Highlights Archive

Independent Lens “WE WANT THE FUNK!” • WXXI-TV

Take a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning from African, soul, and early jazz roots, to its rise into the public consciousness.

Independent Lens “WE WANT THE FUNK!” airs Thursday, June 5 at 8 p.m. and streaming live and on the PBS App & WXXI app (iOS & Android) The program is also available on the PBS App and https://video.wxxi.org

Featuring James Brown’s dynamism, the extraterrestrial funk of George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, transformed girl group Labelle, and Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat. The story also traces funk’s influences on both new wave and hip-hop.

Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years • WXXI-TV

All-Star Special Featuring Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Strings, Leon Bridges, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Indigo Girls, Brandy Clark, Cam, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar, Eve Monsees & Sierra Hull.

Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years airs Friday, April 4 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

This special commemorates half a century of unforgettable performances and iconic moments with music luminaries and some of the brightest stars in the iconic live music television series five-decade history.

The capstone of the groundbreaking series golden jubilee celebrations pays tribute to this historic milestone and features dazzling new performances, heartfelt artist interviews, legendary artists and exclusive rarely-seen vintage footage from ACL’s extensive archives, highlighting iconic moments that have defined the show and shaped culture.

The program features themed highlights from ACL’s expansive show archives, each culminating with an original performance or artist interview. Segments will look back on defining moments and appearances in the show’s storied history, as well as performance milestones.

Relive unforgettable moments in ACL history through a time capsule of clips featuring Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Ray Charles, Nancy Griffith, Emmylou Harris, Townes Van Zandt, The Chicks, Tracy Chapman and Lauryn Hill; forecast ACL’s future via recent appearances including Kacey Musgraves, Foo Fighters, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Batiste, Brandi Carlile, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Noah Kahan and Jelly Roll.

American Masters “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” • WXXI-TV

Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.

American Masters “LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” re-airs Sunday, August 10 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

American Masters dives into the star’s life and career with interviews with interviews with Michael Feinstein, Ben Vereen, Mia Farrow, Darren Criss, and more.

Liza Minnelli was born in the spotlight and has spent her life entertaining audiences with her magnetic charm and formidable talents as an actress, singer and dancer. The daughter of the legendary Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, Liza made a name for herself as an influential performer and celebrated EGOT winner, having received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and four Tony Awards. Learn how Minnelli became the star she is today, navigating professional and personal challenges with the help of extraordinary mentors in American Masters – LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.

Featuring archival footage and stills, performance clips and new interviews with Minnelli, LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story is an intimate look into her dynamic life, from her complex relationship with her mother to her skyrocketing stardom after her Academy Award-winning role in Cabaret. The film dives into her relationships with her most trusted mentors, like Kay Thompson, Fred Ebb, Charles Aznavour, Halston and Bob Fosse, and their profound influence on Minnelli throughout her decades-long career.

Coronation Girls • WXXI-TV

Women who witnessed the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 return to Buckingham Palace

Coronation Girls airs Monday, March 31 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the web, WXXI app (Android & Apple IOS ) and PBS App.

In the summer of 1953, philanthropist Garfield Weston put together a sponsorship to send 50 girls from rural communities across Canada to visit London. They were soon standing in Oxford Street to witness the coronation procession of Queen Elizabeth. Witnessing a princess becoming the queen of England transformed them instantly and forever. The elements of character they saw in her, a young woman so close in age to themselves who took on the weight of the Crown, inspired them and shaped a way of being that has guided their lives. Featuring guest appearances by actor Richard E. Grant and His Majesty King Charles III, Coronation Girls includes interviews with a number of the women who participated in the trip and follows them as they return one last time to Buckingham Palace.

American Experience – American Coup: Wilmington 1898 • On-demand

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government.

Aired 11/12/2024 | On-demand Expires 11/12/2027

Photo: A mob celebrates in front of the burned Love & Charity Hall which housed the black-owned and -edited newspaper/Credit: The Daily Record. Courtesy of New Hanover County Public Library.

The Black Sox Scandal: American Stories • WXXI-TV

It was the most notorious scandal in pro sports history: eight Chicago White Sox players threw the 1919 World Series for a payout.

The Black Sox Scandal: American Stories airs Sunday, March 23 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

This film explores how and why these athletes, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, worked together to betray their teammates and fans for a risky payout. The film examines how their wild scheme came to light as well as the events that followed. The hour-long documentary also seeks to dispel myths about the team’s then-owner, Charles Comiskey, while exploring the scandal’s lingering impact on the modern-day game.

Chip Kids: Bending Light

Have you ever wondered why a magnifying glass distorts your reflection? Mrs. Pope and the Chip Kids discover how to bend light like engineers.

Explore how engineers “bend light” to make computer chips! Photolithography is a process used to put a specific pattern on a chip before etching. Photo means light and lithography means printing, so in photolithography you are printing with light. It is easy to see how this process works with a pair scissors, a paper plate, and flashlight. Engineers use a special mask, which is like a stencil with some dark areas and clear areas, to properly print a pattern onto the chip. The light shines only through the clear areas of the mask onto a wafer or chip

Vocabulary for Students to Define: Photolithography, Photo Resist, Convex, Refraction, Etching, Mask, Semiconductor, Microchip

Teacher Guide for Lesson & Experiment

Bending Light Lesson Guide

Student Handouts

Fillable Bending Light Lab Report

Printable Bending Light Lab Report

Chip Kids: Diffusion

What happens when you pour water in the center of a circle of candy? Mrs. Pope connects the colorful result to the principle of diffusion, where particles flow outwards to become evenly spread out.

Explore what candy and semiconductors have in common! Diffusion is the movement of molecules from areas of high concentration to low concentration. Candy is a high concentration of sugar and coloring, when placed in water, the molecules will gradually try and move towards the plain water. With microchips, we can expose a semiconductor like silicon to gas or liquid containing other elements to chemically alter the composition of the wafer.

Vocabulary for Students to Define: Molecules, High & Low Concentration, Conductivity, Diffusion, Etching, Mask, Resist, Semiconductor, Microchip

Related