Documentary

Beverly and Dereck Joubert, wildlife documentary producers. This husband and wife team lives in northern Botswana, seven hours from the nearest village. Working and living out of a four-wheel drive vehicle, they have captured the family relationships of the last free-roaming elephants left in Africa. Their latest wildlife film, "Reflections on Elephants," contains ground-breaking footage of lions attacking an elephant calf. Previously, such attacks were thought to be only mythical. The documentary premieres on PBS this Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET.

Emmy-Award winning documentary filmmaker and producer, Thomas Lennon. His newest documentary examines the interaction between the tabloid press and the mainstream media: "Tabloid Truth: the Michael Jackson Scandal" (which airs on PBS stations February 15th). By watching the story of alleged sexual abuse swell from verifiable news to national spectacle, Lennon questions the state of American journalism, as CNN fights for the same stories once relegated to the National Inquirer.

Author and long-time observer and student of China Orville Schell. Schell is correspondent for "Red Flag over Tibet," which will air tonight on PBS's Frontline (February 22 at 9 P.M. check local listings). In "Red Flag over Tibet," SSchell takes the viewers to that mysterious and isolated country on the "Roof of the World." He explores the question: Will Tibet survive its 40 years of occupation by China? He explains why the survival of Tibet--its people and its culture--has become an international issue.

Television correspondent Robert Krulwich. In a Frontline production (co-produced with the Center for Investigative Reporting) called "Public Lands, Private Profits" to be aired at 9 p.m. tonight on PBS (check local listings), Krulwich examines today's gold mining industry--the impact of mining activities and the current political battle for control of mineral resources on public lands. The Mining Law of 1872 was passed to encourage settlement and development in the West. It's still on the books.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new "CBS Reports" documentary "When America Trembled -- Murrow/McCarthy."

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new BBC-produced documentary that premieres Sunday on the Discovery Channel.

Aside from "My So-Called Life," critic David Bianculli isn't impressed by any of the new TV offerings this fall. But with so many excellent returning shows, the season is guaranteed to be good.

TV critic David Bianculli previews producer Ken Burns' new, nine-part documentary series, "Baseball." Bianculli says it stopped him in his tracks, and will even appeal to people who aren't fans of the sport.

Burns is the director of the hit PBS documentaries "The Civil War" and "Baseball." The former was the network's highest rated series. Burns' other documentaries include "The Brooklyn Bridge," "The Statue of Liberty," and "Empire of the Air," about the early history of radio. This interview was recorded in front of an audience at the Flynn Theater on October 27, in a benefit for Vermont Public Radio.

Tonight, PBS debuts the documentary series, "America's War on Poverty: Untold Stories from the Front Line." The five-part series examines President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, which he declared during his State of the Union Address in January 1964. It included programs like Head Start, and Job Corps. Terry will talk with Executive Producer Henry Hampton and journalist and consultant Nicholas Lemann.

TV. Critic David Bianculli reviews "The Larry Sanders Show" on HBO and "TV Nation" which debuts on Fox.

Rock writer and critic Robert Palmer. He was the New York Times's first full-time rock writer and chief pop critic, and he's a contributing editor at Rolling Stones. He's written several books on blues and rock and roll, and was the writer and music director for the award-winning documentary films, "The World According to John Coltrane," and "Deep Blues." His latest work is chief advisor to the ten-part PBS documentary, "Rock & Roll: An Unruly History," currently airing on PBS. He's also a companion book (Harmony Books).

TV Critic David Bianculli previews a two-part documentary titled "The Private Life of Plants." It will be featured on cable TV's TBS network tonight and tomorrow night. Bianculli says its the best documentary he's seen this year.

Co-founders of Brooklyn's Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corp. James "Rocky" Robinson and Joe Perez. They began the corp in 1988, after watching people die because the Ambulances responded too slowly to calls. (There are 39 volunteer ambulance corps in New York City). They are the focus of a new "The American Promise" PBS documentary. (The program premiered October 1).

Broadcast journalist John Merrow. He's the anchor and Executive Editor of "The Merrow Report" a quarterly series of documentaries on PBS that examines education and surrounding issues. Their latest documentary is "Attention Deficit Disorder: A Dubious Diagnosis?" In the documentary Merrow disputes the widely held belief that Ritalin, the drug given to children with Attention Deficit Disorder, is not "dangerous and addictive." Merrow also found that the drug has been overprescribed, and that some kids have begun to abuse it.

Journalist Robert Krulwich. He's correspondent for the PBS series Frontline. His documentary "High Stakes in Cyberspace" airs Tuesday, Oct. 31 (at 9 PM). Krulwich explores the growing industry of advertising in cyberspace, and its social and cultural impacts. He interviews software designers who are creating the new programs used by advertisers, and also the advertisers themselves, who are counting on the information superhighway as an arena where they can keep track of the buyers' behavior, and where they can also successfully market their products.

TV Critic David Bianculli previews next week's Beatles documentary. The six hour series features new music by the Beatles. The recordings use archive tape of John Lennon.

Professor of Religion, and distinguished scholar Huston Smith. His book "The World's Religions" (formerly "The Religions of Man") has been the most widely-used textbook for courses in world religion for thirty years. There's now an illustrated version of his book, a companion to Bill Moyer's upcoming series featuring Smith. ("The Wisdom of Faith" premiers MARCH 26 - APRIL 23 on PBS.) "The Illustrated World's Religions: a Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions" is published by Harper.

Documentary producer, Glenn Holsten who's recent documentary, "Mothers who March" focuses on the lives and commitment of four mothers who've lost children to Aids. It debuts on PBS television nation-wide tonight (Tuesday May 7).