december 2014 - weta magazine

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New WETA documentarypremieres December 4

Celebrate the Holidayswith Music and Specialson Classical WETA 90.9 FM& WETA TV 26/WETA HD

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W TA FocusAs the fl agship public broadcasting station serving Greater Washington, WETA produces special television programming on behalf of viewers around the area that illuminates and celebrates the rich history of our community. This month, we are pleased to premiere an engaging new documentary, Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years, which spotlights the fascinating story of that city and joins our growing portfolio of locally focused productions. These include programs such as Silver Spring; Arlington: Heroes, History & Hamburgers; Homefront: World War II in Washington; Montgomery County; and WETA’s trio of acclaimed fi lms exploring decades of Washington history. Enjoy Discovering Alexandria, and stay tuned for more local content from WETA.

Also on our air this month, Classical WETA 90.9 FM, the area’s exclusive classical music radio service, features music and specials that celebrate the spirit of the season. Enjoy the inspiring, beautiful music wherever you tune in, whether at home, at work, or during your commute. Find details of holiday programming on Classical WETA, and on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD, on the page opposite this column.

Happy holidays, and enjoy December’s vibrant offerings from WETA. Thank you for your support.

Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President & CEO, WETA

Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians

airs Tuesdays, December 16 & 23 at 10 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

WETA reprises an award-winning 1998 Frontline documentary that tells the epic story of the rise of Christianity. The four-hour documentary special, From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, explores the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth and spotlights the men and women whose belief and conviction created the religion we now know as Christianity. Drawing upon historical evidence, the series challenges familiar assumptions and conventional notions about the origins of Christianity. Archaeological fi nds have yielded new understandings of Jesus’ class and social status; and fresh interpretations have transformed earlier ideas about the identity of the early Christians and their communities. Through on-camera interviews with 12 scholars — New Testament theologians, archaeologists and historians — the series presents their contributions to this intellectual revolution. They talk about the quest for the historical Jesus. What can we really know? And how do we know it? The scholars together represent a range of viewpoints and diversity of faiths and a shared commitment to bring new ways of thinking about Christianity to a public audience.

Pax Romana, the fi rst hour, traces the life of Jesus of Nazareth, exploring the message that helped his ministry grow and the events that led to his crucifi xion around 30 C.E. A Light to the Nations, the second hour, turns from the life of Jesus to the period immediately following his death, examining the rise of Chris-tianity. Let the Reader Understand, the third hour, traces the development and impact of the Gospels and explores the increasingly hostile relationship between the Christians and the Jews. Kingdoms in Confl ict, the fi nal hour, documents the extraordinary events of the second and third centuries, when Christianity grew from a small Jewish sect to an offi cial religion of the Roman Empire.

Funding for Frontline is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Additional funding for “From Jesus to Christ” was provided by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

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For program or membership inquiries, call 703-998-2724 or visit weta.org.

Holiday Music on Classical WETA 90.9 FMCelebrate the spirit of the season with Classical WETA 90.9 FM as Greater Washington’s exclusive classical music radio service adds holiday music into its broadcasts again this year: seasonal offerings increase substantially during the week before Christmas. Special programming begins with a “Home for the Holidays” Weekend, Friday–Sunday, December 19–21, which will include a broadcast of the Czech Christmas Mass by 18th-century Czech composer Jakub Jan Ryba on the December 21, 9 p.m. broadcast of Choral Showcase. Holiday music on Classical WETA culminates with special programming on December 24–25.

Christmas Eve specials include the traditional broadcast of Christmas Eve Carolfest (10 a.m.); Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge (7 p.m.); and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (9 p.m.). On Christmas Day, Classical WETA presents Christmas in Washington (10 a.m.), featuring performances of holiday music by D.C.-area choral and instrumental ensembles; Handel’s Messiah (3 p.m.); and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (9 p.m.).

For complete WETA holiday programming details, visit weta.org/happyholidays.

Seasonal Offerings

For the Holidays, on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

National Christmas Tree Lighting 2014 Fri 12/12, 8:30pmChristmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:

Featuring David Archuleta and Michael YorkTue 12/16, 9pm; Rpts Wed 12/17, 3pm; Thur 12/25, 4pm

Featuring Jane Seymour and Nathan GunnTue 12/23, 8pm; Rpts Thur 12/25, 3pm

Christmas Carol: The Concert Mon 12/15, 4:30pmChristmas at Belmont Tue 12/16, 1pm; Rpts Tue 12/23, 9pm

Holiday Handbells: The Raleigh Singers Tue 12/16, 4pmA Bucknell Candlelight Christmas Tue 12/16, 5pm

Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: The First ChristiansPt 1 of 2. Tue 12/16, 10pm; Rpts Wed 12/17, 4pmPt 2 of 2. Tue 12/23, 10pm; Rpts Wed 12/24, 4pm

Chef’s Life Holiday Special Thur 12/18, 1:30pm; Rpts Thur 12/25, 1pm

Christmas at Luther: Tidings of Comfort and JoyThur 12/18, 2:30pm; Rpts Tue 12/23, 4pm

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:With Deborah Voigt and John Rhys-Davies Tue 12/16, 8pm;

Rpts Fri 12/19, 9pm; Sun 12/21, 7pm; Thur 12/25, 5pmB.E. Taylor Christmas Concert Tue 12/23, 1pm

Purdue 80th Anniversary Christmas Show Tue 12/23, 5pmA St. Thomas Christmas: All Is Well 2013 Thur 12/25, 2pm

Visit weta.org/happyholidays for details.

In celebration of the season, WETA TV 26 and WETA HD present holiday specials in December, featuring performances by an array of college vocal and instrumental ensembles, a new concert from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with opera singer Deborah Voigt, and WETA’s presentation of the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in downtown Washington at President’s Park.

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever

airs Monday, December 1 at 8 p.m., repeating December 31 at 9:30 p.m.

on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

The performance special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever presents highlights of a landmark event that rocked television around the country on May 16, 1983, became an immediate sensation, and is recognized as one of the biggest nights in American music to this day. In an evening concert event hosted by legendary comedian Richard Pryor, the Motown 25th anniversary celebration, taped before a live audience in Pasadena, featured many unforgettable moments, including reunions of The Miracles, The Supremes, The Jackson 5 (above), The Temptations, The Four Tops and much more. Unseen for more than 20 years after its original broadcast, the Emmy Award-winning program now comes to WETA, featuring virtually every major Motown artist, including Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Lionel Ritchie, Mary Wells, Martha Reeves, Junior Walker and the Commodores.

December Specials

Downton Abbey Rediscoveredairs Friday, December 5 at 8:30 p.m.,

repeating December 11 & 28 on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

Join host Bernadette Peters to relive treasured moments from the fi rst four seasons of the highest-rated drama in public television history, Downton Abbey, which follows the lives of nobles and servants at an English country estate. Over the years, audiences have been gripped by

the wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues and personal crises faced by the Crawley family and the household staff. This program special also offers a preview of what’s in store for the series’ characters in Season 5, which premieres on January 4. Video clips, behind-the-scenes footage and special interviews with cast members and the series creator and writer help answer some burning questions: Is Lady Mary ready for romance? Did Mr. Bates kill Mr. Green? What will become of Edith’s baby? Carson and Mrs. Hughes — will they or won’t they? Celebrate the joys, triumphs and intrigue taking place at Downton Abbey — upstairs and down.

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Jackie Evancho: Awakening—Live in Concert

airs Monday, December 8 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

The talented young vocalist Jackie Evancho returns to public television with a collection of songs from her new CD, Awakening. Drawn from the best-known pieces from the classical canon, along with uplifting sacred music, Broadway tunes and pop songs, Evancho’s beautiful voice soars in the setting of Longwood Gardens Open Air Theatre, nestled among more than 1,000-acres of gardens, woodlands and meadows in Brandywine Creek Valley in Pennsylvania, the singer’s home state. The concert — with a song list that includes “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera; “Nessun Dorma”; “Ave Maria”; and “Memories” — features Evancho performing onstage and at other locations throughout the gardens. Singer Cheyenne Jackson, known for his Broadway performance in Finian’s Rainbow and his recurring role on NBC’s 30 Rock, joins Evancho to participate as host and co-performer.

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The new WETA documentary premieres Thursday, December 4 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD and repeats throughout the month

A new production created by WETA explores the extraor-dinary story of Alexandria, Virginia, a vibrant community richly steeped in history, bringing the past to life and exam-ining the city’s outsized role in American history through the centuries. The fi lm, Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years, joins WETA’s portfolio of productions created exclusively for viewers in Greater Washington and spotlighting the national capital area’s communities and history.

A 90-minute documentary, Discovering Alexandria chiefl y focuses on the community’s history and landmarks from the 17th through the 19th centuries; a second WETA production, slated for 2015, will pick up the story of Alexandria from the early part of the 20th century and up to the present.

Discovering Alexandria touches on the earliest evi-dence of Paleoindian civilization in the area before taking up the story of early settlement, economic growth and community-building. Explored are how the city got its name, the plantation economy that helped make tobacco the fi rst of several top crops in different eras in the city’s development, and the prominent personalities whose names have resonated down the ages, including the emergence of the Washington and Lee families. The fi lm concludes with post-Civil War Reconstruction, examining how the city fared with the momentous changes wrought by the war. In between, Discovering Alexandria winds its

way through fascinating eras and intriguing vignettes.Spotlighted are the French & Indian and Revolution-

ary wars, Alexandria as part of the British Empire, the important role of the city in the Independence move-ment and nascent United States; the planter and port economies, the slave trade and the experience of the city’s African American community through time; the War of 1812; the development of industry, canals and railroads; annexation to, and later retrocession from, the District of Columbia; the impact of the Civil War, and much more. Throughout, the fi lm documents the city’s planning, growth and architecture, spotlighting such edifi ces as Carlyle House, Gadsby’s Tavern, the Stabler Leadbeater Apothecary, Christ Church and other landmarks.

A year in the making by WETA staff, Discovering Alexandria is the culmination of research conducted at the Alexandria Library Special Collections and other city resources, as well as the Library of Congress and the Na-tional Archives, with the generous assistance of a variety of experts on aspects of Alexandria history. They bring their expertise to bear in illuminating the many chapters of the city’s engaging story.

Tune in to Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years, and note that the WETA fi lm repeats Sunday, December 7 at 7 pm.; Tuesday, December 9 at 8 p.m., and Tuesday, December 30 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD.

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Miss Marpleairs Thursdays, Dec. 18 & 25, 8–11:30 p.m.

on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDWETA presents double-features of classic BBC adaptations of crime novelist Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories, starring Joan Hickson (1906–1998) in her signature role as the spinster sleuth. The adaptations — coming after Margaret Rutherford’s famous fi lm portrayals of Marple came under criticism for depicting the character as somewhat dotty and comic — aimed to be more true to Christie’s novels. Hickson made the role of Miss Marple her own, starring in all 12 BBC programs,

produced from 1984 to 1992 (when the actress was 78–86 years old). She was twice nominated for a BAFTA award for Best TV Actress for her performances. On December 18, WETA features A Murder Is Announced, and The Murder at the Vicarage; airing December 25 are The Body in the Library and The Moving Finger. Miss Marple also airs on WETA UK.

In the Spotlight

The Man Who Lost His Head, with Martin Clunes

airs Saturday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

Actor Martin Clunes, of the popular ongoing series Doc Martin, stars in a 2007 production The Man Who Lost His Head, a light-hearted made-for-TV movie about cultural repatriation. The joint New Zealand-U.K. comic drama centers on a repressed British museum curator, Ian Bennett (Clunes), who is sent to assess the possible return of an ancient Maori carving to the small, fi ctional New Zealand town of Otakataka. What at fi rst sounds like a cushy, dream assign-ment, ends up with big surprises for Bennett. The fi lm was shot on location in New Zealand on the West Coast of the North Island, around Huia and Bethells Beach.

The Politician’s Husband airs Sunday, Dec. 21, 8–11 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

Emily Watson and David Tennant star in the three-part, three-hour British miniseries, The Politician’s Husband, which follows the shifting fortunes and power dynamics in a marriage in which the personal and political collide. Tennant portrays Aiden Hoynes, a senior cabinet minister who has always put his career before family, with the support of his devoted wife Freya (Watson), mother to the couple’s two young children. Freya, a junior minister, has consistently put her own ambitions on hold for the sake of Aiden’s career and their family. When Aiden’s career path comes to an abrupt halt and Freya’s simultaneously soars, Aiden’s life is turned upside down. In his desperation to cling to power, he risks destroying every-thing he holds most dear. The cast includes Roger Allam (Endeavour) and Ed Stoppard (Upstairs, Downstairs).

Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Powerairs Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD

A fi lm profi les U.S. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the man who created the nuclear navy, as well as the civilian nuclear power industry. Combative, provocative and searingly blunt, Rickover was a fl amboyant maverick and unique American hero. When few thought it possible, then-Captain Rickover undertook a quest to harness the fearsome power of the atom to drive the fi rst nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, whose trip under the polar ice pack was one of the great adventure stories of the 1950s. Later, Rickover built the world’s fi rst commercial nuclear power plant. His achievements changed the course of America’s technological development.

Funding is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Bechtel Corporation and MPR Associates, Inc.

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10:309:308:308:00 9:00 10:00Classic Hollywood Musicals (to 11:30pm)

My Music: Burt Bacharach’s Best

NOVA: First Man on the Moon (to 11:30pm)

Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years (to 12m)

Downton Abbey Rediscovered 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary (to 12m)

My Music: Rock Rewind 1965–1967

Encores! Great Performances at the Met

Suze Orman’s Financial Solutions for You (to 11:30pm)

JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Secret (to 11:30pm)

Encores! Great Performances at the Met

Victor Borge’s Timeless Comedy

National Christmas Tree Lighting 2014 My Music: Rock Rewind 1965–1967

Antiques Roadshow: Denver, CO (Ep 3 of 3) Journey to Planet Earth: Extreme Realities

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring David Archuleta and Michael York

Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (Pt 1 of 2) (to 12m)

Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Power

(from 9:45pm:) Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (to 11:30pm)

El Greco: An Artist’s Odyssey

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Deborah Voigt and John Rhys-Davies

Live From Lincoln Center: Curtain Up: The School of American Ballet (to 11:30pm)

The WETA Movie: Amadeus (to 12:36am)

Antiques Roadshow: Phoenix, AZ (Ep 1 of 3)

Independent Lens: The Trials of Muhammad Ali (to 11:30pm)

Christmas at Belmont 2013 Frontline: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (Pt 2 of 2) (to 12m)

NOVA: Building the Great Cathedrals NOVA: Great Cathedral Mystery

(from 9:45pm:) Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (to 11:30pm)

WETA Arts Bing Crosby Rediscovered: American Masters Charlie Rose: The Week

Great Performances: Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn (to 11:30pm)

Downton Abbey Rediscovered

Suze Orman’s Financial Solutions for You (to 11:30pm)

Victor Borge’s Timeless Comedy (to 11:30pm)

10:309:308:308:00 9:00 10:00

My Music: Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (to 11:30pm)

My Music: Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever

50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary

My Music: The Best of ’50s Pop

Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years

Washington Week with Gwen Ifi ll

My Music: Burt Bacharach’s Best

(from 7pm:) Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years

Jackie Evancho: Awakening, Live in Concert


Nature: Best of Birds

Downton Abbey Rediscovered


WETA Viewer Favorites

WETA Viewer Favorites

Antiques Roadshow: Junk in the Trunk 4

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Deborah Voigt and John Rhys-Davies

Nature: Elsa’s Legacy: The Born Free Story

Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (to 9:45pm)


The Man Who Lost His Head, with Martin Clunes

The Politician’s Husband (Pts 1–3 of 3)

Antiques Roadshow: The Boomer Years

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Jane Seymour and Nathan Gunn

Nature: Himalayas

Miss Marple: The Body in the Library (to 9:45pm)



Call the Midwife Holiday Special

Classic Hollywood Musicals



WETA TV 26 & WETA HD December primetime simulcast listings.

Weeknight primetime simulcast programming often repeats the following weekday on WETA TV 26 starting at noon.

WETA

TelevisionFor full schedules and program

information, visit w

eta.orgPBS NewsHour airs weeknights at 7 p.m. Charlie Rose airs late weeknights (check listings)

Denotes WETA productions, co-productions and presentations

6 dEcEmbEr 2014 For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org

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1 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER — Hosted

by comedian Richard Pryor, a 1983 special celebrated the 25th anniversary of Motown with reunions of The Miracles, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, The Tempta-tions, The Four Tops and more. Unseen for more than 20 years, the Emmy Award-winning show now comes to WETA, featuring virtually every major Motown artist in-cluding Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Mary Wells, Martha Reeves, and Jr. Walker and the Commodores. Repeats Sun 12/28, 11pm; Mon 12/29, 4pm; Wed 12/31, 9:30pm

10:00 CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS — An exploration of the Golden Age of movie musicals spotlights fi ve Hol-lywood classics: The Wizard of Oz, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Singin’ in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, andViva Las Vegas. With dance numbers, fantasy worlds, and soaring ballads sung by some of the world’s most beloved stars, these movies remain audience favorites. Nick Clooney hosts and examines the back story behind these classic fi lms. Repeats Tue 12/2, 4:30pm; Sat 12/27, 6:30pm; Sun 12/28, 7:30am; Mon 12/29, 8pm; Tue 12/30, 1pm

11:30 HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — Psychia-trist Daniel Amen and his spouse, nurse Tana Amen, take a new look at Attention Defi cit Disorder and iden-tify seven unique types based on the extensive brain imaging work of the Amen Clinics on A.D.D. patients. They explore myths and misconceptions about A.D.D. and hallmark A.D.D. symptoms and suggest treatment methods. Repeats Tue 12/2, 2:30pm; Sat 12/6, 6am; Sun 12/7, 10:30am, 12:30am; Fri 12/12, 11pm; Sat 12/27, 2pm, 1am; Sun 12/28, 9am; Wed 12/31, 1pm

1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

W TA TV 26 & W TA HDDecember simulcast primetime listings, plus weekends for WETA TV 26

2 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 MY MUSIC: THE BEST OF ’50s POP — A “best-of”

program presents top performance highlights from three My Music specials: Magic Moments, Moments to Remember and 50s Pop Parade, featuring the top pop hits of the 1950s by singers and groups such as Patti Page, The Crew Cuts, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, Frankie Lane, Mel Carter and others. Repeats Sat 12/6, 6:30pm

9:30 MY MUSIC: BURT BACHARACH’S BEST — A program celebrates songwriter Burt Bacharach, featuring archival performances by the artists who made the composer’s music famous, including Dionne Warwick (“Walk On By,” “I Say a Little Prayer”), B.J. Thomas (“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”), The Carpenters (“Close to You”), The Fifth Dimension (“One Less Bell to Answer”), Dusty Springfi eld (“The Look of Love”), and others. Robert Wagner hosts. Repeats Wed 12/3, 2:30pm; Sat 12/6, 8pm;

11:00 DR. FUHRMAN’S END DIETING FOREVER! — Break free from dieting with advice from Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a New York Times best-selling author and board-certifi ed physician who specializes in nutritional health. The program includes cooking demonstrations; advice on staying active, vibrant and healthy later in life; and nutritional methods to combat obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Repeats Sun 12/7, 2pm; Mon 12/8, 2:30pm, 11:30pm; Sat 12/27, 7:30am, 11:30pm; Sun 12/28, 12:30pm


3 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 50 YEARS WITH PETER, PAUL AND MARY — A docu-

mentary celebrates the folk trio, featuring perfor-mances by Peter, Paul and Mary starting with the era

• Programming on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD is exactly the same — simulcast — Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. through Charlie Rose, and weekend evenings, beginning at 6 p.m. Saturdays and 5:30 p.m. Sundays.

• Please note that Saturday and Sunday daytime listings that follow are for WETA TV 26 only unless otherwise indicated. For complete 24-hour schedules of programs on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD, visit weta.org/tv.

• The weeknight primetime schedule on WETA TV 26 often repeats the next weekday afternoon on WETA TV 26.

• WETA TV 26 is devoted to children’s programming 5 a.m.–noon weekdays and 6–9 a.m. Sundays. For 24 hours of children’s programming each day, tune in to the WETA Kids channel. See page 13 for schedule information.

Program Key� — WETA productions, co-productions or presentations. {DVI} — Descriptive Video Service. R — Aired within the month.Listings are accurate as of press time. For late-breaking program updates, call 703-998-2724 or visit weta.org/tv.

Monday, December 1 at 10 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDClassic Hollywood Musicals spotlights the stories behind fi ve fi lms from the Golden Age of musicals, including Singin’ in the Rain.

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Wednesday, December 3 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary celebrates the musical artistry and social activism of the popular folk trio. Above (l-r), Noel Paul Stookey, Mary Travers and Peter Yarrow.

WETA’s fall membership drive airs November 27–30,December 14, 27–31 on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD. Please note that TV listings during that period are subject to change.

For full schedules and program information, visit weta.org 7

WETA

Television

of the group’s emergence in Greenwich Village, through the Civil Rights and anti-war eras, and into the 21st century. Repeats Fri 12/5, 10pm; Sat 12/6, 4pm

10:00 NOVA: FIRST MAN ON THE MOON — NOVA presents an inspiring story of heroic risk-taking and humble dedi-cation to advancing humanity’s adventure in space: an intimate portrait of Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon. The film reveals the astronaut’s achievements as a Navy combat veteran and pioneer of high-speed flight, revisits the Apollo 11 moon landing, and explores his achievements following Apollo. {DVI} Repeats Thur 12/4, 3pm; Sat 12/6, 11pm; Mon 12/8, 1pm; Tue 12/9, 11:30pm

11:30 JJ VIRGIN’S SUGAR IMPACT SECRET — Sugar can be the real cause of inflammation, bloating, metabolic disorders, fatigue and weight gain. Nutritionist and fitness expert JJ Virgin shows how to spot hidden sugars and retrain taste buds, restore sugar sensitiv-ity, heal the digestive tract, and rev up the metabolism, turning sugar burners into fat burners and promoting rapid weight loss. Dropping sugar also helps to head off many chronic and inflammatory illnesses. Repeats Thur 12/4, 4:30pm; Sat 12/6, 2:30pm; Tue 12/9, 10pm; Wed 12/10, 3pm; Sat 12/27, 10am; Sun 12/28, 6am


4 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS —

A new WETA film explores the story of Alexandria, Virginia, featuring the city’s most noted historians and authors. Relive the birth of one of the nation’s most vibrant port cities, and meet the men and women who made history and called Alexandria their home. Dis-cover the stories of some of Alexandria’s most famous landmarks, and explore the golden age of Alexandria when commerce and industry boomed. Experience the impact of war and life under British rule, and learn of the hope and heartache of African Americans in early Alexandria. See how this small southern town was transformed overnight during the Civil War, and much more. Repeats tonight; Fri 12/5, 2:30pm; Sun 12/7, 7pm; Tue 12/9, 8pm; Sat 12/27, 11:30am; Sun 12/28, 1am; Tue 12/30, 8pm; Wed 12/31, 4pm

10:00 DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS — R 12M EASY YOGA: THE SECRET TO STRENGTH AND BAL-

ANCE WITH PEGGY CAPPY — Expert Peggy Cappy shows how yoga can aid anyone who seeks weight-bearing exercise and a low-impact way to increase strength, mobility and balance. Repeats Sun 12/7, 6am


5 Friday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL — In WETA’s

long-running production, moderator and managing editor Gwen Ifill leads a discussion by a panel of top journalists on the news events of the week.

8:30 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — Join host Berna-dette Peters to relive treasured moments from Downton Abbey’s first four seasons and get a tantalizing preview

of what is in store for the Crawleys and the staff in Sea-son 5, premiering on Masterpiece beginning January 4. The special features video clips, cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Repeats Sat 12/6, 11am; Sun 12/7, 7am, 4pm; Thur 12/11, 8pm; Sun 12/28, 9:30pm; Mon 12/29, 2:30pm; Tue 12/30, 11:30pm

10:00 50 YEARS WITH PETER, PAUL AND MARY — R 12M RICK STEVES’ EUROPE: FLORENCE 12:30 RICK STEVES’ EUROPE: ISTANBUL 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

6 Saturday SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6AM–2:30AM: 6AM HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R 7:30 30 DAYS TO A YOUNGER HEART WITH DR. STEVEN

MASLEY — The physician, nutritionist, educator and chef explores Metabolic Syndrome (pre-diabetes) as the number one cause of cardiovascular disease. Mas-ley discusses the impact food, nutrients and exercise have in reducing arterial plaque. Repeats Sat 12/27, 6am; Sun 12/28, 4pm

9:00 EASTENDERS — (two episodes, simulcast on WETA TV 26 and WETA HD)

11:00 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — R 12:30 SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU —

In a program taped in Washington at American Univer-sity, the personal finance expert presents up-to-date advice on a broad set of financial issues, including: how to invest; whether to buy or rent a home; saving for retirement; what kind of life insurance to buy; wills and trusts; student loans and more. Repeats tonight; Sun 12/7, 8:30am; Mon 12/8, 9:30pm; Tue 12/9, 2:30pm; Thur 12/11, 11pm; Fri 12/12, 3pm; Sat 12/27, 4pm; Mon 12/29, 9:30pm; Tue 12/30, 2:30pm

2:30 JJ VIRGIN’S SUGAR IMPACT SECRET — R 4:00 50 YEARS WITH PETER, PAUL AND MARY — R 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 MY MUSIC: THE BEST OF ’50s POP — R 8:00 MY MUSIC: BURT BACHARACH’S BEST — R 9:30 MY MUSIC: ROCK REWIND 1965–1967 — Join host

Adam West to celebrate fun, romance and good times with classic songs from The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Byrds, The Righteous Brothers, The Rascals and more. Repeats Sun 12/7, 11pm; Mon 12/8, 4:30pm; Wed 12/10, 11pm; Thur 12/11, 2pm; Fri 12/12, 9:30pm

11:00 NOVA: FIRST MAN ON THE MOON — R 12:30AM SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU — R

7 Sunday SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6AM–2AM: 6AM EASY YOGA: THE SECRET TO STRENGTH AND

BALANCE WITH PEGGY CAPPY — R 7:00 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — R 8:30 SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU — R 10:30 HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R 12N ENCORES! GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET —

See tonight’s 9 p.m. listing. 2:00 DR. FUHRMAN’S END DIETING FOREVER! — R 4:00 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — R 5:30 MOYERS & COMPANY 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 RICK STEVES’ EUROPE: CLASSICAL ROME 7:00 DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS — See

the Thursday, December 4, 8 p.m. listing. R

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Thursday, December 4 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDThe WETA film Discovering Alexandria: The Early Years explores thestory of the historic Virginia community. See page 3 for details.Above: Alexandria’s historic Christ Church in 1902.

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Saturday, December 6 at 9:30 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDMy Music: Rock Rewind 1965–1967 features classic songs of the erafrom groups such as The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Byrds,The Rascals, The Fifth Dimension (above) and other top acts.

DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA,A WETA PRODUCTION


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8:00 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — R 9:30 VICTOR BORGE’S TIMELESS COMEDY — Featuring rare

archival footage, this program spotlights the come-dian and piano virtuoso in performance, delivering his trademark one-liners, falls, double takes, mastery of piano variations and outrageous stage antics. Violinist Itzhak Perlman hosts. Repeats Fri 12/12, 1:30pm; Sun 12/28, 6:30pm; Tue 12/30, 10pm; Wed 12/31, 2:30pm

11:00 SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon



8:30 NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING 2014 — This holiday special, presented by WETA, features a concert by top names in contemporary entertainment at President’s Park in the nation’s capital. The evening’s festivities are capped by the ceremonial lighting of the National Christmas Tree, traditionally by the President and First Family.

9:30 MY MUSIC: ROCK REWIND 1965–1967 — R 11:00 HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

13 Saturday SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6AM–6AM: 6AM–9AM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES 9AM–6PM EASTENDERS — (two episodes, simulcast on WETA

TV 26 and WETA HD) Repeats Friday, 5pm on TV 26 6PM PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30PM–6AM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES

14 Sunday SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6AM–5AM: 6AM–5:30PM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES 5:30 MOYERS & COMPANY 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30PM–5AM WETA VIEWER FAVORITES

15 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: JUNK IN THE TRUNK 4 —

Repeats Tue 12/16, 2pm; Wed 12/17, 1pm 9:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: DENVER, CO — Episode 3 of 3.

Repeats Tue 12/16, 3pm 10:00 JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH: EXTREME REALITIES

— Matt Damon narrates and hosts an investigation of the links between extreme weather, climate change and threats to our national security. Featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, former CIA director James Woolsey and environmental visionary Lester Brown, the documentary focuses on recent political conflicts and severe weather events in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, India, the Middle East, the United States and the Arctic. The program explores how extreme weather is already affecting the geopolitical landscape.

11:00 CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

9:00 ENCORES! GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET — A special program features 19 unforgettable arias and duets selected from the past eight seasons of Great Performances at the Met broadcasts, performed by today’s greatest opera stars. Hosted by soprano Debo-rah Voigt, the special covers a wide range of operatic ground, from heartbreak to hilarity, delivered by such artists as Natalie Dessay, Plácido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Juan Diego Flórez, Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko, along with Voigt herself. Repeats Wed 12/10, 9pm; Thur 12/11, 4pm

11:00 MY MUSIC: ROCK REWIND 1965–1967 — R 12:30AM HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R

8 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 JACKIE EVANCHO: AWAKENING, LIVE IN CONCERT

— The soaring voices of the angelic Evancho and Cheyenne Jackson are featured in a live concert at Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens. Performances include pieces from the classical canon, along with uplifting sacred music, Broadway tunes and pop songs from Evancho’s album, Awakening. Repeats Tue 12/9, 4:30pm

9:30 SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU — R 11:30 DR. FUHRMAN’S END DIETING FOREVER! — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

9 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS — See

the Thursday, December 4, 8 p.m. listing. R 10:00 JJ VIRGIN’S SUGAR IMPACT SECRET — R 11:30 NOVA: FIRST MAN ON THE MOON — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

10 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: BEST OF BIRDS — A compilation presents

the most compelling, emotional and even humorous stories about bird behavior, intelligence and flight from the Nature archives. Introduced by the series’ executive producer Fred Kaufman, this presentation draws from 16 notable films. {DVI} Repeats Thur 12/11, 1pm

9:00 ENCORES! GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET — R 11:00 MY MUSIC: ROCK REWIND 1965–1967 — R 12:30 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

11 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR

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Sunday, December 7 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDEncores! Great Performances at the Met features top arias and duets from past seasons of the Met Opera series by opera’s greatest stars — such as Anna Netrebko (above in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale).


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16 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR

FEATURING DEBORAH VOIGT AND JOHN RHYS-DAVIES — Soprano Deborah Voigt and acclaimed British actor John Rhys-Davies join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for a Christmas con-cert of holiday favorites. Repeats Wed 12/17, 2pm; Fri 12/19, 9pm; Sun 12/21, 7pm; Thur 12/25, 5pm

9:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING DAVID ARCHULETA AND MICHAEL YORK — Grammy Award-winning pop singer David Archuleta and actor Michael York join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir in a Christmas celebration combin-ing dancing, musical performances and storytelling. Repeats Wed 12/17, 3pm; Thur 12/25, 4pm

10:00 FRONTLINE: FROM JESUS TO CHRIST: THE FIRST CHRISTIANS — Frontline presents the story of the rise of Christianity, exploring the life of Jesus and the movement he started. The film challenges familiar as-sumptions and conventional notions about the origins of Christianity. Part 1 of 2. A historical examination of Jesus’ life, ministry, crucifixion around 20 C.E., and the period following his death concludes with the First Revolt against Rome. {DVI} Repeats Wed 12/17, 4pm

12M CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

17 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: ELSA’S LEGACY: THE BORN FREE STORY

— The year 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Born Free” — a book and then a film that changed forever the way we think about wildlife. What has happened to lions since this story? And what has happened to the people featured in the film? What has “Born Free” taught us? {DVI}

9:00 RICKOVER: THE BIRTH OF NUCLEAR POWER — Ad-miral Hyman G. Rickover was a flamboyant maverick, a unique American hero. When few thought it possible, then-Captain Rickover harnessed the power of the atom to drive the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, whose trip under the polar ice pack was one of the great adventure stories of the 1950s. Later, Rickover built the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the first commercial nuclear power plant. Repeats Thur 12/18, 3:30pm


18 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 MISS MARPLE: A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED — Every-

one in Chipping Cleghorn is intrigued by the advertise-ment predicting a murder at Little Paddocks. But when the lights go out at the appointed hour, no more thinks it’s a joke any more. Joan Hickson stars as the spinster sleuth Miss Marple is this classic BBC production adapted from Agatha Christie’s crime novels. Repeats Fri 12/19, 1pm

9:45 MISS MARPLE: THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE — When the hated Colonel Protheroe is found murdered in the sleepy village of St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple is puzzled why so many people want to confess. Joan Hickson stars. Repeats Fri 12/19, 3pm



long-running production, moderator and managing editor Gwen Ifill leads a discussion by a panel of top journalists on the news events of the week. Repeats Sat 12/20, 6:30pm

8:30 EL GRECO: AN ARTIST’S ODYSSEY — A film created in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art’s current exhibition El Greco in the National Gallery of Art and Washington Area Collections: A 400th Anniversary Cel-ebration explores the life and work of the Renaissance painter (1541–1614) born Domenikos Theotokopoulos in Crete. El Greco painted haunting portraits of saints and scholars, biblical scenes, martyrdoms, and miracles in a visionary style charged with emotion and drama. Adrien Brody narrates.

9:05 CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING DEBORAH VOIGT AND JOHN RHYS-DAVIES — Soprano Deborah Voigt and acclaimed British actor John Rhys-Davies join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for a Christmas concert of holiday favorites. R

10:01 LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: CURTAIN UP: THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET WORKSHOP PERFOR-MANCES — For the first time, Live From Lincoln Center draws back the curtain on one of the world’s premier ballet academies — the School of American Bal-let — with a presentation of the school’s 50th Annual Workshop Performance, taped in June 2014, featuring an all-Balanchine program.

11:30 CHARLIE ROSE: THE WEEK 12N CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

20 Saturday ON WETA TV 26, 6AM–6PM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD listings. 6AM NEW SCANDINAVIAN COOKING 6:30 CHEF JOHN BESH’S NEW ORLEANS/CIAO ITALIA 7:30 HUBERT KELLER: SECRETS OF A CHEF 8:00 JOANNE WEIR’S COOKING CONFIDENCE 8:30 RICK STEVES’ EUROPE 9:00 EASTENDERS — (two episodes, simulcast on WETA

TV 26 and WETA HD) 10:00 THE THIS OLD HOUSE HOUR 11:00 A CHEF’S LIFE (On WETA HD: Great Performances

at the Met: The Tempest — to 1:30 p.m.) 11:30 PATI’S MEXICAN TABLE/THE MIND OF A CHEF 12:30 MEXICO—ONE PLATE AT A TIME WITH RICK BAYLESS 1:00 ESSENTIAL PÉPIN 1:30 SARA’S WEEKNIGHT MEALS (On WETA HD: Great

Performances at the Met: La Clemenza di Tito — to 4 p.m.) 2:00 BAKING WITH JULIA/LIDIA’S KITCHEN 3:00 IN JULIA’S KITCHEN WITH MASTER CHEFS

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Thursday, December 11 at 9:30 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDVictor Borge’s Timeless Comedy features classic performances by the late piano virtuoso, known for his comic antics in concert.

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Wednesday, December 17 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDNature: Elsa’s Legacy: The Born Free Story looks back on the iconic lion story and how it changed the way we think about wildlife.


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3:30 JACQUES PÉPIN: MORE FAST FOOD MY WAY! 4:00 COOK’S COUNTRY FROM AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

(On WETA HD: Live at Lincoln Center: American Ballet — to 5:30 p.m.)

4:30 AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN FROM COOK’S ILLUSTRATED 5:00 MARTHA STEWART’S COOKING SCHOOL/MARTHA

BAKES SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6PM–1:36AM: 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL — R 7:00 KEEPING UP APPEARANCES — (two episodes) 8:00 THE MAN WHO LOST HIS HEAD, WITH MARTIN

CLUNES — A light-hearted made-for-TV comic-drama about cultural repatriation centers around a repressed British museum curator, Ian Bennet (Martin Clunes), who is sent to assess the possible return of an ancient Maori carving to the small, fictional New Zealand town of Otakataka. It sounds like a cushy, dream assignment for Bennet, but surprises await him.

9:33 THE WETA MOVIE: AMADEUS — In Milos Forman’s 1984 biographical drama, aging Antonio Salieri (F. Mur-ray Abraham), court composer in Vienna, recounts the story of his peer and secret rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) while confessing to his own sins against the young musical genius. The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Forman) and Best Actor (Abraham). (3:03) Repeats Sun 12/21, 11:30am

12:36AM INDEPENDENT LENS: ALL OF ME: A STORY OF LOVE, LOSS AND LAST RESORTS — The “Girls” have been friends in Austin — and morbidly obese — for years, but now they’re going through the life-changing process of weight-loss surgery. The experience pres-ents a host of issues and consequences. (60 min.)

21 Sunday ON WETA TV 26, 6AM–11:30AM. See weta.org/hd for WETA HD. 6AM–9AM WETA KIDS PROGRAMMING 9:00 WHITE HOUSE CHRONICLES 9:30 TO THE CONTRARY WITH BONNIE ERBE 10:00 THIS IS AMERICA WITH DENNIS WHOLEY 10:30 RELIGION AND ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY 11:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW BBC SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 11:30AM–12M: 11:30 THE WETA MOVIE: AMADEUS — (3:03) R 2:30 WASHINGTON IN THE ’80s — A WETA TV 26 production

explores the decade of Reagan and Barry, the Wall and the Quilt, Go-Go and DC punk, the Air Florida crash and crack, and a golden age for local media and sports. Twenty prominent local figures — including Kojo Nnamdi, Joe Gibbs, Maureen Bunyan, Arch Campbell, Pat Buchanan and Marion Barry — reflect on the disor-derly years of the 1980s in Washington.

3:30 I REMEMBER BETTER WHEN I PAINT — Narrated by screen legend Olivia de Havilland, a documentary film explores the ways day-care centers, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are employing creative therapies to treat Alzheimer’s patients. Therapeutic art activities, some experts suggest, can strengthen pa-tients’ still-vibrant imaginations, helping to reawaken their sense of personality, identity and dignity.

4:30 GLOBE TREKKER SPECIAL: WORLD WAR II — Repeats Mon 12/22, 1:30pm (On WETA HD: Journey to Planet Earth: Extreme Realities — to 5:30 p.m.)

5:30 MOYERS & COMPANY 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND

6:30 PIZZA IN WASHINGTON — A WETA TV 26 production explores the “pizza renaissance” taking place around Greater Washington, spotlighting a dozen eateries in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

7:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING DEBORAH VOIGT AND JOHN RHYS- DAVIES — R

8:00 THE POLITICIAN’S HUSBAND — Parts 1–3 of 3. A BBC dramatic miniseries follows the shifting power dynam-ics in a marriage where the personal and the political collide. Aiden Hoynes (David Tennant), a senior Cabinet Minister, is happily married to Freya (Emily Watson), a junior Minister who has consistently put her own career ambitions on hold for the sake of Aiden’s career and their family. When Aiden’s career path comes to an abrupt halt as Freya’s simultaneously soars, the power balance within their marriage is irrevocably altered. In his desperation to cling to power, Aiden risks destroy-ing everything he holds most dear. Repeats Mon 12/22, 2:30–5:30

11:00 INSIDE NATURE’S GIANTS: BIG CATS — A series features veterinary specialists and biologists perform-ing an autopsy on a large wild animal to uncover the secrets of its anatomy. Big Cats. The experts dissect a lion and a tiger and find it hard to tell them apart; they make a discovery that helps explain how the lion’s vocal apparatus works and explore the evolutionary arms race between predators and their prey in the struggle to survive. {DVI}

22 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: THE BOOMER YEARS — Re-

peats Tue 12/23, 2pm; Wed 12/24, 1pm 9:00 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: PHOENIX, AZ — Episode 1 of 3.

Repeats Tue 12/23, 3pm 10:00 INDEPENDENT LENS: THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD

ALI — This documentary covers Muhammad Ali’s toughest bout, his battle to overturn his five-year prison sentence for refusing U.S. military service. The film traces a formative period in Ali’s life: Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali and found himself in the cross-hairs of conflicts concerning civil rights, religion and wartime dissent. This film zeroes in on the years 1967 to 1970, when Ali lived in exile within the U.S., stripped of his heavyweight belt and banned from boxing, sacri-ficing fame and fortune on principle.


23 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR

FEATURING JANE SEYMOUR AND NATHAN GUNN — Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Seymour and Grammy Award-winning baritone Nathan Gunn join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a Christmas special fea-turing some of the season’s best-loved songs. Repeats Wed 12/24, 2pm; Thur 12/25, 3pm

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Saturday, December 20 at 9:33 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDThe WETA Movie presents the 1984 Best Picture-winner Amadeus, starring Tom Hulce as Mozart. The film earned 8 Academy Awards.

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Wednesday, December 24 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDNature: The Himalayas spotlights the mountain system that is hometo the world’s tallest peaks — and diverse wildlife and habitats.


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9:00 CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT — Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves hosts this 2013 production of traditional carols, classical masterworks, world music and light-hearted seasonal favorites taped at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center at Nashville’s Bel-mont University. Nearly 700 Belmont University student musicians join Graves, the Belmont School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children’s Choir to present the seasonal celebration. Repeats Wed 12/24, 3pm

10:00 FRONTLINE: FROM JESUS TO CHRIST: THE FIRST CHRISTIANS — Frontline presents the story of the rise of Christianity, exploring the life of Jesus and the movement he started. Part 2 of 2. Historians and New Testament scholars trace the impact of the Gospels, examine the increasingly hostile relationship between Christians and Jews after the First Revolt against Rome, and document the growth of Christianity in the second and third centuries from a small Jewish sect to the official religion of the Roman Empire. {DVI} Repeats Wed 12/24, 4pm

12M CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

24 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 NATURE: THE HIMALAYAS — The Himalayan mountain

system is the planet’s highest and home to the world’s highest peaks. Nature explores the diversity of wildlife and habitats in this mountain chain, spotlighting the mysterious snow leopard. {DVI}

9:00 NOVA: BUILDING THE GREAT CATHEDRALS — Carved from a hundred million pounds of stone, soaring atop a spider web of masonry, Gothic cathedrals are marvels of human achievement and artistry. But how did medi-eval builders reach such spectacular heights? A team of engineers, architects, art historians and computer scientists searches the structures for clues to their construction. {DVI}

10:00 NOVA: GREAT CATHEDRAL MYSTERY — The dome that crowns Florence’s great cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore — the Duomo — is a masterpiece of Renaissance ingenuity and an enduring source of mystery. Still the largest masonry dome on earth, it is taller than the Statue of Liberty and weighs as much as an average cruise ship. Historians and engineers have long debat-ed how its architect, Filippo Brunelleschi, constructed the dome of more than four million bricks. To test the latest theories, a team of U.S. bricklayers help build a “mini-Duomo” using period tools and techniques. {DVI}


25 Thursday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 MISS MARPLE: THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY — Who is

the strange young blonde lying strangled in the library of Gossington Hall? Fortunately for the Bantrys, Miss Marple is their neighbor. Joan Hickson stars as the spinster sleuth in this classic BBC production adapted from Agatha Christie’s crime novels. Repeats Fri 12/26, 1pm

9:45 MISS MARPLE: THE MOVING FINGER — A nasty case of poison-pen letters brings Miss Marple to the East An-glian village of Lymston. Joan Hickson stars. Repeats Fri 12/26, 3pm




8:00 WETA ARTS — The WETA arts magazine looks at the recent transformation of Dance Place, a D.C. arts insti-tution; spotlight “Days of Endless Time,” a meditative film exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum; explores how composer and pianist Billy Childs merges classical and jazz; and follows an aerial photographer who creates landscapes from above.

9:00 BING CROSBY REDISCOVERED: AMERICAN MASTERS — A documentary explores the life and legend of the iconic entertainer through never-before-seen footage and interviews with his immediate family and Tony Bennett. Stanley Tucci narrates.

10:30 CHARLIE ROSE: THE WEEK 11:00 CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

27 Saturday SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6AM–2:30AM: 6AM 30 DAYS TO A YOUNGER HEART WITH DR. STEVEN

MASLEY — R 7:30 DR. FUHRMAN’S END DIETING FOREVER! — R 9:00 EASTENDERS — (two episodes, simulcast on WETA

TV 26 and WETA HD) Repeats Fridays, 5pm on TV 26 10:00 JJ VIRGIN’S SUGAR IMPACT SECRET — R 11:30 DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS — R 1:30 RICK STEVES’ EUROPE: PARIS 2:00 HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R 4:00 SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU — R 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS — R 8:00 MY MUSIC: THE BEST OF ’50s POP — A “best-of”

program presents top performance highlights from three My Music specials: Magic Moments, Moments to Re-member and 50s Pop Parade, featuring the top pop hits of the 1950s by singers and groups such as Patti Page, The Crew Cuts, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, Frankie Lane, Mel Carter and others. Repeats Sun 12/28, 11am; Mon 12/29, 11:30pm; Tue 12/30, 4:30pm; Wed 12/31, 8pm

9:30 GREAT PERFORMANCES: BARBRA STREISAND: BACK TO BROOKLYN — Streisand makes a historic homecoming to Brooklyn at the Barclays Center arena, marking the superstar’s first Brooklyn concert since her childhood years. Joined by special guests Il Volo and Chris Botti, Streisand performs an extensive selec-tion of songs from throughout her five-decade career. Repeats Sun 12/28, 2pm

11:30 DR. FUHRMAN’S END DIETING FOREVER! — R 1AM HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R

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Wednesday, December 24 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDNOVA: Building the Great Cathedrals examines how medieval builders constructed huge Gothic churches. Pictured: Amiens Cathedral. At 10 p.m., NOVA: Great Cathedral Mystery explores the ingenuity behind the dome that crowns the great cathedral of Florence, Italy.

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Friday, December 26 at 9 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDBing Crosby Rediscovered: American Masters explores the life and work of the iconic entertainer through film footage and interviews.


28 Sunday SIMULCAST ON WETA TV 26 & WETA HD, 6AM–3AM: 6AM JJ VIRGIN’S SUGAR IMPACT SECRET — R 7:30 CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS — R 9:00 HEALING A.D.D. WITH DR. DANIEL AMEN — R 11:00 MY MUSIC: THE BEST OF ’50s POP — R 12:30 DR. FUHRMAN’S END DIETING FOREVER! — R 2:00 GREAT PERFORMANCES: BARBRA STREISAND, BACK

TO BROOKLYN — R 4:00 30 DAYS TO A YOUNGER HEART WITH DR. STEVEN

MASLEY — R 5:30 MOYERS & COMPANY 6:00 PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND 6:30 VICTOR BORGE’S TIMELESS COMEDY — Featuring rare

archival footage, this program spotlights the comedian and piano virtuoso in performance. Itzhak Perlman hosts. R

8:00 CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL — In the drama, the Nonnatus community celebrates the holidays and bids farewell to the 1950s: rehearsals for the Sunday School Christmas concert are underway, creating inconvenience for the nuns and nurses; two unmarried patients are dispatched to a home for pregnant women where Chummy becomes manager; and Dr. Turner treats a destitute older couple, former residents of a mental hospital. Repeats Mon 12/29, 1pm

9:30 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — Join host Berna-dette Peters to relive treasured moments from Downton Abbey’s first four seasons and get a tantalizing preview of what’s in store for the Crawleys and the staff in Sea-son 5, premiering on Masterpiece beginning January 4. The special features video clips, cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. R

11:00 MY MUSIC: MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER — R

1AM DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS — R

29 Monday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS — An exploration of

the Golden Age of movie musicals spotlights five Hol-lywood classics: The Wizard of Oz, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Singin’ in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Viva Las Vegas. Nick Clooney hosts and examines the back story behind these classic films. R

9:30 SUZE ORMAN’S FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR YOU — In a program taped in Washington at American Univer-sity, the personal finance expert presents up-to-date advice on a broad set of financial issues, including: how to invest; whether to buy or rent a home; saving for retirement; what kind of life insurance to buy; wills and trusts; student loans and more. R

11:30 MY MUSIC: THE BEST OF ’50s POP — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

30 Tuesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 DISCOVERING ALEXANDRIA: THE EARLY YEARS —

A new WETA film explores the story of Alexandria, Virginia, featuring the city’s most noted historians and authors. Relive the birth of one of the nation’s most vibrant port cities, and meet the men and women who made history and called Alexandria their home. Dis-cover the stories of some of Alexandria’s most famous landmarks, and explore the golden age of Alexandria when commerce and industry boomed. Experience the impact of war and life under British rule, and learn of the hope and heartache of African Americans in Alexandria. See how this small southern town was transformed during the Civil War, and much more. R

10:00 VICTOR BORGE’S TIMELESS COMEDY — R 11:30 DOWNTON ABBEY REDISCOVERED — R 1AM CHARLIE ROSE — Repeats next weekday, noon

31 Wednesday 7:00 PBS NEWSHOUR 8:00 MY MUSIC: THE BEST OF ’50s POP — A “best-of”

program presents top performance highlights from three My Music specials: Magic Moments, Moments to Remember and 50s Pop Parade, featuring the top pop hits of the 1950s by singers and groups such as Patti Page, The Crew Cuts, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, Frankie Lane, Mel Carter and others. R

9:30 MY MUSIC: MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER — (See the December 1, 8 p.m. listing.)

11:30 GREAT PERFORMANCES: TONY BENNETT & LADY GAGA: CHEEK TO CHEEK LIVE! — Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga team up for a special concert from the stage of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater in New York City, performing selections from their classic jazz recording, “Cheek to Cheek.”


WETA Magazine is published monthly by the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Associationfor its members. Three dollars of each member’s dues are designated for its subscription. WETA occasionally exchanges member names with other organizations. If you wish that your name not be exchanged, please call Audience Services at 703-998-2724. ©2014 by Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, VA 22210 and additional offices. Send address changes to WETA, 3939 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia 22206. Volume 27, Number 12. ISSN No. 1041-2700.

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

Publisher Mary StewartEditor Jeff GieseArt Director Chelsey FredlundDesign McMURRY/TMG, LLC

Editorial and Advertising Offices3939 Campbell AvenueArlington, VA 22206

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Monday, December 29 at 9:30 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDSuze Orman’s Financial Solutions for You features the personal finance expert offering advice in a program taped in Washington, D.C.

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Sunday, December 28 at 8 p.m. on WETA TV 26 & WETA HDCall the Midwife Holiday Special features a seasonal episode of themidwifery drama series, set in 1950s East London. Above: JessicaRaine plays Jenny Lee and Pam Ferris portrays Sister Evangelina.

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MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ON THE WETA KIDS CHANNEL

Peep/Pocoyo, 5amMaya & Miguel, 5:30amMister Rogers’ Neighborhood, 6amClifford The Big Red Dog, 6:30amCaillou, 7am Arthur, 7:30am Odd Squad, 8amWild Kratts, 8:30amCurious George, 9am, 9:30amDaniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, 10am, 10:30amSesame Street, 11amDinosaur Train, noon, 12:30pmPeg + Cat, 1pm, 1:30pmSuper WHY!, 2pmThomas & Friends, 2:30pm Sesame Street, 3pmThe Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!,

3:30pmWord World, 4pmMartha Speaks, 4:30pm Word Girl, 5pm Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, 5:30pmCurious George, 6pmThe Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!,

6:30pmArthur, 7pm Wild Kratts, 7:30pm Zula Patrol, 8pmOdd Squad, 8:30pmBiz Kid$, 9pmCyberchase, 9:30pmSci Girls, 10pmSesame Street, 10:30pmBob the Builder, 11pmThomas and Friends, 11:30pmDinosaur Train, 12am

26.3 Over the Air Via AntennaCox 801Comcast 266FiOS 472RCN 38

WETA

WETA Kids offers safe programming for our young viewers, presenting educational television broadcasts 24 hours each day, seven days a week. Below you can fi nd weekday daytime listings for WETA Kids. Note that children’s programming also airs six days a week on WETA TV 26. Please visit weta.org/kids to fi nd complete schedules of children’s programs on the WETA Kids channel and WETA TV 26.

Providing a Safe Haven for Children

WETA Kids Holiday Programming

Wednesday–Thursday, December 24–25

The WETA Kids channel airs an array of holiday programming on December 24–25. On those days, all of the offerings on the WETA Kids channel are holiday/winter/snow-related, and WETA presents holiday specials as well. Among those offerings are Elmo’s Christmas Countdown,Dec. 24, 11am (9:30am on TV 26); Dec. 25, 9:30am, 4:30pm, 9:30pm (8am, 11am on TV 26); Peg + Cat + Holidays, which includes a Hanuk-kah segment, Dec. 24, 8:30am, 3:30pm, 8:30pm (7am, 10:30am on TV 26); Dec. 25, 1pm, 6pm (6am on TV 26); The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas, Dec. 24, 1pm, 6pm (6am on TV 26); Dec. 25, 8:30am, 3:30pm, 8:30pm (7am on TV 26); Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, Dec. 24, 9:30am, 4:30pm, 9:30pm (8:30am on TV 26); Dec. 25, 11am (9:30am on TV 26); Thomas & Friends, Dec. 24, 2:30pm, 7:30pm; Dec. 25, 2:30pm, 7:30pm; and Daniel Tiger’s Winter Adventure/Nutcracker, Dec. 24, 10:30am (8am, 11:30am on TV 26); Dec. 25, 5:30pm (9am, 10:30am on TV 26).

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WEEKDAYS ON WETA TV 26 Sesame Street, 5amCaillou, 6amArthur, 6:30amOdd Squad, 7amWild Kratts, 7:30amCurious George, 8am, 8:30amDaniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, 9am, 9:30amSesame Street, 10amDinosaur Train, 11am, 11:30am

SUNDAYS ON WETA TV 26 Super WHY!, 6amThomas & Friends, 6:30amMartha Speaks, 7amThe Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, 7:30amWord Girl, 8amPeg + Cat, 8:30am

Visit weta.org/kids for full listings of children’s programs on WETA Kids

and WETA TV 26.

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Peg + Cat + Holidays, a one-hour special, includes three holiday stories.

WETA

Television

Elmo’s Christmas Countdown

The Dr. Blake Mysteries

British Television at Its Best

VISIT WETAUK.ORG FOR A PRINTABLE FULL-DAY SCHEDULE.

The WETA UK channel is devoted to presenting the best in British television programming, broadcasting beloved classics and contemporary series around the clock, seven days a week. WETA UK offers a full schedule of great entertainment programming — featuring drama, mystery, comedy and documentary series — all delivered with an accent from the Isles. Visit wetauk.org for a complete schedule and program descriptions.

• Rev I• Antiques Roadshow BBC (starts 12/15)

My Family

Pie in the Sky V(Season I starts 12/29)

• Ladies of Letters II• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates III (starts 12/28)

Doctor Who

12m Red Dwarf

P.M. PROGRAMMING ON WETA UK IN DECEMBER

FRIDAYWEDNESDAYMONDAYSUNDAY TUESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY

FRIDAYWEDNESDAYMONDAYSUNDAY TUESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY

WPC: Gina Dawson (Series II starts 12/16)

Doc Martin I/II

Inspector Morse Moone Boy II

Twenty Twelve I (Series II starts 12/11)

Hustle

• BBC Antiques Roadshow• Prime Suspect (12/5–12/12, 5:30pm)• Jack Taylor (starts 12/19, 5pm)

• Ashes to Ashes II• Inside Claridge’s (12/15)• Mr. & Mrs. Murder (starts 12/22)

• House of Cards: The Final Cut• Moone Boy II (12/19–12/26)• Twenty Twelve (12/19–12/26)

The Dr. Blake Mysteries (Seasons I & II) (3 episodes each day)

Doc Martin I/II

At 9pm: • Masterpiece Classic: The Paradise II (two episodes, 12/6)• Masterpiece Mystery!: Death Comes to Pemberley (to 10:30pm, 12/13-12/20)• Masterpiece: Worricker (12/27)

At 10:30pm:• Inside Claridge’s (12/13–12/20; 11pm on 12/27)At 11pm:• Robin Hood I (12/6; but 11:30pm on 12/20, 12m on 12/27)12m Rose. & Thyme II (12:30am on 12/20; 1am on 12/27)

• Last Tango in Halifax II• Van Gogh: Painted with Words (12/27)

HustleFoyle’s War II/III Hustle Hustle(Vicar of Dibley Christmas 12/24)


Hustle(Christmas programming 12/25)

• Rosemary & Thyme II (12/1–12/8)• Inside Claridge’s (12/15–12/22)• Inside Asprey (12/29)

Inspector Morse

• Last Tango in Halifax II (12/7–12/14)• Miss Marple (starts 12/21, to 8pm)

• Masterpiece Mystery!: Inspector Lewis VII• Lewis (Series I starts 12/25)

House of Cards: The Final Cut (12/7–12/14)

The Dr. Blake Mysteries (Seasons I & II) (3 episodes each night, starting 12/1)

• House of Cards: The Final Cut (12/3–12/10)• Lewis (Series I starts 12/17)

• Inspector Lewis 7 (12/3–12/10, 10pm; 12/17, 10:30pm)• Lewis (Series I, 12/24–12/31, 10:30pm)

11:30 ’Allo, ’Allo (12/3–12/17)12m ’Allo, ’Allo12:30am WPC Gina Dawson

• Prime Suspect• Jack Taylor (starts 12/18, to 10:30pm)

• Scott & Bailey II• Shetland (starts 12/18, 10:30pm)

11:30 ’Allo, ’Allo12am Waking the Dead

Rosemary & Thyme II

• Death in Paradise II (to 12m on 12/5)• Death in Paradise (9–10pm on 12/12)• Mr & Mrs. Murder (starts 12/19, 9pm)• Miss Marple (10pm, starting 12/12)

12m ’Allo, ’Allo12:30am New Tricks

’Allo, ’Allo12m MI-5

Rev I (Series II starts 12/23)

• Inside Claridge’s• Inside Asprey: Luxury By Royal Appointment (12/28)

• Ashes to Ashes II (12/7)• Robin Hood II (12/14–12/28)

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26.2 Over the Air Via Antenna

Rumpole of the Bailey

12m ’Allo, ’Allo12:30am Hustle



Me & Mrs. Jones IChef!, Series I

My Family My Family My Family My Family

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MI-5

Waking the Dead Waking the Dead Waking the Dead(Vicar of Dibley Christmas 12/24)

Waking the Dead(Christmas programming 12/25)

Last of the Summer Wine

My Family

MI-5

New Tricks

Waking the Dead

(from 11:30am)• Masterpiece Classic: The Paradise II (two episodes, 12/6–12/13)• Masterpiece Classic: Death Comes to Pem-berley (12/20–12/27, to 1pm)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot

Sherlock Holmes


My Family

• Masterpiece Classic: The Paradise I (12/7)• Masterpiece Mystery: Death Comes to Pemberley (12/14–12/21)• Masterpiece Contemporary: Worricker (12/28)


My Family


My Family

MI-5(Vicar of Dibley Christmas 12/24)

• Last of the Summer Wine• My Family•Outnumbered Xmas(12/25)

MI-5 MI-5(Christmas programming 12/25)

New Tricks New Tricks New Tricks(Vicar of Dibley Christmas 12/24)

New Tricks(Christmas programming 12/25)


• Ashes to Ashes (12/7–12/14)• Mr. & Mrs. Murder (starts 12/21)

14 DECEMBER 2014

The Dr. Blake Mysteriesairs Mondays at 9 p.m., starting December 1 on WETA UK

The 10-episode 2013 Australian series The Dr. Blake Mysteries stars Craig MacLachlan as Dr. Lucien Blake, who returns home to Ballarat (near Melbourne) to take over his father’s country medical practice after 30 years away and a life tarnished by war and inhumanity. The former Army Medical Offi cer and P.O.W. is both a GP and the town’s police surgeon, investigating deaths natural and unnatural, but he is also a misfi t, no longer conforming to the strict social structures of a small town in the 1950s. His colleagues are his father’s former assistant, widow Jean Beazley (Nadine Garner), and district nurse Mattie O’Brien (Cate Wolfe). Blake uses all his skills as a forensic doctor to bring peace and justice to his patients’ lives, but he has his own secrets.

Lewis, Series Iairs Wednesdays at 9 p.m., starting December 17 on WETA UK

See how it all began! Well known to Inspector Morse fans as the enigmatic detective’s sidekick and foil, working class policeman Robbie Lewis has been portrayed by Kevin Whately since the character’s fi rst onscreen appearance in 1987 alongside Morse in Colin Dexter’s tales of criminal investigations in Oxford, England. After Morse’s death and the end of that series in 2000, the character Lewis got his own show in 2006 and a promotion to Detective Inspector.

The fi rst episode of Lewis that aired in the U.K. and on Masterpiece as Inspector Lewis was an instant hit, spawning 33 more episodes and introducing a new sidekick, Cambridge-educated Detective Sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox). This month, beginning December 17, WETA UK presents Series I.

Jack Taylorairs Thursdays at 9 p.m., starting December 18 on WETA UK

The 2010 Irish television drama Jack Taylor is set in Galway and based on crime and noir novels by Ken Bruen. The programs star Iain Glen as a stubborn, old-school Irish cop, with a sharp tongue and soft heart, who is fi red from The Guards, Ireland’s national police force, for assaulting a politician during a traffi c stop. The drama follows his life as he sets out on his own as a “fi nder,” a private investigator taking on the cases that The Guards won’t. He’s good at his work because he knows his hometown so well and fi nds clues where no one else looks. Taylor is aided in his investigations by his experience and his contacts, including some of his former Garda Síochána colleagues — notably Offi cer Kate Noonan (Nora-Jane Noone).

Mr. & Mrs. Murderairs Fridays at 9 p.m., starting December 19 on WETA UK

A comedic murder mystery series from Australia, Mr. & Mrs. Murder follows the adventures of married couple Nicola and Charlie Buchanan (Kat Stewart and Shaun Micallef), who run an industrial cleaning business — aka murder clean-up crew. She is a clean freak with a height-ened sense of justice. He is a bit of a social misfi t with an encyclopedic knowledge of just about

everything. They specialize in crime scenes and using this experience become amateur sleuths. As the Buchanans go about their work, they collect evidence and clues the police may have missed

and often get carried away helping solve cases the authorities have trouble closing.

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airs Thursdays at 9 p.m., starting December 18 on WETA UK is set in Galway and based on crime and noir novels by

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Also this month on WETA UK: Documentary fi lm Inside Claridge’s explores a year behind the scenes at the 5-star London hotel, beginning December 7 at 9 p.m.; mystery series Miss Marple, starring Joan Hickson, begins Decem-ber 12 at 10 p.m.; and Scotland crime drama Shetland, with Douglas Henshall, begins December 18 at 10:30 p.m.

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Classical WETA 90.9 FM’s weekly local concert broadcast Front Row Washington begins a month of fi ve Monday night programs on December 1 at 9 p.m. with an ensemble that has more than fi ve decades of performance history. Known for their creatively programmed concerts, The New York Chamber Soloists present a recital of all-American music at Candlelight Concert Society in Columbia, Maryland, featuring Walter Piston’s Diverti-mento for winds and strings, Elliot Carter’s Sonata for fl ute, oboe, cello and harpsichord, and the original orchestration with 13 instruments of Aaron Copland’s iconic ballet music for Martha Graham, Appalachian Spring.

On the broadcast, Monday, December 8, the Vienna-based Hugo Wolf Quartet takes the stage at Georgetown’s historic Dumbarton Church. Their Dumbarton Concerts recital features Schubert’s “Quartettsatz”; Schumann’s Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 41; and a string quartet by the ensemble’s namesake Austrian composer, Hugo Wolf.

Front Row WashingtonMondays at 9 p.m.

By Deborah Lamberton, Senior Producer

Handel's Messiah on NSO Showcaseairs Wednesday, December 3 at 9 p.m.

By Nicole Lacroix, Evening On-Air Host

In 1959, British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham decided to mark the bicentennial of Handel’s death with a very special performance of Messiah. He commissioned Sir Eugene Goossens to re-orchestrate the work with mid-century orchestral audiences in mind. The result? Well, you’ll hear for yourself on the next broadcast of NSO Showcase, on Wednesday evening, December 3 at 9 p.m. on Classical WETA 90.9 FM. This National Symphony Orchestra perfor-mance was recorded in the Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in December 2013. Rossen Milanov conducted the orchestra, the Choral Arts Society (Scott Tucker, Music Director) and soloists Leah Crocetto, soprano; Elizabeth DeShong, mezzo-soprano; Russell Thomas, tenor; and Iain Paterson, bass-baritone.

As Charles T. Downey of The Washington Post said in his review: “the big canvas of the Goossens version — with its reharmonizations, harp twinkles, triangle rolls, cymbal crashes and bass lines reinforced by tuba and contrabassoon — is just so much fun that it is impossible to resist.” Join in the fun on NSO Showcase on December 3, and be sure to listen to Classical WETA and the all-vocal classical channel VivaLaVoce for other, more traditional, performances of Handel’s Messiah throughout December.

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As part of our celebration of Beethoven this month, Front Row Washington offers music by the master from two pianists in recital at the Phillips Collection. Alon Goldstein plays Beethoven’s “Appassionata” sonata, and Tanya Bannister performs a late work, the Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110.

We remain at the Phillips Collection December 24 for the Washington, D.C., debut of Danish cellist Andreas Brantelid, one of Scandinavia’s leading cellists, who made his concerto debut at age 14 in the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Royal Danish Orchestra. You’ll hear him play his gorgeous “Boni-Hegar” Stradivarius from 1707 in sonatas by Schubert, Debussy, and Edvard Grieg with Boston-based pianist Gloria Chien, a Steinway Artist and member of Chamber Music Society Two of Lincoln Center.

The celebrated ensemble Chatham Baroque closes out the year on Front Row Washington, Monday night, December 29 in a Wolf Trap recital from Chamber Music at the Barns. The unique sonorities of baroque violin, gamba, violone, theorbo and chamber organ combine for music by Bach, Biber, and Buxtehude, as well as Antonio Bertali and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer.

Hugo Wolf Quartet

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16 DECEMBER 2014 VivaLaVoce on vivalavoce.org Stream Audio at classicalweta.org

New Season of Metropolitan Opera

Saturday afternoons beginning Dec. 6 on Classical WETA 90.9 FM

The 2014–2015 season of the Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts begins Saturday, December 6 on the weekly Classical WETA 90.9 FM program Classical WETA Opera House with a live noon performance of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The season’s 23 perfor-mances, which with a few exceptions begin at 1 p.m. each Saturday on Classical WETA, run through May 9. The broadcasts feature the top performers of the opera world performing in the Met’s Saturday opera matinees, which this season includes operas by Donizetti, Mas-senet, Mozart (3), Offenbach (2), Puccini, Rossini (2), Verdi (6) and others. Margaret Juntwait is once again in the booth as host, joined by commentator Ira Siff.

On December 6 at noon, Il Barbiere di Siviglia fea-tures Michele Mariotti conducting Isabel Leonard and Lawrence Brownlee in the production, which features Christopher Maltman in the title role. Then on Decem-ber 13 at noon, Met Music Director James Levine leads Wagner’s grand human comedy Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in its fi rst Met performances since 2007. The December 20 broadcast, also at noon, features Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, with Edo de Waart leading Mariusz Kwiecien and Danielle de Niese, and Erwin Schrott in the title role. The month’s operas wrap up on Decem-ber 27 with a 1 p.m. broadcast of Verdi’s La Traviata, with Marco Armiliato leading Marina Rebeka in her fi rst Met performances of Violetta.

Upcoming season highlights include a performance of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow (Jan. 17) with Renée Fleming in the title role and Andrew Davis conducting; Verdi’s MacBeth (Feb. 7) conducted by Fabio Luisi and starring Željko Lucic as Macbeth and Anna Netrebko in the vocally demanding role of Lady Macbeth. Netrebko also sings the title role in the Met’s fi rst production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta (Feb. 14), with Valery Gergiev con-ducting. Airing in March is Bizet’s Carmen (March 7), fea-turing Elına Garanca in the title role and Jonas Kaufmann

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Johan Botha in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

as Don José, with Louis Langrée holding the baton. Rossini’s La Donna del Lago (March 14) makes its premiere on the radio broadcast, with Michele Mariotti conducting Joyce DiDonato in the virtuosic title role opposite Juan Diego Flórez. In April, Fabio Luisi conducts a double bill of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (April 25), the former featuring Eva-Maria Westbroek, Mar-celo Álvarez and Željko Lucic, the latter with Álvarez and Patricia Racette. The season fi nale is Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress (May 9), conducted by James Levine. For monthly opera details, visit classicalweta.org.

The 2014–15 Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee radio broadcast season is sponsored by Toll Brothers, with generous long-term support from The Annenberg Foundation, The Neubauer Family Foundation, and the Vincent A. Stabile Endowment for Broadcast Media, and through contributions from listeners worldwide.

Classical WETA Announcers in the Community:December 6: Marilyn Cooley welcomes the audience to the perfor-mance of Handel’s Messiah at Washington National Cathedral

December 20: Nicole Lacroix introduces the Vienna Boys Choir’s “Christmas in Vienna” Concert at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

Beethoven MonthClassical WETA 90.9 FM celebrates one of the icons of classical music during December with Beethoven Month, presenting a number of new recordings of the composer’s works for cello and piano with French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov; works for piano and orchestra performed by the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra; and sonata performances by Italian pianist Alessio Bax. The highlight of the celebration will be a “Beethoven Birthday Bash Weekend,” December 12–14, when Classical WETA will feature the composer’s music each hour from noon Friday through Sunday night as an early celebration of Beethoven’s December 16 birthday.

Classical WETA

90.9 FM

Classical WETA: 90.9 FM Greater Washington; 88.9 FM Frederick; WGMS 89.1 FM HagerstownVivaLaVoce on vivalavoce.org Stream Audio at classicalweta.org

ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREEWest Building, On the National Mall at Sixth and Constitution Ave NWMonday–Saturday 10–5, Sunday 11–6 | Phone 202.737.4215 Closed December 25 and January 1

National Gallery of Artwww.nga.gov

Images: El Greco, Saint Martin and the Beggar, (detail), 1597/1599, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection. Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1878-1881, original wax, National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

Degas’s Little DancerThrough January 11

Once a ballerina, forever a masterpiece.#LittleDancerDC

A 400th Anniversary Celebration:El Greco in the National Gallery of Art and Washington-Area Collections

Through February 16

Eleven masterpieces reveal the haunting intensity for which the artist is known. #ElGreco400

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december 2014 - weta magazine

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