Top Picks: iTunes' online concerts, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' on DVD, and more
Singer Pl谩cido 颅Domingo performs Verdi's baritone arias on his new album, Billie Jean King is honored on 'American Masters,' and more top picks.
Vivian Howard in 'A Chef鈥檚 Life'
PBS
Baritone beauty
After a lifetime of performing Verdi as a tenor, Pl谩cido 颅Domingo, one of the world鈥檚 most beloved tenors, now turns his talent to Verdi鈥檚 baritone arias. In celebration of Verdi鈥檚 200th birthday, Domingo 鈥� whose career now spans 52 years 鈥� sings arias from 鈥淢acbeth,鈥� 鈥淩igoletto,鈥� 鈥淟a Traviata,鈥� 鈥淒on Carlo,鈥� and 鈥淟a Forza del Destino鈥� on Verdi by .
Mobile live concerts
Didn鈥檛 get out to see as many concerts as you wanted to this summer? Tickets too pricey? No problem. iTunes is streaming a month鈥檚 worth of top pop acts聽 鈥� live from London 鈥� right to your iPhone or iPad, every day Sept. 1-30. Just download the iTunes Festival app and you鈥檒l get free access to Katy Perry, Elton John, Arctic Monkeys, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Vampire Weekend, and many more 鈥� live or on demand.
Trekkie library
The crew of the USS Enterprise sets out on a new adventure in the film Star Trek Into Darkness, which arrives on DVD and Blu-ray Sept. 10. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) must contend with a mysterious new enemy, and the friendship between the two is the film鈥檚 emotional core. We think series founder Gene Roddenberry would approve.
Scanning for crime
What would it do to the American legal system if people accused of a crime could simply be placed inside a brain-scanning machine and MRI techniques used to determine whether they were lying or telling the truth? Actor Alan Alda hosts an intriguing new series that investigates that question by presenting a fictional trial about a shooting in a convenience store. If technology and all its implications unsettles you, then tune into this two-part series, Brains on Trial, to keep abreast of just what it might be capable of doing someday. It debuts Sept. 11 on .
Equal playing field
Billie Jean King is the consummate competitor, a groundbreaking athlete, and a role model for millions of young women. American Masters: Billie Jean King profiles this plain-spoken tennis champ who made world headlines in 1973 with her defeat of Bobby Riggs in what was touted as 鈥淭he Battle of the Sexes鈥�; her founding of the Women鈥檚 Tennis Association; and the establishment of equal prize money in the US Open. A host of luminaries are interviewed, including Gloria Steinem, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Venus and Serena Williams, and Chris Evert. It airs on Sept. 10.
Down-home cooking
Every foodie knows there is no such thing as too many cooking shows, so is feeding that appetite with a sweet, Southern tale. A Chef鈥檚 Life is about the travails and triumphs of gourmet cook and aspiring restaurateur Vivian Howard as she and her husband leave New York City to launch a fine-dining establishment in tiny Kinston, N.C., where she grew up. The 13-week series lifts the veil on farm-to-table menus with a real-life family drama. It debuts Sept. 14.