Get Tickets To Attend Antiques RoadShow #PBS @RoadshowPBS

PBS' Antiques Roadshow is accepting application for ticket to attend Antiques Roadshow. If your'e going to be in one of the towns listed above, this summer, you better get yours in!You never what treasures you may have. Even if it turns out that your items aren't going to pay for your lavish retirement it is still a really fun day, talking with people and seeing their treasures. I highly recommend attending!

 Due date is MONDAY APRIL 6TH.

Here's all the details

Complete the form to apply for two free tickets to one of the 2015 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW events. It's easy and will take only a few minutes.

If you would prefer to apply by postcard, you can find those instructions here.

Applicants will be selected at random to receive tickets. Your chances of being selected will depend on the number of eligible applicants for each city and are not affected by how early or late you apply within the application period.

Online ticket application ends at 11:59PM PT, Monday, April 6, 2015.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, A FEW RULES AND REMINDERS:


• Online ticket application is open only to residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada who are 18 or older. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.

• Ticket recipients are selected by a random drawing and will receive two tickets. There is a two-ticket limit per household.

• Only one application per household, either postcard or online, to one city, will be accepted. Duplicate applications from the same household or mailing address will be discarded.

• Your name, mailing address, and a valid email address will be necessary to apply online.

• Tickets will be mailed to successful applicants approximately three weeks prior to the event date.

See Complete Rules and Regulations for more information.

If you have applied online, you can use your email address to check your ticket status using the online Ticket Checker.

We will e-mail all online ticket applicants a reminder about the online Ticket Checker in early-May.

This will be the only way to find out if you were selected to receive tickets. We will not send email notifications.

If you applied for tickets by postcard and are chosen to receive tickets, you will not receive a confirmation prior to receiving the tickets.

For more information, see the Complete Ticketing Rules and Regulations »

And for answers to frequently asked questions, see our FAQs »

New PBS Peg + Cat Episodes and YouTube Too! #PBSVIPS @PBSKids

Beginning March 2 PBS Kids Peg + Cat is going musical. Well at least they'll be musically influenced new episodes. They'll be running the gambit from the "groovy" sixties to Radio City Musical Hall. Music is such a great way to teach math concepts. My daughter is in 5th grade now and I know learning about music has helped her immeasurably (har har) with all the fraction work they do.

Here's the full run down of the new Peg + Cat episodes

“The Allergy Problem/I Do What I Can: The Musical!” – Premieres Monday, March 2, 2015
· The Allergy Problem - When Peg is told she's allergic to Cat, Cat leaves home! Ramone flies Peg around the world in his flying machine that runs on 100 pebbles, in search of her friend.
· I Do What I Can: The Musical! - Peg and Cat present a Broadway musical about the amazing Ramone, who became a hero by doing 30 great things, 5 at a time.

“The Roxanne Problem/The Girl Group Problem” - Premieres Tuesday, March 3, 2015
· The Roxanne Problem - Cat longs to impress the savvy Roxanne with his knowledge of solid shapes. So he moves his lips as his hidden friend Peg speaks for him.
· The Girl Group Problem - Peg's girl group the Pentagirls has its biggest show ever, featuring a new hit song about flips, slides, and turns.

“The Groovy Sixties Problem/Bad Jack is Back” - Premieres Wednesday, March 4, 2015
· The Groovy Sixties Problem - Peg and Cat help Peg's hippy Grandmom create a groovy birthday present for Granddad based on his favorite numbers: the sixties.
· Bad Jack is Back - When Bad Jack returns with his gang to tickle the townspeople, a surprise guest shows Peg and Cat how to fend off the bad guys' six feathers with four feathers.

“The Magic Uke/The Rocking Out Problem” - Premieres Thursday, March 5, 2015
· The Magic Uke - Peg must trek through the Kingdom of Night to reach Cat. To cross the star-shaped steps, Peg needs to find lines of symmetry with the help of a magic ukulele.
· The Rocking Out Problem - When Baby Fox makes a spectacular musical instrument out of junk, Peg and Cat get stuck in it! To get out they use up, down, around and 3/4 time.

You can also enjoy PBS Kids on their new YouTube channel aimed at kids 2-8 and their parents. Now you can see all you and your kids favs anytime you want! The channel includes hundreds of clips and promotional videos from popular PBS KIDS series, such as DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, PEG + CAT, WILD KRATTS, ARTHUR, MARTHA SPEAKS, WORDGIRL and PBS KIDS’ newest series, ODD SQUAD. In addition, viewers can watch full episodes on YouTube from web original series, including FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB, OH NOAH!, RUFF RUFFMAN: HUMBLE MEDIA GENIUS, CHUCK VANDERCHUCK’S “SOMETHING SOMETHING” EXPLOSION and PLUM LANDING. New content will be added to the channel weekly.


 

Cinderella Meets Downton Abbey #DowntonAbbey #Cinderella

PBS Downton Abbey Cast returns Jan 4th

Disney is premiering a new live action Cinderella film this Spring. Last week they released the first trailer and I noticed something...It stars some of my beloved Downton Abbey ladies! With Downton Abbey returning to PBS January 4th we won't have to wait to see them, but when it ends on March 1st we will only have to wait 2 weeks until March 13th, when CINDERELLA opens, to see them again.

Disney Cinderella with Lily James and Richard Maden

Obviously, Cinderella is played by Lily James who is the rebellious Lady Rose MacClare in Downton Abbey. There is also Sophie McShera as the wicked step sister Drizella, who we all know and love as Daisy from the Downton kitchen. The film also features some yet to be Downton Abbey actors including Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter. I think they should be able to muddle through.

Cinderella with Cate Blanchett, Sophia McShera, and Holliday Graiger

The film looks beautiful, based on the trailer.  Just the costumes in these posters released today give you a pretty good idea of the quality and detail of the film. I'm hoping Disney has given the traditional story a bit of a feminist spin. Disney has been really great about strong female characters in the last several years, so fingers crossed!

Cinderella Helena Bonham Carter

OK that is the end of my cross promotion. Can't wait for Downton Abbey January 4th and Cinderella March 13th. Keep the good stuff comin' everyone!

PBS Finding Your Roots Starts Tuesday #FindingYourRoots @PBS

I'm so excited to have another of my favorite shows returning this week, Tuesday to be exact, Henry Louis Gates, Jr's Finding Your Roots on PBS. I have a little obsession with ancestry.com and if truth be told a bit of a crush on Henry. Shh that last part is top secret.

                         

OK maybe the crush isn't that big of a secret...ANYWAY...If you haven't seen Finding Your Roots it's a show where Henry has celebrity guests and goes through their genealogy with them. It's amazing how everyone's stories have dramatic turns in them. If you haven't joined Ancestry.com and done your own family tree I highly recommend it. Even if you think you have the least interesting family in the world, I bet they'll surprise you. My own family turned out to have some really great mysteries I was able to solve and get a lot of detail, not to mention finding my husband's cousin, who he's never met. 

This first episode of Finding Your Roots, In Search Of Our Fathers, guest will be Stephen King, Gloria Reuben and Courtney B. Vance and they will be uncovering their paternal ancestry. One of the guests, this season, I am most looking forward to is Ken Burns. It will be fascinating to see the history of the man who makes so many films about history. Too bad Peter Coyote won't be narrating his story. I'm also excited to see Carole King, Sally Field, and really all of them! 

Future Episodes

Born Champions
Examine the ancestral origins of athletes Derek Jeter, Billie Jean King and Rebecca Lobo.
Airdate: 9/30/2014

Our American Storytellers
Learn how the lives of forebears of Ken Burns, Anderson Cooper and Anna Deavere Smith intersected.
Airdate: 10/7/2014

Roots of Freedom
Learn how the ancestors of Ben Affleck, Khandi Alexander and Ben Jealous fought for freedom.
Airdate: 10/14/2014

The Melting Pot
Meet three chefs, Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai and Aaron Sanchez, who cook the food of their ancestors.
Airdate: 10/21/2014

We Come From People
Trace the roots of Nas, Angela Bassett and Valerie Jarrett into the heart of slavery.
Airdate: 10/28/2014

Our People, Our Traditions
Examine the Jewish heritage of Alan Dershowitz, Carole King and Tony Kushner.
Airdate: 11/4/2014

The British Are Coming
Explore the British influence in the lives of Deepak Chopra, Sally Field and Sting.
Airdate: 11/11/2014

Ancient Roots
Trace the histories of three quintessential voices: Tina Fey, Arianna Huffington and David Sedaris.
Airdate: 11/18/2014

Decoding Our Past Through DNA
See how DNA analysis challenges guests’ ideas about their family’s history and their own identities.
Airdate: 11/25/2014

Peg + Cat: Chicken On The Loose @PBSKids #Peg+Cat

September 9th you'll be able to own 8 Peg + Cat stories from the PBS series on DVD. The DVD is called Peg + Cat: Chickens On The Loose And Other Really Big Problems. It doesn't exactly roll of the tongue but I think it definitely speaks to it's core audience.

As always Peg + Cat will find themselves with a challenging problem to resolve in each story. They'll work on a solution in their own unique way using problem solving skills and of course math. The series has an amazing ability to not only teach math skills but also resilience, trying again until you find your solution. Of all the skills children need to learn I would say resilience is probably the most important. It is hard to fail at anything. Peg + Cat help kids see it not as failure but just a step in the process to solving a problem.

Peg + Cat: Chickens On The Loose And Other Really Big Problems is available September 9th $12.99

The episodes included are

The Chicken Problem:
Peg and Cat have to get 100 chickens back in the coop before the farmer sees.
Primary Goal: Size correspondence
Secondary Learning Goal: The number 100

The Space Creature Problem:
Peg, Cat and Richard must get the 100 chickens away from Big Mouth and back to their spaceship.
Primary Learning Goal: Counting by tens
Secondary Learning Goal: The number 100

The Messy Room Problem:
Peg and Cat sort through the mess in Peg’s room just in time for company to come over and see Cat’s masterpiece, “The Circles.”
Primary Learning Goal: Sorting
Secondary Learning Goal: Shapes

The Golden Pyramid Problem:
Peg the Bold and Brave Sir Cat, Knights of the Round Table, search far and wide to retrieve the Mermaid’s golden pyramids.
Primary Learning Goal: Solid shapes
Secondary Learning Goal: Counting by twos

The Three Bears Problem:
Peg and Cat bring the Three Bears, the Three Little Pigs, and the Three Billy Goats Gruff together to form a super group: “The Electric Eleven.”
Primary Learning Goal: Adding 1
Secondary Learning Goal: Counting to 11

The Giant Problem:
Peg and Cat must attempt a great escape when they think the Giants want to eat them and their 8 fairy tale friends for lunch.
Primary Learning Goal: Combinations that add up to 10
Secondary Learning Goal: Circle

The Dinosaur Problem:
When Peg and Cat get lost riding dinosaurs through a prehistoric forest, they use a diagram to find their way to safety before the Baby T-Rex catches up to them.
Primary Learning Goal: Following diagrams
Secondary Learning Goal: Patterns

The Beethoven Problem:
When Peg and Cat are helping their pal Ludwig Van Beethoven write a symphony, Cat laughs in a certain pattern that gives Beethoven a great idea.
Primary Learning Goal: Patterns
Secondary Learning Goal: Ordinal Numbers

In addition to the 8 stories the DVD also includes special features and printable coloring pages.

Downton Abbey Season 5 Sneak Peek #DowntonPBS @MasterpiecePBS

Downton Abbey is returning to PBS Masterpiece this January 2015. It's a long wait but here are a few glimpses into what is awaiting us. Of course there are no spoilers but we do see a new character and our babies are growing up! I can tell you that we will not be seeing Shirley Maclaine or Paul Giamatti this year, but that is as spoilery as I get.

Downton Abbey Branson and Sybie

Here is little Sybie with her father Branson, who hopeful will not be hooking up with that teacher from town. Is it me or does she seem like a bad egg?

Downton Abbey George and his nanny

Here's Matthew and Mary's son George. Hopefully him being pictured with his nanny isn't a clue that Mary is struggling with motherhood and her grief over Mathew's death. Or maybe she's just too busy juggling all her suitors. He sure is a cutie, it would be hard for anyone not to fawn all over him.

Downton Abbey Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes

It would be great if Mr Carson and Mrs. Hughes continued their torrid hand holding from last seasons beach trip! They really are the perfect couple.

Downton Abbey Cora and Simon Bricker

I'm very excited to see Richard E Grant will be joining the Downton cast. All I know is his character's name is Simon Bricker??? We'll just have to wait and see could he be a fling for Cora... Find out next time on Downton Abbey.

@PBS History Detectives The Disappearance of Glenn Miller #TCMparty

PBS will be airing a HISTORY DETECTIVES SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS--The Disappearance of Glenn Miller on Tuesday, July 8th at 9:00 pm ET. If you aren't familiar with the circumstances of the famous band leaders death, this is a great opportunity to get caught up on all the mysterious details!

Miller was doing shows for soliders in world war II along with a fair amount of propanganda aimed at big band loving Germans. He died on December 15 1944, or did he, or how did he. He was flying to France and never arrived nor did they ever find any wreckage???

There are many theories about friendly fire, a secret mission, and more... My favorite is that he died from a heart attack with a French prostitute and it was all a cover up. I look forward to tuning in to this and seeing their new information about the pilot, the weather conditions and the Norseman aircraft that Miller boarded on that fateful flight 70 years ago....

David Tennant is #TheEscapeArtist on @PBS

David Tennant in The Escape Artist on PBS June 15th

PBS is airing, the two episode,THE ESCAPE ARTIST starring David Tennant June 15th and 22nd at 9PM et. It's a courtroom drama about a lawyer who has a perfect life at home and in the court room, he's never lost a case. But then of course it all goes terribly wrong.

Will Burton (Tennant) is a great lawyer and manages to get any criminal off, which is why he is called the escape artist.  Unfortunately, it looks like he might have gotten one too many bad guys out of jail. Karma it's a bitch.

I've yet to see this show but I'm willing to bet I'll like it. Check out the trailer below and see if it doesn't peak your interest. If it does be aware that you will have to watch it at air time (or DVR it) as they are unable to stream it due to rights restrictions

PBS Annual Meeting

Cookie and Me

Last week I was invited to spend a few days in San Francisco with PBS at their annual meeting. I was joined by 25 or so of my fellow PBS Kids VIPS. A great bunch of family bloggers who love the amazing educational and fun programming PBS Kids produces. We got the opportunity to see some of our old favorites, like Sesame Street's Cookie Monster and some new shows on the horizon for young and old. Here are just two I'm particularly looking forward to!

PBS' Odd Squad

PBS will debut a new live action show ODD SQUAD November 26th. Designed to help 5-8 year olds learn math, the show focuses on two young agents, Olive and Otto, who are part of an agency whose mission is to come to the rescue whenever something "odd" happens. I think everyone will enjoy the ubiquitous grouchy chief depicted by the young actress in the foreground of the above picture. You haven't been yelled at till you've been yelled at by someone holding a juice box and in the middle of building a Popsicle house.

Ken Burns and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (Photo Courtesy PBS)

Lastly, I want to share everyone's favorite documentarian's next PBS production Ken Burns' THE ROOSEVELTS: An Intimate History. This will be a 14 hour exploration of the life of Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt's lives. Franklin and Eleanor's granddaughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, joined us at the PBS annual meeting (and gave us all goosebumps at her resemblance to her grandmother). While Anna didn't know either Franklin or Teddy she did have lovely stories about the attention her grandmother, Eleanor, gave her.THE ROOSEVELTS will air it's first episode September 14th.

PBS KIDS Peg + Cat Super Peg Week

Peg + Cat is my favorite PBS KIDS program. It's the Downton Abbey of kids programming. The animation is so cool, as are the songs, and the way they make math seem not only fun but useful! I could go off on a whole thing about them using a girl on this show too, but I think they know how happy that makes everyone who is interested in leveling the playing field for girls in math and science.

PBS' “Super PEG Week” begins May 5th airing 4 new episodes of Peg and Cat. In “Super PEG Week,” Peg and Cat go on all-new adventures and journey to a variety of places, including the town of Mathtropolis, where “Super Peg” and “Cat Guy” (comic book superhero versions of the dynamic duo) must use math and creative thinking to defeat the “Arch Villain” and save the day. The action-packed episodes include challenges that highlight foundational math concepts such as shapes, lines, ordinal numbers and spatial relationships.

“PEG + CAT Super PEG Week” – Episode Air Dates and Descriptions

“The Arch Villain Problem/The Straight and Narrow Problem” (#120) – Premieres May 7, 2014
 

“The Arch Villain Problem" When the Arch Villain wreaks havoc on the city of Mathtropolis by turning everything into arches, Super Peg and Cat Guy come to the rescue. 

“The Straight and Narrow Problem”: Super Peg and Cat Guy trail the Arch Villain, who has given up his archways and gone on a rampage with straight and narrow shapes instead.

Included Math Concepts: Understanding straight, narrow and curved line shapes; counting sides to determine shapes; counting by tens to 100.

“The Play Date Problem/The Blabberwocky Problem” (#122) – Premieres May 6, 2014

“The Play Date Problem”: Peg and Cat use the power of music and patterns to help their friends Beethoven and the Three Bears play together – and make incredible music together.

“The Blabberwocky Problem”: Peg and Cat are back as the Knights of the Round Table to reclaim their friends’ missing shapes – and their own Round Table– from the mysterious 100-headed creature, The Blabberwocky.

Included Math Concepts: Identifying patterns audibly; identifying shapes.

“The Perfect Ten Problem/The Long Line Problem” (#117) – Premieres May 7, 2014

“The Perfect Ten Problem”: Peg and Cat are judging a singing competition in which all performers must get a rating of exactly ten stars.

“The Long Line Problem”: While waiting in a long line, Peg and Cat try to help Richard realize his dream of being first in line for the first time.

Included Math Concepts: Ordinal numbers, how to use a number line; counting to 20; positional relationships.

“The Clown Problem/The Ninja Problem” (#121) – Premieres May 8, 2014

“The Clown Problem”: Peg and Cat help Mac achieve his dream of being a clown in the circus by teaching him how funny it can be when things are exactly the wrong size.

“The Ninja Problem”: Peg and Cat help their young Ninja-wannabe friend Aki find the fifteen missing cherry blossom trees by using Ninja skills and math skills.

Included Math Concepts: Sizes and shapes; numbers and counting.

PBS Call The Midwife and Mr. Selfridge Return Tonight

PBS Call The Midwife Season 3

Call The Midwife returns to PBS tonight for a 3rd season followed by Mr. Selfridge. It makes for a great Sunday night of TV. First in mid century London and then roll back the clock to turn of the century ( that's 1900, not the millenium) London.

Of course it also means our DVRs will be in overdrive as usual on Sunday nights. Adding 2 more great shows to that night, not to mention that BBC's Orphan Black returns in 2 weeks, as does AMC's Mad Men. Yikes!

Well it's a good problem to have, too many good things to watch!

Get @PBS Antiques Roadshow Tickets Now

You have just a few weeks left to apply for tickets to the 2014 PBS Antiques Roadshow Summer Tour. Applicants will be selected at random to receive tickets. Your chances of being selected will depend on the number of eligible applicants for each city and are not affected by how early or late you apply within the application period.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW will be visiting:

Bismarck, ND May 31
Santa Clara, CA June 7
Birmingham, AL June 21
Austin, TX June 28
Albuquerque, NM July 19
Chicago, IL July 26
New York, NY August 9
Charleston, WV August 16

Online ticket application ends at 11:59PM PT, Monday, April 7, 2014.

Here are the rules

• Online ticket application is open only to residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada who are 18 or older. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.

• Ticket recipients are selected by a random drawing and will receive two tickets. There is a two-ticket limit per household.

• Only one application per household, either postcard or online, to one city, will be accepted. Duplicate applications from the same household or mailing address will be discarded.

• Your name, mailing address, and a valid email address will be necessary to apply online.

• Tickets will be mailed to successful applicants approximately three weeks prior to the event date.

PBS KIDS Celebrates Dr. Seuss' Birthday

Beginning next week, Monday March 3, PBS KIDS will be celebrating Dr. Seuss' Birthday with an all-new one-hour THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! special. The party continues all week with half hour episodes where kids will join Cat, Sally and Nick as they explore a variety of animal attributes: from the benefits of crickets’ chirps and birds’ feathers, to the mimic octopus’ remarkable ability to imitate other sea creatures. Viewers also learn how glass is made, how multi-legged creatures walk and how cotton is spun into fabric.



As part of the Cat-ebration, PBS KIDS has also launched a new, mobile-friendly THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! game. “Marbleous Marvel Coaster” allows kids to create their own Seussian rollercoasters using open-ended play and engineering skills and is available at pbskids.org/catinthehat.

Downton Abbey Set Visit and Help The Philippines #DowntonPBS

Omaze raises money for charitable organizations with celebrity prizes. Now they're offering a Downton Abbey set visit to help the Philippine victims of the typhoon through Be The Change. You can buy as many entries as you want or just one for $10. The prize includes airfare and hotel for two in London. You must enter by February 20th, so step on it.

I'd like to get a picture like this one with every cast member. That's probably asking too much, how about just Barrow. I'm pulling for him to turn nice.

Anyway, you should all enter for a chance to win the Omaze  Downton Abbey Set Visit for the Philippines and if you win take me!

Good luck and here's a list of 10 reason to visit the set, from the cast, as if you needed any reasons???

PBS Sherlock returns Tonight

Sherlock returns to PBS tonight with the first of three episodes, right after Downton Abbey. “The Empty Hearse” Sunday, January 19, “The Sign of Three” – Sunday, January 26, and “His Last Vow” – Sunday, February 2. I continue my lament that someone needs to tell England that rationing is over and they can make more than 3 episodes of this at a time. Go crazy give us 6. At least each episode is 90 minutes.

Creator Moffat has said that he already has planned out season 4 and 5 and there are rumblings of Matt Smith (our dearly departed Doctor Who) being cast in a supporting role. So even though we will just get these three now, we can rest assured there is more to come. Phew!



Please don't tell Elementary Sherlock I am cheating on him with Sherlock Sherlock.

PBS Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers Adventure Camp

Here's some great TV for the Kids! When my daughter was younger it was so great to know I could put on PBS and know that she was being entertained and learning something. I wish there was a channel like that for her (and me) now that she is edging ever closer to those dreaded teen years.

PBS KIDS is premiering an all-new special on January 20^th called DINOSAUR TRAIN “Nature Trackers Adventure Camp!” PBS KIDS and everyone’s favorite Pteranodon family are taking kids and parents on an excursion in– an all new one-hour special featuring four new stories about nature and adventures in varying geographic locations. Kids are invited to learn about geography and paleontology during the on-air special.

Antiques Roadshow Season 18 Jan 6th PBS

Antiques Roadshow premieres it's 18th season this Monday January 6th!!

Last June I was invited to attend the Anaheim Antiques Roadshow for season 18, that's right THE PBS Antique Roadshow. I love me some Roadshow and having the opportunity to be at one live and in person is the most fun! Every time their anywhere near LA I do my best to get in. So far I'm Two for Two.

  My fake Introducing The Beatles appraisal

I was really surprised to learn that the appraisers are not compensated in any way for their appearance on the Roadshow. They even pay for their own travel and hotel. Even the Keno brothers aren't paid. I assume it is a great promotion for their businesses. Sadly none of my treasures were worth much, but it's always fun hearing from the experts about them.

The Keno Brothers checking out a possible million dollar antique

The day I was there the Keno brother thought they might have found an interesting picture. They were rushing around to all the appraisers for different experts, to verify authenticity. I never did find out how it came out, so I'll be watching to see what became of the little paint of a man in a workshop.

For the season premiere, the 11-time Emmy® nominated series traveled to Boise, Idaho, yielding one of the highest-valued finds of the season: an inherited oil painting of an Italian landscape by important Hudson River artist Sanford Robinson Gifford, which was appraised for $300,000 and had previously languished in the owner's basement.

EPISODES 2014 PBS AIRDATES (check local listings)
Boise, Idaho January 6, 13, 20
Detroit, Michigan January 27, February 3, 10
Baton Rouge, Louisiana February 17, 24, March 24
Kansas City, Missouri March 31, April 7, 14
Anaheim, California April 21, 28, May 5
Richmond, Virginia May 12, 19, 26
Jacksonville, Florida Fall 2014
Knoxville, Tennessee Fall 2014

There are some great tid bits for all the classic film fans too. Check out the Antiques Roadshow Season 18 trailer for all the scoop.

Downton Abbey PBS January 5th

Downton Abbey returns to PBS for it's 4th season this Sunday, Jan. 5th. If you follow my twitter feed you know PBS was kind enough to send me an advance copy, so I have had the opportunity to see the entire season with the exception of the Christmas special. I can tell you this season is a humdinger! After several seasons some shows get a little tired but Downton has managed to come up with some truly surprising plot twists and I loved it and am dying to get my hands on the Christmas special, which has been promised some time in January. Though it won't air until late February. Sorry.

Will Lady Edith ever be lucky in love??

How will Lady Mary deal with widowhood?

I won't reveal any spoilers but as I mentioned on my podcast, Agents of Zeitgeist, before the holidays if you want to be up on some of the back story to the season you may want to bone up on the Teapot Dome Scandal of the early 1920s.

I've also heard that season 5 is already in the works, so rest assured we'll have plenty more adventures with the whole Downton gang. I still have my fingers crossed that they all have to move to America to live with Shirley Maclaine's character. It would be SO good.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the goings on this season. Spoiler free of course! But you do get a look at some of the new characters introduced this season.

The Paradise on PBS

The Paradise premiered on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre last night. I was a bit lukewarm on this series as I had not particularly loved Selfridge (also set in a department store in Victorian England), but I was happily surprised.

The series airs Sundays now through November 17th.

You can view the first episode of The Paradise on PBS here online.

PBS synopsis:

A bright-eyed country girl, Denise Lovett, finds more than just shop-girl work when she brings her clever ideas and ambition to Britain's glamorous first department store, The Paradise. Denise is plunged into power struggles, intrigues and romance as she catches the attention of the store's dashing and enigmatic owner, John Moray. Entangled with his powerful financial backer's entitled daughter, Moray harbors a dark secret as well as debts that threaten to ruin his hard-won empire. The Paradise, embodying the progress and the pain of a new age of commerce, is the way of the future. But will that future belong to those who usher it in…and can they have a future together?

Based on Émile Zola’s beloved classic novel, Au Bonheur des Dames, The Paradise revolves around the lives of the people who live and work in the store, each bound in their own way by the power of the world they live in, and the pasts that follow them there. A love story, mystery, and social comedy all in one, the lavish costume drama stars Joanna Vanderham (What Maisie Knew) as Denise and Emun Elliott (Game of Thrones) as Moray, alongside Sarah Lancashire (Upstairs Downstairs), Elaine Cassidy (A Room with a View) and Patrick Malahide (Game of Thrones).

Last Tango in Halifax on PBS

Last Tango in Halifax is a great new series on Sunday nights on PBS. It's the story of lost love found in later life. The first episode was last night and it will run through Sunday, October 13th. Check Local listings.

The show stars Derek Jacobi (Alan) and Anne Reid (Celia) as the once teenage lovers who through a series of misunderstandings never actually got together as kids and have found one another again through social media in their retirement. Both are widowed and have grown daughter's with children and problems a plenty. There are sure to be fireworks from all corners.

Don't miss it!


You can see the first episode of Last Tango in Halifax here.