Miss Scarlet, The Duke and Executive Producer Harvey Myman - Interview with Harvey Myman

Harvey Myman has had a long and distinguished career in both the print press and television. After leading his team at the Orange County Register to a Pulitzer Prize he changed directions and became an executive in television and then a producer. He is currently one of the managing partners at Element 8 Entertainment based in Los Angeles. The company works with international partners and they are currently in production on Clean Sweep being filmed in Ireland. 

Harvey and his partners at Element 8 Entertainment worked on all aspects of developing Miss Scarlet & The Duke. They were involved in casting, hiring the director, and they worked closely with creator/writer Rachael New. 

Miss Scarlet & the Duke is a sophisticated, elegant and charming series, and fits in beautifully with some of the glorious past achievements of Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. The series is set in 1880's Victorian London and features the first female detective in British history, Eliza Scarlet. Eliza must work closely with Scotland Yard's Detective Inspector, William Wellington (The Duke). 

The stars of the series, Kate Phillips (The Crown, Peaky Blinders) and Stuart Martin (Jamestown, Medici) are potent together as an on-screen crime fighting duo. The lifelong friendship of Eliza and William has brought them together, and their emotional bond not only provides for a lovely romantic set-up, but these two actors have more electrical chemistry than any other two actors currently working together. There is tension between them, but it is pleasant tension. They are each clever and formidable in their own respective ways, but together they prove to be a perfect match. Phillips and Martin have been perfectly cast. I literally haven't enjoyed watching two actors spar and connect in this manner in a long time. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to seeing these two work together for many seasons. If we get lucky, really lucky, hopefully, they will work together on other projects as well. Tracy/Hepburn, Hanks/Ryan...I'm not embellishing their on-screen abilities.

It is a pleasure to interview one of the executive producers of this series. I worked with Harvey Myman in the past; and one thing almost every single person that ever worked with Harvey would say is - he's such a gentleman. Fitting that he would be associated with a series that boils over with style and class.                      

J: Harvey, you started your career in journalism and eventually made your way to the Orange County Register. Going from the world of the print press to the entertainment industry seems like a leap few would or could make. What was the moment that made you realize you wanted or needed to alter your professional future? 

Harvey: Moving from print journalism to television entertainment seems a large leap, but for me it was in many ways an organic one, as it used many of the same skills. That said, when I decided to leave newspapers, I was not interested in going into television news. I felt television was at its best as an entertainment medium, and that was the lure. In fact, when I began my exploration of Hollywood, I was looking at feature work as well as television, and realized I preferred the faster pace of television.

I had reached a point where I could see that we had accomplished what we could at the Register, and, because of our success, several opportunities came along to move to that top tier of newspapers.  Remember, this was when print was thriving.  There were those who saw me as the canary in the mine shaft, but I did not see the drastic changes that lay ahead. The move to television was driven by a personal desire for fresh challenges. Though I had begun my newspaper career as a writer, I did not feel I had the discipline to write spec scripts and enter that way.  So I focused on my skills as a person who could read and write, who understood storytelling and could work with people in large organizations.

J: At any point did you regret the move from journalism to filmed entertainment?

Harvey: The only time I miss journalism is when I feel a story is being missed, or badly covered. 

J: Your first move into television was at the ABC Television Network working in the entertainment division. Again, a big jump from one industry to another. As a writer, you clearly had a unique insight into what was being developed at ABC. Can you share a bit about how a classic newspaper writer/editor goes into comedy?

Harvey: Over the course of a few months, I would drive from Orange County up to Los Angeles for meetings, usually generals and not for specific positions, but learning how the business worked. My background was certainly different from the usual candidates who began their careers at entry level jobs in the industry. My specific trajectory began with a general meeting with Grant Tinker, who had recently formed a new production company. While he had no openings, he took a genuine interest. He thought ABC was the up and coming network and got me an interview with Brandon Stoddard (President, ABC Entertainment).  As my resume was moving down rather than up, Brandon had me meet with John Barber, the head of current series programming, who offered me a job.  Seems simple, looking back.

I was pretty much hired as someone who would be a good and useful fit. In fact, I was not hired specifically for comedy or drama. A few months later they were making another hire, and gave me my choice of comedy or drama, and I chose comedy. My thinking was that dramas were attenuated features, whereas the multi-camera sitcom was its own form—a curious adaptation of a play that lived its life in the second act. I liked the idea of learning something completely new.

J: You were instrumental as an executive in two of the most successful comedies in television history - Roseanne and Home Improvement. Reflecting back on that time can you share a couple of memories from that period?

Harvey: Among the many shows I worked on at ABC were Roseanne and Home Improvement. Both great shows, but dramatically different experiences.  I was the current executive on Roseanne, and it was always about problem solving in the ongoing production.  On Home Improvement, I was the development exec, so I was present from the start, and the creators were just a dream to work with—smart, talented and creative writers. It was, in fact, the only show I ever worked on that I was pretty sure would be a hit. It was the right concept with the right talent at the right time. In the 1990's, time slots played a role as well.

I was given shows with difficult showrunners, and this continued into development when I moved over a year or so later.  These were the management skills I already had, and it made for an easy transition.  I always saw the role, in current or development, as helping the writers make the best possible version of their show.

It is the nature of the business that I was put in the comedy bucket. That was not how I looked at it, so when I shifted to drama in recent years, it was not that radical a change. As a viewer, I enjoy comedies and dramas.  As a producer, I happily work on both. Ideally, there is always some overlap, as there is in life. Certainly, there is considerable humor in Miss Scarlet & The Duke, and the best comedies have moments of drama, and honest emotion.

J: How much of your writing background came into play in your television career?

Harvey: The challenge in having been a writer and an editor is to understand and appreciate the roles.  The editor’s role is to make the writer’s work better—not to recreate it in his own image.  I made that transition while in newspapers, and carried it over to television. The result was that I could build strong bonds with writers, and not operate from an adversarial position, which too many television executives do. The trick is to park your ego at the door.

J: Parking your ego at the door. Many people are not capable of that, particularly those that rise to high levels in the entertainment realm. You left the network world right around the time the broadcast networks were beginning to be nibbled to death. The wisest people on the planet never would have thought in 2022 there would be 559 series on television. Twenty years ago there were less than 200 series on television. You left ABC to go to The Carsey Werner Company. Eventually you became an executive producer on several series. You remained in comedy for much of that time. How did you end up going down the path of drama? Most people have a difficult time with one major transition, let alone several.

Harvey: My move to Carsey Werner from development at ABC was the first move I made, and it was a wonderful company to be a part of.  While there, and in a desire to keep learning and get closer to the product, I made a shift into being an executive producer. That is pretty much the path I have been on, with detours here and there as an executive at Sony and at HBO.  I’ve always been fortunate to work for and with smart and good executives.

J: It goes without saying I enjoy Miss Scarlet & The Duke. It's entertaining and I appreciate the Victorian era mystery elements. The chief reason I am looking forward to season two is to watch the ongoing relationship and verbal back-and-forth between the two lead characters, Eliza and William (The Duke). How did you get involved with the series? 

Harvey: I love this show, and my appreciation, as we have wrapped seasons two and three and look forward to more, only grows.  Ours has always been a scrappy operation, and we have generally risen to the challenges, even without deep pockets to throw money at problems.

Miss Scarlet has its roots in the very best of this sort of show, with satisfying mysteries, but ultimately great characters.  The series has a special and consistent tone. The ancestors are films like The Thin Man, and certainly Moonlighting.  Like Scarlet, the jeopardy is real, but the tone is often cheeky, and the emotion, certainly in the case of Eliza and Duke, is earned. We love these people and hope they will end up together.

Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet and Stuart Martin as William Wellington 

J: As a fan, they better end up together! The character of Eliza is in a tough situation when the series begins. Her father who ran a successful detective agency has passed. William (The Duke) was mentored by her father and the two leads have a relationship which dates back to their childhood. The series is a compelling and charming drama laced with a tremendous amount of chemistry between the two leads. How did the elements all come together on the series?

Harvey: I will turn the light on the creator, Rachael New, whose fingerprints are everywhere, and she is now directing episodes in addition to writing.  If I can take a bit of credit for doing something smart, it was just before the start of production in Ireland in 2019.  In the British system, writers are pretty much done before the start of production.  Rachael came over for the first week, just to see it all become real, but I told her she was going to have to stay.

We turned her into an American style showrunner, and she responded brilliantly, rewriting on the fly, consulting with the director and actors, and doing everything possible to ensure that the series would work.

A brief history of the series and how came to be:  A literary agent in London gave us the script to read as a spec, as our company is focused on international co-production. We loved it—the characters, the tone, the historical accuracy with subtle contemporary edges -- and took it on as a project.  It was initially a hard sell—no one wanted period dramas at the time, but our faith in it was undiminished, and we kept on it. One of my partners, Patty Lenahan Ishimoto, is particularly relentless in this way.  At one point we considered turning it into a French project, as they seemed more open to period, but eventually it fell into place.

J: It's rare for PBS to pick up a British series that didn't have its start on BBC, ITV or Sky. In the U.K., Miss Scarlet & The Duke airs on the Alibi Channel. How did the PBS relationship happen for the series?

Harvey: Masterpiece/PBS came in early and has been a wonderful partner.  In every way, they have been supportive of the show, and their input has been truly invaluable.  They are smart executives who know their audience.  It is a rare group, and I say this as someone who has worked at HBO and other well-regarded companies, and we are fortunate to be working with them. 

J: Even though the series takes place in Victorian era London you shot the first season in Dublin and the second and third seasons were filmed in Belgrade. What led to the decision to shoot in Ireland and then make a hard turn southbound to Serbia?  

Harvey: As noted, we shot the first season in Ireland, and it was all practical locations, which is easy enough to do there. Then, for COVID and other reasons, we moved to Serbia for seasons two and three. Belgrade is not exactly a hotbed of Victorian architecture, so we built our world on sound stages and back lots, which makes many aspects of production easier. The crews in Serbia have been truly wonderful.

Our production moves at a fast pace, so the demands are considerable. It was very much a team, and everyone pulled together to make it work. The results, which will be available to viewers in the U.S. soon, are exceptional.  The series only gets better, because everything gets deeper and more complex as viewers get to know the characters and the world.  So, we can’t wait for the audience to get to see season two.

J: The production company you are with Element 8 Entertainment has several other projects already set up and running. Can you share a bit on what the future looks like with your company? 

Harvey: We are currently shooting a contemporary thriller in Ireland, Clean Sweep, starring Charlene McKenna. It's written by American Gary Tieche, and it is going very well.  It will be carried in the US on Sundance Now.

All projects have their journey to becoming real, and we have a few others that are moving along.  Among these are The Bronte Girls, by playwright Caroline Kelly Franklin, with director Darcia Martin attached. It is about that summer at the parsonage in 1853, the last time all the remarkable Brontes lived together.  It is a fresh and fascinating take on perhaps the greatest literary family ever.

Other projects moving along are in India, Jordan, France, Belgium and even the U.S. Each of these projects has their own journey.  We resist falling into boxes, like the period producers because of Miss Scarlet & The Duke, or the mystery producers.  Each project brings its own challenges and its own satisfactions.   

None of our projects have massive budgets, so we remain scrappy and resourceful, and make sure what we do spend ends up on the screen.

J: I love scrappy. Some of the best material in film and television rises up out of smaller budgets, but creative minds. As a viewer, what are you currently enjoying on television?

Harvey: On television, the recently completed Better Call Saul was brilliant; and I am awaiting a new season of Babylon Berlin.  I still love great comedies, but not particularly of the broadcast network sort. I like things that get closer to the heart of the human condition.

J: As a lifelong and serious reader I always want to know what other people are reading. What are you currently reading? 

Harvey: As a reader, and as a viewer of television and films, I am fairly promiscuous. The result of being an English major, I suppose. My bedside table has books ranging from Dreiser's Sister Carrie to books by Dorothy B. Hughes. I've even been dipping into ancient Norse legends. I like to be able to read without always thinking about whether something could be a series. 

Thank you to Harvey Myman for sharing some of his time and the treasure of that time with us. 

Miss Scarlet & The Duke will have its second season premiere on PBS in the U.S. on Sunday, October 16, 2022. It has already been announced that season three will premiere in January, 2023. 

The series airs on Alibi in the U.K., Seven in Australia, CBC in Canada, Lightbox in New Zealand. It also airs in multiple other countries. 

  

Copyright The Flaming Nose 2022

AMERICAN MASTERS - BRIAN WILSON: LONG PROMISED ROAD

The PBS series American Masters has been around since its debut in 1986. Season 36: Episode 5 features BRIAN WILSON: LONG PROMISED ROAD. The series is clear in how it wants to celebrate an artist and it does so with tremendous gusto. If you are going to have a series celebrating the arts and artists you certainly want to throw every laurel at their feet. There are times when the viewer doesn't understand the decision to laud over some of the people defined by American Masters and then there are times you practically find yourself weeping with joy over the complete and total brilliance of an artist. The American Masters on one of the founding members of the iconic band The Beach Boys is one of those times. Brian Wilson is one of the most celebrated songwriters of the latter half of the 20th century and deservedly so. The man who never learned to surf created, designed and mastered so many outstanding melodies that it is even all these years later difficult to comprehend. One must keep in mind that Brian Wilson was a man verbally abused by one of the bad dads of the last century, but Wilson didn't grow bitter, angry, miserable or mean-spirited. He became a gentle giant. A man full of a sweet spirit and a tender heart. 

Wilson is and this is no embellishment - the single most humble public figure I have ever witnessed. You see it in the interviews, but I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Wilson on a couple of occasions. He really is that guy! The American Masters special finds much of the 90 minutes with Brian Wilson driving around various locations in the L.A. basin with Rolling Stone reporter, Jason Fine. They are going from one Wilson moment to the next. Visiting the house he and his brothers, Dennis and Carl grew up in (I met their mom when I first moved to SoCal to begin a career in the entertainment industry - she happened to be a good friend to a local family friend) is a fun throwback to another era. They visit various recording studios and other homes Brian lived in. It's a delightful and free-wheeling chatfest that is compelling conversation. 

We hear many of the melodic whirlwinds Wilson crafted from his gifted brain and wow a boatload of gigantic tunes. Wouldn't It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, California Girls and many more, but nothing and I mean nothing comes close to the most definitive of all harmony achievements in the rock era - God Only Knows. God Only Knows sounds as good, if not better in 2022 than it did upon its release back in 1966. Since the special aired I have listened to this remarkable song a dozen or so times. I look forward to it each and every time. We learn during the special that Wilson actually wrote some songs in a sandbox. He may be the only person ever to do that. 

God Only Knows was recorded while every musician and singer was in the same room at the same time! They can't and won't do that today! The piano, harmonica, banjo. Baby brother Carl Wilson was blessed to get the opportunity to sing lead on the vocal; and that gorgeous double-back harmony by Bruce Johnston still kind of takes my breath away. 

Brian Wilson has suffered severely from mental illness since the mid to late 1960's, but his memory has not faded one bit. He is now 80 years old (I'm writing this in 2022) and his amazing memory is fascinating. Talk about having significantly strong cognitive abilities well into these late years in life. 

In these documentaries one always gets to see and hear a variety of talking heads, but this go-round you listen to talking heads who obviously wanted to do this. Elton John (he inducted the Beach Boys into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) waxes beautifully on Brian's talents, skills and abilities. Bruce Springsteen, as usual is a stand-out in his reminiscing. Springsteen himself is a great writer of words and in my opinion second only to Bob Dylan as a lyricist in the rock era. Springsteen's use of words is on full display in this documentary. Springsteen digs in with discussing the joy of his youth and all these years later the sadness of the autumn and maybe even the winter of his years. Springsteen can and usually does bring a tear to the eye.  Fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine is featured, along with producer/musician Don Was, Jakob Dylan and Nick Jonas. 

Goodness, sweetness, tenderness, positivity and innocence - who in their right mind would have thought all those years ago that one of the most accomplished and successful songwriters of the 1960's would be described that way.

American Masters: Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road recently premiered on PBS. Watch it and watch it now. Absolutely glorious in its every single second. 

Original Beach Boys: Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson, Mike Love

Copyright The Flaming Nose 2022  

       

             

       

REVIEW: NOVA: DETERMINED: FIGHTING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

It's 2022 and there are literally thousands of options for filmed entertainment and infotainment, but PBS still manages to create programming you either cannot find anywhere else or won't find anywhere else. Their science series, NOVA is now in its 49th season and it is still producing highly worthwhile special programming.

Season 49, episode 5 premiered this week and it is another outstanding installment for NOVA. It is Determined: Fighting Alzheimer's. Worldwide in 2022, there are fifty million people living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia; and most of the world's population knows someone that has this dreaded disease. It is not a diagnosis with a good prognosis. There is no cure for the disease, but this one hour special sheds light on what is happening in the fight and struggle surrounding the disease. 

Three women are enrolled in Alzheimer's disease trials at the University of Wisconsin which has been funding this program since 2001. The trial is called WRAP. My dad had Alzheimer's and he spent 12 years of his life under the heavy and darkened shade of the disease. Prior to his diagnosis, he had a variety of personality changes. At the time, we had no idea that personality changes took place prior to the onset of the disease itself. We only found this out years after he had started his path on the disease route. My mom didn't have Alzheimer's, but she passed at the age of 97 with age related dementia. There is a huge difference between Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

The three (Karen, Sigrid and Barb) women mentioned above are enrolled in the University of Wisconsin trials and all three of them have a history of Alzheimer's disease in their respective families. 

One of the moms featured in this special is named Irene and she and her husband, Doren have been married 59 years. My mom's name was Irene, so I am drawn to someone with my mother's name and ironically enough my parents were married for 59 years. Doren loved his wife and at one point he tells one of his daughters (who are all enrolled in the program) that he will keep on loving her and taking care of her. Doren's Irene eventually ends up on hospice as did my mom, Irene. 

The information that has come from some of these long-term studies provide healthy guidelines, but none of this necessarily means you will not get Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. Depression, anxiety, low mood and stress affect memory. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle while eating healthy and exercising have an impact in keeping the disease away. We live in a nation where 33% of the population is inactive. Physical fitness keeps your cognitive skills up high.  

Alzheimer's Disease wasn't discovered until 1906, so 100 plus years in we still have a long way to go. This special is superb programming. If you have an opportunity to view this special, please do. It is one of the most informative specials and one of the most personal pieces on the disease that has been produced on the subject.   

 Copyright The Flaming Nose April 2022

  

          

Yikes! PBS & "NOVA" Take on Sinkholes -- Our Money is on the Sinkholes!

Inquiring minds obsessed with land, sea and air craziness will want to tune in tonight to the always fascinating PBS series NOVA for the newest episode entitled "Sinkholes -- Buried Alive".  Yowzah!  It doesn't get much better for creepy unexpected chills than contemplating sinkholes, those real-life utterly scary out-of-the-blue earth collapses that are known to swallow up roads, houses, vehicles and people -- and it's a one-way journey.  You can fall in but mostly you don't get a chance to get out, , one of the reasons why sinkholes are so awesomely weird.  And sometimes hilariously funny, as we saw in 2013's movie This Is The End where one of the signs of the end of the world was a giant sinkhole appearing in James Franco's front yard (see below) and engulfing various celebrities including Michael Cera.  One of their explanations was the "Sinkhole de Mayo" phenomenon, but sinkholes actually appear anywere, anytime.

I'm a long-time fan and follower of sinkholes, especially so now that I live in Florida where they are a common geological feature, popping up...er, down all over the state making disappear citizens, trees, lakes and tourist resorts on a regular basis.  Floridians might like to check out the whole collection of Florida Sinkhole Maps, available by clicking here.

When I lived in Atlanta and worked at Turner in midtown there was a famous 1993 sinkhole that opened up just behind a hotel next to us, sadly killing two people who worked there.  Perhaps more properly designated an earth collapse than a true sinkhole, it was precipitated by a huge rainfall which undermined the infrastructure.  Read a couple of accounts of it -- click here and click here, and click here to see a photo of it.

Bottom line is sinkholes can happen just about anywhere, not caring whether your neighborhood is tony or redneck, sinkholes will take 'em all down...which at least is one sign that democracy is still alive in America.

Tonight's NOVA episode promises to be terrific, as are all their episodes no matter what the topic. NOVA has been doing for decades what cable channels Science, Discovery and History seem to get all the credit for these days. (At least National Geographic has been in the documentary business a long time.  TV aficionados deep down know -- even if the general public doesn't -- that PBS essentially invented all the various program genres that now occupy myriad separate channels -- cooking, science, reality, exercise -- right?)

Here's a preview of tonight's program:



Check out the website for NOVA and "Sinkholes -- Buried Alive" by clicking here.  There's an interview with the filmmaker from The New Orleans Advocate which gives background on the episode's production.  New Orleans was justifiably proud of being included in the program because of their famous Bayou Corne sinkhole from a couple of years ago; click here to access.

For further investigation into the sinkhole subject, I can recommend some terrific websites and photo galleries.  The Weather Channel had a good episode of their recent Science of the Earth series all about sinkholes, unfortunately not available that I can find except for a transcript -- click here -- and their promo for it:



There's an entire documentary about a astounding Chinese sinkhole on YouTube; I recommend watching it there because there's a nice write-up about it.  Click here to access.

The slightly crazy website Countdown to Zero-Time has a good sinkhole posting, click here.

The Telegraph in the UK has this nice photo gallery of sinkholes, click here.

The People and Places blog has a really good assortment of photos, click here.

Assortment of photos on the ABC News site available by clicking here.

Wikipedia covers sinkholes -- click here for its good overview.

Absolutely the best repository of sinkhole-related photos and information is thesinkhole.org created by Ben Wilkins.  Highly recommended for all your sinkhole needs and available by clicking here.

For all about the science behind sinkholes, we recommend the USGS website which has a "The Science of Sinkholes" page available by clicking here and a good basic educational page online, click here.


Don't miss NOVA "Sinkholes -- Buried Alive" tonight on at 9pm your local PBS station!

Visit the Amazing "Marwencol" tonight on PBS' "Independent Lens"

PBS presents the astounding, riveting and beautiful documentary film Marwencol this evening (check your local listings) on the Independent Lens series, and it's a must-watch. Produced in 2010 and a success on the festival circuit, the film tells the incredible survival story of Mark Hogancamp, a New York man who nearly died in a savage beating but recovered through an ultimately theraputic artistic vision that found him the creator, overseer, chronicler and inhabitant of an imaginary WWII world he named Marwencol.




Populated by 12" dolls (Barbie or classic G.I. Joe-sized), Mark's 1/6th scale creation goes far past mere imagination into the place where real art and drama is forged, as you can see when you look at any of the absolutely sublime photographs he has taken. Reminiscent of the miniature figure photos of artist David Levinthal (someone I've followed for a long time), who since the mid-1970s has utilized toy soldiers and other figures to create haunting photographic tableaus, Hogancamp's Marwencol works are both realistic and fantastical. From Mark's own experiences, memories, acquaintances, interests and fears came the characters and storyline of the Marwencol saga. It's a dazzling conglomeration of heroics, magic, sacrifice, brutality, sexuality, action and adventure worthy of -- no, better than -- most any Hollywood production.

Director Jeff Malmberg's documentary is both the story of the place called Marwencol and Mark Hogancamp's creative and healing process. Of course Hogancamp's now experiencing no small degree of fame because of Marwencol, but that's not why Marwencol exists. You'll understand more when you watch tonight, and if you miss it, Marwencol has just shown up as an Instant Watch on Netflix and is also available on DVD. But do try to catch it on PBS -- it was a great acquisition for them and it's good to watch your local PBS outlet!




Visit the official Marwencol website for more background information on the project and on Mark Hogancamp, and there's also information where you can donate money to help Mark keep Marwencol thriving. I can't think of a better way to support the arts. Be sure to look through the galleries of photos; they are utterly amazing.

You should also visit the Independent Lens website for more info on this and their other great films that help make PBS still the smart choice for viewers all across the country. PBS often gets forgotten in the great rush of cable channels to proclaim that they invented or own certain genres, which of course were all pioneered on PBS stations decades ago. Cooking shows, reality shows, nature docs, serialized drama -- PBS was there first and we shouldn't ever forget it.

I have to confess that I now suffer from a bit of "Marwencol-y", that is, the desire to visit Marwencol and cavort with the denizens there. I don't think I'm the only one, either; I'm sure it will happen to you, too, after you watch.

PBS Goes John Lennon Tonight and Monday

PBS takes a decided more youthful demo turn -- John Lennon instead of Lawrence Welk, though I guess he's pretty much disappeared from PBS fundraisers, replaced with baby boomer rock concerts, right? -- with two programs premiering over the next two nights.

Tonight, Masterpiece Theatre, which recently had such a brilliant trio of Sherlock Holmes under their Mystery! banner, goes Contemporary with Lennon Naked, a TV movie originally broadcast on BBC Four in the UK this past June. It covers the life of John Lennon from approximately 1967 - 1971, including his romance with Yoko Ono and other Beatle milestones. We're a little over two weeks away from the 30th anniversary of Lennon's murder, and with such a date looming, and with PBS' sterling reputation, you'd think that this might be as wonderful or special as was their Sherlock triple-pack, but alas it seems not. I'm not a Beatles ultra-aficionado (music in general isn't my bag, exactly) but the reviews are unanimously not overly favorable. However, it's John Lennon. At the very least Lennon Naked is a great curiosity piece, with Lennon played by Christopher Eccleston (2005's Doctor Who and also a short-time regular on Heroes) and Yoko Ono by Naoko Mori (from Torchwood).



Definitely more your thing if you're a serious John Lennon fan is Monday's American Masters documentary presentation LENNONYC, focusing on Lennon's time living in New York with Yoko and their son Sean. This is the one that's getting the great reviews, and there's no way you can beat a great documentary with a so-so TVM. Truth is always more wondrous than fiction, and LENNONYC appears to have done a fitting job in profiling the musical genius' pleasure at crafting a satisfying life for himself and his family in his adopted city of New York.



If you're a Beatles' fan it's inconceivable that you'd miss either one, of course. The 90-minute Lennon Naked on Masterpiece Contemporary preems tonight (Sunday) on your local PBS station at 9pm (probably, but check your local listings) and will encore as well as being available for online viewing starting next week.

LENNONYC on American Masters airs tomorrow (Monday) at 9pm (again probably, but always check your local listings) for two hours and will also encore. It's not currently listed as being available in its entirety online, but you should check the American Masters' video page for updates and other interesting clips.

"Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." on PBS

We hope that you've begun watching PBS' new four episode series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a genealogical journey through the lives of twelve prominent Americans, and by extension, all of our lives. Gates, the Harvard professor whose previous PBS efforts were the acclaimed two series of African American Lives, sits down with these dozen celebrities -- a diverse group including Meryl Streep, Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Colbert, Malcolm Gladwell, Mike Nichols -- and weaves the life stories of their ancestors and their varied paths to America.

It was an interesting and no doubt the right decision not devote separate episodes to individual stories, but rather skip around to tell bits of the immigrant experience behind the subjects. Each episode explores a different theme using traditional genealogical resources and finally in the last episode Gates (right) turns to the latest scientific DNA research to further understand humanity's bonds to each other. (Gates, you may remember, was arrested in July 2009 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while breaking into his own home after a trip -- off filming this show, in fact -- resulting in much media attention for the bizarre and unpleasant incident. Only in America, right?) Much as there's an over-emphasis on celebrities in our country today, it also was surely the right decision to use this collection of notables to appeal to viewers. A little star power can hopefully be a useful thing, if it brings people to this thoughtful series.

Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will appeal to those who've been bitten by the family tree bug, and should appeal to everybody else, too, since there's nothing more intimate or more fascinating than the lives of real people. This is the kind of reality show that we should be watching. Forget the battling savages of Survivor or all the other unpleasant contestants on the shows littering every network these days -- this is the real deal. And of course, nothing could be more germane than the subject of immigration, one of the key issues of this century. It has yet to be truly understood by todays' citizenry and will inevitably change the face of the future America, just as Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows how it changed the America that came before.

Check out the website for Faces of American with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., where you can learn all about the series itself and also access resources to help you look back into your own ancestry. Episodes are also available online after their initial airings. Check the PBS website for the airtimes in your local market.

Wouldn't it be great if Americans quit wasting time caring about minor celebrities with nothing but scandal to distinguish them, and tried to understand more about themselves? This series will help the effort.

Antiques Roadshow

Hello Flaming Nose readers everywhere. I must apologize for being absent for so long. I'm just starting a new job and moving to Silicon Valley at the same time. It's been rather hectic. There is nothing more dreadful than the endless packing of boxes, particularly if one has collected a lot of "stuff" over the years. There are times that I'd like to chuck the whole lot of it into an over-sized dumpster and just walk away. That's when I know it's time for a break, and I turn to the glory of the legendary PBS series, "Antiques Roadshow". Originally a BBC Series that first aired in 1977, the US version has been going strong for years as well. It reminds us all, that the chipped vase in the attic or the old blanket draped over the armchair might be worth thousands of dollars.

It's lovely to watch the fascinating pieces of furniture, art, old toys and vintage clothing that parade through the episodes of the Antiques Roadshow. And some of the appraisers on the Roadshow have become celebrities in their own right. I'm quite fond of the Keno brothers (Leslie and Leigh) who are experts in antique furniture. But the best part for me is the always astonished reaction of the owners, when they learn that the old pot they've been stuffing umbrellas into by the front door is actually worth $10,000. One of the most moving segments of all time is posted in the video above. An older gentleman of modest means, finds out the the Navajo rug passed down from his Grandmother is worth half a million dollars.


So before you do your next household purge you might want to watch a few episodes of the Roadshow. One man's junk truly is another man's treasure. I say this as I wait for the Salvation Army to come pick up a giant stack of...hmmmm. Maybe I should go through that pile one more time!

"The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

There are few moments in television I look forward to more than a new series by Ken Burns. This is not to say that all of his documentaries have been satisfying to the soul, brain or heart, but he always attempts to do justice to his topics and, he usually succeeds.

Ken Burns' "The Civil War" remains to this day the single greatest television series ever produced. It was artistic beyond belief and it was poetic from start to finish. Of course, as a history buff it was as close as those of us living in this time and age would know what that generation lived through and fought for. This even still bests the beautiful, stunning and superbly crafted piece of artistry that was the BBC's "Planet Earth."

Tonight, Ken Burns' newest entry "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premiered. Two hours of sheer bliss. Everything is perfect! Obviously, it is physically beautiful, but as always, the writing, the casting of actors reading roles, the Peter Coyote narration, the historians/assorted other knowledgeable folks, the music is all spot-on brilliant.

Nothing is missed. Tonight, Burns and his team took us to Yosemite (the dreams of John Muir came to life) and Yellowstone (one of my favorite places on planet earth). I am looking forward to the next episode. I almost can't wait.

This is one of those glorious reasons why television matters! God's most mighty, majestic and monumental creation's are on display on my nice HD television set!

This is worth watching and clearly it will be worth watching over and over again.

(Flaming Nose note: Check out Jane's post about this amazing series, too! PBS' excellent website for the production is here.)

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

Mark your calenders for the next fantastic PBS miniseries which is coming on September 27, 2009. Check your local guides for times. Documentary film maker extraordinaire Ken Burns has produced a magnificent six part series for public broadcasting, with The National Parks.

Mr. Burns has established himself as an artist who paints unique video portraits of all things "American". Past series have included baseball, jazz and the city of New York. Some critics (not me!) find the pace of his specials a bit too leisurely, but various media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, have said that this latest effort will knock the hiking boot socks right off your feet. If the economic down turn caused you to have a "Stay-cation" this summer, National Parks might be the next best thing to being out there on the road. Segments will bring you to U.S. treasures such as Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and the Everglades. This is one holiday that won't require a trip through the security line at the airport or maxing out your already depleted credit card. We can't wait!

Here's a taste of this wonderful special: the cliff dwelling ruins in Mesa Verde, Colorado. Abandoned one thousand years ago by the original inhabitants, and still absolutely magic.

Another Incredible Lincoln Special on PBS!

I highly recommend PBS' Looking for Lincoln, in which African American historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. visits various Lincoln sites and consults other Lincoln historians in an effort to reconcile his views about the 16th President. It's a fascinating journey as Gates investigates the circumstances behind the Emancipation Proclamation, and the inconsistencies in Lincoln's own views. I'd say the takeaway is that Lincoln was a 19th Century man, with all the most common views of the time, but with the great gift of being able to imagine something else and knowing what the moral right was on the issue of slavery. Lincoln scholar and author Doris Kearns Goodwin offers particularly humane insights to the question at hand; she's wonderful.

The program is absolutely intriguing and you can also watch it online at PBS' excellent website for the show. I was pleased to learn that there have been over 14,000 books written about Lincoln, far more than any other President or American historical figure. He deserves them all.

Happy 200th to America's Most Memorable President!

Big Day for Abe Lincoln Coming Up!

In honor of the 200th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth on February 12th of this year, there are several Lincoln-oriented docs set to air in the next week or so.

First up tonight should be a good one on PBS' American Experience -- The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, starting at 9pm. I love Abraham Lincoln, but I also am completely fascinated by John Wilkes Booth, a misguided soul if ever there was one. Neither a lunatic nor a fool, Booth was probably a racist, though, and this more than anything might have played a huge part in his obsession to eliminate Lincoln.

A truly great dramatic account of the tragic juxtaposition of these two men has yet to be produced, and perhaps will never be. But a great documentary can elucidate the circumstances, and I'm hoping tonight's production will add another level of understanding to this nation-rending event that surely changed the course of American history in ways we cannot underestimate.

PBS has a good website for tonight's program, completely with a transcript. It looks like you can watch it online, too, so if you miss it tonight you haven't really missed it at all! Highly recommended!

Don't Miss Gabriel Byrne as King Arthur on PBS!

This week PBS' Live from Lincoln Center has a real treat -- Thursday night they premiered the minimally-staged version of Lerner and Loewe's classic musical Camelot, the very same production that preemed on Wednesday night in Manhattan and which will be running until Sunday. And, needless to say, which you would be paying upwards of two hundred dollars a ticket if you were to able to get a ticket. It's the very same show, and though I did read some way-insider Broadway-lovers bitching about the production, I thought it was very enjoyable and certainly well worth two and a half hours of your time.

Sure, Gabriel Byrne can't sing, but that's certainly never been a prerequisite for playing Arthur -- ask Richard Burton or Richard Harris -- and I thought his "How to Handle a Woman" was quite good in spite of that. At least he's an actor, and I thought had a charming and possibly even genuine and situational befuddlement that worked for the character. Broadway's Marrin Mazzie plays Guinevere, and opera's Nathan Gunn is Lancelot and both are attractive and effective. The only way over-the-top choice was making Morderd into an exceedingly androgynous punk rocker of sorts, but it wasn't a deal-breaker (just completely out-of-place) and Bobby Steggert certainly went at it with plenty of verve. Stacey Keach is around as Merlin, Fran Drescher has a small role as Morgan Le Fay and Christopher Lloyd is a delightful Pellinore. One thing you will notice, too, is that Camelot has a much better first act than second, by a mile.

I'm a big fan of the trend toward minimally-produced musicals; who needs all that expensive staging and costumes and all that junk? If dispensing with some of the trappings could keep musical theater alive, pare it down, I say!

Check out the PBS website to find out when your local PBS station will be running the special! Many ran it on Thursday but some did not -- L.A. for one -- and there may be plays left in your market, too.

To close, from the "The English are just plain smarter and more interesting than Americans" file, I offer this clip of Nathan Gunn as astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the TV opera Man on the Moon which premiered on British TV in December 2006.

"We Work Hard, We Play Harder"-Carrier Episode Two

Full disclosure and correction on my previous Carrier blog about how the episodes are being aired for Carrier. In fact (1000 mea culpas for this folks) PBS is airing all 10 one hour episodes this week in two hour increments every night, now through Thursday. And (of course...sigh) they are offering the whole series at once on DVD for $39. See their website for details.

Please do not let my incorrect air time information prevent you from trying to tune in to any or all of this magnificent program. The second episode focuses on the Marine and Naval aviators, as well as their escapades and back stories. It is all riveting and beautifully filmed. Go to their website for more info, and try to catch it while you can, in any way you can. Go Navy!

Carrier is Magnificent--All Aboard for the Full Deployment

Carrier, the amazing new documentary series about life aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier premiered last night on PBS at 9pm. If you missed it, you will have many more chances to catch subsequent episodes, so please set your DVR or TiVo now.

The first hour of the series started with the Nimitz leaving port in Coronado (San Diego) California. We are introduced to some of the real people who will be followed through the series. I can't wait to see more of the no nonsense Command Master Chief Christopher L. Penton who is from Louisiana. We are also fascinated by the young Chris Altis, a 21 year old recruit who works on deck loading bombs (ordnance) and removing them from the jets. The women sailors are given full focus in this series too, including Seaman Recruit Cindy Costa who is a culinary specialist. Don't let her size fool you, she helps prepare meals for 5,000 people a day. And one of my favorites so far, is Airman Shaneeka McCree. She looks young enough to be still hanging out in high school, but she's already on her second deployment, working in Primary Flight Control at a job that she says is, "kind of like an air traffic controller".

What is fantastic about CARRIER?: everything, really. The cinematography, the music, the people, the enormous scope of the project itself. What is not so great about CARRIER? That they will be feeding it to us every Sunday in one hour portions. I want to see the whole thing NOW. The last scene of the first episode was beautiful and emotional and left me wanting more. The Nimitz makes its first port at Honolulu, Hawaii, and the sailors are ordered on deck to man the rails in their gleaming white uniforms. The 21st century behemoth Nimitz glides by the memorial for the USS Arizona, in a silent salute to the Navy comrades who were lost, but never forgotten on December 7th, 1941.

Please also visit the PBS website, as it contains many great factoids to help you understand Navy ranks, terms, etc. as well as upcoming episode descriptions. I have learned plenty already!

Much more to come on this one, it's just the beginning. 4+ stars on the Jane-o-meter. This is a documentary that you will not want to miss.

Carrier is Coming to PBS!

Here's a little shout-out to all who love phenomenal documentaries to mark your calendars for this Sunday, April 27th. "Carrier" is coming to PBS (preview on the video above). Experience life aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier as 17 film makers follow 5,000 sailors and marines on a 6 month high sea deployment. It's a nuclear powered floating city and airport and through 10 fantastic episodes, viewers will have the chance to feel what it would be like to live and work there. Check your local listings and PBS channel for the times, and don't miss it!

At the Crossroads with Eric Clapton and PBS

Here's a little departure from our usual fare. This is a shout out to any Flaming Nose fans who love a) Blues, b) Classic rock and roll, c) Eric Clapton d) PBS television (God bless it in all it's glory) or e) all of the above.

If you fit into any of these categories, please do yourself an enormous favor and seek out the incredible...absolutely glorious Great Performances feature of Eric Clapton's Crossroads 2007 tour video. Whether you catch it as a repeat on your local PBS station (in my case KCET-Los Angeles), make a donation to PBS and get the DVD (highly recommended), download it off of the Internet, watch it on your iPod....the pipeline is irrelevant, the content is everything. This is one of the best rock concert videos I have ever witnessed, and I've seen plenty. The good news: stars, contents, camera angles, all superb. The TV broadcast sound could have been better, but I'm hoping they will correct tracts and levels in the studio for the DVD release.

Bill Murray, Saturday Night Live alumni and all around comic genius, hosted this concert special which featured some of the most luminary, rock-out, transplendant guitar Gods still left alive on the planet. I watched it in HDTV and my head is still vibrating from: Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Los Lobos, John Mayer, Buddy Guy and...(older, heavier, but still for my money the sexiest and only Native American Mohawk guitar God on the planet, Robbie Robertson!) Dispersed among these seasoned blues-rock legends, were some amazing young talent. My hat is off to Dereck Trucks, relative of Butch Trucks from the one and only Allman Bros Band. This young guy (who bears a remarkable resemblance to Greg Allman, and similar slide guitar sound to the late Duane Allman) is an absolute wonder. Another don't miss prodigy was the young girl playing bass with Jeff Beck on two songs. New and old all rocked together magnificently. Not that anyone cares, I had a really crappy day today, toiling away on my real life Internet job. I have to admit, coming home to this PBS gem after a long hard day, really made my heart soar. Check out this amazing special, and yours will do the same.