Media Menu for August 9, 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. 

Thursday,  August  9,  2012,
9-10 p.m.  E/P
National Geographic  Channel
Science
Middle and High School

Eight Years on Mars

This  documentary contains information on the early efforts to land scientific equipment on Mars.  When the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity touched down on Mars in January 2004, they were expected to drive a few hundred yards and last ninety days. Seven-plus years later, the hardy robots have proven to be two of the greatest explorers of the Space Age, trekking miles across hostile deserts, climbing mountains, scrambling in and out of craters, and cheating death many times. Now comes the sad news that while Opportunity continues to roll, Spirit has reached the end of the road. Death of a Mars Rover tells the epic story of Spirit and Opportunity, and the desperate effort to save Spirit after she drove into a quicksand trap and then fell silent over a year ago.
Log on http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Friday,  August  10,  2012,
9-10 p.m.  E/P
National Geographic  Channel
Science
Middle and High School

Martian Mega Rover

This  documentary contains information on this month’s landing of scientific equipment on Mars.  Cameras follow the team at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as they shepherd NASAs new Mars rover, the Curiosity, from the drawing board to the launch pad, and ultimately to the Martian surface. But sending a craft on a 354-million-mile journey across the solar system and having it hit the brakes from 13,000 miles per hour when it gets there is no piece of cake.
Log on http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Saturday,  August  11,  2012,
7-9  p.m.  E/P
ESPN2  Channel
U.S. History and Economics
Middle and High School

30 for 30 : The Best That Never Was 

This  program documents  the rise, fall and comeback of running back Marcus Dupree. From a highly recruited prospect through a forgettable college career at the University of Oklahoma, Dupree ultimately uses football to redeem himself. In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree. On his way to eclipsing Herschel Walker’s record for the most touchdowns in high school history, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss. More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight. Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations. The program examines why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.
Log on http://30for30.espn.com/film/the-best-that-never-was.html

Saturday,  August  11,  2012,
10-11 p.m.  E/P
PBS
Social Science
Middle and High School

The Spiritual Quest

Airing on KLCS at a time when we need to strengthen religious tolerance and understanding, this is a program in which spiritual journeys are discussed with comparative-religion scholar Karen Armstrong ("The Case for God") and Buddhism expert Robert Thurman (Columbia University).
Log on http://globalspirit.org/

Sunday,  August  12,  2012,
3-5:30  p.m.  E/P
IFC-Independent Film Channel
World History
Middle and High School

Marie Antoinette

This Oscar-winning  movie is a retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 15 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen and ultimately the fall of  her Versailles Palace. Winner of the Cinema Prize of the French National Education System. Available on DVD
Log on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422720/

Monday,  August  13,  2012,
7-8 p.m.  E/P
Science Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

How The Universe Works: Volcanoes

Scientists are discovering volcanoes on worlds we once thought dead. From our nearest planetary neighbor to tiny moons billions of miles away, today, as shown in this documentary, we are discovering volcanoes on alien worlds. Are these worlds where, tomorrow, we might find life? TV-G
Log on http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/07/11/how-the-universe-works-season-2-premier-tonight

Tuesday,  August  14,  2012,
9-10p.m.  E/P
PBS
Arts and Literature
Middle and High School

Stagestruck: Confessions From Summer Stock

Airing on KLCS, this is a documentary is a nostalgic look back at American summer stock theater through the story of America’s first summer stock “theatre-in-the-round” — the Orleans Arena Theatre on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod. The program employs dramatic re-enactments, historical photos and interviews with past company members to capture the challenges and joys associated with the residential summer stock experience. Rare interviews with author Kurt Vonnegut, an Orleans Arena Theatre alumnus in the 1950s and 60s, interject humor and insight as he reflects on his time at the distinguished American art colony and on its courageous founders, Betsy and Gordon Argo.
Log on http://www.argoproductions.com/

Wednesday,  August  15  2012,
8-10p.m.  E/P
National Geographic Channel
Science
Elementary, Middle and High School

Journey to the Edge of the Universe

In one single, epic camera move this documentary journeys  from Earth’s surface to the outermost reaches of the universe on a grand tour of the cosmos, to explore newborn stars, distant planets, black holes and beyond.
Log on http://natgeotv.com/uk/journey-to-the-edge-of-the-universe

Book TV Schedule

Saturday, August 11th

8am (ET)
Approx. 55 min.
"Hollywood Hypocrites: The Devastating Truth About Obama's Biggest Backers"
Jason Mattera

9am (ET)
Approx. 3 hr.
In Depth: Julianne Malveaux

12pm (ET)
Approx. 44 min.
"The 4% Solution: Unleashing the Economic Growth America Needs"
George W. Bush; James K. Glassman

12:45pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses"
Peter Piot

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
"Intimate Wars: The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion from the Back Alley to the Boardroom"
Merle Hoffman

3:30pm (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
2012 Eagle Forum Collegians Leadership Summit: Katie Pavlich, "Fast and Furious"
Katie Pavlich

4pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
"A Man and His Ship: America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States"
Steven Ujifusa

5pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians"
Robert Merry

6pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
Encore Booknotes: Pauline Maier, "American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence"
Pauline Maier

7pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 16 min.
"The Wildness Within: Remembering David Brower"
Kenneth Brower

8:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
FreedomFest 2012: The Big Debate - "Wall Street on Trial"
Robert Frank; Stephen Moore

10pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Edward Conard, "Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You've Been Told About the Economy is Wrong," hosted by Michael Ettlinger, Center for American Progress

11pm (ET)
Approx. 49 min.
"So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America"
Peter Edelman

Sunday, August 12th

12am (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"A Capitalism for the People: Recapturing the Lost Genius of American Prosperity"
Luigi Zingales

1am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
"American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama"
Rachel Swarns

2:15am (ET)
Approx. 42 min.
"Final Victory: FDR's Extraordinary World War II Presidential Campaign"
Stanley Weintraub

3am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 1 min.
"What the (Bleep) Just Happened?: The Happy Warrior's Guide to the Great American Comeback"
Monica Crowley

4am (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great"
Ed Rendell

5am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 12 min.
"It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership"
Colin Powell

6:15am (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
2012 Book Expo America: Interview with Bernice King, "Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King"
Bernice King

6:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 11 min.
FreedomFest 2012: The Big Debate - "Wall Street on Trial"
Robert Frank; Stephen Moore

8am (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
"Man of War: My Adventures in the World of Historical Reenactment"
Charlie Schroeder

9am (ET)
Approx. 26 min.
Book Party for Mark Shriver, "A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver"
Mark Shriver

9:30am (ET)
Approx. 54 min.
"Slade Gorton: A Half Century in Politics"
John Hughes

10:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 25 min.
2012 Harlem Book Fair: 2012 Presidential Election Panel
Fredrick Harris; Peniel Joseph; Khalil Gibran Muhammad; Sonia Sanchez; Cornel West

12pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
After Words: David Crist, "The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran," hosted by Ellen Laipson, Stimson Center

1pm (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Sen. Rand Paul, "The Tea Party Goes to Washington"
Sen. Rand Paul

1:20pm (ET)
Approx. 9 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Donald Luskin, "I Am John Galt: Today's Heroic Innovators Building the World and the Villainous Parasites Destroying It"
Donald Luskin

1:30pm (ET)
Approx. 8 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: John Goodman, "Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis"
John C. Goodman

1:40pm (ET)
Approx. 13 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Gov. Gary Johnson, "Seven Principles of Good Government: Gary Johnson on Politics, People and Freedom"
Gov. Gary Johnson

2pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 4 min.
"The Battle Over Health Care: What Obama's Reform Means for Amerca's Future"
Rosemary Gibson

3:15pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 16 min.
"The Wildness Within: Remembering David Brower"
Kenneth Brower

4:30pm (ET)
Approx. 29 min.
2012 Eagle Forum Collegians Leadership Summit: Phyllis Schlafly, "No Higher Power"
Phyllis Schlafly

5pm (ET)
Approx. 59 min.
"China Airborne"
James Fallows

6pm (ET)
Approx. 37 min.
"The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian"
Heather Ewing

7pm (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Sen. Rand Paul, "The Tea Party Goes to Washington"
Sen. Rand Paul

7:15pm (ET)
Approx. 13 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Gov. Gary Johnson, "Seven Principles of Good Government: Gary Johnson on Politics, People and Freedom"
Gov. Gary Johnson

7:30pm (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
"Intimate Wars: The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion from the Back Alley to the Boardroom"
Merle Hoffman

9pm (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Edward Conard, "Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You've Been Told About the Economy is Wrong," hosted by Michael Ettlinger, Center for American Progress

10pm (ET)
Approx. 57 min.
"A Man and His Ship: America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States"
Steven Ujifusa

11pm (ET)
Approx. 51 min.
"Man of War: My Adventures in the World of Historical Reenactment"
Charlie Schroeder

Monday, August 13th

12am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Edward Conard, "Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You've Been Told About the Economy is Wrong," hosted by Michael Ettlinger, Center for American Progress

1am (ET)
Approx. 17 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Sen. Rand Paul, "The Tea Party Goes to Washington"
Sen. Rand Paul

1:20am (ET)
Approx. 9 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Donald Luskin, "I Am John Galt: Today's Heroic Innovators Building the World and the Villainous Parasites Destroying It"
Donald Luskin

1:30am (ET)
Approx. 8 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: John Goodman, "Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis"
John C. Goodman

1:40am (ET)
Approx. 13 min.
Book TV at FreedomFest: Gov. Gary Johnson, "Seven Principles of Good Government: Gary Johnson on Politics, People and Freedom"
Gov. Gary Johnson

2am (ET)
Approx. 49 min.
"So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America"
Peter Edelman

3am (ET)
Approx. 58 min.
After Words: Edward Conard, "Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You've Been Told About the Economy is Wrong," hosted by Michael Ettlinger, Center for American Progress

4am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 16 min.
"Winner Take All: China's Race for Resources and What It Means for the World"
Dambisa Moyo

5:30am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 9 min.
"The Candidate: What It Takes To Win - and Hold - The White House"
Samuel Popkin

6:45am (ET)
Approx. 1 hr. 10 min.
"Assignment To Hell: The War Against Nazi Germany with Correspondents Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney, A.J. Liebling, Homer Bigart, and Hal Boyle"
Timothy Gay