Media Menu for April 11, 2012

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.

Wednesday, April  11, 2012,
10-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. Geography  and Economics
Middle and High School

AMERICA REVEALED

In this episode of a new documentary geography and economics series, host Yul Kwon, a technology expert and communications attorney, explores how America feeds nearly 300 million of us every day. He discovers engineering marvels we’ve created by putting nature to work and takes a look at the costs of our insatiable appetite on our health and environment. For the first time in human history, less than 2% of the population can feed the other 98%. Yul embarks on a trip that begins with a pizza delivery route in New York City then goes across country to California’s Central Valley, where nearly 50% of America’s fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown and skydives into the heartland for an aerial look of our farmlands. TV-G
Log on http://www.pbs.org/america-revealed

Thursday, April  12, 2012,
7-8 p.m. E/P
Animal Planet Channel
Science and Geography 
Elementary, Middle and High School

Blue Planet: Seas of Life - Coral Seas

Bathed in warm, clear tropical water and brilliant sunlight, coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. As shown in this documentary,  they are rich oases of life. TV-G
Log on http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/blue-planet/blue-planet.html

Thursday, April  12, 2012,
10-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
Arts and Geography 
Middle and High School

INDEPENDENT LENS: When the Drum is Beating

This documentary explores Haiti’s complex past and present through the music of the country’s oldest and best-known band and the memories of its founder and leader, Ulric Pierre-Louis. As Haiti disintegrates around them, the three generations of musicians who make up the ensemble struggling to persevere and prevent this national treasure from being lost forever. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/when-the-drum-is-beating/

Friday, April  13, 2012,
9-10 p.m. E/P
PBS
Arts and Geography 
Middle and High School

ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: Change

Internationally celebrated – and controversial -  artists Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui and Catherine Opie bear witness, through their work, to transformation — cultural, material, and aesthetic — and actively engage communities as collaborators and subjects.  TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/art21/about-art21

Saturday, April  14, 2012,
3:15-5:45 p.m. ET, 12:15 -3:45 p.m. PT
TCM-Turner Classic Movie Channel
U.S. History and Medical Science 
Middle and High School

Sunrise At Campobello

This is a biographical movie, nominated for 8 Oscars, about the early political career and battle with a handicapping illness of  President Franklin D. Roosevelt . Beginning at the Roosevelt family vacation home on Campobello Island  in Maine in the summer of 1921, Franklin is depicted in early scenes as vigorous and  athletic. Suddenly stricken with fever and then paralysis, subsequent scenes focus on the ensuing conflict in the following weeks between the bedridden FDR, his wife Eleanor, his mother Sara, and his close political adviser Louis Howe over FDR's political future. A later scene portrays FDR literally dragging himself up the stairs as, through grit and determination, he painfully strives to overcome his physical limitations and not remain an invalid. In the final  scene, FDR is shown re-entering public life as he walks to the speaker's rostrum at a party convention, aided by heavy leg braces and on the arm of his eldest son James. The movie is based on the award winning Broadway play of the same name. TV-G
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16110/Sunrise-At-Campobello/
Sunday, April  15, 2012,
8-9 p.m. E/P
CNN
U.S. History and Science 
Middle and High School

Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture

Investigative reporter Anderson cooper has teamed up with a renowned child psychologist to see just what factors contribute to kids' opinions on race. Could these same factors have shaped how you view race?
Log on http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/27/anderson-cooper-explains-kids-on-race-the-hidden-picture/

Sunday, April  15, 2012,
8-9 p.m. E/P
PBS
U.S. History and Science 
Middle and High School

FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.

Through the histories of clergy of three different faiths, this  program unearth a story about the spiritual foundations of this country. Pastor Rick Warren, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Sheik Yasir Qadhi — clerics of three different faiths — all have complex family histories that profoundly shaped their religious beliefs. Research of their roots unearthed unrelenting struggles to achieve the ideal of religious freedom and tolerance, but also the difficulties sometimes of holding onto one’s faith and still feeling like an “authentic” American. TV-PG
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots

Monday, April  16, 2012,
5-8 p.m. ET 2-5 p.m. PT
TCM-Turner Classic Movie Channel
World History
Middle and High School

Quo Vadis

This  epic historical movie , nominated for eight Oscars, takes place during a fascinating period in ancient history. Based on the classic novel,  “Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero”, written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. In the story a Roman commander’s love for a Christian slave girl as Nero intensifies persecution of the  Roman Christians. While the commander at first seems indifferent to the plight of the persecuted Christians, he soon sympathizes with them when he falls in love. With a Christian causing them both to be thrown to the lions.TV-PG
Log on http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/933/Quo-Vadis/full-synopsis.html

Tuesday, April  17, 2012,
10-11 p.m. E/P
PBS
Science
Middle and High School

FRONTLINE: The Real CSI

Viewers of this documentary  will find out how the field of forensics, with few uniform standards and unproven science, can undermine the search for justice. From the courtroom to the living room (thanks to the hit television series “CSI”), forensic science is king. Expertise on fingerprints, ballistics and bite mark analysis are routinely called on to solve the most difficult criminal cases — and to put the guilty behind bars. But how reliable is the science behind forensics? This program finds serious flaws in some of the best-known tools of forensic science and wide inconsistencies in how forensic evidence is presented in the courtroom. From the sensational murder trial of Casey Anthony and the FBI’s botched investigation of the Madrid terrorist bombing to capital cases in rural Mississippi, The program is part of the investigative series “Post Mortem,”  with correspondent Lowell Bergman reporting in a joint investigation with ProPublica and the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley.
Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/real-csi/

Wednesday, April  18, 2012,
7-8 p.m. E/P
Science  Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

Wonders of the Universe: Children of the Stars

In this documentary  physicist Brian Cox will examine the fundamental question: What are we made of? The resounding answer is: "star stuff." The same 92 elements we have on Earth are found throughout the cosmos. Forged deep in the hearts of stars, the untold trillions of atoms that make up each of us link together to tell the story of the universe's origin, specifically how the stars die as powerful supernovae, seeding the universe with the heavy elements that make life possible TV-G
Log on http://news.discovery.com/space/wide-angle-wonders-universe-brian-cox-110727.html

Book TV Schedule

Saturday, April 14th

8am (ET)
Approx. 56 min.
"Enterprise: America's Fightingest Ship and The Men Who Helped Win World War II"
Barrett Tillman

9am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
"Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle For Internet Freedom"
Rebecca MacKinnon

10am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
"The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin"
Masha Gessen

11am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"The End of Money: Counterfeiters, Preachers, Techies, Dreamers - and the Coming Cashless Society"
David Wolman

12pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Deng Xioaping and the Transformation of China"
Ezra Vogel

1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company"
Bryce Hoffman

2pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"Life Among the Cannibals: A Political Career, A Tea Party Uprising, and the End of Governing As We Know It"
Arlen Specter

3pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion"
Jonathan Haidt

4:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 45 min.
"Re-Defining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America"
Joanne Griffith

6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Encore Booknotes: Noa Ben Artzi-Pelossof, "In the Name of Sorrow and Hope"
Noa Ben Artzi-Pelossof

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 8 min.
"Taming Globalization: International Law, the U.S. Constitution, and the New World Order"
John Yoo

8:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 8 min.
"Cheating Justice: How Bush and Cheney Attacked The Rule of Law and Plotted to Avoid Prosecution - And What We Can Do About It"
Elizabeth Holtzman

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Dick Teresi, "The Undead: Organ Harvesting, the Ice-Water Test, Beating-Heart Cadavers - How Medicine is Blurring the Line Between Life and Death," hosted by Dr. Sally Satel, AEI

11pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 15 min.
"Sealab: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor"
Ben Hellwarth

Sunday, April 15th

12:15am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future"
John Lott, Jr.; Grover Norquist

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 24 min.
"A Matter of Simple Justice: The Untold Story of Barbara Hackman Franklin and A Few Good Women"
Lee Stout

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 24 min.
"Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government—and the Reckoning that Lies Ahead"
David Rothkopf

4:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 13 min.
"American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us"
David Campbell

6am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 45 min.
"Re-Defining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America"
Joanne Griffith

8am (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"FDR and Chief Justice Hughes: The President, the Supreme Court, and the Epic Battle Over the New Deal"
James Simon

8:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 8 min.
"Cheating Justice: How Bush and Cheney Attacked The Rule of Law and Plotted to Avoid Prosecution - And What We Can Do About It"
Elizabeth Holtzman

10am (ET)
Approx. 37 min.
"Borrow: The American Way of Debt: How Personal Credit Created the American Middle Class and Almost Bankrupted the Nation"
Louis Hyman

10:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future"
John Lott, Jr.; Grover Norquist

12pm (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
After Words: Liza Mundy, "The Richer Sex: How the New Majority of Female Breadwinners is Transforming Sex, Love and Family," hosted by April Ryan

1pm (ET)
Approx. 14 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Rena Lindevaldsen, author of "Only One Mommy: A Woman's Battle for Her Life, Her Daughter, and Her Freedom"
Rena Lindevaldsen

1:15pm (ET)
Approx. 15 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Ken Blackwell, co-author of "The Blueprint: Obama's Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency"
Ken Blackwell

1:30pm (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Brian Melton, author of "Robert E. Lee: A Biography"
Brian Melton

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 8 min.
"Taming Globalization: International Law, the U.S. Constitution, and the New World Order"
John Yoo

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Uprising: How Wisconsin Renewed the Politics of Protest, from Madison to Wall Street"
John Nichols

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 15 min.
"Sealab: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor"
Ben Hellwarth

6pm (ET)
Approx. 38 min.
Titanic's Last Secrets
John Chatterton; Richie Kohler; Brad Matsen

6:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 6 min.
"Deng Xioaping and the Transformation of China"
Ezra Vogel

8pm (ET)
Approx. 52 min.
"Life Among the Cannibals: A Political Career, A Tea Party Uprising, and the End of Governing As We Know It"
Arlen Specter

9pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Dick Teresi, "The Undead: Organ Harvesting, the Ice-Water Test, Beating-Heart Cadavers - How Medicine is Blurring the Line Between Life and Death," hosted by Dr. Sally Satel, AEI

10pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion"
Jonathan Haidt

11:15pm (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company"
Bryce Hoffman

Monday, April 16th

12am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Dick Teresi, "The Undead: Organ Harvesting, the Ice-Water Test, Beating-Heart Cadavers - How Medicine is Blurring the Line Between Life and Death," hosted by Dr. Sally Satel, AEI

1am (ET)
Approx. 14 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Rena Lindevaldsen, author of "Only One Mommy: A Woman's Battle for Her Life, Her Daughter, and Her Freedom"
Rena Lindevaldsen

1:15am (ET)
Approx. 15 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Ken Blackwell, co-author of "The Blueprint: Obama's Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency"
Ken Blackwell

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
Book TV at Liberty University: Brian Melton, author of "Robert E. Lee: A Biography"
Brian Melton

2am (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"The End of Money: Counterfeiters, Preachers, Techies, Dreamers - and the Coming Cashless Society"
David Wolman

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
After Words: Dick Teresi, "The Undead: Organ Harvesting, the Ice-Water Test, Beating-Heart Cadavers - How Medicine is Blurring the Line Between Life and Death," hosted by Dr. Sally Satel, AEI

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr.
2012 Tucson Festival of Books: Forensic Science Panel
Deborah Blum; Douglas Starr; Holly Tucker

5am (ET)
Approx. 37 min.
"First Principles: Five Keys to Restoring America's Prosperity"
John Taylor

5:45am (ET)
Approx. 2 hr. 14 min.
"Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier"
Neil deGrasse Tyson