A Capitol 4th on PBS — 2013

Posted on July 3, 2013 at 8:00 am

Be sure to tune into PBS tomorrow to see the annual “Capitol 4th” concert in front of the Capitol Building.

This year’s “A Capitol Fourth” on PBS welcomes back host Tom Bergeron, the two-time Emmy Award-winning television personality (“Dancing With the Stars”), and stars music legend Barry Manilow. Back by popular demand following his powerful debut performance on the show in 2009, Manilow will lead an all-star cast, including Candice Glover, the Season 12 winner of “American Idol;” country music artist and “American Idol” winner Scotty McCeery; actor and singer Darren Criss (“Glee”); musical prodigy and classical crossover star Jackie Evancho; Broadway and television star Megan Hilty (“Smash”); Broadway’s new hit “Motown The Musical;” and five-time Academy Award-winner John Williams conducting music from the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Lincoln,” with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly.

Watch Celebrate Live with Megan Hilty! on PBS. See more from A Capitol Fourth.

In celebration of America’s 237th birthday, the show will be capped off with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” complete with live cannon fire provided by The United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and now an “A Capitol Fourth” tradition. Also participating in the event will be The Choral Arts Society of Washington, along with The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, Members of the Armed Forces carrying the State and Territorial flags and the Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.

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PBS: Memorial Day Concert

Posted on May 26, 2013 at 2:51 pm

Tonight, PBS will broadcast the national Memorial Day Concert, co-hosted by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna and featuring the National Symphony Orchestra and General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army Chorus, The Soldiers’ Chorus of The United States Army Field Band, the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, the U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants, and the latest American Idol, Candice Glover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslIvGv9odo

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Music Television

New DVD Giveaway: Word Girl vs. The Energy Monster

Posted on May 19, 2013 at 8:00 am

One of my favorite television series for kids is the wonderful PBS show “Word Girl,” and this new release is one of the best: Wordgirl vs the Energy Monster.

WORDGIRL and her sidekick CAPTAIN HUGGY FACE fight the good fight against dastardly villains and bad vocabulary in this thrilling collection!

Dinner Or Consequences (Parts 1 & 2): Dr. Two Brains and the Energy Monster want to turn the whole city into cheese! It’s up to WordGirl to stop them even if it means missing her family feast and facing the consequences.

Best Fan Club Meeting Ever: TJ plans to divulge a secret about WordGirl to International WordGirl Fan Club members, until Tobey threatens to destroy the clubhouse. Will WordGirl save the clubhouse and her fans?

Day at the Museum: Scoops takes Becky, Bob, and Violet to the museum to find inspiration for his next news story. When they go in search of a haunted treasure, The Butcher follows right behind! WordGirl enriches vocabulary skills, fosters better reading comprehension and instills a love of language in all children.

And what great words will she learn?

I have a copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with WordGirl in the subject line and tell me one of your favorite long words. Don’t forget your address! I’ll pick a winner on May 20. (US addresses only)

Mel Brooks on American Masters

Posted on May 5, 2013 at 8:00 am

American Masters salutes Mel Brooks on May 20 (check your local PBS station listings for details). I love this photo of Brooks with his 2000 Year Old Man collaborator (and fellow Sid Caesar “Your Show of Shows” writer) Carl Reiner. Brooks is an Oscar and Tony winner (for “The Producers”), one of the creators of the classic “Get Smart” spy spoof television series, and the mad genius behind “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” and “Spaceballs.” He also produced the serious drama “The Elephant Man” and the bittersweet gem “84 Charing Cross Road,” both starring his wife, Oscar-winner Anne Bancroft.

Some great Mel Brooks quotes:

Why should I indulge myself and do a David Lean-ish kind of film? I could do my little Jewish Brief Encounter and disguise it – shorten the noses. But it wouldn’t be as much fun as delivering my dish of insanity.”

My movies rise below vulgarity.

Oh, I’m not a true genius. I’m a near genius. I would say I’m a short genius. I’d rather be tall and normal than a short genius.

Look at Jewish history. Unrelieved lamenting would be intolerable. So, for every ten Jews beating their breasts, God designated one to be crazy and amuse the breast-beaters. By the time I was five I knew I was that one.

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Never Forget to Lie — Tonight on PBS

Posted on April 30, 2013 at 8:00 am

Tonight on “Frontline” is “Never Forget to Lie,” filmmaker Marian Marzynski explores, for the first time, his own wartime childhood and the experiences of other child survivors, teasing out their feelings about Poland, the Catholic Church, and the ramifications of identities forged under circumstances where survival began with the directive “never forget to lie.”

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Documentary Television