Media Menu for May 28, 2011

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, May 28, 2011,
9:45-11:30 p.m. E/P
HBO
U.S. History and Economics
High School

”Too Big To Fail”

This dramatization of recent events is based on reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin’s bestselling book. Directed by Oscar®-winner Curtis Hanson (“L.A. Confidential”), the film offers an intimate look at the epic Wall Street financial crisis of 2008 and explores the inner sanctum of the powerful men and women who decided the fate of the world’s economy in a matter of a few weeks. Centering on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the film goes behind closed doors to examine the inter-twining relationship between Wall Street and Washington. TV-14
Log on http://www.hbo.com/#/movies/too-big-to-fail/synopsis.html

Sunday, May 29, 2011,
8-9:30 p.m. E/P (repeats immediately following – 9:30-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Arts
Elementary, Middle and High School

” NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 2011”

This is a telecast of the annual Memorial Day concert which honors the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform, their families and all those who have given their lives for this country. Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise co-host. It will open with a special segment remembering those who lost their lives on 9/11, and their loved ones, and commemorating the heroism of the firefighters and police officers who first responded. The all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists participating in this 22nd annual broadcast includes: distinguished American leader Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); American Idol finalist Pia Toscano; Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker; American Idol winner Kris Allen; two-time Academy and Emmy Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest; King of the Blues B.B. King; acclaimed actors Jason Ritter and A. J. Cook; classical superstar Hayley Westenra; America’s beloved tenor Daniel Rodriguez, the New York city policeman who united the country after the September 11 terrorist attacks; and gospel legend Yolanda Adams. They will perform with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Jack Everly. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/concert

Monday, May 30, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History
Elementary, Middle and High School

” SPECIAL PRESENTATION: GETTYSBURG”

“The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." History Channel observes Memorial Day, 2011, with Abraham Lincoln's iconic Gettysburg Address framing an epic, two-hour special, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. GETTYSBURG will strip away the romanticized veneer of the Civil War and present the engagement in a new light: a visceral, terrifying experience with everything on the line. At its core, this is the story of the soldiers on the ground, not the generals who commanded from behind the frontlines. Compelling CGI and powerful action footage place viewers in the midst of the fighting, delivering both a cinematic experience and an information- packed look at the turning points, technology, and little known facts of perhaps America’s greatest battle.
Log on http://www.History.com/civilwar

Tuesday, May 31, 2011,
9-11 p.m. E/P
History Channel
U.S. History
Elementary, Middle and High School

”SPECIAL PRESENTATION:LEE & GRANT”

Produced with the cooperation of Civil War historian Winston Groom, this documentary is a personal look at two iconic leaders of the Civil War. Surprising details reveal the bold choices and almost godlike power Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee summoned on decisive battlefields like Vicksburg and Gettysburg that, within days of each other, turned the tide of the war and changed the course of American history.
Log on http://www.History.com/civilwar

Wednesday, June 1, 2011,
9 p.m. – midnight E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Arts
Middle and High School

” GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: Nixon in China””

In this broadcast composer John Adams conducts the Met premiere of his most famous opera. Acclaimed director and longtime Adams-collaborator Peter Sellars makes his Met debut with this groundbreaking 1987 work, an exploration of the human truths beyond the headlines surrounding President Nixon’s 1972 encounter with Communist China. Baritone James Maddalena stars in the title role. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/gp-at-the-met-nixon-in-china/about-the-opera/1119/

Thursday, June 2, 2011,
7-8 p.m. E/P
Science Channel
Science and Technology
Middle and High School

” How It's Made”

This is a broadcast of two episodes in a documentary series about engineering and manufacturing processes. Shown are ways of producing thermometers, produce scales, aircraft painting, and luxury chocolates, technical glass, washing machines and playing cards. TV-G
Log on http://science.discovery.com/tv/how-its-made

Friday, June 3, 2011,
9-11 p.m. ET, 6-8 p.m. PT
CNBC Channel
U.S. and World History and Economics
Middle and High School

” The China Question”

What does China’s rise mean for America? Through the stories of ordinary people and analysis from the world’s leading experts, this documentary explores the challenge America faces as China becomes the world’s second superpower. To understand the economic, political and moral implications of China’s rise, filmmaker Brook Silva-Braga spent over a year traveling both China and America. On a thoughtful, personal journey we meet Chinese and Americans dealing with extraordinary change, and reflect on the twists of fate and history that brought us here.
Log on http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837856/site/14081545/

Saturday, June 4, 2011,
9-10 p.m. E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science and U.S. History
Middle and High School

” Witness: Tornado Swarm 2011”

April 2011 was the most violent month of tornados on record, and the deadliest in modern times. The 'super outbreak' of April 26-27 alone involved more than a hundred separate twisters, killing over 300 people and cutting a swath of destruction across the south. Using dozens of amateur and professional sources, this documentary tells the story of this once-in-a-century event, as captured by those who lived through it.
Log on http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/witness/7051/Overview