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Serving America: Memories of Peace Corps

Serving America: Memories of Peace Corps premieres on Tuesday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. on WPBT2. This original WPBT2 documentary highlights the experience of eleven South Floridians who served in the early years of the Peace Corps.

In addition to the broadcast, WPBT2 will host an online webcast of the documentary on Thursday, March 29, 7:30 p.m., EST at http://www.wpbt2.org/webcast.  During the webcast, visitors can watch the program, chat with each other, and ask questions to the Executive Producer, Jack Kelly.

Told through the recollections of those who served include: Donna E. Shalala, President of the University of Miami, who volunteered in Iran from 1962-1964; Alberto Ibarguen, President and CEO of the James S. and James L. Knight Foundation, who served in Venezuela and Columbia from 1976-1971; Roland Foulkes, Founder & Chief Strategist, One Broward, who served in Ghana, West Africa from 1982-1984; and Terrance L. Lindemann, former WorldBank Head Marketing Div. Ext. Affairs, who volunteered in Venezuela from 1962-64.

Through the mix of archival film and photographs with personal stories from these returned volunteers, the program tells the story of service and idealism while tracing the history and heritage of an organization that has inspired more than 200,000 Americans to work for peace in 139 countries.

“What the Peace Corps really did is make me a citizen of the world,” says Shalala of her experience in Iran. After his service in Ghana, Roland Foulkes believes the “Two years; changed my life. It transformed me in a way that nothing else has.”  From Ibarguen’s experience in Venezuela and Colombia, he states, “I am the living, breathing result of those two years in the jungle.”

The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew a federal government agency devoted to world peace and friendship. Within weeks of his inauguration, President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924, establishing the Peace Corps on a temporary pilot basis. By June 30, 1962, 2,816 volunteers are in the field in 28 host countries.

More information on Serving America: Memories of Peace Corps can be found at www.wpbt2.org/serving_america

Funding for Serving America: Memories of Peace Corps includes the University of Miami.

 

 

Peace Corps. Interviews Include:

Miami Area: 

Helene Dudley, 1968-1970, Columbia

Roland Foulkes, 1982-1984, Ghana, West Africa

Alberto Ibarguen, 1967-71, Venezuela, Columbia

Donna Shalala, 1962-1964, Iran

Sarasota Area:  

Dan Boxser, 1968-1970, Kenya

Marcia Lang, 1963-1965, Guatemala 

Terrance L. Lindemann, 1962-1964, Venezuela

Louise Morgan, 1963-1965, Liberia, West Africa

Marge Melun, 1964 -1966, Togo, West Africa

Anita Marie Rogers, 1965-1966, Afghanistan

Randall E. Trudelle, 1968-1971, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Peru

 

A Night at The Opera

 

 

Italian heartthrobs Il Volo — Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble — have been receiving unanimous raves for their vocal talent and showmanship. Since their May 2011 debut in the U.S., the three Teenage Tenors have appeared on “American Idol,” “The Tonight Show,” “Ellen,” “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America,” among others, and their single, “O Solo Mio,” has been viewed by more than a million fans on YouTube. Already certified platinum in their homeland, Italy, and several other countries, they have captured the hearts of Americans of all ages.

 

Il Volo, meaning “flight,” was chosen as their name because these three young men were about to spread their wings. Now viewers can watch them soar in their premiere PBS special filmed at Detroit’s famed Opera House on October 27, 2011.  IL VOLO TAKES FLIGHT premieres on WPBT2 Sunday, March 4 at 6:00pm.

 

 

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, a fully-staged, lavish 25th anniversary mounting of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running Broadway and West End extravaganza, comes to WPBT2 on Sunday, March 4 at 7:30pm.

 

 

To mark the musical’s Silver Anniversary, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh presented “The Phantom of the Opera” in the sumptuous Victorian splendor of London’s Royal Albert Hall. International audiences were invited to join the celebration when the evening was transmitted live to cinemas worldwide. This dazzling restaging of the original production recreates the jaw-dropping scenery and breathtaking special effects of the original, set to Lloyd Webber’s haunting score.

 

 

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall stars Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine.  Both had triumphed in the London premiere of “Love Never Dies,” Lloyd Webber’s sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera,” both earning prestigious Olivier Award nominations for their roles.

 

 

Nature: Ocean Giants Premieres This February!

 

Whales and dolphins remain a constant source of fascination. But how much do we really know about them? Whales and dolphins, known as cetaceans, may appear to be totally alien to us — but with their mental ability, group communication and the recent discovery that dolphins have individual names, they are closer to us than we ever imagined. Nature: Ocean Giants provides new insights into the lives of whales and dolphins in a visually powerful, engaging and entertaining format. The three part series premieres Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00pm on WPBT2.

 

 

 

In the first of three hours, Giant Lives, we examine the world of great whales, such as the blue whale and the bowhead, the largest animals that have ever lived on our planet. To these mighty leviathans, size matters. In the Arctic, giant bowhead whales survive the freezing cold wrapped in fifty tons of insulating blubber two feet thick, making them the fattest animals on the planet. And in addition to being the fattest, they may live the longest.

 

 

 

The second hour, Deep Thinkers, explores the cognitive and emotional lives of dolphins and whales, which have the largest brains of any animal. Like us, cetaceans have special brain cells called spindle cells that are associated with communication, emotion, and heightened social sensitivity. These cells were once thought to be unique to humans, yet research is showing that whales and dolphins have may have three times more spindle cells than we do, leading scientists to believe that their mental abilities and emotional awareness could be far greater than we imagined.

 

 

 

In the final hour, Voices of the Sea, the extra sensory perceptions and communication skills of these extraordinary creatures are considered. Whales and dolphins use sound to hunt, to communicate with one another, and also to “see” and experience the world around them. Sending out loud clicks, they use the echoes to form a mental picture of the world around them. They use ultrasound to see inside other creatures, clicks and whistles to speak, echolocation to navigate and hunt in the depths where the light cannot guide them.

 

 

American Experience: Clinton

 

 

From draft dodging to the Dayton Accords, from Monica Lewinsky to a balanced budget, the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton veered between sordid scandal and grand achievement. In Clinton, the latest installment in the critically acclaimed and successful collection of presidential biographies, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE explores the fascinating story of an American president who rose from a turbulent childhood in Arkansas to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history and one of the most complex and conflicted characters ever to stride across the public stage.

 

 

 It recounts a career full of accomplishment and rife with scandal, a marriage that would make history and create controversy, and a presidency that would define the crucial and transformative period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11. It follows Clinton across his two terms as he confronted some of the key forces that would shape the future, including partisan political warfare and domestic and international terrorism, and struggled, with uneven success, to define the role of American power in a post-Cold War world. Most memorably, it explores how Clinton’s conflicted character made history, even as it enraged his enemies and confounded his friends.

 

 

 From Emmy and Peabody Award-winning director Barak Goodman (My Lai), the four-hour Clinton will premiere in two parts on WPBT2 . Part 1 premieres on Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 20, 2012 at 9:00pm and Part 2 premieres on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 8:00pm.

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas the Tank Engine Steams into Miami, FL this March!

 

 

All Aboard for Thomas the Tank Engine, when the classic storybook friend steams into Miami, FL for the Day Out with Thomas Mystery On the Rails Tour! This fun-filled family event, which offers the opportunity to ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, will engineer miles of smiles at every scheduled arrival. Everyone's #1 Engine chugs into the Gold Coast Railroad Museum for a 4-day event, March 3, 4, 10 & 11.

Join us in a day full of fun featuring a meet and greet photo opportunity with Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas & Friends storytelling and video viewing, free giveaways, live music, arts & craft and more!

For more information, visit http://events.hitentertainment.com/us/day-out-with-thomas/index.asp

 

 

Want a chance to win free tickets? 

 

KidVision will be giving away a set of tickets to the event daily beginning February 6. Each set of tickets include admission into the event, a free professional 8” x 10” photo with Thomas the Tank Engine and a 25 minute train ride!

 

All you have to do is be the first to answer the daily Thomas & Friends trivia question correctly. The trivia questions will be posted on the wall of the KidVision Facebook page. You must be a fan of the KidVision Facebook page to participate.  All responses must be emailed to kristina_gutierrez@wpbt.org in order to be considered. 

Visit www.facebook.com/kidvision for your chance to win!

Limit 1 set (4 tickets) per family.

 

 

 

Michael Feinstein's American Songbook Returns with a New Season!

 

The program kicks off its three-part second season February 3 on WPBT2, with a multifaceted journey through the history of American song by the acclaimed musician and five-time Grammy®-nominated vocalist.

 

Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook gives viewers an intimate look at Feinstein on stage, behind the scenes and on the road, where he has all-new adventures in his quest to celebrate and preserve the gems of classic American music.

Friday, February 3 at 9:00 p.m. 
Episode 1 - Time Machines
Feinstein explores how technology has preserved and altered the way we think about the great songs and singers of the past.  Feinstein goes on a cross-country quest — even stopping at Hugh Hefner’s mansion — to uncover the various ways musical performances were documented, and the eclectic array of collectors and performers who are keeping that music alive. Includes a guest appearance by Hefner.

 

 

Friday, February 10 at 9:00 p.m. 
Episode 2 - Lost and Found
Lost and Found, follows Feinstein’s discovery and authentication of an undocumented song by one of the giants of American popular music. Feinstein also persuades legendary Broadway songwriter Jerry Herman to teach him an unknown song from his own songwriter’s “trunk,” one that’s never been heard prior to this broadcast. Includes a guest appearance by Tony Award-winner Christine Ebersole.

 

Friday, February 17 at 9:00 p.m. 
Episode 3 - Saloon Singers
We examine the allure of musical nightlife, from Mississippi juke joints to the neon lights of Las Vegas. Feinstein delves into the history of nightclub entertainment, from the Cotton Club to Sinatra’s Rat Pack. In addition, he talks to pioneers of the form, including entertainer Rose Marie, and poet and author Maya Angelou, who once made her living doing a calypso club act in San Francisco.

 

 

 

February is Black History Month!

WPBT2 celebrates Black History Month with special programming beginning Thursday, February 2.

 

Thursday, February 2 at 11:00 p.m.

 

Independent Lens: Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock
As a black woman who was a feminist before the term was invented, Daisy Bates refused to accept her assigned place in society. This program tells the story of her life and public support of nine black students who registered to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, which culminated in a constitutional crisis — pitting a president against a governor and a community against itself. Unconventional, revolutionary and egotistical, Bates reaped the rewards of instant fame, but paid dearly for it.

 

 

Friday, February 3 at 10:00 p.m.
& Monday, February 13 at 10:30 p.m.
Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music
Ten years after their Independence, Jamaica was gripped by unemployment, crime and violence, and as so many of the emerging generation of Jamaicans, who had grown up with Independence, were victims of this, they reacted with the most potent weapon at their disposal – music. As the 1970s unfolded, subject matter changed to give voice to the protests the people wanted to express against the government, while urging their fellow youth to stick to the path of righteousness. Reggae music became a way to combine the two ideals.

 

 

Monday, February 6 at 10:00 p.m.
Underground Railroad: The William Still Story
Extraordinary people risked their lives to help fugitive slaves escape via the clandestine Underground Railroad. Among them was William Still of Philadelphia, a free black man who accepted delivery of transported crates containing human “cargo.” This documentary reveals some of the dramatic, lesser-known stories behind this humanitarian enterprise, and explores key Canadian connections, including the surprising fate of former slaves who crossed the border to “Freedom’s Land.”

 

  

Tuesday, February 7 at 8:00 p.m. 
American Experience: Freedom Riders
In 1961, segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students, decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face to face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation.

 

Thursday, February 9 at 11:00 p.m. 

 

Independent Lens: The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
Combining startlingly fresh and candid 16mm footage that had lain undiscovered in the cellar of Swedish Television for the past 30 years, with contemporary audio interviews from leading African-American artists, activists, musicians and scholars, ”Mixtape” looks at the people, society, culture and style that fueled an era of convulsive change, 1967-1975. Utilizing an innovative format that riffs on the popular 1970s mixtape format, this is a cinematic and musical journey into the black communities of America.

 

Monday, February 13 at 9:00 p.m. 
Slavery By Another Name
A Sundance Film Festival selection for 2012, this new documentary explores the little-known story of the post-Emancipation era and the labor practices and laws that effectively created a new form of slavery in the South that persisted well into the 20th century. Blackmon examines the concept of “neo slavery,” which sentenced African-Americans to forced labor for violating an array of laws that criminalized their everyday behavior. Actor Laurence Fishburne (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” Thurgood) narrates.

 

Monday, February 16 at 11:00 p.m. 
Independent Lens: More Than a Month
Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African-American filmmaker, is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. Through this tongue-in-cheek journey, “More Than a Month” investigates what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America.

 

 

Friday, February 24 at 9:00 p.m. 
Great Performances: Memphis
Winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best New Musical, “Memphis” turns the radio dial back to the 1950s to tell the story of a white DJ, named Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball), whose love of music transcends race lines and airwaves. His romantic interest is Felicia Farrell (Montego Glover), a young black singer whose career is on the rise. When the two collaborate, her soulful music reaches radio audiences everywhere, and the golden era of early rock ‘n’ roll takes flight. But as things heat up, whether the world is really ready for their music — or their love — is put to a test.

 

 

Wednesday, February 27 at 10:00 p.m. 
American Masters: Cab Calloway: Sketches
“Minnie the Moocher,” with its popular refrain “Hi de hi de hi de ho,” was Cab Calloway’s signature song, and Harlem’s famous Cotton Club was his home stage. A singer, dancer and band leader, he was an exceptional figure in the history of jazz: a consummate musician, he charmed audiences around the world with boundless energy, bravado and elegant showmanship. His back glide dance step is the precursor to Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, and his scatting lyrics find their legacy in today’s hip-hop and rap. An ambassador for his race, Calloway was one of the first black musicians to tour the segregationist South, as early as 1932.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check, Please! South Florida Returns with New Episodes and a New Look!

 

Tune in for all-new restaurant reviews…and a fresh new look on Check, Please! South Florida, beginning January 23^rd on WPBT2. This season, WPBT2’s popular restaurant review show will sport an updated graphic open, revamped logo, and even new theme music! 

Host Michelle Bernstein returns to the Emmy-nominated series, along with fifteen opinionated guest reviewers from all across South Florida.  Their dining picks run the gamut, from a colorful Colombian spot in South Miami to the chic and trendy Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach.  Guest reviewers include a South Beach model, Hollywood golf caddy, and Palm Beach financial advisor.  One episode features local female impersonator, Miss Finesse, as one of the guest reviewers.  

The fun begins Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.  Episodes repeat on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.

 

Season 7 is made possible by the generous support of Badia Spices, Whole Foods Market, Johnson & Wales University, and George & Helen Weaver.

 

 

SEASON 7 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS:

Show #701- Premiere 1/23

Featuring La Brochette Bistro in Cooper City, Lifefood Gourmet in Miami, and Macita’s Colombian Restaurant in Miami.

Show #702- Premiere 1/30

Featuring 32 East in Delray Beach, Snapper’s Seafood & Wine Bar in Boynton Beach, and Taqueria Doña Raquel in Pompano Beach.

Show #703- Premiere 2/6

Featuring Hakkasan in Miami Beach, Ristorante Sapori in Boca Raton, and Candela Restaurant in Wilton Manors.

Show #704 – Premiere 2/13

Featuring Darbster in West Palm Beach, Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach, and Geronimo’s Bar & Grill in Davie.

Show #705 – Premiere 2/20

Featuring Hy Vong in Miami, Café Seville in Ft. Lauderdale, and Lorna’s Caribbean & American Restaurant in Miami Gardens.

 

Downtown Abbey Returns!

One of the most phenomenally popular series in MASTERPIECE history and multiple emmy winner is back for an exciting second season: Downton Abbey: Season 2 resumes the story of aristocrats and servants of Downton Abbey during the tumultuous World War I era.

The international hit, written by Julian Fellowes, stars Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville, as well as a drawing room full of new actors, portraying the loves, feuds and sacrifices of a glittering culture thrown into crisis. Laura Linney hosts.

 Downton Abbey: Season 2 premieres Sunday, January 8 at 9:00 p.m.  and continues every Sunday through February 19 on WPBT2.