ALEXANDRIA, Va., (PBS) - From GREAT PERFORMANCES and AMERICAN MASTERS to AUSTIN CITY LIMITS and beyond, PBS is one of the most diverse destinations on television for popular music performance specials. To ring in the holiday season, PBS will air some of its best music shows during the December 2005 pledge period.
The December line-up of music specials features CARLY SIMON: MOONLIGHT SERENADE - LIVE ON THE QUEEN MARY 2. Simon's 1971 mega-hit "Anticipation" launched an enduring career that continues with the Top 10 presence of her new CD release, Moonlight Serenade. The charismatic Simon sings standards and her own classics, too, including "You're So Vain" and "Coming Around Again" against the backdrop of the ship's vast ballroom and majestic deck.
BENISE: NIGHTS OF FIRE, starring high-energy guitarist Roni Benise, takes viewers on a passionate and exotic journey of Spanish music and dance, from Cuban salsa to Spanish flamenco to Brazilian samba. Traditional Flamenco artists, De La Guarda performers, Broadway dancers and featured soloists join to interpret Benise's vision of wild, yet refined, musical artistry.
The December line-up of music programs also showcases the popular DOO WOP CAVALCADE, with a mix of exciting new live performances and classic archival gems from the vaults. Nearly eight years after uniting for public television, hosts Jerry Butler, Johnny Maestro and Alan Freed (via archival clips) present "all the hits, by all your favorite doo wop stars."
Taped live at the Walt Disney World Resort, JIM BRICKMAN AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM: THE DISNEY SONGBOOK presents sublime piano virtuoso Jim Brickman and some very talented guests. Brickman has an international reputation for creative collaborations with the industry's most gifted musical artists. Helping Brickman interpret some of Uncle Walt's most memorable and beloved songs are music superstar Michael Bolton; Emmy-winning TV star, comedian and singer Wayne Brady; the voice of Broadway, Linda Eder; country star Lila McCann; Anne Cochran and Tracy Silverman; plus favorite Disney characters.
Additional programs include PAUL ANKA: ROCK SWINGS - LIVE IN MONTREAL; RICKY NELSON SINGS; TOM JONES: THE LEGEND; GREAT PERFORMANCES "MY NAME IS BARBRA" and "MICHAEL BUBLE: CAUGHT IN THE ACT"; and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON '75.
Following are program highlights for PBS music specials airing as part of the December 2005 pledge drive (check local listings)*:
CARLY SIMON: MOONLIGHT SERENADE - LIVE ON THE QUEEN MARY 2
Saturday, December 3, 2005, 8:30-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - The camera pans through the ballroom doors, inviting viewers to an enchanting evening of timeless romance. Dressed in a cream evening gown evocative of the 1940s, surrounded by ballroom dancers and backed by a 15- piece orchestra, Simon delivers the standards with her signature smoky vocals. Other segments feature Simon on the deck of this magnificent new ship. The standards include "Moonlight Serenade," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "My One and Only Love." She also sings early hits such as "You're So Vain" and "Anticipation." During the mostly acoustic second act, Sally Taylor, daughter of Simon and James Taylor, joins her for a touching rendition of "Love of My Life/Devoted to You."
BENISE: NIGHTS OF FIRE
Sunday, December 11, 2005, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Nights of Fire is a spectacular journey of Spanish music and dance that pushes the bar of tradition with unprecedented passion. The wild and beautiful sounds of Spanish guitar master Roni Benise evoke a romantic voyage through an exotic territory of cultural fusion. Merging his innovative vision with the creative minds of director Amy Tinkham and Brazilian born choreographer Alex Magno, 19 dancers and other performers join Benise to break all the traditions and rules of Spanish music and dance. World-class musicians include a Havana horn section on his Cuban Salsa numbers, such as "Salsa Salsa" and a 10 piece orchestra backing bold and beautifully arranged ballads such as "Mi Amor" and "Long Kiss."
DOO WOP CAVALCADE: THE DEFINITIVE ANTHOLOGY (MY MUSIC No 203)
Sunday, December 4, 2005, 9:00-11:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - DOO WOP CAVALCADE is a rocking and rolling all-new selection of Doo Wop hits. Many have never before been broadcast in their entirety, and many were recorded for the first time on television. An extra treat is a hip presentation of lost gems from the great rock and roll movies of the 1950's. Archival tunes include "I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent" from Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" from The Platters, "Little Girl Of Mine" from The Cleftones and "Tonite, Tonite" from The Mello Kings. Other great tunes from the cavalcade include classics such as The Duprees' "You Belong To Me," The Willows' "Life Is But A Dream," The Bobettes' "Mr. Lee" and The Regents' "Barbara Ann."
JIM BRICKMAN AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM: THE DISNEY SONGBOOK
Saturday, December 3, 2005, 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Walt Disney understood that music should be at the heart of every entertainment experience. He once said, "I cannot think of the pictorial story without thinking about the complementary music that will fulfill it." To celebrate Disney's genius and legacy, JIM BRICKMAN AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM: THE DISNEY SONGBOOK presents Disney's most memorable songs - from the old, including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," "When You Wish Upon A Star" and "Someday My Prince Will Come" - to the new, such as "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Bare Necessities."
PAUL ANKA ROCK SWINGS - LIVE IN MONTREAL
Tuesday, December 6, 2005, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Taped at the July 2005 Montreal Jazz Festival, PAUL ANKA ROCK SWINGS - LIVE IN MONTREAL captures this legend at his best. Whether singing from his latest CD, Rock Swings - swing-style covers of songs by Michael Jackson, Spandau Ballet and Eric Clapton - or delivering his own greatest hits, such as "Diana," "Times of Your Life" and "You Are My Destiny," PAUL ANKA: ROCK SWINGS - LIVE IN MONTREAL shows why this 1950s teen idol is still pulling in a whole new generation of fans.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND:
HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON '75 Thursday, December 8, 2005, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Never-before-seen on television, digitally restored and legendary in its own right - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON '75, honors the 30th anniversary of "The Boss" November 18, 1975, concert and release of the album Born to Run. Regarded as a landmark album in the history of rock and roll, The Hammersmith Odeon concert captures the early genius and dynamism of this major rock superstar. The cutting edge song list includes "Thunder Road," "Spirit in the Night," "She's the One," "Backstreets" and "Born to Run."
RICKY NELSON SINGS
Monday, December 5, 2005, 10:30-11:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Ricky Nelson had a unique and remarkable musical career cut short by a tragic death in a plane crash. RICKY NELSON SINGS celebrates the artist with his greatest performances from the classic TV series "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (1957-1966). Full-length musical numbers from among his 60 chart hits, such as "Hello Mary Lou," "Bye Bye Love" and "Travelin' Man," as well as "covers" of Ricky's favorite rock era classics, including "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It," are blended with new interviews with Ricky's children, friend Kris Kristofferson, and band mate and guitar legend James Burton. RICKY NELSON SINGS is packed with warmth, emotion, fun and a lot of great rock and roll.
TOM JONES: THE LEGEND
Wednesday, December 7, 2005, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Tom Jones is one of the most popular and enduring vocalists to emerge from the "British Invasion" of the 1960s, maintaining a super-star profile of sexually charged dynamism for more than five decades. Since winning the Best Newcomer Grammy in 1965, he's delivered hit after hit on the music charts, been a near-permanent fixture on radio and television, and played to packed houses all over the world. TOM JONES: THE LEGEND is the artist at a youthful sexy best, compiled from performances on his television show broadcast live from Vancouver in 1981. The song list, from an amazing string of hits, includes "Delilah," "Love Me Tonight," "Daughter of Darkness," "Green Green Grass of Home" and "What's New Pussycat?"
GREAT PERFORMANCES "My Name is Barbra"
Sunday, December 11, 2005, 10:30-12:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - With a career spanning more than four decades, the sublime vocal artistry of Barbra Streisand has thrilled audiences everywhere. GREAT PERFORMANCES "My Name is Barbra" captures the electrifying early years of the Streisand sensation with her first television outing in the mid-60s. Conceptually dazzling and innovative, this vintage special features Streisand performing "Second Hand Rose," "Happy Days Are Here Again," "People" and many more.
GREAT PERFORMANCES "Michael Buble: Caught in the Act"
Wednesday, December 7, 2005, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) CC STEREO - Canadian singing sensation Michael Buble headlines his first- ever television special, recorded live at L.A.'s famed Wiltern Theatre. GREAT PERFORMANCES "Michael Buble: Caught in the Act" presents the playful and charming Buble, accompanied by a soaring 27-piece band, reinventing every standard he sings - from a heartfelt version of "Try a Little Tenderness" and a swinging "I've Got You Under My Skin" to a rocking Latin-themed "Sway" and a dancing-in-the-aisles "Save the Last Dance for Me." Italian pop star Laura Pausini adds a dash of international glamour to a sizzling duet version of "You'll Never Find Another Love."
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* PBS December Pledge Runs 12/3-12/11/05. Please note that all programs are CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. PBS program schedules vary from market to market and this is especially true during the "pledge" periods. Program lengths are also subject to change depending on the pledge break intervals determined on the local level at each station. Regularly scheduled programs and series are subject to preemption. If you have questions about a program's airdate and length, please contact your local PBS station.
