Skip to footer

Top Picks: The National Memorial Day Concert on PBS, CNN's series 'The Sixties,' and more

The National World War I Museum exhibit 'War Fare' examines food in the time of conflict, the box set 'Face the Music' chronicles musician Nils Lofgren's career, and more top picks.

Nils Lofgren's boxed set titled 'Face the Music'
  • By Staff

Memorial Day tradition

This year marks the 25th anniversary of PBS’s live broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert from the West Lawn of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. A “star-studded lineup,” including the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jack Everly, honors military service members. It airs May 25 at 8 p.m. EDT.   

Food and war

War Fare: From the Homefront to the Frontlines is an online exhibit by the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo., featuring the food of wartime. Did you know that “Meatless Monday” and “Wheatless Wednesday” have their origins in the rationing restrictions of World War I? Prepare for an enticing history lesson, complete with an online copy of a US government-issued 1918 cookbook, “Win the War in the Kitchen.” Go to exhibitions.theworldwar.org.

Sideman in the spotlight

Nils Lofgren may play guitar in Bruce Springsteen’s band, but he also explores musical avenues beyond E Street. Face the Music chronicles Lofgren’s career, from the bonhomie classic rock of his 1970s band Grin to his outstanding 2011 album “Old School.” (New to Lofgren? Try those albums on iTunes or Spotify.) The box set includes out-of-print rarities, 40 unreleased tracks, and appearances by Neil Young (“Keith Don’t Go”) and Springsteen (“Valentine”). 

In the trenches

History Channel’s three-part The World Wars is deftly engaging, opening with a young Adolf Hitler in the trenches of World War I,  then spinning round the globe to another youngster, George Patton, making his name in the US fight against Pancho Villa. Then it’s off to London to watch a very green Winston Churchill start his career by coming up with one of Britain’s all-time egregious blunders: Gallipoli. The reenactments are interspersed with interviews with Sen. John McCain, Gen. Colin Powell, former British Prime Minister John Major, and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monte. It begins May 26 at 9 p.m.

Reliving the past

CNN takes us back half a century to the 1960s in its 10-part series about that iconic decade. The Sixties kicks off with “Television Comes of Age” then walks through such definitive events as J.F.K.’s assassination, Selma and the March on Washington, the space race, the Beatles, and much more. Tom Hanks, the series’ executive producer, is also one of many celebrities who reflect on the era’s lasting influence. The series launches May 29.

Big is beautiful

Think ballet is only for the skinny ballerina? Tune into Big Ballet on Ovation to see how a cadre of those who always dreamed of being in the ballet work to make their dreams come true, despite being an “untraditional size.” The three-part series follows 18 aspirants, culminating in a performance of “Swan Lake.” This reality series proves the spirit does not need a perfect body to dance. It debuts May 28.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Top Picks: The National Memorial Day Concert on PBS, CNN's series 'The Sixties,' and more
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Arts/2014/0523/Top-Picks-The-National-Memorial-Day-Concert-on-PBS-CNN-s-series-The-Sixties-and-more
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe