Rabbit to Robot

Following Antiques Roadshow, at 9pm History Detectives has a flight theme.  The detectives investigate stories involving the first trans-Atlantic flight (10 years before Lindbergh), the plane crash that left Howard Hughes scarred for life, and a hot-air baloon from 1862.

At 10pm, we start re-running the series Make Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America.  The first episode examines “Nerds, Jerks ,and Odballs”, with the likes of Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Andy Kaufman, Woody, Allen, Cheech and Chong… and so many more.

On Prime, Nova and Nature both tell interesting stories about primates.  At 7pm, Nova goes the Congo to visit a little-studied group of apes called bonobos, which  closely resemble humans:

Deep in the Congo lives a little-studied group of apes called the bonobos. Like chimpanzees, bonobos are among humans’ closest relatives. But unlike chimps, known for their violent behavior, bonobos are far more peaceful, even matriarchal. They embrace their neighbors and resolve conflict in an usual way — by having sex. Much like humans, bonobos have sex not just to procreate, but also for pleasure. The discovery of these more gentle ape traits have fascinated scientists and led them to question our origins and the roots of human nature as a whole. But in 1997, just as research on these elusive apes was getting off the ground, civil war broke out in the Congo. Bonobo researchers were forced to evacuate immediately, leaving behind the astonishing apes they were studying. Now, years later, NOVA returns to the Congo with veteran bonobo researchers who are worried that war and the bush meat industry may have decimated the bonobo population. What they find gives them hope for the future of the species. The program tells the intimate, emotional story of these amazing apes, detailing their survival, and the experiences of the scientists who have followed them so closely for so long.

And, on Nature:

In a wildlife story with Shakespearian overtones, life becomes very dangerous for twin baboons in Zimbabwe when their father is defeated as alpha male of the troop by the dominant ruler of a neighboring troop, throwing the social order into turmoil and unleashing potentially deadly intrigue.

And, at 9pm on Prime, we shift gears with The Power of Harmony, a documentary about a gay men’s chorus that formed in the heart of the Bible-belt.

At 7:30pm this evening, catch the award-winning documentary produced right here at wttw, Out & Proud Chicago.  Visit the website for clips, and here is a description:

The return of WTTW’s award-winning documentary spanning the fascinating history of Chicago’s vast and diverse LGBT community. Narrated by actress and Chicago native Jane Lynch. OUT & PROUD IN CHICAGO recently won a Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists for Best Public Affairs Programming. It also finished 3rd in an international competition, The Hugo Television Awards sponsored by the Chicago International Film Festival. Tune in for this special rebroadcast!

As usual, Tuesday night delivers. After Nova at 8pm, Frontline encores “Inside the Meltdown”:

Frontline  investigates the causes of the worst economic crisis in 70 years and how the government responded. The film chronicles the inside stories of the Bear Stearns deal, Lehman Brothers collapse, the propping up of insurance giant AIG and the $700 billion bailout. “Inside the Meltdown” examines what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke didn’t see, couldn’t stop and haven’t been able to fix.

Then at 10pm, another powerful documentary airs on Independent Lens.  In “Stranded: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors”, the story of this remarkable event (also chronicled by a book and then movie called “Alive”) is told by the people who experienced it.  The men survived for 72 days after their plane crashed in the Andean Cordillera in October 1972. 

The film is a moving tale of survival and humanity.  Very honest.  Catch it if you can.

Do you like funny?  We are currently airing the hour long program Monty Python’s Personal Best on Prime, Tuesdays at 9pm

The show repeats Wednesdays at 9am and Saturdays at 3pm.

Here’s a website for the PBS airings of Monty Python.

Tonight at 8pm, Secrets of the Dead reveals “the darker side of Michelangelo”, and at 9pm we air part 2 of WWII Behind Closed Doors.  A very revealing night.

On wttwPrime, you can see Globe Trekker at 9pm.

On Saturday evening we air a couple of live music programs on Prime.  At 11pm, Bob Dylan in Newport, 1963-1965 captures performances fromt he Newport Folk Festival.  And at 12midnight you can see Willie Nelson: Last of the Breed.

Our Sunday marathon is Made in Spain, which airs from 11am to 5pm.  Chef Jose Andres celebrates the culinary and cultural traditions of Spain in this cooking series.  Mmmm.

We’re airing a couple of interesting programs during the day on Sunday, including Jackie Onassis: An Intimate Portrait at 1pm and, (for those of you who are architects) the Driehaus Prize for Architecture at 3pm.  More info about that here.

At 4pm, a series called Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People continues tracing the history of the region.  Here’s the description of the series:

APPALACHIA: A HISTORY OF MOUNTAINS AND PEOPLE offers an unprecedented look at both the natural and human history of America’s mountain home.With Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek as narrator, magnificent visuals, colorful stories and insightful interviews with experts like author Barbara Kingsolver and Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist E.O. Wilson, the cast of scientists, historians and artists weaves a surprising tale that twists and climbs like a mountain road. APPALACHIA is the story of the black bear and the salamander, of the Iroquois and the Cherokee, of Revolutionary War heroes and Civil War atrocities, of brutal industrial logging and furious labor battles. The extraction of natural resources has pushed Appalachia to the brink, but the region’s diversity, ingenuity and strength of spirit endure. This four-part series isn’t just the story of Appalachia: It is a window into our struggle to find a proper relationship with the natural world.

At 7pm, this week’s Nature traces the Voyage of the Lonely Turtle:  A female loggerhead turtle sets off to lay eggs in the place where she was born. Her voyage will take her across the Pacific, from the coast of Mexico to Japan. It is among the longest journeys undertaken by any animal on land or sea, and she will make it all alone – facing typhoons and sharks, whales and squids, and passing through several exotic kingdoms of the sea.

AT 8pm, Nova teams up with the car talk guys to go in search of the “Car of the Future.”

With constantly increasing prices at the pump and a growing concern about the impact of emissions on global warming, there is a keen interest in alternative fuel sources to power our cars. The hydrogen fuel cell has long been the holy grail of zero emissions energy, and countries like Iceland are trying out the technology by transforming their public transportation. Closer to home, there are attempts to create fuels like “biodiesel” – made of used vegetable oil – or ethanol from corn crops. Will these be our future fuels or just a useful intermediate? Can an all-electric sports car being developed in California change the face of driving for good?

At 9pm, a special 2-hour Frontline examines the state of our water.  You can see a trailer and some clips  here.  Looks good.

Tuesday at 9, this is what Frontline/World has to offer:

Starting in Pakistan, Sharmeen Obaid investigates the increasing power and influence of a new branch of the Taliban that is helping make the country one of the Obama administration’s top foreign policy concerns. Also, Doug Rushkoff travels to the edge of the digital frontier — South Korea — for a look at a country that’s embraced the wired world more thoroughly than any place on earth and is now potentially facing a new public health crisis: internet addiction.

At 10pm, Independent Lens presents a documentary called Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai

How does the simple act of planting trees lead to winning the Nobel Peace Prize? Ask Wangari Maathai of Kenya. In 1977, she suggested rural women plant trees to address problems stemming from a degraded environment. Under her leadership, their tree-planting grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, defend human rights and promote democracy. And brought Maathai the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Presidents Week continues tonight- see our entire lineup below:

Monday at 7pm – Richard Nixon

Tuesday at 7pm – Jimmy Carter

Wednesday at 7pm – Reagan, Part 1

Wednesday at 9pm – Frontline: Dreams of Obama

Thursday at 7pm – Reagan, Part 2

Saturday, an all day marathon:

7am - Truman, Parts 1 and 2

11:30am – Nixon

2:30pm – Carter

5:30pm – Reagan, Parts 1 and 2

10pm – Dreams of Obama