Do you love food or just want to learn how to cook better? Do you want recipes, tips and tricks from master chefs like Lidia Bastianich, Jacques Pépin and the late, great Julia Child? Are you a Cablevision subscriber who’s missing out on programs from a certain cooking network? Never fear, WLIW21 has you covered with educational and informative cooking shows all week long! Get your foodie fix every Monday night from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Program details are below. Be sure to also check out WLIW CREATE (Cablevision Ch. 133, Time Warner Ch. 169, Verizon FiOS Ch. 471), which airs many cooking programs every day. For program details, airdates, recipes and more, visit createtv.com.

Please note: episode details for all series are available on the schedule page.

Mondays:

7:30 p.m.
Gourmet’s Adventures with Ruth (through January 25)
In Gourmet’s Adventures with Ruth, Gourmet magazine (R.I.P.) Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl uncovers the best cooking schools on five continents and brings along her foodie and actor friends to sharpen their skills.

Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie (beginning Feb. 1)
With the breadth of international travel combined with a passion for food, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie delivers a unique cultural look at the world, food first. Each episode of this mouthwatering food, culture, and travel series dives into the diverse realm of the world’s greatest cuisine.

Watch Gourmet magazine’s Editor in Chief Ruth Recihl on Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie:

8 p.m.
Lidia’s Italy
Journey with famed chef/author/public TV host Lidia Bastianich (Del Posto, Felidia, Becco) to her 10 favorite regions of Italy as she introduces you to friends and family and takes you to food markets, fishing villages and farms as you haggle over the price of fish and forage for the perfect truffle. Then, return back to Lidia’s familiar kitchen to prepare a sumptuous meal as you, the viewer cook along.

Watch a preview:

Read More …

The humanitarian crisis continues in Haiti. On Tuesday, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake brought the island nation — already one of the poorest nations in the Western hemisphere — to its knees. Millions are feared dead or missing, and relief efforts are hampered by poor infrastructure on the island. Worldfocus and PBS NewsHour are providing continuous coverage on the tragedy in Haiti.

If you’re worried about a family member who may have been in the quake, you can contact the U.S. State Department Operations Center by dialing 1-888-407-4747 from the United States.

If you want to help, below is a list of relief organizations.

AMERICAN RED CROSS
Text “HAITI” to “90999″ to make a $10 donation.
2025 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
(800) REDCROSS (733-2767)

AMERICARES
88 Hamilton Avenue
Stamford, Conn. 06902
(800) 486-4357

CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
(800) 521-CARE (521-2273)

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA/MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF)
333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001-5004
(888) 392-0392

INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225
(877) 803-4622

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
122 E. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10168
(877) REFUGEE (733-8433)

MERCY CORPS
Dept. W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, Ore., 97208-2669
(888) 256-1900

OXFAM AMERICA
226 Causeway St., 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2206
(800) 77-OXFAM (776-9326)

PARTNERS IN HEALTH
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA 02284-5578
(617) 432-5256

THE SALVATION ARMY
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313

SAVE THE CHILDREN
Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, Conn. 06880
(800) 728-3843

WORLD VISION
Haiti Earthquake Relief
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, Wash. 98063-9716
(888) 511-6548

U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF
125 Maiden Lane
New York, N.Y. 10038
(800) FOR-KIDS (367-5437)

List compiled by WNYC

“Great Performances: Passing Strange” premieres on SundayArts on Sunday, January 17 at 3pm on WLIW21

Director Spike Lee interviews the Stew, the creator of Passing Strange, and his main collaborator Heidi Rodewald to give a look at the creation of the rock musical that rocked Broadway. The two discuss the magical closing night of Passing Strange on Broadway, the origins of the production with The Public, the importance of documenting theater, and their plans for the future.

Watch a preview of Passing Strange and more at the Great Performances website.

Today would have been Elvis’s 75th birthday, and WLIW21 is celebrating tomorrow night with two programs that recall why the King of Rock and Roll was and remains so beloved. Narrated by Ashley Judd, Love Me Tender: The Love Songs of Elvis (9 p.m.) explores the love songs Elvis recorded throughout his career, beginning with “I Want You I Need You I Love You” in 1956. The documentary He Touched Me: The Gospel Music Of Elvis Presley (11 p.m.) reveals Elvis’s love for gospel music through concert footage, rarely seen impromptu offstage performances, and interviews with colleagues and others close to him. Performance highlights include “The American Trilogy,” “How Great Thou Art,” “I’ll Remember You,” “You Gave Me a Mountain,” and “In the Ghetto.”

What’s your favorite Elvis song? Leave a comment below and share your memories of the King. Happy Birthday, Elvis! We miss you!

From the creators of MI-5 comes Life on Mars, a witty, fast-paced and suspenseful crime series staring award-winning actor John Simm (State of Play) as Sam Tyler, a smart and sharp-suited detective based in present-day Manchester. The series premieres Mondays at 9 p.m. beginning January 11 on WLIW21. In the double-header series premiere (1/11), the drama begins with Sam hunting a serial killer who abducted his girlfriend after he is knocked down in a near-fatal car accident. He wakes to find himself mysteriously transported back to 1973. Is this reality, madness, or is he in a coma in a hospital and this is all a dream? Unable to return to his own time, Sam falls back on what he knows best – his job. His Detective Chief Inspector, Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister — Cranford, Clocking Off), is a hard-nosed bigot who gets results by trusting his gut instinct and brute force. The rest of his team is not much better. The only friendly member of the team is love interest WPC Annie Cartwright (Liz White — A Thing Called Love, Vera Drake), an attractive, educated and open-minded young woman who may be baffled by Sam’s insistence that he comes from 2005 but is sympathetic and willing to help him.

Preview episode one, premiering January 11 at 9 p.m.

DCI Sam Tyler’s world is about to be turned upside down. Moments after his girlfriend and colleague, Maya, is kidnapped by a serial killer, Sam is knocked unconscious by a car and wakes up… in 1973.

Read More …

“The Human Spark” premieres Thursday, January 7 at 10pm on WLIW21

What is the nature of human uniqueness? Where did the Human Spark ignite, and when? And perhaps most tantalizingly, why? In a three-part series to be broadcast on PBS in January 2010, Alan Alda takes these questions personally, visiting with dozens of scientists on three continents, and participating directly in many experiments – including the detailed examination of his own brain.

WLIW21 spoke with Alda and “The Human Spark” series producer Graham Chedd and executive producer Jared Lipworth about the upcoming series and what we can expect to learn about the nature of humanity itself.

Self-Help Marathon All Day Saturday, January 2, 2010 beginning at 6 a.m.

Happy New Year! Get a head start on your 2010 resolutions with a helping hand from experts including bestselling relationship author John Gray, Ph.D., tax advisor and personal finance author Ed Slott, CPA, bestselling self-development author Dr. Wayne Dyer, fitness guru Joel Harper, and others.

Download a printer-friendly schedule of the marathon line-up.

Preview and learn more about the programs featured (in alphabetical order):

Brain Fitness Frontiers
1:30 p.m. & 11 p.m.

Donate now for related gifts.

Ed Slott’s Stay Rich for Life
10 a.m., 7:30 p.m. & late night at 2 a.m.
Learn more.
Donate now for related gifts.

Joel Harper’s Firming After 50
6 a.m., 6:30 p.m. & late night at 3:30 a.m.

Donate now for related gifts.

John Gray: Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice
3 p.m., 9:30 p.m. & late night at 4:30 a.m.
Preview video and more.
Donate now for exclusive tickets to John Gray’s first NYC seminar in over a decade and other related gifts.

Magnificent Mind with Dr. Daniel Amen
4:30 p.m.
Watch an exclusive interview with Dr. Daniel Amen.

Donate now for related gifts.

The Science of Healing with Dr. Esther Sternberg
12 noon & late night 12:30 a.m.

Donate now for related gifts.

Dr. Wayne Dyer: Excuses Begone!
7 a.m.

Donate now for related gifts.

Download a printer-friendly schedule of the marathon line-up in chronological order.

Adorning your Christmas tree doesn’t have to be expensive and time-consuming and your home need not feel a sudden emptiness once the tree has gone. Sometimes using everyday household items in creative ways can make for simple, yet beautiful, decorations. Moment of Luxury host and award-winning interior designer Bill Stubbs shares one of his Christmas memories and post-holiday decorating tips:

A Moment of Luxury for Under $3
Once upon a cold, sad time some years ago, back in the 20th Century, I was not prepared for my first Christmas as a single father of two. Christmas Eve was upon me; I had no tree or decorations. I went to sleep asking God for help. Christmas morning I awoke with the idea that someone would discard a tree before my children arrived. I went to the dumpster and waiting there was a beautiful seven-foot tree complete with a stand! It occurred to me I could create decorations with white printer paper, so I found the scissors and went to work.

My children remember that Christmas with great fondness and laughter – the year Dad found a tree in the dumpster and decorated it with white paper!

Refresh Your Home After the Holidays
I always hate how empty and lifeless my house looks after I take down the Christmas tree and the decorations. It’s a great idea to have a plan for refreshing and adding excitement to your home after the holiday theme goes away. Think of simple, inexpensive things that are large in scale to replace the loud and dominant holiday decorations. This is a great opportunity to bring a large live plant into the room. A plant five to six feet tall adds life, interest, and freshness, especially in northern climates where there’s not a lot of green outside. Finish your fresh theme with a bowl of oranges or apples on the coffee table, complimented with a scented candle with a spring fragrance, and you feel as though your house has not been stripped, but has a fresh, healthy new look.

– Bill Stubbs, Host, Moment of Luxury

Each week on Moment of Luxury Bill Stubbs invites viewers to find excellence in the everyday. Specializing in “affordable luxury,” Bill shares his tips, along with secrets from top designers, in every episode – Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on WLIW21 and nationwide on public television (check local listings). You can also watch full episodes on WLIW21’s new video portal.

Check out WLIW21’s holiday programming line-up here.

Photos by Bruce Bennett, courtesy of Bill Stubbs

Exclusive New York metro area Premiere Tuesday, December 22 at 9 p.m.

In honor of the new major motion picture starring Golden Globe-nominee Emily Blunt, WLIW21 presents the new historical documentary Young Victoria, which chronicles how an unassuming little girl rose to be the most powerful woman in the world. At her birth few believed Princess Victoria would ascend the throne, but a number of untimely deaths and the failure of her uncles to father any children meant that Victoria became heiress to the British throne. The battle between her and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, became a fierce maternal struggle as the duchess schemed to share in the power and riches that would one day be Victoria’s. We may think of Queen Victoria as a respectable matron, the epitome of duty, a beloved monarch, but her path to the throne was by no means easy. Young Victoria is the true story of the young queen, full of intrigue, deception and death threats. Becoming Queen author Kate Williams hosts.

Preview video:

Tonight, Wednesday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. WLIW21 presents the exclusive broadcast premiere of the new public television special, John Gray: Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice. The bestselling relationship author of all time, John Gray, Ph.D. will appear live in WLIW21’s studio to preview his upcoming book, Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice.

“I spent the last 15 years teaching couples how to make small shifts in their behavior that would stimulate an abundance of the hormones of desire and love with the consequence of a healthier, happier life at any age,” said Gray. “What I discovered is the key for turning Venus-Mars relationships into the fountain of youth.”

Gray will also invite viewers to attend his first New York City seminar in over a decade! Tickets will only be available with a donation to WLIW21 online or at 800.767.2121.

Distributed by WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG, John Gray: Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice will air nationwide on public television stations beginning February 2010 (check local listings).

Preview video and more.