Blue Ridge PBS - Featured Programs

Join us for these featured programs

	American Experience
	Carrier
	Depression - Out of the Shadows
	Great Performances at the Metropolitan Opera - Macbeth

	Masterpiece Classic - Cranford
	National Memorial Day Concert
	Secrets of the Dead

American Experience: The Presidents

This spring, as a pivotal presidential election approaches, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE presents THE PRESIDENTS: seven 20th-century biographies that offer an intimate and compelling look at the men who have defined and re-defined the modern presidency, and who led the country through some of the most turbulent and consequential moments in our history. Visit The Presidents online at www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/2008/

Monday and Tuesday, May 5 & 6, 9:00 p.m. - "George H.W. Bush"
The latest in the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE series of award-winning and critically acclaimed presidential portraits, this two-part biography examines the life and career of the 41st president, from his service in World War II and his early career in Texas to his days in the Oval Office, first as vice president to Ronald Reagan, then as the leader who presided over the first Gulf War. Drawing upon Bush's personal diaries and interviews with his closest advisors, the film also explores Bush's role as the patriarch of a political family whose influence resonates in modern American life.
Mondays, May 12 & 19, 9:00 p.m. - "FDR"
Radio broadcasts beamed his voice into living rooms around the country; his picture hung on the wall. His wife was the most admired woman in the country. "FDR" goes beyond the familiar words and images to offer an incisive, often startling portrait of one of the most extraordinary personalities ever elected to the presidency. One of the nation's most popular presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt served three terms-longer than anyone before or since - and led the country through two great crises of this century: the Great Depression and World War II. The series includes archival film, home movies and audio clips; newly-filmed footage of significant landmarks in FDR's life; an album of family photographs; and interviews with family members, friends and witnesses to history.
Sunday and Monday, May 25 & 26, 9:30 p.m. - "Truman"
He was a farmer, a haberdasher gone bankrupt, an unknown politician from Missouri who suddenly found himself president. Of all the men who had held office, he was the least prepared. Yet Harry S Truman would have to end the war with Germany and Japan, decide whether to use the most terrible weapon ever devised, confront the Soviet Union, and wage war in Korea.
Coming this Fall: LBJ, Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald

Carrier

Sunday-Thursday at 9:00 p.m. April 27- May 1
CARRIER is a character-driven, edge-of-your-seat, nonfiction drama and a once-in-a-lifetime total immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier. CARRIER follows a core group of film participants aboard the USS Nimitz, from the admiral of the strike group to the fighter pilots to the youngest sailors, as they navigate personal conflicts around their jobs, families, faith, patriotism, love, the rites of passage and the war on terror.

The USS Nimitz is 24 stories high, three football fields long and carries more than 5,000 Navy personnel and 85 military aircraft. Filmed from May to November 2005, nearly 2,000 hours of high-definition video were captured aboard the ship during a full six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf, of which three months were spent in combat in support of the ground troops. For the first time, a television series takes a raw and personal look at the Navy's role in this controversial war.

Get a sneak peak of the show by watching: Blue Ridge PBS Previews: CARRIER

Visit the companion website at www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/

Sunday at 9:00 p.m. "All Hands"
Five-thousand sailors and Marines bid farewell to their loved ones before the mammoth USS Nimitz pulls out of Coronado, California, and sets a course for Hawaii and beyond.
Sunday at 10:00 p.m. "Controlled Chaos"
An aircraft carrier is a perilous environment. The sailors' only bulwark against danger and chaos is to bond with their units on board the ship.
Monday at 9:00 p.m. "Super Secrets"
Many aspects of life on a nuclear aircraft carrier are hush-hush, including the ship's location, itinerary, details of how a nuclear reactor works - and on-board dating.
Monday at 10:00 p.m. "Squared Away"
Deployment is stressful for everyone aboard, and there can be friction between enlisted personnel and their superiors. Port calls, like Guam in this episode, allow sailors to blow off steam, but they don't relieve all the pressure.
Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. "Show of Force"
The Nimitz arrives in the Gulf and conditions are extreme: flight deck temperatures hover around 120 degrees, while the pilots undertake grueling six-hour missions over Iraq.
Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. "Groundhog Day"
After two months in the Gulf, one day starts to become indistinguishable from the next.
Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. "Rites of Passage"
The last day in the Gulf is the last chance to drop bombs before the Nimitz heads home.
Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. "True Believers"
This episode explores the many expressions of faith onboard the USS Nimitz : faith in self, faith in one's shipmates, faith in the mission of the ship and the president's call to arms.
Thursday at 9:00 p.m. "Get Home-itis"
The Navy holds seminars to counsel sailors on what to expect when they return home - and how to make the transition smooth.
Thursday at 10:00 p.m. "Full Circle"
As the Nimitz returns to her home port of San Diego, sailors and Marines reflect on the deployment and take stock of what they've achieved.

Depression - Out of the Shadows

Wednesday, May 21 at 9:00 p.m.
Blue Ridge PBS shines the spotlight on mental health with "Depression: Out of the Shadows," a 90-minute documentary about clinical depression followed by a half-hour panel discussion hosted by Jane Pauley, airing May 21 at 9 p.m.

Scene from "Depression - Out of the Shadows"

"Depression is one of the most debilitating illnesses on earth, and yet people are ashamed to talk about it," says Larkin McPhee, who wrote, directed and produced the program. "This is a medical illness that can devastate lives, ruin relationships and keep people from achieving their dreams. My greatest hope is that people watching 'Depression: Out of the Shadows' will be able to better recognize the signs and symptoms of this elusive illness and seek help. This is a highly treatable disorder."

"Depression: Out of the Shadows" offers a comprehensive look at depressive disorders with a focus on individual experiences and commentary from leading medical experts. The documentary tells the dramatic stories of people of different ages, from diverse backgrounds, who live with various forms of clinical depression-and explores its causes and treatments.

Among those profiled in "Depression: Out of the Shadows" are novelist and journalist Andrew Solomon, whose mother's death contributed to his depression and left him unable to work or take care of himself, and Ellie Zuehlke, whose bout with post-partum depression after the birth of her first child led to thoughts of suicide. Also profiled are: a successful public relations executive and social worker, the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a teenager and a member of the Bloods gang.

Jane Pauley

The film also features several of the nation's leading mental health experts who explain current theories about the causes of depression, as well as pharmaceutical and counseling treatments that have proved successful. The experts include Dr. Helen Mayberg, who discusses her groundbreaking research into the use of deep brain stimulation therapies to treat depression; Dr. Carlos Zarate, who has conducted promising research with a drug called ketamine; and Dr. Charles Nemeroff, who explains how depression is rooted in both genetic and environmental factors.

Pauley, a veteran journalist who wrote about having a bipolar disorder in her autobiography 'Skywriting: Out of the Blue,' said "Depression: Out of the Shadows" is a timely and important contribution in an era of breathtaking advances in understanding the human brain. "One of the most important developments is taking place outside the laboratory and it has far-reaching implications," she added. "Mental illness is becoming part of the national dialogue. I'm delighted to have a role in it."

Great Performances at the Metropolitan Opera - Macbeth

Wednesday, May 7 at 9:00 p.m.
Forget Juan and Evita; forget Ferdinand and Imelda. The original power couple, Lord and Lady Macbeth (no first names, please), are the real deal, the murderous Scot and his ruthless wife who will stop at nothing to reach their bloody goal - in this case, the throne. If they didn't write the book on the subject, they at least inspired the play that ranks among Shakespeare's most chilling and dramatically compressed. Unstoppable, some 250 years later they again inspired another great artist: Giuseppe Verdi. He made their tragedy sing.

And sing it does, thrillingly, as Zeljko Lucic and Maria Guleghina portray the Thane and his Lady in GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET "Macbeth." Joining the Serbian baritone and the Ukrainian soprano in the high definition, 5.1 digital surround sound broadcast are American tenor Dimitri Pittas as Macduff and Canadian bass John Relyea as Banquo. James Levine conducts the new production, conceived and directed by Adrian Noble, former leader of Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company.

Set by Noble in a bleak, post-World War II ravaged landscape, the proceedings present a major twist on the play's three witches, here expanding them into an enormous coven of modern-day bag ladies, twirling purses and uttering prophesies. A "grimly effective, intriguingly playful production," assessed The New York Times, with special praise for Guleghina's performance as Lady Macbeth as "chillingly powerful."

Masterpiece Classic - Cranford

Sundays, May 4, 11 & 18 at 9:00 p.m.
A sleepy 1840s English village comes to life with gossip, parties, romances, sudden death, bankruptcy and the drama of an encroaching railway on the three-part "Cranford," based on the beloved Victorian-era writings of Elizabeth Gaskell. Gaskell combines the romantic flair of Jane Austen with the class-consciousness of Charles Dickens. The all-star cast includes Judi Dench (Casino Royale), Eileen Atkins (Cold Mountain), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter), Francesca Annis ("Jane Eyre"), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) and enough other top actors to populate a picturesque hamlet.

Visit the companion website at www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/

National Memorial Day Concert

Sunday, May 25 at 8:00 p.m.
PBS will unite our nation in honor of all of America's men and women in uniform for their service and sacrifice with this annual presentation. The event will be led for the third year by co-hosts Gary Sinise ("CSI NY") and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna ("Criminal Minds"), two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veterans' causes and supporting our troops in active service.

Bugler on steps of Capitol

This year, the event will pay special tribute to the veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam and the sacred war memorials built in their honor in Washington, DC. Actor and decorated World War II veteran Charles Durning, a longtime participant in the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, will also be recognized for his bravery and sacrifice as part of the "greatest generation," who stepped forward in a time of need. The valor of the country's newest veterans will be honored through an examination of the bonds that buddies form on the battlefields of Afghanistan.

The television event will feature a mix of dramatic readings, documentary footage and live musical performances, along with an all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists. This includes music legend Gladys Knight, classical crossover soprano and star of the stage Sarah Brightman, Best Actress Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel (Wicked , Rent ), actor and comedian Denis Leary (Rescue Me ), violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie, country music star Rodney Atkins, actor and singer John Schneider, actress Gail O'Grady, General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) and Charles Durning, the quintessential character actor and recipient of the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. The National Symphony Orchestra will be performing under the direction of top pops conductor Erich Kunzel. The event is broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, before an on-site audience of hundreds of thousands and is viewed by millions more at home. It can also be seen overseas by U.S. military personnel in more than 175 countries and aboard more than 200 U.S. Navy ships at sea on American Forces Radio and Television Network.

Visit the companion website to submit a eulogy, read stories from America's conflicts and more. www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/

Secrets of the Dead

Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m.
Part detective story, part true-life drama, SECRETS OF THE DEAD unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events. Using the most up-to-date science in the laboratory and in the field, scientists and researchers examine the missing pieces of each puzzle, completing the picture of what had been merely an assemblage of suppositions. Visit the companion website at www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/

May 7 - "Doping for Gold"
In the 1970s, female East German athletes came out of nowhere to dominate international sport. But behind their success lay a secret, state-sponsored doping program that distributed untested steroids and male hormones to athletes as young as 12. Many of these girls had no knowledge that they were being doped, and now, as grown women (and men), their broken bodies and damaged psyches bear witness to the cruelty of a government that pursued international glory and gold at the expense of its most acclaimed citizens. "Doping for Gold" digs deep into the secretive Cold War world of East German athletes, examining what drugs were used, how they were distributed and what damage they did to many of the athletes who were forced to take them. The result creates a timely perspective on today's many doping scandals and reveals the truth behind the biggest and most horrifying state-sponsored doping program the world has ever known.
May 14-"Sinking Atlantis"
Five thousand years ago, the Minoans, Europe's first great civilization, flourished on the island of Crete. They were the first Europeans to use writing, and their technologically advanced and rich artistic culture became the setting for famous Greek myths about Theseus, Icarus and the Minotaur. Yet in their heyday, the Minoans were wiped from the pages of history. The cause of their downfall has remained one of the foremost mysteries of the ancient world ... until now. "Sinking Atlantis" explores - and discounts - all the usual theories about the disappearance of the Minoans - from a massive volcano that buried them in ash to Greek invaders who conquered and killed them. Then, the film digs deeper into the soil and the history, following archeologist Sandy MacGillivray as he finds startling evidence of a massive tsunami that struck the island and destroyed all the major Minoan cities. Was this the origin of the myth of Altantis? Drawing from the archaeological records, new revelations about Minoan language and religion and shocking new geological discoveries, MacGillivray connects fact with fiction and reveals the truth behind the reign and fall of the great Minoan civilization.
May 21- "The Hunt for Nazi Scientists"
This episode explores the silent race between the Allies to capture Germany's top scientists during the waning days of World War II. As Hitler's technologically superior empire crumbled and the Allies marched to victory, each side sent out secret missions with the sole purpose of tracking down and securing the cream of Germany's scientific crop and capturing their secrets. With the Cold War looming and the know-how to build rockets, airplanes, submarines and perhaps even nuclear weapons on the line, these raids behind enemy lines took on ever-increasing importance. This episode tells the dramatic, untold story of this race and is filled with real-life accounts of the secret raids, rare archival footage, vivid eyewitness testimonies, visits to the hidden technological hideaways of the Nazis and the exploration of a technological legacy that played itself out well into the Cold War and the race for space.
May 28-"Herculaneum Uncovered"
Just a few miles from fabled Pompeii is Herculaneum, another city buried and frozen in time by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Today, geo-archeologists are chipping away at the soft rock, revealing that this city, unlike Pompeii, was not suffocated by falling ash. Rather, it was engulfed by blistering pyroclastic flows that instantly caused muscles to contract, skin to vaporize and heads to explode.

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April May

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April May

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