Tonight on PBS: The Story of the Jews

Posted on March 25, 2014 at 5:57 pm

Starting tonight on PBS: Simon Schama hosts #StoryofTheJewsPBS – 3000 years of Jewish history, culture & identity.

Prize winning author of fifteen books and Emmy-Award winner Simon Schama brings to life Jewish history and experience in a new five-part documentary series The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama premiering Tuesdays March 25th 8-10 p.m. ET (episodes 1 and 2) and April 1st, 8-11 p.m. ET (episodes 3, 4 and 5) on PBS (check local listings). The five-hour series follows Schama – who has written and presented 50 documentaries on art, literature and history and is a Contributing Editor of the Financial Times, as he travels from Russia and the Ukraine to Egypt, Israel and Spain, exploring the imprint that Jewish culture has made on the world and the drama of suffering, resilience and rebirth that has gone with it.

The series is at the same time, a personal journey for Schama who has been immersed in Jewish history since his postwar childhood; a meditation on its dramatic trajectory, and a macro- history of a people whose mark on the world has been out of all proportion to its modest numbers.“If you were to remove from our collective history” said Schama, “the contribution Jews have made to human culture, our world would be almost unrecognizable. There would be no monotheism, no written Bible, and our sense of modernity would be completely different. So the history of the Jews is everyone’s history too and what I hope people will take away from the series is that sense of connection: a weave of cultural strands over the millennia, some brilliant, some dark, but resolving into a fabric of thrilling, sometimes tragic, often exalted creativity. “

The Story of the Jews draws on primary sources which include the Elephantine papyri, a collection of 5th century BC manuscripts illuminating the life of a town of Jewish soldiers and their families in ancient Egypt; the astonishing trove of documents – the Cairo Geniza – recording the world of the medieval Jews of the Mediterranean and Near East; the records of disputations between Christians and Jews in Spain, correspondence between the leader of the Arab revolt during the First World War, Emir Feisal and the leader of the Zionist movement Chaim Weizmann.

PBS has made a wide range of online resources available to supplement the series and is sponsoring a high school essay competition to encourage high school aged students across America to examine how stories shape our identities. Some of the local affiliates have produced their own supplemental programs about the Jews of their communities as well.

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Television

Interview: April Hernandez of 100 Huntley Street

Posted on March 23, 2014 at 8:00 am

April Hernandez and author Eric Metaxas will co-host host the syndicated talk show 100 Huntley Street, produced by Crossroads Media Group, featuring engaging conversations with extraordinary people to well-known celebrities. The half-hour lifestyle show will inspirational and uplifting stories, giving it significant crossover appeal. The weekly talk program is based on Canada’s longest running daily talk show. Included in the guest lineup are Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage (National Treasure, Knowing, Left Behind), famed reality show producer, The Bible and Son of God executive producer, Mark Burnett, Golden Globe nominated actress Roma Downey (The Bible, Son of God, Touched By An Angel), renowned pastor Rick Warren and actor Quinton Aaron of the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side.

100 Huntley Street debuted nationally on REELZCHANNEL Sunday March 9th at 6:00 AM and in over 120 U.S. markets on CW Plus affiliates. Check your local listings for specific air dates and times. Hernandez was nice enough to answer my questions about the show.

What makes a story uplifting or inspiring and how do you find them?

Usually what makes a story inspiring is one of perseverance, courage, and the willingness to keep going no matter the odds. There are so many amazing people doing extraordinary things under intense situations in life that it is our duty to tell these stories. We have a team of researchers who seek stories to tell on camera.

What do you to do make a guest comfortable and willing to open up?

What Eric and I do before the show begins is meeting with the guest, talking with them breaking the ice before the show. The best key is laughter — it really helps breaking the ice!

What’s the best advice you ever got about conducting interviews?

The best advice I have received so far is to make sure the guest feel you really care about what they are talking about. Also really listening to what is being communicated and not just shaking my head yes or no.

Who’s your dream guest?

My dream guest would be to interview Sylvester Stallone and Oprah!

What do hope viewers will find on the show?

My hope is when viewers watch our show they feel a sense of hope, walk away with tangible information, laugh along with Eric and I, and lastly, they go and tell their friends and family about the show.

Why is it so hard to find positive messages in media these days?

I have asked myself this question so many times about positive messages portrayed on television and there are so many reasons why but I believe we live in such different times especially with social media. Back in the days there really was only two ways to attain information it was either through radio or the television. Now with so many outlets it is immensely difficult to keep tabs on what people watch especially the youth. I also believe positive imagery begins in the home.

What inspires you?

Many things inspire me but the main components are my family and my husband. They have supported me since the moment I knew I wanted to be an artist. I was never told “No” by my family and I have experienced the sacrifice my parents made so I could have a bright future. My husband loves me unconditionally so his love gives me the strength to conquer the world!

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Interview Television

How Well Do You Know the Muppets?

Posted on March 22, 2014 at 8:00 am

In honor of the eight Muppet movie, “Muppets Most Wanted,” out this weekend, I’ve got some questions to see how well you know the Muppets.

1. Can you guess the writer who provided the narration for this 1968 commercial featuring The Muppets?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKix1a4bEMo

2. What Oscar-winning actor co-starred with the Muppets as Scrooge in “A Muppet Christmas Carol?”

3. Which Muppet is the front man of a rock group?

4. Which Muppet is the lab assistant for scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew?

5. Which Muppet lives in a trash can?

6. What is the name of Big Bird’s friend that everyone on Sesame Street thought was imaginary?

7. Who are these guys?

8. Name something other than the birthmark and voice that distinguishes Kermit and Constantine?

9. Where was Miss Piggy working at the beginning of “The Muppets?”

10. Who is the only Muppet who appears in both the Muppet movies and television shows and on Sesame Street?

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Quiz

Downton Abbey Costumes on Display at Winterthur

Posted on March 9, 2014 at 8:00 am

Photograph © Nick Briggs, Carnival Film & Television Limited, 2012. All Rights Reserved

The fabulous museum and garden at Delaware’s Wintherthur is well worth a visit, especially now through January 4, 2015, when 40 costumes from Downton Abbey will be on display. It is a spectacular show, brilliantly displayed. It covers the real-life world of landed gentry in 1912-1920 Great Britain, with fascinating context comparing it to life at the 175-room mansion of Winterthur itself in that era. While there were many similarities, there were important differences. American upper class families, with much less to draw from in terms of tradition, had a range of books to advise them on household matters and etiquette. This was not necessary in the UK, where, as we see in the show, both upper and lower class learned how to behave by observing.

downton harem — Photo courtesy of Winterthur

Americans were, unsurprisingly, much more interested in adopting new technologies like electricity and washing machines. The exhibit also covers the contemporary challenge of creating the world of a century ago for television. One of the first dresses on display is worn by the housekeeper of Downton Abbey. The fabric is more textured and luxurious than it would have been in real life, in order to make a visually striking impression on a television screen. The costumes are not precisely authentic. They are modern interpretations of the styles of the era, with many vintage details. Fans of the series will remember Lady Sybil’s harem-inspired outfit, shown on the left, which is in the exhibit. The fragile vintage lace tore during filming and was repaired. It looks perfect on screen, but in person the tear is obvious. A highlight of the exhibit is the dress Lady Mary wore when Matthew proposed. A loop of the proposal itself plays on a monitor. As fans will remember, it was snowing when Matthew knelt to ask her to marry him. The museum has somehow managed to evoke a soft snowfall in that part of the room, so we feel we are right there seeing it happen. The exhibit is highly recommended. And be sure to make time for the tour of the rest of Winterthur to see the extraordinary permanent collection of American decorative arts and the magnificent gardens. To make reservations for the Downton show: 800.448.3883

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New Sci-Fi Coming to Television: American Gods and Redshirts

Posted on February 11, 2014 at 3:24 pm

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods has taken a step toward becoming a television show. For a long time it was in development at HBO, where it bogged down. But now it is in the hands of FremantleMedia, the producers of “The Tomorrow People.” I’m hoping this time it will make it to air.

And John Scalzi’s Hug0 Award-winning Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas is going into production at FX. This is kind of meta because the novel is about a spaceship that finds itself being taken over by a television show. Here are some of Scalzi’s thoughts about it. I’m looking forward to it.