Globetrekker (Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and Tuesdays at 4:00 a.m.) Except 2/1
England & Wales
Ian travels to England and Wales, small countries with big histories. He visits historic Canterbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle and Eton College, the poshest private school in the country. Ian takes in the beauty of Cornwall, famous for its surfing beaches and the village of Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, where he tries his hand at the bizarre sport of shin kicking. He enjoys a spectacular re-enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar in Portsmouth and the Glastonbury Music Festival. In Wales, Ian hops aboard the picturesque Ffestiniog steam railway and meets some traditional Welsh singers before heading for the stunning panoramas of Snowdonia. (Back to Top)
Germany
Justine begins her travels in Berlin where she admires the colorful paintings on the East Side Gallery, one of the last remaining sections of the infamous Wall. She hitches a ride to Niebull and then continues on to the island of Sylt, a vast sandbar known for its beaches and spas. Justine tours the fertile farmland of Hamburg, visits the site of the trials in Nuremberg, explores the Gothic setting of "Frankenstein" in the medieval town of Ingolstadt, celebrates Oktoberfest in Munich, gets a history lesson at Hitler's mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden, meets "Jesus" on his lunch break in Oberammergau and tackles the heights of Mount Yenna in the Bavarian Alps. (Back to Top)
Alps & Lapland
In Norwegian Lapland, Holly travels by dogsled south from Alta toward the Sami people's most important celebration - the Easter Festival, where she enters the annual reindeer racing competition. She then departs for the Finnmarksvidda Plateau to round up more than 800 reindeer and to glimpse the famous Northern Lights. She heads to the Alps, where she treks through the Italian Dolomites to the Via Ferratae. Holly's next climb takes her to Zermatt in Switzerland, where she scales the awe-inspiring Matterhorn.
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Nature (Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m., & Wednesdays at 4:00 a.m.)
Is That Skunk? (HD)
It's a familiar but mysterious creature in woods and neighborhoods all across America. Its infamous weapon is one of the most awful scents in all of nature. Now, intrepid researchers and cameramen track skunks day and night across California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, even Martha's Vineyard, uncovering how they hunt, forage, mate and raise amazingly cute baby skunks - all the things they're up to when they're not spraying the local dog. And yes, the remarkable secrets of that stink will be revealed!
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Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears (HD)
The Drakensberg Mountains are Southern Africa's Alps, rising more than 11,000 feet into the sky. But beneath their shimmering beauty lies an incredibly hostile environment for the surprising number of creatures that manage to live there. Each spring, drenching rains destroy the grasslands at the base of the mountains, and those who would survive must climb straight up sheer cliffs of volcanic rock, through gauntlets of storms and snow, to reach the carpets of grass on the plateau. The baboons that make this astonishing annual journey may have the advantage of agility, but eland, the world's largest antelope, have long, spindly legs and heavy bodies, which make the climb all but unbelievable. All have babies at their sides while vultures circle overhead. (Back to Top)
NOVA (Mondays at 8:00 p.m. & Thursdays at 4:00 a.m.)
The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies (HD)
Every year, 100 million monarch butterflies set off on an incredible journey across North America. These beautiful creatures fly 2,000 miles to reach their remote destination: a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico. Yet scientists are still puzzling over how the butterflies achieve this tremendous feat of endurance - and how, year after year, the monarchs navigate with such hair's-breadth precision. NOVA flies along with the monarchs, visiting the spectacular locations they call home and meeting the dangers they encounter along the way. As this program reveals, the monarch is a scientific marvel locked in an inspiring struggle for survival. (Back to Top)
The Spy Factory (HD)
For the first time on television, NOVA exposes the hidden world of high-tech, 21st-century eavesdropping carried out by the National Security Agency (NSA). Today, the NSA is the world's largest intelligence agency, three times the size of the CIA and far more secret. Its mission is to eavesdrop on the world - from cell phones in Europe to pay phones in Afghanistan to email messages from Pakistan to Baghdad. But since 9/11, it has also turned its giant ear inward, listening in without warrant on thousands of American citizens, many of whom are on the government's secret watch list, now more than half-a-million names long. Based on the latest best-seller by journalist James Bamford, "Inside the Spy Factory" is a gripping investigation of the NSA, from its tragic failures leading up to the 9/11 attacks to its secret listening rooms currently installed in the nation's telecom networks. The program presents groundbreaking new evidence about how the agency listened in to the phone calls of key 9/11 plotters, yet failed to realize they were located in the U.S. To show how current eavesdropping technology works, NOVA traces the path of an email sent from Asia to the U.S. via fiber optic cables on the Pacific sea floor. From a beach in California, the email then travels to a telecom switching facility in San Francisco, where the cables are covertly duplicated, with one copy of everything - including the original email - going to the NSA's secret room and the other transmitted to its proper destination. This is a suspenseful and eye-opening report on the threat to privacy and the effectiveness of high-tech surveillance in the age of terrorism. (Back to Top)
Arctic Passage: Prisoners of the Ice
NOVA probes the Arctic's most enduring exploration enigma. In 1845, two Royal Navy ships and 129 men led by Sir John Franklin set sail from London on an elaborately prepared expedition to conquer the elusive Arctic route and were never heard from again. Poignant clues suggest the expedition became icebound, short of food and that the stronger members resorted to murder and cannibalism. Or did their own provisions poison them? Now, 150 years later, a team of historians and forensic scientists journeys to a bleak wilderness on a quest for the truth behind the Franklin mystery.
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Secrets of the Dead (Mondays at 9:00 p.m.)
Irish Escape
The voyage of the Catalpa is the extraordinary dramatic story of a covert rescue mission hatched in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to facilitate the escape of six Irish political prisoners from a notorious penal colony in Fremantle, Western Australia. At the center of this daring rescue is an unlikely hero -- a non-partisan Quaker by the name of George Smith Anthony, who as captain of the Catalpa, risked his life and liberty to bring these Irish rebels back to freedom in the United States. (Back to Top)
Aztec Massacre
Throughout recent times, historians have believed that when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in Aztec territory in the 15th century, they were welcomed as returning light-skinned gods by the Aztecs, who put up little resistance to their conquest. But now, a new find outside of Mexico City is turning history on its head. The discovery: more than 400 bodies, many of which show signs of having been mutilated and even eaten. More important, more than 40 of the bodies appear to be European, indicating that the Aztecs not only resisted the invaders, they sacrificed them to their gods, pulling their still-beating hearts from chests and stringing their heads (along with the heads of their horses) on wooden skull racks for public display. Exploring the archeology of the site, the forensics of the bones and beautiful but grotesque codices that document the events, this program paints a new picture of the violent relations between the Aztecs and the Conquistadors and rewrites much of what we thought we knew about the Aztec civilization.
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Escape From Auschwitz
The truth about the Auschwitz death camp was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Third Reich. Prisoners who tried to escape were executed in public as an example to other inmates, and very few ever made it out alive. "Escape From Auschwitz" tells the story of two young Slovak Jews, Rudolph Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, who managed to escape by hiding in a woodpile for three days, then fleeing across enemy territory, determined to tell the world about the atrocities being committed by the Nazis at the camp. Hoping to stop the deportations and put an end to the constant stream of victims transported to their deaths, Vrba and Wetzler wrote a detailed account of their experiences in the camp. The report was sent to Allies around the world, but to Vrba's horror, some took ages to arrive in the right hands and the most urgent copy was suppressed by the head of the Hungarian Jewish underground, who worried it would destroy a deal he himself was trying to make with Adolph Eichmann. Ultimately, the delays cost thousands of lives and caused a controversy that raged long after the Holocaust was over. Even so, Vrba's and Wetzler's heroic efforts saved many thousands from the gas chambers and crematoria of Auschwitz. (Back to Top)
Doping For Gold
In the 1970s, female East German athletes came out of nowhere to dominate international sport. But behind their success lay a secret, state-sponsored doping program that distributed untested steroids and male hormones to athletes as young as 12. Many of these girls had no knowledge that they were being doped, and now, as grown women (and men), their broken bodies and damaged psyches bear witness to the cruelty of a government that pursued international glory and gold at the expense of its most acclaimed citizens. "Doping for Gold" digs deep into the secretive Cold War world of East German athletes, examining what drugs were used, how they were distributed and what damage they did to many of the athletes who were forced to take them. The result creates a timely perspective on today's many doping scandals and reveals the truth behind the biggest and most horrifying state-sponsored doping program the world has ever known.
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Soundstage (Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m.)
Idina Menzel with Josh Groban
Fans and newcomers alike won't be disappointed with actress/singer/songwriter Idina Menzel's powerhouse voice and effervescent stage presence. Tony Award winner Menzel was featured in Rent and Wicked, two of the best-selling musical cast recordings of all time. Catch her in this special episode of Soundstage, taped in New York City inside the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Throughout the show Idina reveals her quirky personality, maintaining a truly personal connection with the audience by sharing stories of her upbringing, early career and lyrics before launching into songs off her third album, I Stand. In this rich and vibrant evening, Idina performs "Better To Have Loved," "My Own Worst Enemy" and "Brave." Critically-acclaimed saxophonist Ravi Coltrane contributes to her signature sound alongside strings on "Perfume and Promises," and "Gorgeous" yields an uplifting message. In a show-stopping finale, Josh Groban drops by and joins Idina in a duet of his hit single "Awake." (Back to Top)
Foreigner
Universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts throughout the '70s and '80s, Foreigner still puts on an absolutely thrilling and sensational show thirty years later. Singer Kelly Hansen and lead guitarist Mick Jones are a wicked combination on songs like "Hot Blooded" and "Double Vision." Foreigner's showmanship is outstanding and this episode is packed with smash hits like "Cold As Ice," "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent," as well as the newest single "Too Late." (Back to Top)
B.B. King
The man needs no introduction. Truly the reigning king of blues, over the last 60 years B.B. King has developed one of the world's most identifiable guitar styles and has influenced thousands of musicians. Known for integrating precise and complex string bends with left hand vibrato, King has a uniquely regal and velvety tone making every note count. With trademark Gibson "Lucille" settled on his lap, B.B. King presents a set filled with staggering guitar jams on hits like "The Thrill Is Gone" and "One Kind Favor." In between songs, King's characteristic affable persona shines through as he introduces the band he's always toured with and shares stories from his life. Throughout the show special guests Terrence Howard, Solange, and guitarist Richie Sambora stop by to jam and pay tribute to this renowned blues master. Don't miss legend B.B. King in his element on this episode of Soundstage! (Back to Top)
Umphrey’s McGee
Legendary on the jam-band circuit, Chicago-based Umphrey's McGee has perfected the art of progressive improvisation. Swirling guitars and innovative multi-faceted arrangements keep fans on their toes. With power and finesse, this sextet brings jamming to a new level during this episode of Soundstage. A flair for spontaneity, dazzling musicianship and an impressive live presence make Umphrey's McGee a must-see as they perform "Higgins," "Ocean Billy," "Morning Song" and many others. (Back to Top)
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