Israel: The reviews are in
BY Stephen Talbot

Israel's new prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and his wife Aliza.

The New York Times reviewed, "The Unexpected Candidate," our lead story on our March 28th FRONTLINE/World broadcast. Television critic Ned Martel calls producer/reporter Ofra Bikel "a deft documentarian" whose profile of Ehud Olmert and his family "successfully balances the interests of the viewer and the viewed, and both sides should feel grateful for her measured reading of delicate matters."

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Israeli Elections: Wake Me When It's Over
BY Hadas Ragolsky

Hadas Ragolsky voting at her local polling station in Tel Aviv.

It was 9 o'clock in the morning, and my polling station in the middle of Tel Aviv was almost deserted. A few older people showed up to vote, but the voting committee seemed to be virtually unemployed. The coffee shops were starting to fill up with people, but who knows how many of them will actually vote. "People are indifferent, disappointed; they don't want to vote," said Mira Amdursky, an early voter.

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Here's Looking at You
BY Stephen Talbot

The results are in from our first-ever FRONTLINE/World survey, and we thought you might like to hear about yourselves.

* 56 percent of those who responded to our survey are female

* 45 percent are aged 35 to 54; and 29 percent are 25 to 34

* 33 percent live in the Western United States

* 18 percent are educators (the largest single job category)

So, a "typical" FRONTLINE/World viewer would be a 35- to 54-year-old woman living in the West who works as a teacher.

Of course, this is a skewed portrait since it really reflects those who bothered to reply to the survey in our last email newsletter. But as a reflection of our most loyal audience -- those of you who watch our TV episodes regularly, visit our Web site at least once a week, and subscribe to our newsletter -- this is not a bad snapshot.

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South Africa: Abuzz about Oscars
BY Amy Costello

South African actor, Presley Chweneyagae, plays Tsotsi, the lead character in the film. Photo: Blid Alsbirk/Miramax Films.

This Sunday, a South African film called Tsotsi will compete for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. It's the second year in a row that a South African movie has been nominated in the category.

We're 10 hours ahead of Hollywood, so when the awards are dished out during the wee hours of the morning here, only diehard film fans will be tuning in when the red carpet is rolled out. But South Africans are paying a lot more attention to the Oscars these days. For the last three years, South Africans have been nominated for Hollywood's top prize.

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