Thursday , March 28 2024
If you could change one thing about this world, what would it be?

PBS Primetime Programming for the Week of March 7

Sometimes I wonder about our society.  Okay, that's not exactly true, I always wonder about our society, always.  I don't know why I do, it can't really do good to sit there and ponder that which cannot be changed but truly ought to be, but it's the sort of thing that makes me wonder anyway.  Let me ask you this – if you could change something about our world, anything at all, what would it be?

 

Sunday, March 7:

8:00 – 9:00PM

National Geographic Magazine's Top 10 Photos of the Year.  Those of you out there who think that any top 10 photos deal with swimsuit models will be sorely disappointed.  That's just not the sort of thing that National Geographic does.  Instead you'll get some far more impressive photographs.  We'd tell you what they are but assume you'd rather be surprised.

9:00 – 10:30PM

The Priests in Concert at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.  Oh yes, they are priests, they are unquestionably priests.  That means that if you're a woman and attracted to them you ought not show that attraction by tossing your skivvies on the stage.  It's just not the sort of thing they appreciate.  They prefer more pious representations of affection.

 

Monday, March 8:

8:00 – 10:00PM

The T.A.M.I. Show – Rock 'n' Roll's First Concert Film.  Though this is – we're told – a PBS premiere it is by no means new.  No, this was filmed eight months after the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.  It features people you may have heard before, you know, people like the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and a whole heck of a lot more.

10:00 – 11:30PM

The Best of Daniel O'Donnell on Film.  That's right, Daniel O'Donnell.  You know him – he's an Irish singer, born in the early 1960s.  No?  Singer?  Irish?  Really, you don't recollect anything?  Okay, well, in that case you'll probably be interested in learning something about him, and what better way to do it than watching this.

 

Tuesday, March 9:

8:00 – 10:00PM

Dr. Christiane Northrup:  Menopause and Beyond.  Christiane Northrup is "a leading pioneer in mind/body health."  She'll be talking all about menopause tonight, because not only is she a pioneer, menopause is her strength, it's her forte, it's her thing.  Learn all about how she sees it, unless you already did when this originally aired, in which case you can refresh your memories.

 10:00 – 11:00PM

Independent Lens – "Young@Heart." Do you know how you know this Young@Heart is about a bunch of people who aren't so much young? It's because those who are young would never, ever, put out such a cheesy name. This Young@Heart is a senior citizens chorus who will perform songs written by just any group/artist.

 

Wednesday, March 10:

8:00 – 9:30PM

When Irish Eyes are Smiling:  An Irish Parade of Stars (My Music).  There have been plenty of great songs sung by Irish singers.  There have been plenty of great songs about Ireland.  There have been plenty of great songs that have been inspired by Ireland.  Some of those songs are from the 1950s and 1960s and you can learn about a slice of that segment of songs here.

9:30 – 11:00PM

Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert.  Rounder Records has been around for 40 years.  You probably could have guessed that because this is their 40th anniversary concert.  Of course, it could be like Papa John's.  When I started college they were celebrating their fifth anniversary.  I graduated four years later and they were celebrating their 10th.  Less than 10 years after that they claimed it was their 25th anniversary.  I don't think that's what's going on here, but it could be.

 

Thursday, March 11:

7:30 – 9:00PM 

GoGreener.  This show puts forth the notion that going green is either difficult or expensive.  They're going to show you all the easy ways that you can go green.  Of course, the first of these might be that you could turn off your television, that would probably help, but it might defeat the purpose of the show too.

9:00 – 10:30PM

Taking Control of Diabetes with Dr. Neal Barnard.  Neal Barnard spends an hour and a half tonight going through how everyone can take control of their diabetes.  Of course, the task is certainly easier for those who don't have diabetes.  Consequently, we hope that Barnard doesn't spend much time on those folks.

10:30PM – 12:00AM

Car Care for Everyone with Pat Goss.  Pat Goss is going to be telling all of us about cars.  Oh, he's not going to tell us how to fix them, he's going to be telling us how to ask the right questions about our cars.  My questions always deal with precisely how I can goose every last bit of horsepower out of it to do the perfect donut.  I wonder if he'll cover that.

 

Friday, March 12:

8:00 – 8:30PM

Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4936. Another whole week has gone by and good old Gwen Ifill and National Journal are here to fill us in. For the record, I like to pretend the National Journal is a sidekick, like Robin to Batman, Starsky to Hutch, or chocolate sauce to Double Dutch Chocolate ice cream.

8:30 – 9:00PM

NOW on PBS #611  It’s the Emmy award-winning weekly news magazine. It looks at issues facing our democracy. The show is hosted by David Brancaccio. And, even better, they still send me e-mails (I think that makes me cool and them nice). Thanks, Now, you guys are awesome!

9:00 – 10:00PM

Bill Moyers Journal #1346  It’s Bill Moyers. It’s his 1,346h journal (not really, but I’m not going to explain to you the way in which TV shows are numbered at this point in time, maybe later if you’re nice). He’s a good journalist so I assume this will be good journalism (at least the odds are it will).

10:00 – 11:30PM

Chet Akins:  Certified Guitar Player.  Dude, how do you get certified to play guitar?  I had know idea that was necessary.  Have I been going out all these years to play guitar under false pretenses?  Could I have made more money from my guitar gigs if I had obtained my certification?  Can I get certified when the closest I come to playing a real guitar is in Rock Band?

 

Saturday, March 13:

7:00 – 8:30PM

Pat Boone:  Love Songs in the Sands of Time.  That's so weird, I had no idea that Pat Boone had a thing for Prince of Persia.  I mean, that has to be what this is, right?  It's Pat Boone singing love songs based on Prince of Persia, it just has to be.  Either that or Boone in his first PBS special which will also feature stuff from The Pat Boone-Chevy Show.

8:30 – 10:00PM

Benise:  The Spanish Guitar.  This show has, I'm told, been referred to as "The Latin Riverdance."  That's either going to be a massive selling point or an instant, huge flashing red light telling you to steer clear, way clear.  You probably know where you stand, but we do urge you not to judge unless you've actually seen the original.

10:00 – 11:30PM

Visions of Canada.  Some refer to the country to our north as "America Jr."  We tend to think that although funny, it's not necessarily nice, nor is it necessarily accurate.  If you want to see Canada, if you really want to see Canada, you should probably go there yourself.  If you can't do that, perhaps this will suffice. 

 

You know what I would change if I could?  No?  You sure?  Well, I'm not going to tell you.  No, that's something for me to know and hold inside and not broadcast.  See, if I spout that sort of opinion here – if I list something that would change more than just the beauty pageant answer of "I'd like everyone to be happier," you'll think I'm getting on some sort of soapbox and it'll all just end badly.  While I might change that inevitable response, that's not really the thing I'd change if I could.

About Josh Lasser

Josh has deftly segued from a life of being pre-med to film school to television production to writing about the media in general. And by 'deftly' he means with agonizing second thoughts and the formation of an ulcer.

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