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Draw and Discover at Dusk!

Unleash your inner Picasso with Draw and Discover at Dusk!, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This event is part of the Luce Foundation Center’s Draw and Discover series, which provides free weekly sketching workshops for individuals of all artistic ability levels on Tuesdays at 2:30. Whether you consider yourself a seasoned artist or like to draw stick figures, children and adults of all artistic ability levels will have the chance to sketch freely. Taught by guest instructor and local artist, Sheena Custer, the event will provide basic drawing materials, as well as a cash bar for those of age. Exercise your drawing skills, acquire new ones, or simply doodle with some friends! Event: Thursday, July 13 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Tickets: Free.

E9: Design – Mass Fad Discharge

Be “bedazzled” as Maria Habib, guest facilitator and Senior Director of Design at the Corcoran Gallery of Art says. In its 9th year of the Exercises for Emerging Artists program, the Transformer Gallery continues to support artists in their professional growth and development with the installation, E9: Design – Mass Fad Discharge. Highlighting the works of three emerging graphic designers, the exhibition explores themes of visual language, fads, and over-consumption. Exhibition opening: Friday, July 13. Gallery hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 1:00pm – 7:00pm.

Teo Castellano D-Project’s Fat Boy

Watch a fusion of dance, theatre, and social commentary at the DC premiere of D-Project’s Fat Boy at Dance Place. Part of the 10th Annual DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival, the piece uses various styles of movement and music to comment on American overconsumption and global poverty. Citing influences such as Butoh rice rituals, reggae dub music, and the affective art of Kara Walker, Fat Boy provides a social critique aimed to challenge viewers to question the status quo. Performance: Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $20.

Capital City Showcase

Listen and laugh with the Capital City Showcase this weekend, hosted by Christian Hunt. The variety show brings the best of DC-area’s comedians, musicians, and performing artists to the DC Arts Center in Adams Morgan. This weekend’s showcase will feature comedians Adam Dodd, Jeff Hysen, Tom Myers, and KD the Comic, as well as musician René Moffatt, promoting his debut album. Showcase: Saturday, July 14 at 10:00pm. Tickets: $10 online, $15 at the door.

I Am (Not) My Mother

Mothers. You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.  Come see the world premiere of I Am (Not) My Mother, put on by the Maryland Ensemble Theatre. The play celebrates and explores the profound relationship between mother and daughter. There is no holding back in this production. The show features stories inspired by everyday women’s childhood and motherhood experiences.  Written by Dr. Suzanne Beal, it strives to provide some perspective of the elements that make a mother’s love such a powerful force.  Discover the wonders of womanhood and the mother-daughter bond fueled by unconditional love.  The show runs through July 22nd at the FSK Hotel in Frederick, MD. Mothers and daughters, welcome. Performance: Friday, July 13 at 7:00pm and Sunday, July 15 at 2:00pm. Tickets: $21.50.

The Grand Piano Party

Join pianists and music experts for the Grand Piano Party at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Grand Pavilion for an introduction to the world of pianos.  This event features a wide array of activities from performances by the Community Piano Ensemble to introductory piano lessons for youngsters.  Gain an appreciation for the instrument when you learn about the engineering behind the beautiful sounds they make.  Support the talented Young Artist Competition Winners as they perform several famous piano compositions from various eras.  This is your chance to discover secrets of the piano that date back to the 19th century. You just might feel inspired to become the next Beethoven! Event: Sunday, July 15 at 1:00pm. Tickets: Free.

New Films Opening Friday, July 13, 2012:

Ice Age: Continental Drift

The adventure continues as Manny, Diego, and Sid set off on an iceberg to encounter sea creatures, pirates, and a new world.

Red Lights

Sigourney Weaver stars in this horror mystery as a psychologist studying paranormal activity. Her research leads her to a famous psychic (Robert De Niro) who emerges from a 30-year retirement after the mysterious death of his harshest critic.

Farewell, My Queen

During the final days of the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) develops a relationship with one of her ladies-in-waiting.

Join us for the three part series of PBS’s Nature: Bears of the Frontier starting tonight at 8:00 on WETA TV26 and WETA HD. Award-winning wildlife filmmaker Joe Pontecorvo and bear biologist Chris Morgan seek out the three bear species that reside in Alaska’s wilderness.  With impeccable footage along with Morgan’s analysis of bears encountered on the way, you will gain a different perspective of these extraordinary creatures and appreciate experts’ efforts of preserving their habitats.  You won’t want to miss this thrilling journey through Bear Country.  Tune in next Wednesday for part 2 of the series at 8:00pm and Wednesday July 25, 2012 at 8:00pm for part 3!

Check out this clip where Chris Morgan’s safety is in the hands of a curious bear cub.

Last week we began walking you through our WETA UK schedule by sharing all the programs that air at 10:00pm throughout the week. Today we’re continuing with the 9:00pm weekly WETA UK schedule so you can plan what to watch each night at 9:00!

Sundays – 9:00pm

When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter discovers prehistoric creatures alive and well in the present day, the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very existence. Primeval combines the action, thrills and dazzling special with a haunting love story in this family-friendly, action series.

Monday – 9:00pm

As World War II rages around the world, a police inspector fights his own war on the home-front in investigating murder, robbery, and espionage on the south coast of England in the detective drama Foyle’s War.

Tuesday – 9:00pm

Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes every Tuesday night on WETA UK. This adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous tales is a Public Television classic and a WETA favorite.

Wednesday – 9:00pm

No-nonsense female British Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is promoted to Detective Superintendent but must survive and thrive in the male-dominated profession. Prime Suspect is a thrilling crime drama that’s sure to pep-up your Wednesday night.

Thursday – 9:00pm

Dedicated Cold Case investigators are faced with the challenge of unsolved crimes which have lain dormant for years. In Waking the Dead the team uses evidence which has just come to light, as well as contemporary technology to examine older evidence.

Friday – 9:00pm

As Time Goes By tells the reunion story of a young Army officer and a student nurse from the 1950s that fell in love. It was a whirlwind romance, but the young Lionel and Jean were separated when he was posted to Korea. His letter went astray and they lost touch but in the early 1990s, Lionel (now divorced) and Jean (a widow) are reunited. Third Age romance takes time but can they recapture the old magic? This romantic comedy is part of our WETA UK Comedy Fridays.

Friday – 9:30pm

Continue the laughs with Outnumbered at 9:30pm. Outnumbered is centered, a middle class family living in south London, the Brockmans, whose two parents are "outnumbered" by their three, somewhat unruly, children. The semi-improvisational show is great for a Friday night laugh.

Saturday – 9:00pm

Each week beginning at 8:00pm on WETA UK, tune in for the WETA UK Movie. This week, July 14 get ready for Masterpiece Contemporary: Collision where Detective Inspector John Tolin is called to the scene of a fatal car accident on England’s busy A12 highway. A methodical investigation only scratches the surface of the ten strangers involved, and the surprising and touching ways they are transformed after the accident. 

 Masterpiece Mystery’s Inspector Lewis returns for its fifth season with new episodes starring Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox. Whately and Fox play Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway, the dynamic, crime-untangling duo in Oxford. Using their sharp wit and intellect, they are able to crack even the toughest murder cases in town.  But the two find themselves having to unravel cases far beyond the city’s borders.  Will they be successful working outside of their element? Join us for the episode, “The Soul of Genius” this Sunday at 9:00pm on WETA TV26 and WETA HD and be apart of the truth solving team.  Also tune in next Sunday at 9:00pm for another brand new episode of Inspector Lewis.

Hosts from British daytime talk show “This Morning” sit down for a chat with Inspector Lewis stars Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox.

WETA’s Summer Movie Series is designed to bring you the best movies of all genres and generations with the convenience of never leaving your home or searching for a film: it’s all right here on WETA TV26 and WETA HD.

Every Saturday, check out the WETA Movie, a major feature film followed directly by independent films or documentaries from Independent Lens and P.O.V.

The Dark Night

The theme for Saturday July 7th is darkness, both figurative and literal.

Take a look at the line up below!

Dark Hearts

Everyone knows that scary movies are always better in the dark, so turn off the lights, tuck-in under a blanket, and turn on Alfred Hitchcock’s classic psychological thriller Dial M for Murder, airing at 9:30pm on WETA TV26 and WETA HD.

In London, Margot Mary Wendice (Grace Kelly) has a brief love affair with American writer Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings) while her pro-tennis player husband, Tony Wendice (Ray Milland), is away on tour. When Tony decides to quit the game to focus his attention to his “adoring” wife and finding a more local job, Margot chooses to give him a second chance and end her affair. But of course, nothing is that simple in a horror film. During the time when Margot and Mark were having a relationship, they would write love letters to one another. After Margot decided to be true to her husband, she destroyed all the letters—except for one. Now that letter is being used to blackmail Margot! Mark and Margot think they are still safe because Tony seems completely oblivious to all of this. Except we know Tony is dead set on killing his wife (excuse the pun) so that he can inherit her fortune.  In fact, he has manipulated his friend, police captain, into agreeing to murder her! But this is just the introduction to the movie.  Hitchcock is known for his steep twists and turns when you least expect it. Plus no one can get away with murder that easily…can they?

And don’t forget! While you watch, look out for and appreciate the nuances that Hitchcock always inserts into his films.

For more Dial M for Murder, watch the original trailer from 1954! 

Dark Spaces

What ever happened to all the darkness? No matter where you live (and especially if you live in the DC area) there’s always a light on. Whether it’s a street lamp, traffic light, or a store sign, man-made lighting is everywhere. P.O.V. | The City of Dark examines the absence of true darkness in the city and how it shapes human perceptions of the natural world. Through interviews with ecologists, designers, philosophers, and astrophysicists, director Ian Cheney strives to understand artificial light’s consequences for the environment and our connection to nature and the skies. The City Dark provides insightful commentary on the relationship between human invention and our awareness of nature. P.O.V., television’s longest running showcase of documentary film, presents The City Dark on WETA 26 and WETA HD at 11:30pm.

You can find the trailer and more information about The City Dark on PBS.org!

What’s In a Classic?

We finish off The Saturday Night Shuffle with a salute to some of the greatest films ever made in American history. Saturday night at 12:30am, join us for the Independent Lens presentation of These Amazing Shadows and discover what makes a film worth recognition and preservation within the National Film Registry. Many of our favorite old Hollywood classics reside there, but you’ll be surprised to find that even music videos, home movies, and documentaries accompany them as well.  Celebrate the magic of filmmaking and reminisce upon these masterpieces that stood the tests of time.  They will surely make a special place in your heart.  

Take a look at the trailer for These Amazing Shadows right here!

We’re going to walk you through our WETA UK schedule by sharing our weekly schedule for each hour during prime-time! This week we’re starting with 10:00pm on WETA UK. We hope you’ll tune in and set your DVRs to make sure you catch your favorites and make some new ones!

Sundays – 10:00pm

We finish off the weekend strong with a new episode of Doctor Who, the sci-fi action depicting the adventures of the Time Lord known as the Doctor. He explores the universe in his blue British police box TARDIS facing a variety of alien-foes while working to save civilization.

Mondays – 10:00pm

Start off the work-week with the crime-drama Life on Mars. A cool, calm, and collected detective living in the year 2006 is involved in a car crash thwarting his life back in time to the year 1973 where he has to find his way back without proving himself mad to those around him.

Tuesdays – 10:00pm

More crime on Tuesdays with MI-5, an edgy drama about the clandestine security service that tackles organized crime, terrorist activities, embassy sieges, weapons proliferation and anarchists, not to mention the conflicts and power struggles back in the office.

Wednesdays – 10:00pm

Make the middle of your week thrilling with Hustle, the exciting drama about a gang of five expert con artists let loose on the streets of London.

Thursdays – 10:00pm

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? On New Tricks, the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad is made up of retired officers and keeping busy, with its remit to reinvestigate crimes that were never conclusively closed and put them to rest all with a sprinkle of humor.

Fridays – 10:00pm

The 10:00pm hour puts the cherry on top of our WETA UK Comedy Fridays starting with Coupling, a sitcom based on the dating adventures and mishaps of six friends in their thirties.

Fridays – 10:30pm

Following Coupling we have the comedy sitcom Black Books. Set in the eponymous London bookshop Black Books follow the lives of its owner Bernard Black, his assistant Manny and their friend Fran and the hostile, dry, humor that surrounds them.

Saturdays – 10:00pm

Catch Waking the Dead, the police procedural crime drama series featuring a Cold Case Unit uses evidence which has just come to light, as well as contemporary technology to examine previous evidence.

British Invasion 

Plane tickets all booked for the London Olympics? Never fear, you can still experience all things British at the Phillips Collection here in DC at the special event, British Invasion. The invasion is in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibition of drawings and sculptures by British artist Antony Gormley, on view through September 9. Admire ready-to-wear fall fashions by contemporary UK designers while sniffing perfumes and sampling a British-style brew.

Thursday, July 5 at 5:00pm – 8:30pm. Tickets: Members admitted free, $12 general admission, $10 seniors and students. Reservations advised.

Sarah McLachlan and National Philharmonic at Merriweather Post Pavilion

Enjoy a performance from Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan accompanied by the Strathmore National Philharmonic Ensemble. Hear McLachlan sing timeless ballads like I Will Remember You and Arms of An Angel. Led by conductor Piotr Gajewski, the National Philharmonic is described by the Washington Post as “powerful” and “impeccable.” Experience this rare collaboration of these musical forces at the scenic Merriweather Post Pavilion. Thursday, July 5 at 6:00pm. Tickets: $41 - $56. 

The Twilight Sculpture Tour

Arts in Foggy Bottom takes sculpture to new heights in its third biennial outdoor sculpture exhibit, Sculpting Outside the Lines.  Take an exclusive twilight tour of the 13 sculptures featured in this extraordinary display. Led by the new curator, Laura Roulet, you will have the unique opportunity of viewing the sculptures as dusk settles over the city.  This exhibition showcases pieces including Dark Sun created by Barbara Liotta, videos by Jefferson Pinder, and an interactive projection by Peter Lee and Blake Turner. Friday, July 6 at 8:00pm. Meet at the corner of New Hampshire Ave. and I (Eye) Street, NW. Tickets: Free. 

Notorious

Get caught up in the excitement of AFI’s Spy Cinema series this summer with the Alfred Hitchcock classic, Notorious. Ingrid Bergman stars as an American agent infiltrating a Nazi cell in Rio de Janeiro. A love triangle arises between Bergman, OSS man played by Cary Grant, and the Nazi industrialist Bergman was sent out to spy on. Screenings: Saturday, July 7 at 5:45. Sunday, July 8 at 3:45. Tickets: $11.50 general admission, $9.00 seniors, $8.50 AFI member, $7.00 child. 

Sleuth

Solve the mystery as Olney Theatre’s production of Sleuth will keep you guessing until the very end. Wealthy mystery novelist, Andrew Wyke, invites his wife’s lover to his elegant and completely isolated estate. A game of cat and mouse ensues as Wyke’s passion for deception, invention, and games leads the two men into a duel of wits and leaves the audience questioning behaviors, motives, and reality. Performances: Thursday and Friday at 8:00pm, Saturday at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sunday at 2:00pm and 7:30pm. Tickets: $44 - $54. 

New Films Opening Friday, July 6, 2012:

The Amazing Spider-Man (Opened Tuesday, July 3)

The story returns when Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) sets out to discover more about the disappearance of his parents.

Savages

When Ophelia (Blake Lively), the shared girlfriend of two marijuana growers, gets kidnapped, Ben and Chon must confront a Mexican drug cartel to get her back.

The Magic of Belle Isle

Morgan Freeman stars as a struggling, alcoholic author in search of inspiration. Upon moving to a summer cabin in Belle Isle, he befriends a single mom and her daughters who help him reignite his passion for writing.

On WETA TV26 and WETA HD, conductor, Jack Everly strikes up the National Symphony Orchestra to celebrate our nation’s 236th birthday in the A Capital Fourth 2012 tomorrow at 8:00.  Also featured in the festivities are performances by some of music’s top artists including Megan Hilty from SMASH, and Broadway sensation, Kelli O’Hara.  You won’t want to miss this once-a-year event.  Experience the magic of Washington, D.C. as we honor The United States of America. Stay tuned at 10:00 for A Thunderous Celebration: WETA’s Fireworks Extravaganza! The best fireworks show in town is back for this year’s Independence Day in WETA’s Fireworks Extravaganza tomorrow on WETA TV26 and WETA HD.  The display will light up our Nation’s Capitol for the finale of July 4th festivities.  Join us for this explosive annual event to celebrate another year of independence for our country. Also catch another airing of A Capitol Fourth 2012 after the fireworks at 10:30!

Although famous Brit Winston Churchill once said: “History is written by the victors,” veteran historian Michael Wood seeks to tell history from the perspective of the ordinary person who might have lived through it. In Michael Wood’s Story of England, join this skilled researcher as he uses the Village of Kibworth’s untold narrative to illustrate prominent periods in British history. A firm believer that “one place can tell the story of a nation,” Wood retells British history through the view of Kibworth’s earliest citizens. Beginning tonight at 9:00 on WETA TV26 and WETA HD, watch Wood as he recruits Kibworth residents for archaeological research and uncovers the lost history of Kibworth’s first 1,000 years in the first episode of this series: Romans and Normans. If you’re looking for more of Kibworth’s rich local history, then join Wood again at 10:00 tonight in the next episode: Peasant’s Revolt and Black Death where he will unveil the truth behind Kibworth’s involvement in the Peasant Revolt and its major loss of population during the Black Plague. Story of England captures expert historian Michael Wood in his element and will excite lovers of British and local history!

Listen to Michael Wood speak about The Story of England here: