Top Picks: PBS's look at family band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, 'August: Osage County' on DVD and Blu-ray, and more
Women at the White House
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted an all-female lineup of some of the first ladies of music. In Performance at the White House: Women of Soul, recorded March 6, features Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, and Melissa Etheridge, among others. The musical styles include blues, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and rock. The hour-long special airs on April 7 at 9 p.m.
Family affair
鈥淚ndependent Lens鈥� delivers a portrait of a unique musical family in Brothers Hypnotic. Iconic jazz player Phil Cohran created the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble with his eight sons, who were raised as musicians working together in a tight ensemble from an early age. The movie profiles the journey of these young men as they move from living according to their father鈥檚 worldview and ideals to discovering their own sound and place in today鈥檚 musical scene. It airs on April 7 at 10 p.m.
Science block
Need mental stimulation near the middle of the week? Check out 鈥檚 new lineup dubbed Think Wednesday. The programs 鈥淣ature鈥� and 鈥淣OVA鈥� lead off, followed by the new three-part series 鈥淵our Inner Fish.鈥� On 鈥淔ish,鈥� Neil Shubin, a paleobiologist, examines how animals around us show evidence of our genetic commonalities 鈥� for example, human and fish embryos are almost identical. 鈥淔ish鈥� debuts April 9 at 10 p.m.
Family drama
The film adaptation of Tracy Letts鈥檚 Pulitzer Prize-winning play August: Osage County, which centers on an Oklahoma family gathering after a death in the family, is worth checking out just to see the Oscar-nominated performances of Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts as a vitriolic mother and daughter. Actress Margo Martindale, always a welcome presence, is also great. 鈥淎ugust鈥� arrives on DVD and Blu-ray April 8.
Mandarin with a Southern accent
Teaching Mandarin by using the Netflix series 鈥�House of Cards鈥�? It seems like an unlikely combination, but Jessica Beinecke, host of the YouTube channel Crazy Fresh Chinese (which instructs English-speakers on how to say fun phrases like 鈥渇ashionista鈥� and 鈥渃hill out鈥� in Mandarin), is doing just that. Beinecke dresses up as 鈥淐ards鈥� characters such as Vice President Frank Underwood and his wife, Claire, to demonstrate how to say 鈥淗ouse of Cards鈥� and 鈥渃onniving.鈥� Check it out at .
Chilling look back
Director Christopher Olgiati looks at the reign of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in his new documentary, Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi. For the movie, Olgiati secured interviews with an impressive array of people, including some of Qaddafi鈥檚 bodyguards and a German rocket designer with whom the leader became close. The movie airs on April 11. Note: The film includes graphic depictions of violence.
