With more than
half-a-million women dying each year during pregnancy or
childbirth, the program is being hailed as a model solution,
offering hope to developing countries worldwide.
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For more program information
visit our Programs A-Z
page
and see clips from your favorite PBS
programs.
The Blue Ridge PBS Primetime Calendar
is available as an Adobe PDF File.
Click below on the month of your choice.
June
July
Also available are the Blue Ridge PBS Daytime and Blue Ridge PBS HD Schedules in an Adobe PDF File.
June
July
Late-Breaking World News and Events May
Result in Schedule Changes
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Interact With PBS!
PBS has companion websites for more than 450 PBS programs and
Specials,
interviews with filmmakers, educational support materials, original
content, forums and more!
An exciting new online adventure awaits you every day at
www.PBS.org.
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Blue Ridge PBS: Enriching people's lives by providing
educational, informational and cultural programming that fills a
unique role as a positive and lifelong resource for the communities
we serve. |
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