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Programming

Best Bets - June 28 - July 5, 2010

Posted by Greg Petersen on 06/28 at 07:27 AM

Great Documentaries, Great Music, and a Great Celebration

Radio Feature: An Archaeological Discovery – Wednesday, June 30, at 7:33 and 8:33 during Morning Edition – A Penn State summer class has found the remains of Fort Shirley, a fort used by the British to defend against the French.  WPSU’s Emily Reddy explores the dig and its historical significance. 

Radio Feature: Wonderful Town – Friday, July 2, at 7:33 and 8:33 during Morning Edition – Leonard Bernstein’s musical Wonderful Town is rarely performed in community theaters.  But State College Community Theatre mounts a production this week.  WPSU’s Kristine Allen reports on the show.                                                 

TV: The Wall: A World Divided – Monday, 10pm – “We felt it was the fulfillment of a dream,” says ex-German chancellor Helmut Kohl of the 1989 opening of the Berlin Wall. This insightful doc chronicles the 28-year history of the wall, which was built by East Germany to prevent its people from escaping to the West, and features Kohl, former U.S. president George H.W. Bush and former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev. It also features stories from ordinary East Germans, including a man who tunneled beneath the wall in order to free his family.

TV:Great Old Amusement Parks – Wednesday, 8pm – Producer-narrator Rick Sebak mixes vintage stills and clips with new video for this tour of old-fashioned American amusement parks. Among them: Playland in Rye, N.Y., Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, the Santa Cruz, Cal., boardwalk, Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., Belmont Park in San Diego, Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn., Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville, Ga., and Colorado’s Lakewood Amusement Park.

TV: BBC Horizon – Thursday, 9pm – “How to Kill a Human Being” – Former British Conservative MP, Michael Portillo pushes his body to the brink of death in an investigation into the science of execution. As the Supreme Court examines whether the lethal injection is causing prisoners to die in unnecessary pain Michael sets out to find a solution which is fundamentally humane.

TV: Soundstage – Saturday, 10pm – “Norah Jones” – Singer-songwriter Norah Jones performs at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. The set includes “Don’t Know Why,” “Come Away With Me,” selections from her 2009 album “The Fall” and covers of songs by Tom Waits and Wilco.

TV: A Capitol Fourth 2010 – Sunday, 8pm (Repeats at 9:30pm) – Jimmy Smits hosts a celebration of America’s 234th birthday, featuring Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, classical pianist Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jack Everly. Selections include Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” accompanied by cannon fire from the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery. Also: McEntire is honored with the National Artistic Achievement Award. Live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.