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PBS Press Tour: What to Watch in 2009
PBSers, critics and journalists met in LA last week for the 2009 Winter Press Tour, a twice-yearly gathering that highlights the upcoming television season and offers a chance to chat with actors, producers and others involved in program creation. Here are the top five shows on my radar (as always, check local listings for exact dates and times):
- Great Performances"Chess in Concert" with Tony-winner Idina Menzel. I've had the pleasure of seeing Menzel perform live in both RENT and Wicked, and am a big fan. The Great Performances production will also include popular singer Josh Groban and Menzel's RENT castmate, Adam Pascal. For a taste of Menzel's talent, check out her Soundstage performance of songs from her first solo album.
- Independent Lens kicks off its season in February with "Tulia, Texas," a documentary about a small town in Texas, the cocaine trade, and racism. Check out the preview for a peek at the two fiercely contrasting sides of the same story.
- Also in February: NATURE's "Why We Love Cats and Dogs," airing on the 15th. As a passionate dog lover and proud mom to Ziggy, a beagle-hound mix, I'll definitely tune in to learn about the science behind my affection.
- I'm a big Shakespeare fan, and Ian McKlellen may be the finest Shakespearian actor working today, so naturally, Great Performance's adaptation of King Lear is on my list. I've had the pleasure of seeing a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and this production features much of the RSC's 2007 cast; it's sure to be tragic, witty and expertly performed.
- April brings the American Experience epic "We Shall Remain" a multi-media exploration of Native American history and culture. The preview's haunting imagery is provocative, frightening and hopeful at the same time - and sure to enhance my admittedly very basic knowledge of Native American experience.
These are the big ones I am looking forward to, but they're only the tip of the iceberg; there's much more new programming in store, from new episodes of existing series to entirely new series and shows. Do any of the programs above spark your interest? If not, what would you like to see more of from PBS?
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PBS Discussion Groups
Attn: Jonathon - PBS Discussion board moderator
I, for one, would appreciate being kept abreast of the plans for reinstating the PBS Discussion boards; if, indeed, there are any. While the "comment" facilty of the various PBS program sites function fine for stating opinions, they do not support "discussions' between the various users, and seldom evoke any response from moderators or other PBS staff. In a word, inneractive communication between PBS and it's patronage seems to have been eliminated for everyone, instead of solving the problems presented by a few miscreants who chose to violate the "terms of use." This "take my ball and go home" approach seems childish and very unprofessional at best.
Please advise,
Thomas Allen
Hi there Thomas, I'm glad
Hi there Thomas, I'm glad you stopped by the Engage site and I'm happy to provide with some additional information about the PBS Discussion Boards.
I stopped by the boards several months ago surveying the current users about what was working well, and not so well with them. We have documented all of the replies and have gone through them.
You are very right that there is a very important difference between "commenting" on pages and content and "discussing" things in a board or forum format. We are working on a system to replace the discussions.pbs.org system but unfortunately it has just taken longer due to the other things we're working on as well.
Giving our viewers and visitors a voice and letting them speak freely (but respectfully of their fellow community members) is what PBS Engage is all about -- and while it's a long path, we are working very hard to make conversations easier, and more visible across all of PBS.org.
Please feel free to email of comment anytime.
-Jonathan Coffman
Associate Product Manager, PBS Engage
WE SHALL REMAIN preview
Well, I was really getting into the 30 minute preview of this very interesting show last night when PBS lost the signal about halfway through-grrrr!!!!! Could you please find a way to rebroadcast it so I can watch it in its entirety? It would be greatly appreciated...
I enthusiastically look forward to watching this series; I learned too late about the 500 NATIONS series that was on television in the 90s and always regretted missing it...maybe you could look into showing it as well in the near future???
Cats and Dogs
Thanks for the update. I'm gona watch NATURE's "Why We Love Cats and Dogs"
It should be an interesting show and i just read the interview for it at another article here!
Great shows!
Looks exciting indeed! I'll be sure to keep track of them this year!
Thanks for the guide