Media Menu, November 27, 2010

Here are home viewing suggestions for the week, selected from online advanced TV program listings and aligned with the state and national K-12 academic standards available online. Please consult local listings also, since actual broadcast times may vary. The Websites cited in the “Log on“ box below the tv listing provide further details about the show’s topic and may contain links to video clips from the show or a complete streaming video version of the show.

Saturday, November 27, 2010,
7-9 p.m. E/P (airing Sunday 9:30-11:30 p.m. E/P on some stations)
PBS
Arts
Middle and High School

'Cirque du Soleil -- Flowers in the Desert'’

Since 1993, Cirque du Soleil has produced seven original, permanent shows in Las Vegas, creating a garden of delights that has transformed the very nature of entertainment in this desert oasis. Cirque du Soleil - Flowers in the Desert, an extraordinary entertainment experience, capturing the magic of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. This documentary will present performances recorded in High Definition at six of the seven Cirque shows in Las Vegas. TV-PG
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1728972/

Sunday, November 28, 2010,
7-8 p.m. E/P
CBS
World and U.S. History
Middle and High School

“60 minutes”

This newsmagazine contains reports about police and about the U.S. Supreme Court. “Good Cop-Bad Cops” is about the Afghan National Police force which is more important to the security of the country than the army, but despite improvements, there are still drug abuse and corruption problems within its ranks. In “John Paul Stevens” Scott Pelley interviews Justice John Paul Stevens upon his retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court after 35 years.
Log on http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

Monday, November 29, 2010,
8:25-10 p.m. E/P
Sundance Channel
Geography and Arts
Middle and High School

“Sounds Like Teen Spirit’

In previous centuries, European nations settled their differences on bloody fields of battle: now there is the Eurovision pop song contest. A subset of this annual event is the lesser-known Junior Eurovision competition for kids aged 10 to 15. Jamie Jay Johnson's fun and touching documentary follows a handful of hopeful contestants from different European countries practicing their own songs - mostly cheesy Euro-pop ditties that are difficult to remove the brain - working on their costumes and routines, and talking about their national backgrounds and motivations. TV-14

Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1039638/

Tuesday, November 30, 2010,
8-9 p.m. E/P
History Channel
World and U.S. History
Middle and High School

“The Real Story Of Christmas”

As this documentary shows, many of our seemingly innocent customs evolved from strange, surprising or even disturbing beginnings. With its roots in the Pagan celebration of the winter solstice, early Christmas was both a day of prayer and festival of drunken revelry. Rowdy medieval carolers begged for food and drink, threatening to throw rocks through the windows of those who refuse. Christmas was actually banned for years in America during the 16th and 17th centuries. And the Santa of old world legend was accompanied not by elves but by a devil named Krampus who beat and kidnapped naughty children.
Log on http://www.history.com/topics/christmas

Wednesday, December 1, 2010
9-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History
Middle and High School

“The President’s Book Of Secrets”

Moments after the President of the United States is sworn into office he gains access to “The Nuclear Football,” a briefcase that contains the most volatile top-secret information in the world – America’s nuclear launch codes. The Football is a high profile national secret, but it’s only one of many pieces in the classified arsenal at the President’s disposal once he assumes the role of Commander in Chief. This documentary takes viewers on a journey inside White House history to unveil information about secrets known only to the President, from top-secret intelligence and classified events to covert codes and future technologies. Presidential secrets investigated include: What secrets does an outgoing President share with the President-elect during their first private meeting? When does the incoming President gain access to vital national secrets and receive the codes to the nuclear arsenal? Is there a “Keeper of the Secrets” who tells the President everything? What information is so highly classified that even the President’s security clearance is not enough to gain access? The program features exclusive interviews with Washington insiders, including former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Director of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, former Vice President Dan Quayle, former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and Presidential daughter Susan Ford who reveal what it is like to live and work in the White House. Additionally, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, journalists Dan Rather and Jonathan Alter and other experts share what they know about the secret world of the Presidency.
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1769369/

Thursday, December 2, 2010,
8-10:30 p.m. ET 5-7:30 p.m. PT
Turner Classic Movie Channel
English and Arts
Middle and High School

“A Midsummer Night's Dream ”

This is a classic film version of Shakespeare's comic play about two pairs of lovers and an amateur actor who get mixed up with fairies TV-PG
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=1806 for information about the film and
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/midsummer/full.html ffor the complete text of the play.

Friday, December 3, 2010,
6-7 p.m. E/P
Planet Green Channel
Geography and Science
Middle and High School

“Lobster Wars :The Battle Begins”

A hundred miles off the coast of southern New England lies Georges Bank, one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Generations of Yankee fishermen have ventured into these waters to wrest a living from the sea. Things are no different today. Many still sail from the same historic fishing ports, and hunt the bank for the North Atlantic's most prized treasure: the American lobster. Depleted resources nearer the coast are forcing these men to hunt hundreds of miles out in the open sea. Every winter as the temperature plummets and the seas turn stormy, lobsters migrate into the deep water in search of food and shelter. And that's where the crews of Lobster Wars seek them out, just when ocean conditions are at their worst. This broadcast is the initial episode of a “Lobster Wars” documentary miniseries and will be followed by five more episodes airing Fridays in this timeslot. TV-PG
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/lobster-wars/lobster-wars.html

Saturday, December 4, 2010,
6-8 p.m. E/P
Discovery Channel
U.S. History
High School

“The Kennedy Detail”

It was their duty to prevent one of the greatest tragedies in U.S. history and they failed, a fact that has haunted them ever since. For years, the men of President John F. Kennedy's Secret Service detail have kept silent about that terrible day in Dallas, but now they've gathered together back at the scene of the assassination and are speaking out about their experiences there for the first time. Revealing, gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, this documentary is their story told through their eyes for the very first time. TV-PG
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/the-kennedy-detail