Top Picks: Saturday Night Live, 'Dr. Zhivago,' Deepak Chopra, and other recommendations
Betty White hosts Saturday Night Live, newly restored 鈥楧r. Zhivago鈥� on DVD, Deepak Chopra on 鈥極neness,鈥� and more top picks.
Grammy-winning guitarist David Russell shines on his new album 'Sonidos Latinos' (Telarc).
Courtesy of David Russell
A guitarist鈥檚 guitarist
Grammy-winning guitarist David Russell shines on his new album, 鈥淪onidos Latinos鈥� (Telarc), a showcase of solo guitar works by five Latin guitar masters including August铆n Barrios Mangor茅 and Jorge Morel (Morel dedicated two pieces to Russell). The six-string tunes range from lively dances to beautiful ballads. A guitarist鈥檚 guitarist, Russell combines virtuosic talent with a respect for simple, beautiful melodies and cadences. More important, the audio quality is so good, you鈥檒l forget Russell isn鈥檛 in the room.
Girl power
In the 鈥渨e are women, hear us roar鈥� category, the eternally ageless animal-rights activist Betty White will host NBC鈥檚 鈥�Saturday Night Live鈥� on May 8 at the head of a glittering cast of former SNL GRRR-L power. The show will feature such SNL alumnae as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, and Rachel Dratch.
Music of the spoken word
鈥淪ix Centuries of Verse鈥� may help anyone who gags at the words 鈥渃lassic poetry.鈥� The ambitious DVD series, which runs more than six hours, surveys various periods in English-language poetry and the 鈥済reatest hits鈥� of writers from Chaucer to Ted Hughes. Respected actors read the work 鈥� and subtitles are available 鈥� which helps viewers understand and appreciate the text. 鈥淪ix Centuries of Verse鈥� (Athena) is a great tool for teachers, or for those who want to reacquaint themselves with this enduring art form.
Two paths, one ending
In 1968, America was a country on edge 鈥� full of deep racial tensions and conflict over a foreign war. PBS brings the era to life and traces the fateful collision of Martin Luther King Jr. and his assassin, James Earl Ray, in 鈥�,鈥� a two-hour 鈥淎merican Experience鈥� docudrama on May 3 at 9 p.m. Using a cross-cut narrative that employs stirring historical footage of King as well as recreations of Ray鈥檚 prison break and stalking of the civil rights leader, the show is a valuable cautionary tale about the power of individuals to affect the course of a nation 鈥� for good or evil.
Alternative-medicine guru
Deepak Chopra has been dubbed 鈥渢he poet-prophet of alternative medicine鈥� and was one of Time magazine鈥檚 100 icons of the past century. Tune in to Link TV鈥檚 鈥�,鈥� featuring Chopra and Riane Eisler on Sunday, May 9, at 9 p.m. In a live Web chat at 10:15 p.m., ask the man himself any question the film might raise. The film and Web chat will be streamed in their entirety at LinkTV.org.
Love in a cold climate
Sink into the Russia of Boris Pasternak in a newly restored 鈥�Dr. Zhivago,鈥� a special 45th anniversary edition. On Blu-Ray and DVD with a new documentary, the epic love story directed by David Lean in 1965 has a leisurely tempo that requires patience. There鈥檚 even an intermission.