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On KPBS TV
America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated: Thanksgiving Turkey
Airs Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 2 p.m. on KPBS TV
In this episode, test cook Julia Collin Davison shows host Christopher Kimball how to make the perfect Old-Fashioned Stuffed Turkey. Then, equipment expert Adam Ried reviews hybrid chef’s knives. And finally, science expert Guy Crosby discusses the science behind stale bread.
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
Airs Wed., Nov. 21, 2012 at 8 a.m. & 11 a.m., Thurs., Nov. 22 at 9 a.m., Sun., Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. & Tues., Dec. 25 at 8 a.m. on KPBS TV
In "A Very Monkey Christmas," Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat are having a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas. There's only one dilemma - neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present! In the end, both gift-giving predicaments are simply and beautifully resolved, revealing the true spirit of the holiday season.
The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas!
Airs Wed., Nov. 21, 2012 at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. & Thurs., Nov. 22 at 8 a.m., Fri., Nov. 23 at 8 a.m., Sun., Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. & Tues., Dec. 25 at 10 a.m. on KPBS TV
This adventure finds the Cat in the Hat, Nick and Sally on a journey around the world to help a lost reindeer find his way home to Freezeyourknees Snowland in time for Christmas. On the way, the Thingamajigger breaks down and they depend on a variety of animals -- from African bush elephants to bottlenose dolphins to red crabs -- and their remarkable abilities to help them make an amazing journey home.
Arthur's Perfect Christmas
Airs Wed., Nov. 21, 2012 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m., Fri., Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m., Sun., Dec. 23 at 5 p.m. & Tues., Dec. 25 at 7 a.m.on KPBS TV
Everyone’s favorite aardvark gives kids a new spin on seasonal traditions in his one-hour special, showing children many ways to celebrate “the holidays.” Plans are underway in Elwood City for the best holidays ever as Arthur, D.W., their family and friends make preparations for perfect gifts, perfect parties and perfect family traditions for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and even “Baxter Day” (Buster and his mom’s special celebration).
Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration
Airs Sun., Nov. 25, 2012 at 7:30 p.m., Tues., Nov. 27 at 11 a.m., Sun., Dec. 9 at 3 p.m., Fri., Dec. 14 at 10:30 p.m. & Sun., Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. on KPBS TV
This Christmas celebration — with singers Chloe Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, Orla Fallon and fiddler Mairead Nesbitt — includes such popular classics as “White Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “O Holy Night” and “Let it Snow.” The special was filmed in Dublin’s prestigious Helix Centre, where the Celtic Woman phenomenon began, and features several original pieces: “Green the Whole Year Round,” a fiddle solo called “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “Christmas Pipes.”
Nature: Christmas In Yellowstone
Airs Sun., Dec. 2, 2012 at 6 p.m., Sun., Dec. 23 at 8 & 11 p.m. & Tues., Dec. 25 at 1:30 a.m. on KPBS TV
As snow falls and Christmas lights glow in Jackson Hole, a holiday season of a different sort settles in just beyond the town, in the great winter world of Yellowstone. Breathtaking landscapes frame intimate scenes of wolves and coyotes, elk and bison, bears and otters as they make their way through their most challenging season of the year.
Great Performances: Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby
Airs Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 9:30 p.m. on KPBS TV
Legendary rocker Rod Stewart’s first solo holiday special, with songs produced by “Hitman” David Foster, features 13 classic songs, ranging from “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to “Auld Lang Syne,” and including duets with Michael Bublé (“Winter Wonderland”), Cee-Lo Green (“Merry Christmas, Baby”), Mary J. Blige (“We Three Kings”) and even Ella Fitzgerald (“What Are You Doing on New Year’s Eve?”).
Christmas With Nathan Pacheco
Airs Thurs., Dec. 6, 2012 at 8 p.m., Fri., Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. & Sat., Dec. 15 at 3:30 p.m. on KPBS TV
This Christmas, renowned recording artist Nathan Pacheco gives the gift of music, capturing the spirit of the season with inspirational, moving performances of holiday favorites including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “White Christmas,” “Silver Bells” and an unforgettable rendition of the ultimate Christmas song, “O Holy Night.”
Shalom Sesame - Chanukah: The Missing Menorah
Airs Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 & Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 a.m. on KPBS TV
It’s time to celebrate Chanukah in Israel with the gang from Sesame Street. Grover’s bringing the latkes and all is well until Anneliese gets caught in a game of tag with a chicken and loses her special menorah – right before sunset! Can her friends find the missing menorah in time? Explore holiday foods, stories and traditions with familiar faces, including Grover, Telly and The Count.
Celtic Thunder Christmas
Airs Monday, December 10, 2012 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV (updated from Nov. 29th)
This heart-warming Celtic Thunder show features holiday standards such as "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas," "Let It Snow," "Winter Wonderland" and "Silent Night" as well as a few specially-written originals, "Going Home For Christmas," "Christmas Morning Donegal" and "Our First Christmas Together."
Rick Steves' European Christmas
Airs Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 at 8 p.m. & Saturday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m. on KPBS TV
After producing a hundred of his travel shows, Rick Steves and his public television crew finally celebrated Christmas in Europe. Rick and his gang brought home a vivid and intimate look at how seven diverse cultures celebrate Christmas. From England to Norway, Burgundy to Bavaria, and Rome to the top of the Swiss Alps, this special gets you down on the carpet with wide-eyed children, up in the loft with the finest choirs, and into the kitchen with grandma and all her secrets.
The National Christmas Tree Lighting 2012
Airs Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV
Celebrating its 90th year, the lighting of the National Christmas Tree signals the start of the holiday season across the country. Taped at President's Park in Washington, D.C., the 60-minute special will feature performances and readings by Colbie Caillat, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, The Fray, Ledisi, Jason Mraz, Phillip Phillips, James Taylor and more. Plus a special guest appearance by MODERN FAMILY's Rico Rodriquez.
Great Performances: Sting: A Winter's Night
Airs Friday, December 21, 2012 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV
Following his international success with "Songs from the Labyrinth," featuring the music of Elizabethan composer John Dowland, rock and pop superstar Sting welcomes the holidays with an atmospheric musical celebration of winter -- days of solitude and reflection, as well as re-birth and festivity. Recorded on location at the Durham Cathedral near his hometown of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northern England, this program conjures the moods and spirits of the season with a diverse collection of songs, carols and lullabies spanning the centuries.
European Christmas Markets
Airs Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. on KPBS TV
Join us in our discovery of Europe's Christmas Markets, where the town center, market square, or just the sides of narrow, cobblestone streets come alive in the dark of winter with festively decorated wooden stalls offering hot wine, regional food, Christmas decorations, sweet confections, toys, regional crafts and local entertainment.
Travelscope: Christmas In Switzerland
Airs Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. on KPBS TV
Host Joseph Rosendo journeys to Lausanne, Montreux and Basel to bask in the glow of a Swiss-style Christmas at some of the country's holiday markets, where food stalls feature some of the best regional fare. He samples locally produced wine, venison sausage fresh from the hunt and even chestnuts roasted on an open fire. Rosendo also enjoys a scenic train ride to Rocher-de-Naye, where he meets Father Christmas and his trusty companion, the Schmutzli, at Santa's Village.
Heirloom Meals Christmas
Airs Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV
Hosted by culinary artist and public-radio personality Carole Murko, "Heirloom Meals Christmas" celebrates the holiday season by delving into America's rich and diverse culinary history and honoring tried-and-true recipes and dining traditions. She contrasts the Mexican-American tradition of making tamales on Christmas Eve with the old-world Austrian-American custom of preparing a Christmas goose. Other unique recipes include a sweet potato cake, holiday-themed lollipops and a closely guarded family eggnog.
Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables And Traditions
Airs Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 4 p.m. on KPBS TV
Celebrity chef, author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich celebrates culture through food. Join her for an Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes with actors Mo Rocca and Stanley Tucci; a Mexican-American Christmas Day with four generations of the Cortez family in San Antonio, Texas; a Chinese New Year feast and celebration with the Fong-Torres family; and a Jewish-American Passover seder with the Russ family of the famed specialty shop Russ and Daughters and food author Ruth Reichl.
Antiques Roadshow: Greatest Gifts
Airs Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 at 8 p.m. & 11 p.m. & Sunday, Dec. 30 at 5 p.m. on KPBS TV
A Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace from a husband or a Fender bass guitar as a birthday present — these memorable gifts turned out to be valuable and interesting items. “Greatest Gifts,” filled with appraisals featuring items that guests received as presents, will have you writing your own holiday wish list.
Christmas With The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Jane Seymour And Nathan Gunn
Airs Monday, December 24, 2012 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV
Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Seymour and Grammy Award-winning baritone Nathan Gunn join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas special featuring some of the season’s best-loved songs.
Christmas At St. Olaf: Rejoice, Give Thanks, And Sing
Airs Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 at 10 p.m. & Tuesday, Dec. 25 at 5 a.m. on KPBS TV
This production of one of the nation’s most highly acclaimed annual musical celebration marks the 100th anniversary of the annual Christmas Festival from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Featuring St. Olaf’s renowned choirs and orchestra, the program’s rich blending of compositions will highlight selections from previous Christmas Festivals, including excerpts from R.V. Williams Hodie.
Christmas Carols With The Priests
Airs Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 6 a.m. on KPBS TV
The Priests showcase their seasonal classics in a one-hour Christmas special, "Christmas Carols With The Priests." Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Fathers Eugene and Martin O'Hagan (brothers) and Father David Delargy bring the festive season alive with a collection of holiday favorites delivered with a "little priestly twist."
Live From Lincoln Center: One Singular Sensation: Celebrating Marvin Hamlisch
Airs Monday, December 31, 2012 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV
The New York Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Gemignani, rings in 2013 with this celebration of the life and work of Marvin Hamlisch. Joshua Bell, Raúl Esparza, Michael Feinstein, Maria Friedman, Josh Groban, Megan Hilty, Kelli O’Hara and Frederica Von Stade are featured in a program highlighting selections that span Hamlisch’s groundbreaking music for stage and film. Audra McDonald hosts.
Great Performances: From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013
Airs Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV
Always one of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ “favorite things,” the cherished tradition of ringing in the New Year with special host Julie Andrews and the Vienna Philharmonic continues. With guest conductor Franz Welser-Möst wielding the baton at the opulent Musikverein, the program features everyone’s favorite Strauss Family waltzes and the dancers of the Vienna City Ballet. In addition to the Musikverein setting, the broadcast features a range of picturesque Vienna landmarks.
On KPBS Radio
Hanukkah Lights
Airs Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 4 p.m. on KPBS FM
A perennial NPR favorite, "Hanukkah Lights" features Hanukkah stories and memoirs written by acclaimed authors for the show, as read by NPR's Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz. Photo: Susan Stamberg/ Credit: 2006 NPR by Antony Nagelmann
This American Life: A Real Christmas
Airs Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 1 p.m. on KPBS FM
Jonathan Winters: A Christmas Carol
Airs Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 4 p.m. on KPBS FM
Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of this holiday classic, using a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. He re-creates Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley's spirit and the three Christmas ghosts: Past, Present and Future. Mimi Kennedy also performs. Produced by National Public Radio and KCRW.
All Songs Considered For The Holidays
Airs Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012 at 6 p.m. & Monday, Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. on KPBS FM
It's the fourth edition of the not so new, wonky holiday tradition from NPR Music. Host Bob Boilen and friends trade holiday cheer and snarky barbs while bringing you the best holiday songs from new and emerging breakout bands. This show is filled with fun and fresh renditions of great holiday music.
Festivo Alt.Latino
Airs Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 7 p.m. on KPBS FM
Latin American holiday traditions often reflect both indigenous and European roots with distinct characteristics that are often only similar in the language used. NPR Music's Alt.Latino hosts Felix Contreras and Jasmine Garsd take us on a Latin American holiday travelogue through the eyes and ears of four very different Latin Alternative musicians who put aside their contemporary sounds and go back to their musical and cultural roots.
Handels Messiah
Airs Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 3 a.m. on KPBS FM
Join the Handel & Haydn Society Period Instrument Orchestra, Chorus, and soloists, all in performance at Boston's Symphony Hall. Handel's complete "Messiah."
Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Stories
Airs Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 11 a.m. on KPBS FM
This program features stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk -- these and other NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season.
Tinsel Tales 2
Airs Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 12 p.m. on KPBS FM
NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. Continuing with the tradition of the first "Tinsel Tales" program, this is another collection of the best and most requested holiday stories. Joy, hope, and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary. Photo: Lynn Neary/ Photo Credit: © 2010 NPR, by Doby Photography
Great American Songbook
Airs Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 7 p.m. on KPBS FM
Join Philip Furia for an enduring body of classical song, performed generation after generation by musicians and singers in styles that range from jazz to blues, rock to country.
A Season's Giot
Airs Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012 at 10 p.m. & Wednesday, Dec. 26 at 7 p.m. on KPBS FM
Join us for a Kwanzaa celebration in story and song. Madafo Lloyd Wilson welcomes guest griots, reading their own original and traditional stories, and we'll hear an original work by the show's poet laureate, Beverly Fields Burnette. Photo: Madafo Lloyd Wilson, "A Season's Griot"/ Credit: WHQR
Capitol Steps: Politics Takes A Holiday New Year's Eve Edition 2012
Airs Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 at 7 p.m. & Monday, Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. on KPBS FM
Help us roast 2012 to a crisp with The Capitol Steps and their annual year-in-review awards ceremony called Politics Takes a Holiday! This year will feature all new awards, such as:"Best Use of $3 billion Dollars to Run for President," "Worst Place in Public to Admit You Had a Binder Full of Women," "Most Prostitutes to Ever Fit into the Secret Service's Hotel," and "Worst Hair Cut Ever to Demand to See Anyone¿s Birth Certificate, Much Less the President's." Go ahead, post on Facebook (hopefully you didn't invest in it) and tell your friends all about it! If there is anything Congress can agree on, it is The Capitol Steps' one hour long special will have you laughing harder than Joe Biden at a Vice Presidential debate.
