Beginning this weekend, WLIW21 honors the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for our country with special programming:
National Memorial Day Concert 2009
Saturday, May 29 at 4 p.m.
Get ready for this year’s event with last year’s show featuring American leader Colin L. Powell; actress Katie Holmes and Academy Award-winner Dianne Wiest; actor Laurence Fishburne; recording artist Katharine McPhee; country music superstar Trace Adkins; Broadway stars Brian Stokes Mitchell and Colm Wilkinson (Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera); acclaimed opera star Denyce Graves; classical music superstar Lang Lang, named one of the 2009 TIME 100 (Time magazine); and violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie in performance with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the late maestro Erich Kunzel. Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna co-host the show from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Learn more at pbs.org/memorialdayconcert.
3,2,1 Fireworks
Saturday, May 29 at 5:30 p.m. and Monday, May 31 at 10:30 p.m.
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Washington, D.C. July 4th celebration, featuring one of the largest and most colorful fireworks displays in the world. The program opens in China as the crew observes the making of fireworks and dazzling new pyrotechnic effects. Once the fireworks are shipped to America, an army of technicians undertake the delicate and dangerous task of setting up thousands of explosives-filled mortar tubes in preparation for the spectacular display.
National Memorial Day Concert 2010
Premieres Monday, May 31 at 9 p.m.
Co-hosted for the fifth year by Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise and Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna, two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veterans’ causes and supporting our troops in active service. Joining them will be an all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists that includes distinguished American leader Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); multiple Grammy Award-winning music legend Lionel Richie; Emmy Award-winning actress Blythe Danner; Grammy Award-winning country music artist Brad Paisley, among others. In addition, the National Symphony Orchestra will perform under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. The evening, which has become an American tradition, offers a time to reflect, remember, heal and bring our country together. Learn more at pbs.org/memorialdayconcert.
Watch a backstage interview with Sinise and Mantega, where they discuss the family connections that make hosting the show so personal for them:
4TROOPS: Live from the Intrepid
Exclusive Premiere Wednesday June 2 at 9 p.m.
The new pop vocal group 4TROOPS has been making the radio and TV talk show rounds over the past few months. Their wonderful voices aren’t the only thing driving media interest and fandom—it’s their story: 4TROOPS is made up of United States combat veterans who served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, As 4TROOPS, Former CPT Meredith Melcher, Former SGT Daniel Jens, SSG (Ret.) Ron Henry and Former SGT David Clemo share their experiences as a voice for troops — honoring the sacrifices of soldiers and military families in song and creating awareness for their needs.
WLIW21 is honored to premiere the 4TROOPS’s debut performance special filmed March 15, 2010 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, one of America’s leading historic, cultural and educational institutions. The concert features an inspirational repertoire of well-known patriotic and pop hits including “Galveston,” “You Raise Me Up,” “Amazing Grace,” “Angel,” and “For Freedom.” All of the songs take on a special meaning in the context that they are performed by these four combat heroes.
4TROOPS: Live from the Intrepid is sure to inspire all American citizens, regardless of politics. Engaging viewers on the emotional front lines of military life, 4TROOPS have lived the lyrics they sing, from the solitude of sleepless nights without shelter to the challenges and joys of homecomings, from the heartache of mourning fellow soldiers to the honor of patriotic service.
Preview “For Freedom” now:
Learn more and donate for 4TROOPS concert tickets, CDs & DVDs.
