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On Tuesday November 12 2024, PBS broadcasts American Experience!

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 Season 36 Episode 7 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “American Experience,” titled “American Coup: Wilmington 1898,” promises to shed light on a dark chapter in American history. Set to air on PBS, this episode focuses on the tragic events that unfolded in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898. This significant moment in history involved a violent race massacre and an insurrection that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Black residents.

The episode will explore the context of Wilmington during this period, highlighting the social and political tensions that existed. Viewers will learn about the power struggles that led to the violent uprising, as well as the impact it had on the Black community and the city as a whole. Through personal stories and historical accounts, the episode aims to provide a deeper understanding of the events that transpired and their lasting effects.

“American...

The upcoming episode of “American Experience,” titled “American Coup: Wilmington 1898,” is set to air on November 12, 2024, at 9:00 Pm on PBS. This powerful episode dives into a dark chapter of American history, focusing on the race massacre and insurrection that took place in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898.

Viewers will learn about the tragic events that led to the murder of dozens of Black residents during this violent uprising. The episode explores the social and political climate of the time, shedding light on the systemic racism and tensions that fueled this horrific incident. Through interviews, historical accounts, and archival footage, “American Coup” aims to provide a deeper understanding of the impact this massacre had on the community and the country as a whole.

This episode promises to be both enlightening and sobering, offering a chance to reflect on the consequences of racial violence and the importance of remembering these events. “American Experience...

On Tuesday October 1 2024, PBS broadcasts American Experience!

The American Vice President Season 36 Episode 6 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “American Experience,” titled “The American Vice President,” airing on PBS, will delve into a pivotal period in American history between 1963 and 1976. This episode will explore the evolving role of the vice president and the crucial succession process that comes into play when a president is unable to serve. By examining this important chapter, viewers will gain insights into how the nation navigated significant political challenges and transformations.

Throughout the episode, the program will highlight key events that shaped the vice presidency during this time. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the nation was faced with profound questions about leadership and continuity. The episode will explore how the vice presidency adapted to these challenges, focusing on figures such as Lyndon B. Johnson and Gerald Ford, who each played critical roles...

On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at 8:00 Pm, PBS’s acclaimed series “American Experience” presents a thought-provoking episode titled “The American Vice President.” This episode delves into a pivotal period in American history, spanning from 1963 to 1976, when the nation grappled with the role and significance of the vice president.

Viewers will explore the historical context that prompted a re-evaluation of this position, particularly following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The program examines the constitutional succession process that comes into play when a president can no longer fulfill their duties. Through archival footage and expert commentary, the episode sheds light on key figures who have held the vice presidency during this time, as well as the challenges and expectations they faced.

“The American Vice President” not only educates audiences about the complexities of political succession but also encourages reflection on the evolving nature of leadership in the United States. This episode...

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at 8:00 Pm, PBS will present “The American Vice President,” an insightful episode from Season 36 of “American Experience.” This episode delves into a pivotal period in American history, spanning from 1963 to 1976, when the nation grappled with the evolving role of the vice president and the intricacies of the presidential succession process.

Viewers will explore how significant events, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, reshaped public perception and the responsibilities of the vice presidency. The episode sheds light on how the country responded to a crisis that tested its political framework and raised questions about leadership in times of uncertainty. With a blend of archival footage and expert commentary, the narrative unfolds to reveal the challenges and changes that defined the vice presidency during these crucial years.

As the nation reflects on the importance of this office, “The American Vice President” serves as a reminder...

Get ready to dive into a pivotal moment in American history with the upcoming episode of “American Experience” titled “The Riot Report,” airing at 3:00 Am on Wednesday, 29 May 2024, on PBS. In this insightful installment, viewers will witness President Lyndon B. Johnson’s response to the unrest that swept through Black urban communities across the United States in 1967.

Against the backdrop of social upheaval and civil unrest, President Johnson takes a significant step by appointing the 11-member Kerner Commission to investigate the root causes and consequences of the riots. As the episode unfolds, viewers will gain a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play during this tumultuous period in American history.

Through archival footage, expert analysis, and firsthand accounts, “The Riot Report” offers a comprehensive examination of the events leading up to the riots and their aftermath. From systemic racism and economic inequality to police brutality and political disenfranchisement,...

Get ready for another action-packed episode of “All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite” with Season 6 Episode 21, titled “Ep. 242 – Dynamite 5/22/2024,” airing on TBS at 8:00 Pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. As one of the premier wrestling shows on television, Aew continues to raise the bar with its exhilarating mix of athleticism, drama, and entertainment.

With a world-class roster of male and female wrestlers, Aew promises to deliver a night of high-flying maneuvers, hard-hitting action, and jaw-dropping moments that will leave fans on the edge of their seats. From electrifying championship matches to intense rivalries and unexpected twists, “Dynamite” offers something for every wrestling enthusiast.

As Aew continues to inject new spirit, freshness, and energy into mainstream wrestling, viewers can expect an unforgettable evening of thrilling matches and memorable moments. Whether you’re a die-hard wrestling fan or a casual viewer, “All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite” guarantees an adrenaline-fueled experience that you won’t want to miss.

Get ready for a gripping and eye-opening journey into one of the most significant environmental disasters in American history with the latest episode of “American Experience.” Tune in on Wednesday at 9:00 Pm on PBS for Season 36 Episode 4 titled “Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal.”

In this episode, viewers will delve into the harrowing events of the 1970s Love Canal disaster, where a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, became a symbol of environmental devastation. Led predominantly by women, the battle for justice unfolds as they confront government officials and powerful corporations to address the toxic contamination that plagued their community.

Through powerful storytelling and archival footage, “American Experience” sheds light on the grassroots activism and perseverance that led to the creation of the federal Superfund program, a landmark legislation aimed at cleaning up hazardous waste sites across the country.

Don’t miss this compelling episode as it explores...

Tune in to PBS this Monday, April 22, 2024, at 9:00 Pm for a powerful and enlightening episode of “American Experience.” In Season 36 Episode 4, titled “Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal,” viewers will be transported back to the 1970s to explore the devastating Love Canal disaster.

This episode delves into the harrowing events surrounding the Love Canal disaster and the courageous battle for justice waged by a group of primarily women. Through their tireless efforts, they shed light on the environmental catastrophe unfolding in their community and sparked a national movement for change.

Join “American Experience” as it illuminates the tragic story of Love Canal and the remarkable resilience of the individuals who fought for accountability and change. Through their perseverance, they laid the groundwork for the federal Superfund program, which continues to address environmental hazards across the United States.

Don’t miss out on this important and impactful episode of “American Experience,...

Get ready for an insightful and inspiring episode of “American Experience” as Season 36 Episode 3, titled “The Cancer Detectives,” airs on PBS at 9:00 Pm on Thursday, March 28, 2024. In this compelling documentary series, viewers will learn about the remarkable individuals who played a pivotal role in the fight against cervical cancer, ultimately reducing death rates from the disease by over 60 percent.

Through interviews, archival footage, and expert analysis, “The Cancer Detectives” sheds light on the groundbreaking work of three individuals whose contributions revolutionized the field of cancer research and prevention. Their tireless efforts and innovative approaches have saved countless lives and transformed the landscape of cancer treatment.

As viewers delve into the stories of these remarkable individuals, they will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and triumphs associated with combating one of the most prevalent and deadly forms of cancer. From groundbreaking medical breakthroughs to the power of perseverance and determination,...

Prepare to be inspired by the remarkable stories featured in the latest episode of “American Experience” titled “The Cancer Detectives,” airing on PBS at 9:00 Pm on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. This compelling installment delves into the fight against cervical cancer and highlights the contributions of three individuals whose groundbreaking work significantly reduced death rates from the disease.

Viewers will witness the extraordinary efforts of these dedicated individuals as they strive to combat cervical cancer, ultimately leading to a remarkable 60 percent decrease in mortality rates. Through their tireless dedication and innovative approaches, they have made a profound impact on public health and saved countless lives.

Filled with poignant moments and powerful narratives, “The Cancer Detectives” is a testament to the importance of scientific research, perseverance, and the human spirit in overcoming one of the deadliest diseases of our time. Tune in to PBS on Tuesday, March 26, at 9:00 Pm to witness their...

Embark on a journey through aviation history with the latest episode of “American Experience” titled “Fly With Me,” airing on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 9:00 Pm on PBS.

In this captivating episode, viewers will be transported back in time to explore the groundbreaking role of the first female flight attendants. These trailblazing women were not only pioneers in the skies but also champions of gender equality, challenging societal norms and transforming the workplace.

Through compelling storytelling and archival footage, “Fly With Me” sheds light on how these courageous women asserted their rights, paving the way for future generations of female professionals. From defying stereotypes to advocating for equal treatment, their journey resonates with themes of empowerment and resilience.

Join “American Experience” as they celebrate the remarkable achievements of these unsung heroes and delve into the untold story of how flight attendants became agents of change in the fight for women’s rights.

Prepare to take flight into history with Season 36 Episode 2 of “American Experience,” titled “Fly With Me,” airing at 9:00 Pm on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, on PBS. In this captivating episode, viewers will be transported back in time to explore the groundbreaking journey of the first female flight attendants.

“Fly With Me” delves into the remarkable story of how these trailblazing women were at the forefront of the fight for gender equality, asserting their rights and transforming the workplace in the process. From challenging societal norms to breaking barriers in the aviation industry, these courageous pioneers paved the way for future generations of women.

Through insightful interviews, archival footage, and expert analysis, “American Experience” provides a compelling look at the courage, resilience, and determination of these pioneering flight attendants. Their remarkable journey serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the importance of fighting for change.

Don...

In the Season 36 premiere of “American Experience,” titled “Nazi Town, USA,” viewers are taken on a historical journey to explore the unsettling rise of the German American Bund in the 1930s. Airing at 9:00 Pm on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, on PBS, this episode delves into the formation of an organization of American Nazis that had chapters dispersed across the country.

The documentary unveils the complex and chilling history of this dark chapter in American life, shedding light on the activities, influence, and resonance of the German American Bund during a tumultuous period. Through archival footage, interviews, and meticulous storytelling, “Nazi Town, USA” aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the organization’s impact on American society and the challenges faced in confronting extremist ideologies within the nation’s borders.

For those fascinated by historical narratives and the examination of challenging periods in American history, “American Experience” promises a thought-provoking and informative start to its 36th season.

The thing that strikes you first is her voice.

Lady Bird Johnson recorded 123 hours of audio tapes recounting the ins and outs of her husband Lyndon Johnson’s administration. The recordings form the spine of Dawn Porter’s illuminating new documentary, “The Lady Bird Diaries,” but they don’t just give a chronological sequence of events. These recordings are an artistic achievement in their own right, primary-source history executed with insight and wit, and as a kind of diaristic blank verse. It helps that Johnson had worked as a journalist; she has a way with words that’s deceptive because she’s not (overly) flowery, though her vocabulary is immense. Instead, she’s direct, spare in her descriptions, with her Texas drawl giving musicality to her prose. The space between the drama of her saying “I want to know what is going on, even if to know is to suffer...

On Monday, October 30, 2023, at 9:00 Pm on PBS, “American Experience” presents Season 35, Episode 9, titled “The War on Disco.” This episode delves into the cultural movement surrounding disco, as well as the backlash that aimed to dismantle it.

“American Experience” is a documentary series that delves into various aspects of American history and culture. In this episode, the focus is on the disco era, which had a significant impact on music, fashion, and dance.

Viewers will learn about the rise of disco as a cultural phenomenon, its influence on society, and the forces that tried to bring it down. It’s a look at how music and dance can become central elements of a cultural movement and how that movement can sometimes face resistance.

For those interested in American history and the dynamics of cultural shifts, “The War on Disco” provides an insightful exploration of the disco era and the forces that shaped it.

This article contains mild Oppenheimer spoilers.

At 8:15 a.m. on the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay arrived at its target above the heart of Hiroshima, Japan. Below was a city that had been left relatively untouched by the ravages of the brutal Second World War. That changed to horrifying effect after the B-29 dropped its payload above a bridge at the city’s center: an atomic bomb codenamed “Little Boy.” It would be the first nuclear weapon deployed in anger in the history of humanity. The second came three days later when another A-bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

Nearly 80 years later, the carnage and horror these weapons inflicted remain infamous. With each bomb, 40,000 people—men, women, and children—were vaporized in an instant by the heat of an atomic flash. Thousands more perished from the devastation inflicted by the fireball which followed.

The success of series like The Serpent Queen of Starz–which was recently renewed for a second season by the network–indicates that there is still a very strong appetite for historical dramas. Indeed, the forthcoming releases of such series as 1923 reveal that audiences love finding themselves immersed in the past, with all of its dangers, beauties, and uncertainties.

The users of Reddit have been particularly helpful in illuminating which such series, in their view, should be seen as the most historically accurate. Unsurprisingly, some series are better at capturing the specific details–and ethos–of a particular period than others.

John Adams (2008) Stream On HBO Max

For many, John Adams is one of the best HBO series. With Paul Giamatti in the title role, it does a very good job of capturing the grime and grit of the Revolutionary period, as its title character begins his long career in American politics.

David McCullough, an award-winning author, narrator, historian and television host, died on Sunday at his Hingham, Mass. home. He was 89.

His daughter, Dorie Lawson, confirmed the news to the New York Times.

McCullough was best known for “Truman” and “John Adams,” two presidential biographies that notched him two Pulitzer Prizes in a 10-year span. He also won the National Book Award twice for “The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal” in 1977 and “Mornings on Horseback” in 1981, the latter which centered on a young Theodore Roosevelt and his family. In late 2006, he was awarded with the highest civilian award in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his literary works in chronicling the histories of some of the nation’s most prominent political figures.

As an author, McCullough was known to take extreme care and time with his literary works. “John Adams” took about seven years to write,...

David McCullough, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning historian whose biographies gave character and compelling narratives to figures and moments that make up the fabric of the American experience, has died. He was 89.

His publisher, Simon & Schuster, said that McCullough died on Sunday at his home in Hingman, Ma, surrounded by his five children.

Two of McCullough’s most famous works, presidential biographies of Harry Truman in 1992 and John Adams in 2001, not only won Pulitzer Prizes but were turned into TV miniseries. His gift for storytelling translated into that of a narrator of documentaries like Ken Burns’ Civil War.

McCullough received the National Book Award for The Path Between the Seas, about the building of the Panama Canal, and Mornings on Horseback, a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. Other best sellers included The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The Wright Brothers, and The American Spirit. He also...

U.S. screenwriter Kirk Ellis, best known for adapting David McCullough’s “John Adams” biography for HBO, has been tapped by Fremantle to write the screenplay for “Bibi,” its TV series about scandal haunted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The previously announced high-end series about the personal and political life of Netanyahu – who on Sunday went on trial in Jerusalem on corruption charges one week after managing to remain in office after a protracted political crisis – is being produced by Tel Aviv-based Abot Hameiri, a Fremantle company.

It is based on prominent Israeli journalist Ben Caspit’s “The Netanyahu Years,” a bestselling biography of politically canny and deeply divisive figure known at home as Bibi who is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, in power since 2009.

“Ben Caspit’s insightful reporting demonstrates how private life always shapes public affairs, and there’s no shortage of conflict – or opinions – when it comes to Benjamin Netanyahu,...

Paul Giamatti just saw what his “Rick and Morty” character looks like for the first time, and the results gave the actor quite a chuckle.

He paid a virtual visit to “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Tuesday, and Meyers got the honor of revealing a few stills of Giamatti’s “Story Lord” character, who he voices in an upcoming episode in Season 4.

“I think they did pretty well by you,” Meyers said of the two images — one shows the gray-haired and quite distinguished-looking Story Lord wearing a white coat, while the adjacent picture shows him in action, shirtless and completely ripped.

Also Read: 'Rick & Morty' Co-Creator Justin Roiland Brings New Claymation Series to Quibi

“Oh yeah, that’s pretty interesting. I’m actually — Wow. The chest is like, crazy,” Giamatti said.

“It really makes you wish there’d been more shirtless scenes in ‘John Adams,'” Meyers joked,...

Carolyn Reidy, the powerhouse publisher who ran Simon & Schuster as president and CEO and edited seven Pulitzer Prize winners, died today of a heart attack. She was 71.

Simon & Schuster CFO Dennis Eulau confirmed the news in this memo to staff.

As a publisher and a leader,” he wrote, “Carolyn pushed us to stretch to do just that little bit more; to do our best and then some for our authors, in whose service she came to work each day with an unbridled and infectious enthusiasm and great humor.”

Read the full memo below.

Reidy joined Simon & Schuster in 1992 from Avon Books as President of the Trade Division and was named president of its Adult Publishing Group in 2001. Reidy was upped to president and CEO in 2007 to replace the retiring Jack Romanos.

She was named Publishers Weekly‘s Person of the Year in 2017.

During her tenure, Simon & Schuster published books...

The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York

By Peter J. Tomasi and Sara DuVall

208 pages, $24.99, Abrams ComicArts

Once upon a time, Brooklyn was a city separate from New York, separated by a river and giving rise to vastly different cultures. Yet, people commuted from the Brooklyn shore to Manhattan Island and in the 19th Century, a visionary engineer thought a bridge was needed to connect the two.

The feat of engineering is something worth celebrating and David McCullough did that with his 1972 The Great Bridge, which served as the source for Ken Burns America Collection: Brooklyn Bridge. But, there are other ways to tell that story and Peter Tomasi, a comics writer and editor, has been longing to tell this story for years.

Thankfully, his dream, like John Roebling’s, has become a reality. Unlike the elder Roebling, at least Tomasi is still around to see it.

Doug Nichol's California Typewriter brilliantly captures the percussion of the keys at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Antiquarian typewriter collector Martin Howard over brunch in the garden of Narcissa, next door to the Standard Hotel, joined me for a conversation on California Typewriter, Doug Nichol's documentary featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, Jeremy Mayer, Pulitzer Prize winners David McCullough and Sam Shepard, and a reenactment of Ed Ruscha and Mason Williams' Royal Road Test execution. Martin is the glue of the film as we are taken on an historical journey for his search to purchase a Sholes & Glidden typewriter.

Martin Howard on typewriter Betty Grable: "She uses a Sholes & Glidden in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

The Wrong Box (John Mills, Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, Peter Sellers, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore), Royal Flash (Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates, Florinda Bolkan, Oliver Reed), Waterloo (Rod Steiger,...

Bob Edwards, Doug Nichol, Jeremy Mayer and Ken Alexander with Anne-Katrin Titze at the California Typewriter Us theatrical premiere at Metrograph in New York Photo: John Benet

Fritz Lang's Metropolis is seen as inspiration for sculptor Jeremy Mayer and John Mayer recalls a scene capturing his attention in Da Pennebaker's Don't Look Back, where Bob Dylan is using a typewriter, "sitting at the altar", to compose lyrics as Joan Baez sings and plays guitar as a turning point for him. Sam Shepard, "peripatetic" since he was an infant, feels that there is an "apparition taking place" when writing on his Hermes 3000.

Doug Nichol with producer John Benet at the sold-out opening night screening of California Typewriter Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

David McCullough and the drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge, Paul Auster and the magic in the keyboard, linking the machine to Tom Hanks and Martin Howard's fathers, typewriter poet Silvi Alcivar,...

California Typewriter director Doug Nichol on Tom Hanks: "He was great. We spent a day with him, shooting him." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

The afternoon before the theatrical première of California Typewriter in New York, director/writer/cinematographer Doug Nichol met with me for coffee and conversation on his passion project, which hauntingly captures the fleeting nature of time and propels us into the tactile world beyond the screens. Structured around the story of the California Typewriter repair shop in Berkeley, we are taken on an energetic journey with collector Martin Howard, explore the work of sculptor Jeremy Mayer, and experience the reenactment of Ed Ruscha and Mason Williams' Royal Road Test execution.

Sam Shepard, David McCullough, John Mayer, Tom Hanks, and typewriter poet Silvi Alcivar all have their own take on what makes the typewriter the machine of choice for them.

Anne-Katrin Titze: Tell me about the timeline,...

California Typewriter Review California Typewriter (2016) Film Review, a movie directed by Doug Nichol, and starring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, Sam Shepard, Silvi Alcivar, Ken Alexander, Martin Howard, Jeremy Mayer, David McCullough, Herbert Permillion, Richard Plot, Darren Wershler, and Mason Williams. Like vinyl records and VHS tapes, typewriters have been cast to the wayside as [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: California Typewriter (2016): Finding Insight And Inspiration In The Most Unlikely Place...

Tom Hanks in California Typewriter: "I probably have 250 plus typewriters in my collection."

What do Pulitzer Prize winners Sam Shepard (Buried Child, 1979) and David McCullough (Truman, 1992 and John Adams, 2001), two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, 1994 and Forrest Gump, 1995), and seven-time Grammy Award winner John Mayer have in common?

Doc NYC highlight California Typewriter, directed by Doug Nichol, brilliantly captures the percussion of the keys by bringing together the aforementioned artists who share their personal thoughts on the one machine they won't do without.

Structured around the story of the California Typewriter repair shop in Berkeley, Nichol takes us on an energetic journey with collector Martin Howard, explores the work of sculptor Jeremy Mayer, and reenacts the Ed Ruscha and Mason Williams' Royal Road Test execution.

Following the opening night theatrical 7:30pm premiere on this Friday, August 18 at Metrograph in New York there will be a discussion and Q&A with the.

The folks marketing Doug Nichol’s new documentary, California Typewriter, clearly know how to lead with their strongest material, because the opening moments of the film’s first trailer get right to the good stuff: celebrity typewriter fan Tom Hanks waxing nostalgic about his collection of more than 200 machines.

Hanks is joined by fellow enthusiasts like John Mayer, author David McCullough, and a number of Don Quixote-types hoping to beat back the digital world with their gentle clicks and clacks. California Typewriter arrives in select theaters this August, ahead of an ironically digital iTunes release.

[via Rolling Stone]...

"There's a tactile satisfaction that, I think, is part of our humanity." Gravitas has released an official trailer for a documentary titled California Typewriter, a "meditation on creativity and technology" focusing on the beloved typewriter. The titled "California Typewriter" is actually one of the most well-known typewriter stores, still surviving today as one of the only repair shops dedicated to the mechanical machines. Directed by Doug Nichol, the documentary is also a story about people whose lives are connected by typewriters. It features discussions / interviews with Tom Hanks, John Mayer, Sam Shepard, David McCullough and others. This doc first premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and it looks like a fascinating doc that goes beyond just the mechanics of these everlasting writing machines. I'm actually very excited to see this. Here's the official trailer for Doug Nichol's documentary California Typerwriter, direct from YouTube: California Typewriter is a documentary portrait of artists,...

Tom Hanks and John Mayer discuss their love of typewriters in the first trailer for California Typewriter, a documentary about the antiquated dictation machine.

"The typewriter doesn't judge you. It just goes, 'Right away sir,'" Mayer says in the trailer. "'However you want it to be.'"

Hanks, who launched a free typewriter app for smartphones, is the owner of more than 250 different typewriters, 90 percent of which are in working order.

California Typewriter also features testimonials from historian David McCullough and playwright Sam Shepard about why the typewriter is still their go-to writing device.

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– Fox Searchlight has bought the rights to “The Spy With No Name,” an ebook written by Jeff Maysh and published by Amazon Kindle Single, Deadline reports. Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert of Emjag Productions will produce alongside “Argo” executive producer David Klawans.

Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Grasshopper Film Gets ‘Escapes,’ Amazon and IFC Films Date ‘City of Ghosts’ and More

The true story centers on Erwin van Haarlem, a Cold War secret agent who stole the identity of a Dutch man whose mother had given him up for adoption. The Communist spy pretended to be Johanna van Haarlem’s long lost son for 11 years before being caught.

– FilmRise has acquired the U.S. rights to Michael Almereyda’s “Marjorie Prime,...

This post originally appeared on Entertainment Weekly.

Whether he’s reading to kids at the White House, hitting up local bookstores on Black Friday, or giving recommendations to his daughters, President Barack Obama may as well be known as the Commander in Books.

Potus is an avid reader and recently spoke to the New York Times about the significant, informative and inspirational role literature has played in his presidency, crediting books for allowing him to “slow down and get perspective.” With his presidency coming to an end this Friday, EW looked back at Obama’s lit picks over the years...

Ken Burns and Co. made a big splash with this historical docu miniseries that in 1990 gripped the imagination of the whole country. Eleven hours of history are a breeze when presented in what was then a new form: authentic photos and paintings accompanied by actorly recitals of letters and documents from the era. It all comes to life. The people enduring the War Between the States seem just like us, as if it all happened yesterday. The Civil War DVD PBS Video 1990 / Color + B&W / 1:33 flat / 11 hours, 20 min. / 25th Anniversary Edition / Street Date October 13, 2015 / 99.99 Starring Shelby Foote, Ed Bearss, Barbara Fields, James Symington, Stephen B. Oates, William Safire, Daisy Turner and the voices of Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, Paul Roebling, Garrison Keillor, David McCullough (narrator), Arthur Miller, Charles McDowell, Horton Foote, George Plimpton, Philip Bosco, Jody Powell, Studs Terkel, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.,...

Dominic Cooper, who will be taking on the lead role of Jesse Custer in AMC’s Preacher

AMC has cast the lead role in its upcoming series Preacher. The adaptation of the Garth Ennis comic series has formally signed Dominic Cooper as the titular preacher Jesse Custer, as confirmed by executive producer and co-developer Seth Rogen.

We have Jesse Custer! @dominiccoop is gonna save our souls. #Preacher

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) April 17, 2015

This is not Cooper’s first foray into the world of comic books, as he has also played Howard Stark, father to Iron Man Tony Stark, on both the big and small screen. Cooper, whose formal signing comes after weeks of talks, joins a cast that already includes Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, Ian Colletti, and Lucy Griffiths. A premiere date for Preacher has yet to be announced.

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HBO made a number of moves over the past week. Key among...

Tom Hanks and his PlayTone production company have picked up the rights to a new book called The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. Hanks will produce and help develop a miniseries based on the book for HBO.

According to Deadline, the film will tell true story of Wilbur and Orville Wright, “who sold and repaired bicycles out of an Ohio shop to pay for their passion: the invention of flying machines that ushered in the aeronautical age right after the turn of the 20th Century. In 1903 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the brothers changed history by successfully flying the first heavier-than-air-powered machine that carried a pilot.”

I’m a big fan of Hanks, and the guy has brought nothing but greatness with the HBO projects that he develops. This seems like a perfect fit for him. This is the second time he has taken on a project that...

Wilbur and Orville Wright are heroes to aviation fans; Tom Hanks is a hero to everyone else. It makes all kinds of sense, then, for the latter to be helping shepherd the former to the small screen in an HBO miniseries entitled The Wright Brothers. According to Deadline, that’s what happening, with Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s (pictured) Playtone marque picking up the rights to a new David McCullough book about the fathers of flight.Pulitzer Prize-winner McCullough wrote the book on which the Paul Giamatti-starring historical drama John Adams was based. This time the narrative follows two ambitious dreamers who earn money repairing bikes in an Ohio shops to fund their hobby. That hobby? Building flying machines. But are they just early 20th century Icaruses or can they prove the naysayers wrong and take to the skies above North Carolina’s Outer Banks in the sort of...

Failure is inevitable. Success is elusive.

Steven Spielberg

As HBO’s CEO, Michael Fuchs, who’d come up through the company’s programming side, had spent 11 years working to transform the service from a movie channel with some pleasant original filler into a true programming platform. Ironically, Fuchs’ vision wouldn’t come to full fruit until after he’d left the company in May 1995, and it would happen under a guy who had no programming experience at all: Jeff Bewkes, who took over the CEO’s slot after Fuchs’ departure.

A friend of mine in the company who’d worked with Bewkes once explained his programming philosophy while we were talking about some of the company’s big dollar extravaganzas, like Band of Brothers. Bewkes didn’t interfere with the creative side. “If you can make it make business sense to him, Jeff’ll say, ‘Go ahead.’ If you can...

Mitt Romney isn’t exactly known for his wild-and-crazy-guy side, but the Republican presidential candidate has made a point of emphasizing he’s “just like us” when it comes to his list of pop-culture faves. Listen up, voters!

Romney is currently 65 years old. He came of age at the height of Beatlemania (and yes, Romney is a Beatles fan!), when the roaring ’60s counterculture movement was in full swing. Some of the top books of 1965 were The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley, and In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote.

For Romney himself, his personal book picks are a...

When was the last time you really thought about the Founding Fathers? During the Independence Day holiday, it seems we watch war movies such as Saving Private Ryan or Pearl Harbor—films about more recent events in our nation’s history.

But this Fourth of July, treat yourself to the 2008 seven-part (You could watch it all in one day!) HBO miniseries John Adams, based on the book John Adams by noted historian David McCullough and starring Paul Giamatti as John Adams and Laura Linney as his wife Abigail. Did we mention the Tom Hooper-directed epic is also the most-Emmy-winning...

The complaints about how I never watch TV have begun again so I'll address them. The truth is, I probably watch Way More TV than most of you because I'm currently unemployed, but that doesn't mean I watch a lot of different shows. I'm opposed to the reality genre mostly on principle and secretly because every time I've tried to watch one of those shows either my eyes glaze over and I lose three hours or they make me want to kill people. Not euphemistically either, like I start planning ways to get on a plane and fly to whatever location those individuals live at and kill them and that's just not mentally healthy. Also, it takes something special to get me hooked on a show and I can't ever really say what that is. Not quality, because I won't even begin to pretend that all the shows I watch...

Looking for a mood enhancer? A way to unleash your tears? Need help falling asleep? Or just a cure for a really bad day? Here's what Dr Birch has been prescribing...

It's a rough life, isnt it? Even with all the technology and aids to daily living (and in some cases, because of them), the majority of us lead quite stressful, rushed lives, with tons of responsibilities heaped on shoulders that haven't evolved fast enough to handle the load.

We may not have to pursue our own meals any more, but chasing trains, hunting for jobs and battling bills and budgets are just as taxing on the wellbeing of the modern man and woman, and takes its toll on minds and bodies.

The medical profession and proper care has its place, but what about the more now age (not to be confused with new age) resources we have available to...

Listen, dear readers, I'm going to level with you: I have a headache, I still have to pack for my train ride tomorrow and find knitting supplies to keep myself busy for the 17 hours I'll be spending on said train, and it's been a long week already. I will make up for the lack of introduction at a later date. Here's your Wednesday night TV:

8:00pm: "Human Target" on Fox

"Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Natalie Cole and David McCullough" on PBS

"The Sing-Off" on NBC

"Survivor" on CBS

9:00pm: "Criminal Minds" on CBS

"Friday Night Lights" on DirecTV

"Hell's Kitchen" on Fox. 8th season finale.

"Third Reich: The Fall" on History

"I'll Do Anything" on Bbca

"Man vs. Food: Carnivore Chronicles 8: Magnificence of Meatiness" on Travel

"Mythbusters" on Discovery. It's a Green Hornet special, which sounds totally lame to me but that's probably because...

I’m not sure what took me more by surprise, that Secretariat mostly lived up to my fairly lofty expectations, or that so many of the people in the screening I attended appeared to be completely unaware of the Secretariat story. Though it is somewhat commonplace for the crowd in a screening to politely clap at the as the credits begin to roll, it is downright unusual for this same crowd to applaud during the film, which this crowd did at least twice. That only happens if a couple of things are true: the movie actually is pretty decent, and the moments of suspense and drama are genuine.

Full disclosure here: I am somewhat of a horseracing fan and I am quite familiar with the Secretariat story. In fact, I wrote an article on this site last year begging for this movie to be made. (If you don’t mind a ton of spoilers,...

"Who shall write the history of the American Revolution?" Adams asked. "Who can write it? Who will be able to write it?"

"Nobody," Jefferson answered, "except perhaps its external facts."

I've just finished reading John Adams, the brilliant work of biographical history by David McCullough, which expanded my knowledge of the titular founding father beyond the HBO mini-series and the musical 1776, in which I learned that Mr. Feeny was "obnoxious and disliked." And while I must applaud Paul Giamatti's portrayal of America's second president, one can only really know the man by his words. Thanks be to Mr. Adams, he sure did leave a lot of words.

McCullough digs deep into Adams' writings, from his first scratched letters to the spidery scribbles of a dying hand. In them we find a man who settles deep into self-perusal, leaving few of his many flaws unseen by the daylight. Vanity, temper,...

David McCullough: Painting with Words (top); Philip Glass in Glass: a portrait of Philip in twelve parts (bottom) David McCullough: Painting with Words and Glass: a portrait of Philip in twelve parts will be screened as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 28th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, November 4, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission is free. Directed by Mark Herzog and produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, David McCullough: Painting with Words takes a look at the career of Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough (Truman, John Adams). Herzog will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening. Shot on [...]...

DVD Playhouse—July 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Spike Lee’s groundbreaking fable about race relations in an ethnically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood during a sweltering New York summer remains as potent, timely and prescient as it was in 1989. Lee is among the cast, which also includes John Turturro, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Rosie Perez (to name a few), that provide the tableaux-like framework for this stunning work. Criminally ignored by Oscar (it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, but did garner nods for Supporting Actor Danny Aiello and Lee’s screenplay), it endures as a timeless classic. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas, Joie Lee; Documentary; Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround.

Coraline (Universal) A young girl moves into an old Victorian house with her parents...

He invented that beer right? No that was his cousin Sam in whose honor that beer is named, but John was known as the second president of the United States. This excellent Emmy and Golden Globe winning miniseries chronicles the life of No. 2, based on the book by David McCullough. When polls of presidents are taken, Washington and Lincoln usually take high marks. Those polls usually become more of a .which U.S. presidents can you remember from your lifetime. more than do you know their policies. Usually John Adams placed well out of the top ten, but the popularity of David McCullough.s novel as well as this miniseries may prove there.s some life in the old boy...

Chicago – If you haven’t seen HBO’s “Generation Kill” or “John Adams,” then you haven’t seen two of the best mini-series of the last several years and the absolute best of 2008. These are both pieces of amazing television, must-sees for fans of intense, adult drama and now available on Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 The brilliance of “Generation Kill” was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that HBO produced one of the most critically-acclaimed mini-series of all time in the stunning “John Adams” in the same year. With both titles finally available on Blu-Ray, now viewers who may have seen only one of the two or not had a chance to catch up with either can see both in the format most people watch HBO in nowadays - HD.

“Band of Brothers” has long been one of the most successful DVD (and now Blu-Ray releases) on the market and anyone who...