FISCAL CLIFF FALLOUT AND THE 113TH CONGRESS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 @ 9:00PM

After months of political brinkmanship, Congress reached a last-minute compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff. The deal averted raising taxes on most middle-class Americans but it didn’t address the nation’s serious deficit problems. Lawmakers postponed a decision on spending cuts for another two months.

Vice President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hammered out the New Year’s Day deal that further highlighted the deep partisan politics that have prevented lawmakers from reaching any long-term or lasting solutions. Had the deal not been reached, the U.S. economic recovery could have stalled and had a ripple effect on global economies. So what happens next and will the new 113th Congress that was sworn into office today be able to bridge the entrenched partisan divide in Washington?

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PAUL SIMON’S GRACELAND JOURNEY

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 @ 6:00PM

In Paul Simon’s Graceland Journey, Simon revisits the making of the record, surveying from the vantage of history the turbulence and controversy surrounding the album’s genesis. His artistic decision to collaborate with African musicians created a new world musical fusion, combining American and African musical idioms while igniting an intense political crossfire, with Simon accused of breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime.

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MR. CAO GOES TO WASHINGTON

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 @ 11:00PM

What happens when the naiveté of a political rookie clashes with the realities of racial politics in the American South and ultra-partisan struggles in Washington D.C.?

Mr. Cao Goes to Washingtonfollows the journey of Rep. Joseph Cao, the first Vietnamese American elected to the US Congress, the only non-white House Republican of the 111th Congress, and the only Republican to vote for President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill.

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DOOMSDAY VOLCANOES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 @ 10:00PM

In April, 2010 the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano turned much of Europe into an ash-strewn no-fly zone, stranding millions of travelers. But was Eyjafjallajökull just the start? Now, an even more threatening Icelandic volcano, Katla, has begun to swell and grumble. Two more giants, Hekla and Laki, could erupt without warning. Iceland is a ticking time bomb: When it blows, the consequences could be global.

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ICELANDIC VOLCANOES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 @ 8:00PM

Each episode of Life on Fire paints survival stories around different volcanoes. From the dark abyss to pristine snow-capped peaks, spectacular scenery provides the backdrop for the extraordinary animals and plants that have learned to juggle with fire. Each time a volcano erupts, animals have a choice: face the consequences or flee. And because these animals are adapted to living with fire, often they run straight into another volcano and another explosion- out of the frying pan into the fire. Fragile and engaging, these creatures teach us lessons in survival in a world as fascinating as it is dangerous.

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BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 1 @ 12:30 AM

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot, “In any great adventure, if you don’t want to lose…you won’t succeed on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews.”

Eric Idle’s cheeky lyric, which unfailingly generated knowing guffaws from Broadway audiences, proves to be more than a little grounded in truth, as Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy convincingly attests.

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FROM VIENNA: THE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION 2013

TUESDAY, JANUARY 1 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

Stage and screen legend Julie Andrews returns for the fourth time to host the festive annual New Year’s celebration with the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst from Vienna’s Musikverein. This is Welser-Möst’s second time at the podium of this much cherished event; the last was 2011.

From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2013, featuring the infectious melodies of the Strauss Family and contemporaries, will air live on Great Performances tonight on MCPTV 26.1!

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ONE SINGULAR SENSATION

CELEBRATING MARVIN HAMLISCH

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

The New York Philharmonic had engaged Marvin Hamlisch, the famed composer of many of our most beloved songs of stage and screen, to conduct this year’s New Year’s Eve concert in Avery Fisher Hall on Monday evening, December 31. Tragically Hamlisch died suddenly last August at the age of 68. And so the concert will be a musical celebration of Hamlisch’s life and his remarkable output. Furthermore, it will reunite two stalwarts of the Broadway stage, Conductor Paul Gemignani and Director Lonny Price, both of whom brought to our Live From Lincoln Center audiences the remarkable Philharmonic performances of Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd,” “Passion” and “Company,” and Bernstein’s “Candide.” …By Martin Bookspan

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MEN WHO SWIM

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 @ 11:00PM

Men Who Swimis a humorous and poignant look at a group of men of a certain age in Stockholm who have found unlikely fellowship as members of Sweden’s all-male synchronized swim team. What began as a weekly escape from the daily grind of work and family responsibilities, gradually evolved into a more serious commitment. By day, they are train conductors and meat buyers, archivists and teachers; but by evening, they channel Esther Williams and become earnest and passionate exponents of the sport.

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