Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell took a wild idea – retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000-mile, land-and-sea route from Venice to China and back – and spent two incredible years of their lives filming the trip. Watch full documentary. (airs on Thirteen on Dec. 10, 2008 at 8:00 pm).
Nov. 23’s episode of Nature, “The Wolf that Changed America”, includes reenactment footage involving wolf actors. Read about Seus and how she works with the wolves for film, and see related clips and articles.
This week, NOW looks at two “green” projects keeping furniture, paint, cabinets, and other building supplies out of landfills and getting them into the hands of those who need them most. Will they be devastated by the economic meltdown, or do they signal a possible way out? Watch. (Originally aired: 11/14/2008).
American Eagle’s cinematographer, Neil Rettig, reveals some of the details of what it takes to get good shots of bald eagles. Watch now. American Eagle premieres Nov. 16 at 8:00 pm.
Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick about the voyage of the whaling ship Pequod, is published by Harper & Brothers in New York, on Nov. 14, 1851. While Moby-Dick is now considered America’s greatest epic, the book about Captain Ahab and the white whale, was initially considered a flop.
Filmmakers, photographers, and artists have long been fascinated by the idea of artificial women that seem alive. The Stepford Wives, Lara Croft, the latest in Japanese female robots look so real they can easily fool the eye. Professor Julie Wosk of SUNY Maritime College showcases colorful images of female robots, androids, talking dolls, mannequins, and other artificial women ranging from early automatons to lifelike female heroines in today’s video games.
After months of cascading news about the financial crisis, many of you are asking, “What Do I Do Now?” Consuelo Mack anchor of public television’s Consuelo Mack WealthTrack, hosts a half-hour Q&A with financial advisors Jonathan Clements from myFi Citigroup and Mae Watson Grote from The Financial Clinic, providing New Yorkers with the advice they need to survive in this economy.
* Obama’s new plan for Afghanistan
* Remembering the fallen in Europe and the U.S.
* After the fall: the Czech Republic’s fading history
* Ancient art: turning trees into treasure in Morocco
Watch.
Grant and Lee in War and Peace, at the New-York Historical Society, examines the lives of the generals who led a generation through the Civil War. Enter to win a pair of tickets, an exhibit catalog, and the complete DVD set of Ken Burns’ Civil War. Deadline: Nov. 24.
On Nov. 10, 1969, Sesame Street, with its cast of puppets teaching kids the alphabet and how to count, made its broadcast debut (here is the rundown of that very first show). Today, it is one of the most widely-viewed children’s programs in the world, airing in more than 120 countries.
