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Media/Arts Briefs

Organ recitals

Programs celebrate America's independence

MADISON -- As Independence Day approaches, Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) is kicking off the month of July in patriotic fashion with special programming that will interest the whole family.

The Fourth of July programming begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, when WPT airs "Fireworks!" on Nova, which takes an in-depth look at fireworks and explores the science and spectacular art of those who play with fire for visual delight.

Later that evening, WPT airs Cincinnati Pops Patriotic Broadway at 9. Broadway stars Tom Wopat, a Wisconsin native, along with John Schneider and Denyce Graves join the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in a celebration of American musical theater's great patriotic songs.

Ken Burn's American Stories airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 2. The program takes a closer look at one of the nation's most famous monuments, the Statue of Liberty.

Washington, D.C.: Our Nation's Capitol airs at 11:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3. The program gives perspectives from air and ground capturing the sense of grandeur, history, and vitality that give Washington, D.C. its character.

At 2 p.m. July 4, the whole family can learn about the history of our nation's independence in the animated program Liberty's Kids.

Wrapping up WPT's patriotic programming, A Capitol Fourth airs on Independence Day at 7 p.m. Friday, July 4, with an encore presentation at 9:30 p.m. Dolly Parton, The Chieftains, Smokey Robinson, Kristin Chenowith, and the National Symphony perform from the west lawn of the United States Capitol.

TV Programs of Note

Following are some theatrical movies and television programs of note. This information is being provided to assist people in making viewing choices.

Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m., Inspiration Channel (cable) -- Catholic Mass.

Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m., EWTN (cable) -- Daily Mass. No 6 p.m. showing on Sunday.

Sunday, June 29, 7 a.m., WISC (CBS) -- Mass. Celebrated by Msgr. Thomas Campion, sponsored by Apostolate to the Handicapped.

Sunday, June 29, 5:30 p.m., WHA (PBS) -- The Wisconsin Gardener. This program takes viewers to admire alliums at Rotary Gardens in Janesville, looks at root rot with a University of Wisconsin-Extension expert and with a tree specialist in Blue Mounds, and discusses the Japanese beetle, a relatively new invader in Wisconsin yards and gardens.

Sunday, June 29, 6 p.m., EWTN (cable) -- A Prayer and A Promise: The Building of the Holy House of Nazareth in the United States. From groundbreaking in Morrilton, Arkansas to the grand opening ceremony, to the first Holy Mass this video takes the viewer through all the stages of construction of a replica of the Holy House of Loreto, the house Our Lady lived in while at Nazareth. Repeats noon July 1 and 2 a.m. July 4.

Sunday, June 29, 8 p.m., WHA (PBS) -- Maggie. How Margaret Thatcher made a remarkable life in British politics is the subject of this intriguing documentary. Director Nick London lays out her personal and political journey with ample archive footage and remarks from both disciples and detractors. It makes for a most interesting profile that may not offer deep insights but certainly does give a clear idea of the forces that formed her and of her own quite forceful personality.

Sunday, June 29, 8:30 p.m., WYOU (cable) -- Christopher Close-up: "Violence in the Holy Land." Israeli Ambassador Alon Pinkas discusses the roots of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and efforts at peacemaking in the Middle East.

Thursday, July 3, 7 p.m., Travel (Cable) -- Top Ten Patriotic Places. A journey to American historical sites such as the Statue of Liberty, Pearl Harbor, Mount Rushmore, and Gettysburg, among other locations.

Friday, July 4, 7 p.m., TCM (cable) -- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). Born on the Fourth of July, George M. Cohan melded patriotism with Irish charm in his rise from song-and-dance vaudevillian to leading Broadway songwriter and producer in a career celebrated by this flag-waving musical.