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.
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.
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!
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.
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 Songbookgives viewers an intimate look at Feinstein on stage, behind the scenes and onthe road, where he has all-new adventures in his quest to celebrate and preserve the gems of classic American music.
Friday, February 3at 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 10at 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 17at 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.
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.
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