PBS Archives - Page 12 of 17 - StayTuned Magazine

TV specials and movies commemorate 100th anniversary of Titanic disaster

March 23, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

April 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the fateful and infamous maiden voyage of Titanic, which hit an iceberg late in the evening of April 14, 1912, and eventually sank into the icy depths of the North Atlantic early the next morning. In the weeks leading up to the exact anniversary date, various TV networks will remember the tragedy with premiere and encore specials and movies. Many of the documentaries offer promises of “the final word” or “mystery solved” regarding exactly what happened to the great ship. Whether they actually will or not may be beside the point. It might […]

Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores race, culture and identity in new “Finding Your Roots” series

March 22, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

In recent years, genealogy has enjoyed a renaissance as a trend on reality shows like NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, and that can be attributed in large part to Harvard scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (pictured), whose PBS specials African American Lives, African American Lives 2 and Faces of America helped shed a light on the fascinating ethnic backgrounds of many different people. This passion that Gates has to, as he says, “get into the DNA of American culture” now continues on a larger scale in the new 10-part PBS series Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis […]

U.S. vs. British TV: Jason Isaacs and Joanne Froggatt discuss

February 24, 2012 StayTuned Staff

It’s a common discussion in my world. People get started discussing the quality of British television based on what they see on PBS, and pretty soon comparisons are being bandied about between Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Downton Abbey, trying to make the case for one being better than the other. (I’ll leave it up to you to determine which.) It’s true that PBS imports a lot of good stuff for us over here, and that by now most avid television viewers have at least some idea that quite a few of the more innovative shows we’ve enjoyed here […]

PBS’ “American Experience” examines the Clinton presidency

February 13, 2012 StayTuned Staff

PBS has announced that the first hour of its new, two-part American Experience documentary “Clinton” — which premieres on the network over two nights, Feb. 20 at 9pm ET and Feb. 21 at 8pm ET — will premiere exclusively on the free PBS apps for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch beginning today. This hour will also be available for free download on iTunes for one week before the broadcast. The full four-hour biography will be streamed on video.pbs.org, timed to the national broadcast. “With nearly one-third of our 148 million video streams in January coming from mobile apps, we […]

“Slavery By Another Name” documentary is a powerful look at a horrifying, little-known era in American history

February 10, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

The conventional wisdom regarding African-American slavery in the United States — that we all learned in school at some point, probably at a very young age — is that Abraham Lincoln, through victory in the Civil War and through the Emancipation Proclamation, freed the enslaved black people of the South. End of story. No more slavery. But like most things, the true story is far from being that simple, and former Wall Street Journal writer Douglas A. Blackmon chronicled incredibly disgusting breaks in the flow of this happy-sounding narrative in his 2008 book Slavery By Another Name, a terrific work […]

PBS’ “Nature” visits “Raccoon Nation”

February 8, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

In tonight’s fascinating episode of the PBS series Nature called “Raccoon Nation,” filmmakers and scientists use night-vision cameras and radio collars to study the generally nocturnal world of those omnivorous title critters who have become remarkably adaptable to living in urban environments — as anyone who has ever woken up to a spilled-over trash can or other evidence of their handiwork can attest to. With their busy little hands, these animals can do what other city-dwelling creatures can’t, like open doors, get into attics and, of course, raid garbage containers. But would you expect any less from an animal whose […]

“Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook” returns to PBS

February 2, 2012 StayTuned Staff

The American songwriting tradition gets another boost Friday with the Season 2 premiere of Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook. And if there’s one thing that can be said about the new season, according to its executive producer, Amber Edwards, it’s that this time, they had even greater access to America’s song treasures. Having established “the brand” of the series in Season 1, more collectors — both famous and unknown outside of collectors’ circles — came forward to share their collections and to work with them on American Songbook this time round. “The ‘street cred’ that we got from the first season […]

Black History Month 2012 TV schedule

January 27, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

Here are some notable new and returning television programs profiling memorable people, themes and events in African-American history, in celebration of February’s Black History Month. Programs and times are subject to change; check back throughout the month for updates and additions. Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (encore) — PBS, February (check local listings). Lolis Eric Elie, a New Orleans newspaperman, takes viewers on a tour of the city in what becomes a reflection on the relevance of history folded into a love letter to his storied neighborhood, Faubourg Tremé. Arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America and […]

Stars come out on PBS for “Tony Bennett Duets II”

January 27, 2012 Tom Comi

There’s a moment in his duet with Michael Buble when Tony Bennett sings the lyrics “Baby, I don’t get around anymore.” Fortunately for all of us, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This rousing collaboration is just one of many in the PBS Great Performances series Tony Bennett Duets II airing tonight at 9pm ET (check your local listings). And it’s just further evidence that no singer in history has perfected the cross-over appeal more than Bennett himself. For those who doubt that statement, you only need to tune in tonight for proof. Whether it’s teaming up with a […]

PBS special explores “Custer’s Last Stand”

January 17, 2012 Tom Comi

Much of how we view history is based on interpretation, and perhaps no figure in American lore creates more diverse opinions than Gen. George Custer. To some, he was a military hero; to others, he was a controversial figure whose arrogance ultimately led to his infamous death at The Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. As part of its fantastic American Experience series, PBS tonight airs a two-hour biography of one of our countries most lauded and criticized icons of 19th century. Premiering at 8pm ET, Custer’s Last Stand documents his heroic Civil War battles while also exploring the narcissistic […]