PBS Archives - Page 7 of 17 - StayTuned Magazine

NOVA’s “Surviving Ebola” episode informative and relatively scare-free

October 8, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Earlier this week, PBS NewsHour science reporter Miles O’Brien slammed U.S. media’s generally breathless and panic-stricken coverage of the Ebola outbreak that he feels “borders on irresponsibility.” He singled out Fox News Channel coverage in particular as having a “racial component,” especially considering the disease’s initial outbreak in West Africa, and as reflecting “a level of ignorance which we should not allow in our media and in our discourse.” Following that, PBS has a chance to change the discourse in tonight’s installment of NOVA called “Surviving Ebola.” Discussing such a deadly disease as this, it is probably impossible to get […]

PBS special commemorates “The Star-Spangled Banner” bicentennial

September 11, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

The valiant defense of Fort McHenry on the night of Sept. 13, 1814, during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The song eventually was declared the national anthem of the United States by Congress in 1931. In commemoration of 200 years of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” PBS will air a live, two-hour broadcast featuring various performances of patriotic tunes — including, of course, America’s national anthem. John Lithgow (pictured) hosts the event, held at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, and is joined by co-host Jordin Sparks. The concert, called […]

“The Roosevelts” is another winning documentary from Ken Burns

September 11, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Ken Burns’ latest historical documentary (and certainly not the last; he said at a recent press conference that he is working on seven other films right now) is, according to Burns and collaborator Geoffrey C. Ward, the first project to intertwine the stories of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt into one family history. The 14-hour film spans the years from 1858 (Teddy Roosevelt’s birth) to 1962 (Eleanor Roosevelt’s death), and airs seven consecutive nights. “Half [our] films have touched upon the Roosevelts, and for as long as we’ve worked together,” Burns told reporters, about how he and […]

PBS airing “Pioneers of Television” Robin Williams remembrance special

September 8, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Tying in with its excellent Pioneers of Television series, PBS will be taking elements from that series to air a one-hour remembrance special of Robin Williams, including Williams’ last full-length television interview. The program, called Robin Williams Remembered: A Pioneers of Television Special, airs Sept. 9 at 9pm ET on PBS (check local listings). “We were fortunate to sit down with Robin Williams quite recently for the Pioneers of Television series,” said executive producer Steve Boettcher, in a release. “We wanted to share with PBS viewers the Robin that we saw – the very unassuming, caring, genuine and gentle man […]

Acting icons Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi headline hilarious Britcom “Vicious”

June 26, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

With same-sex partnerships becoming more accepted in real life every day, it only makes sense that that would also be reflected more frequently in art. And the more such couples are seen through the lens of a film, or a TV show, the more it will serve to show that such couples are no different from male-female couples: They live day to day, they love and they bicker. That is certainly the case for Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi), the protagonists of Vicious, a hilarious British series that makes its U.S. debut June 29 on PBS. Freddie and […]

“Pioneers of Television” returns for Season 4 on PBS

April 15, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

PBS’ wonderful series Pioneers of Television returns tonight for a run of four new episodes looking back at groundbreaking people, shows and themes that have helped turn television into the medium that it is today. This season’s episodes are: “Standup to Sitcom,” featuring new interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, Tim Allen, Ray Romano and Bob Newhart; “Doctors and Nurses,” which examines TV’s love affair with the medical profession, from Dr. Kildare to ER and beyond; “Breaking Barriers,” which traces the story of people of color in television; and “Acting Funny,” a look at the backstage techniques of America’s favorite […]

Ken Burns’ “The Address” demonstrates lasting impact of the Gettysburg Address

April 15, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Last November was the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, a brief but impactful speech that has gone down in history as one of our nation’s greatest. Perhaps befitting the brilliant conciseness of that address, filmmaker Ken Burns looks at the speech in one of his shortest projects, the 90-minute film The Address. While it is nowhere near as sprawling as Burns’ other works, like The Civil War or Baseball, it — as the original address did — delivers an effective message in its brief time. The Address differs from most of Burns’ other projects […]

Historian Simon Schama: “Too much obligation to have perfect balance” in history filmmaking today

April 1, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Historian Simon Schama’s latest series, The Story of the Jews, concludes tonight on PBS. It’s a wonderful program, not just for the many fascinating and informative elements in it, but also for Schama’s presentation of the history. His guiding us through the series recalls old-school hosts in that it’s him, the history, and his passion for the topic first and foremost. Nothing is particularly spiced up with CGI, and it’s the historical facts, and Schama’s expertise with presenting them in an educational yet emotional way, connecting with audiences as he would with a classroom, that makes the show. His presentation […]

Simon Schama tells “The Story of the Jews” for PBS

March 21, 2014 Jeff Pfeiffer

Acclaimed historian and Columbia University professor Simon Schama’s newest history series delves into the Jewish experience, from the start of their story 3,000 years ago to the present day, in the five-part PBS program The Story of the Jews With Simon Schama. The series is mesmerizing, and beautiful, especially considering the fact that Schama, an art historian and critic, often uses artwork as a gateway into many of the stories. Jewish history is sometimes thought of as black-and-white, and text-based, with not much colorful art, partly due to the fact that the people were often on the move. Schama himself […]

“Coming Back With Wes Moore” examines war veterans’ struggles at home

March 18, 2014 Ryan Berenz

Coming Back With Wes Moore examines war veterans’ struggles at home: This new three-part PBS documentary series reveals how, for some veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, the battle for a new life begins when the war ends. No one comes home from war unchanged. For some veterans, those changes can be as dangerous as war itself. The three-part PBS documentary series Coming Back With Wes Moore (Mondays at 8pm ET beginning May 13) delves into the lives of a handful of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans to explore why some struggle and some succeed in life after their military service. […]