Premieres Saturday, November 7 at 9 p.m.

Public Television Rocks! with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Fogerty performing live from Los Angeles in a two-hour interactive broadcast experience. Co-hosted by WLIW21’s Laura Savini, this original music event invites viewers across the country to create Fogerty’s set list via live interactive video requests, call-in requests and text, email and social network requests. Tune in November 7 at 9 p.m. or visit pbs.org/livebyrequest to make your request.

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Based on a creative concept by the legendary Tony Bennett, the Emmy Award-winning Live By Request redefines the music television experience by giving fans control. Creating a unique connection between artists and fans, the series is the only television program where viewers actually create the artist’s set list and have the chance to personally talk to their music idol. Learn more at pbs.org/livebyrequest.

Donate now for John Fogerty’s The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again CD.

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Donate now for John Fogerty’s latest CD and DVD.

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Viewers like you make this concert and other rock music programming possible. Thank you for your support!

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Kips Bay Showhouse
New York, NY – Designer Show Houses are a great way to get ideas for your home. Top designers including Bunny Williams, Juan Montoya and Charles Pavarini show their stunning rooms and share their clever and inexpensive design secrets with fellow designer Bill Stubbs.

Flowers. Trees. Plants. We’ve always thought that we controlled them. But what if, in fact, they have been shaping us? Using this provocative question as a jumping off point, The Botany of Desire takes you on an eye-opening exploration of humans’ relationship with the plant world — as seen from the plant’s point of view. Based on Michael Pollan’s best-selling book of the same name and narrated by Frances McDormand (Fargo, Almost Famous), the special premieres Sunday, November 1 at 9 p.m.

The Botany of Desire examines the unique plant-human relationship through the stories of four familiar species and relates how they evolved to satisfy humans’ most basic yearnings. Linking fundamental human desires for sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control with the plants that satisfy them – apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes — The Botany of Desire elucidates how humans are intricately woven into the web of nature and do not stand outside of it.

Watch bonus videos and learn more.

Premieres nationwide on public television January 2010
(check local listings)

Preview video

Through My Eyes: The Charlie Kelman Story celebrates the jazzy double life of ophthalmologist Dr. Charles D. Kelman. The one-hour documentary is at once a fascinating study of scientific discovery; a rumination on the dynamic of fathers and sons; a cloak-and-dagger adventure; and a one-of-a-kind success story launched at the intersection of failure, fame and fate that gives hope to anyone who has ever harbored a secret dream. Produced by New York metro area public television station WLIW21, the program premieres nationwide on public television January 2010 (check local listings).

“WLIW21 has introduced U.S. television audiences to people and places they might not discover on their own, from performers like Celtic Thunder to the cities we fly over in our Visions® travel series,” says Executive Producer Roy A Hammond. “Through My Eyes: The Charlie Kelman Story finally pays homage to the man whose inventions have touched millions of lives worldwide and whose name should be a household name.”

In The Charlie Kelman Story public television viewers meet a man who reached the pinnacle of success in the wrong profession: the musician who invented the groundbreaking surgical procedure known as phacoemulsification. Interviews with Kelman’s friends, foes, colleagues, wife, daughter, and the late Dr. Kelman himself are interspersed with performance footage of the showman surgeon in an exploration of one man’s tumultuous ride to success. Viewers will discover why millions of cataract, gall bladder, brain, and spinal cord surgery patients worldwide have Chubby Checker to thank for their quick recovery – and how a visit to the dentist paved the way for today’s medical business model.

Before Charlie Kelman, cataract surgery was a complicated and costly procedure that immobilized patients in the hospital for eight to ten days, followed by four to six weeks of recovery at home and extremely thick glasses that magnified and distorted but never truly repaired the vision originally lost to the degenerative damage in the eye’s lens. The Charlie Kelman Story provides an eye-opening look at how the most common surgery in the world was transformed by a most uncommon man. The program reveals Kelman as an upstart who charmed his way into residency at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia; made his nightclub act required attendance at the end of week-long training sessions for his groundbreaking cataract procedure; promoted his renegade work with a public relations campaign that landed him on The Tonight Show; and generally spit in the eye of establishment with his unconventional actions and flashy style.

The surgeon with shtick was a polarizing figure in ophthalmology, decried as a “charlatan” and a “nutcase” or hailed as a “genius,” and this new public television documentary explores Dr. Kelman’s struggle for recognition and respect over three decades of research and private practice. Kelman put the “me” in medicine in ways that were controversial and even scandalous for the time. As described in the program’s interviews with his ophthalmologic colleagues, Kelman’s groundbreaking business partnership with the makers of his phacoemulsification device was decades ahead of industry acceptance; his experimental methods brought the balance between patient safety and medical progress into question; and his refusal to share developmental data for fear of being beaten to the punch after too many false starts made him a pariah among his peers.

Despite whatever controversy paved his road to success, there is no doubt Dr. Kelman’s impact is as unique as his personality and practices. Charlie Kelman’s phacoemulsification surgery has proven to be the rare technology with longevity – it is still the most common method used worldwide for the procedure. The program cites unheard of statistics for a 30-year-old innovation: nearly 100% of the almost 3 million cataract surgeries performed each year in the United States are done with phacoemulsification, and nearly 10 million each year worldwide. The procedure saves millions in healthcare costs both in the way the procedure is done and by the outcome of preventing blindness, thus allowing people to continue to contribute to society. Kelman spawned an empire that thrives to this day. Additionally, as his colleague Dr. Jack Dodick, chairman, department of ophthalmology, New York University Langone Medical Center and attending in ophthalmology at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Institute, notes in the program, “When Charlie was first able to remove an unwanted tissue inside the human body through a small hole, he basically became the grandfather of all small incision surgery in the whole body.”

Dr. Kelman received some of the highest honors in science and technological innovation including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (formerly known as the National Medal of Technology), the highest honor for technological achievement bestowed by the President of the United States on America’s leading innovators; and the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s prestigious Laureate Award, awarded six months before he died of cancer. Posthumously, Kelman was honored with the Lasker Award, the nation’s highest award for medical science, among other accolades.

“Give into that secret dream inside you,” Kelman advises his stage act audience during a performance of “I’ve Gotta Be Me” at the program’s end. If the struggle between the forces of medicine and music defined Charlie Kelman’s life, then his legacy as depicted in Through My Eyes: The Charlie Kelman Story finally unites both sides of his duality as an inspiring ode to the power of persistence.

A production of WLIW21 for WNET.ORG. Executive Producer: Roy A Hammond. Producer/Director: Danny Anker. Funding for Through My Eyes: The Charlie Kelman Story was made possible by The International Retinal Research Foundation; Alcon; The American Academy of Ophthalmology; Bausch and Lomb; Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island; Wills Eye Institute; Astoria Federal Savings; James B. Carty, Jr., M.D.; Aker Kasten Eye Center; Jerre Minor Freeman, M.D., of Memphis Eye & Cataract Associates; and BWD Group, LLC.

Photos courtesy: Dr. Charles and Ann Kelman Family Foundation

Premieres nationwide January 2010 on public television (check local listings)

Watch a preview:

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A production of WLIW21 for WNET.ORG. Executive Producer: Roy A Hammond. Producer/Director: Danny Anker. Funding for Through My Eyes: The Charlie Kelman Story was made possible by The International Retinal Research Foundation; Alcon; The American Academy of Ophthalmology; Bausch and Lomb; Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island; Wills Eye Institute; Astoria Federal Savings; James B. Carty, Jr., M.D.; Aker Kasten Eye Center; Jerre Minor Freeman, M.D., of Memphis Eye & Cataract Associates; and BWD Group, LLC.

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Childhood Rooms
New York, NY - Bill dedicates this episode to children and precious childhood memories. He visits some marvelous children’s rooms, including one with a Wizard of Oz theme and draws more inspiration from legendary designer, artist and author Gloria Vanderbilt, who has recreated her 1940’s teenage sitting room for the Kips Bay Show House. Bill shares his favorite treat, chocolate, in a “Moment of Luxury” with renowned chocolate maker, Jacques Torres.

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Collecting and Buying at Auctions
New York, NY - Bill goes behind the scenes at Sotheby’s with Leslie Keno (Antiques Roadshow), then shows how anyone can create a collection (how about pink plastic radios?) and a unique room for next to nothing with imagination, thrift shopping, and even “dumpster diving.”

APA: Let’s Talk Facts About What Is Mental Illness? brochure

APA: Let’s Talk Facts About Choosing a Psychiatrist brochure

APA: Mental Illness

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychiatric Foundation

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Institute of Mental Health

National Mental Health Association

NARSAD: Disorders Glossary

SAMHSA: National Mental Health Information Center

SAMHSA: Mental Health Services Locator

NARSAD: Patients and Families guide

Healthy Minds Bonus Videos
Hosted by NARSAD

Adolescents and Antidepressants

Alzheimer’s Disease

Anxiety and Stress

Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Chemical Dependency

Depression

Insomnia

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Schizophrenia

Suicide Prevention

Catch up with Season One – Watch Full Episodes Now

“Kips Bay Showhouse” (#201)
New York, NY – Designer Show Houses are a great way to get ideas for your home. Top designers including Bunny Williams, Juan Montoya and Charles Pavarini show their stunning rooms and share their clever and inexpensive design secrets with fellow designer Bill Stubbs.

“Collecting and Buying at Auctions” (#202)
New York, NY - Bill goes behind the scenes at Sotheby’s with Leslie Keno (Antiques Roadshow), then shows how anyone can create a collection (how about pink plastic radios?) and a unique room for next to nothing with imagination, thrift shopping, and even “dumpster diving.”

“Childhood Rooms” (#203)
New York, NY - Bill dedicates this episode to children and precious childhood memories. He visits some marvelous children’s rooms, including one with a Wizard of Oz theme and draws more inspiration from legendary designer, artist and author Gloria Vanderbilt, who has recreated her 1940’s teenage sitting room for the Kips Bay Show House. Bill shares his favorite treat, chocolate, in a “Moment of Luxury” with renowned chocolate maker, Jacques Torres.

“Home & Garden” (#204)
Falls Village, CT - Top designer and bestselling author Bunny Williams invites Bill to her Connecticut retreat, the 18th-century house featured in her much admired book, An Affair with a House. We learn some of her easy ideas to create a wonderful home and garden, one project at a time, as a true labor of love. Bill then combs his way through the renowned Trade Secrets garden show and visits the fantastic craftsmen at Battle Hill Forge, who make custom garden ornaments and fences out of steel.

“Magnifique Montréal” (#205)
Montréal, Canada – Bill takes in the Old Quarter in Montréal with its magnificent churches; admires the view of the city from Mont Royal, a park designed by Frederic Law Olmstead; and tastes the delights of North America’s largest open air market with Stefano Faita, a young chef from Montréal with deep roots in the city’s “Little Italy.”

“Mission Style and Southwestern Living” (#206)
San Antonio, TX - Bill explores the origins of Mission design, stops by the Alamo, floats along San Antonio’s famous River Walk, samples authentic Tex-Mex food at one of his favorite restaurants and learns how to make their signature dish, “Enfrijoladas.”

“Edith Wharton’s Home - The Mount” (#207)
Lenox, MA - Bill visits author Edith Wharton’s renowned home, The Mount, in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Before her famous novels, Wharton wrote books on design and gardening and loved to entertain. We go behind the scenes before a special event, a wonderful dinner inspired by a meal in The Age of Innocence.

“Pyne House Organic Garden & Easy Entertaining” (#208)
Houston, TX - Bill revisits a project he began in Season One, a family home created for a couple with very different styles that includes a delightful organic garden. Bill learns about composting, harvesting, and easy outdoor entertaining from his friend and neighbor, Tina Pyne.

Episodes #209-#213 are still in production. Stay tuned…