And for this week’s preamble I’d like to recall last week’s preamble, the Salma Hayek preamble. Wasn’t that a nice preamble? I liked that preamble. That’s the kind of preamble that can keep you warm on a cold winter’s night. Not like that fluffy old preamble to our Constitution. That’s pure malarkey and nonsense I tell you, malarkey and nonsense. 

Sunday, December 31:

8:00 - 10:00PM

Live From Lincoln Center - “New York Philharmonic: Audra McDonald Sings the Movies for New Year’s Eve”. See, it’s live AND it’s from Lincoln Center. In the past there used to be confusion. Some people thought it was Live, others that it was from Lincoln Center, turns out, it’s both. Additionally, there will be a woman, Audra McDonald, and she’ll sing movie songs.

10:00PM - 1:00AM

Great Performances - “Garrison Keillor’s New Year’s Eve Special”. Now this particular special IS live, but it’s not from Lincoln Center. Garrison Keillor will be there, and the there in this case is Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. 

Monday, January 1:

8:00 - 9:00PM

Antiques Roadshow “Honolulu (Hour One)”. Do people in Honolulu own old things? I didn’t realize that there was a market in shipping old things to Honolulu, just shipping people there for the drinks, the beaches, and the golf. Maybe this episode is all about drink glasses, beach blankets, and golf clubs. 

9:00 - 10:30PM

Great Performances - “From Vienna:  The New Year’s Celebration 2007”. Vienna’s Philharmonic will be there and Zubin Mehta “will lead the renowned orchestra in a selection of buoyant Strauss Family waltzes.” No joke, these waltzes float. Now that I’d pay to see.

10:30 - 11:00PM

Encore!  With James Conlon - “Beauty or Truth?” Umm… okay, let me see if I can explain this show involves pianists discussing the different opinions of beauty through the ages.  Where exactly the “truth” bit comes in I just don’t know. But, this I promise, it will be there. Oh yes, it will.

Tuesday, January 2:

8:00 - 9:00PM

Nova - “The Mummy Who Would Be King”. So, there’s a mummy sitting on a shelf in a museum at Niagara Falls. There are some who are of the opinion that this might be the body of Ramses I. The scientist-types are looking into it. My opinion? I’m glad you asked, I think that he probably went there on his honeymoon, as all honeymooners do, went over the Falls in a barrel, as everyone who visits does, and the rest is history.

9:00 - 10:00PM

Frontline - “The Dark Side”. Frontline takes a look at the division that developed among some of Bush’s top people following September 11 as to what exactly the targets in the “War on Terror” should be. Should the U.S. go after Iraq and other nations in the Middle East or look at non-state players such as Al Qaeda? 

10:00 - 11:00PM

Independent Lens - “A Fish Story”. The tale of women who fight a battle against environmental groups for control of the ocean. It’s fishing tradition vs. health of the ocean in a battle to the death. Two ideals enter, one ideal leaves. 

Wednesday, January 3:

8:00 - 9:00PM