What's on TV
Listings are not necessarily recommended by the Monitor. All times Eastern, check local listings.
Friday 12/15
The First Family's Holiday Gift to America: A Personal Tour of the White House (Fox, 8-9 p.m.)
It's the Clintons' last holiday season in office, and a reminder that the White House belongs to the American people may be apt just now.
Saturday 12/16
Holiday at Pops, 2000 (A&E, 8-10 p.m.)
Keith Lockhart conducts the Boston Pops and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus from Boston's Symphony Hall. Take 6's gospel sounds, Martina McBride, and humorist Jimmy Tingle confer a whole new meaning on " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Well-done family fun.
The District: Christmastime in the City (CBS, 10-11 p.m.)
If you haven't caught this new dramatic series, this may be the right time. What's different about this cop show is its positive approach to crime control. Craig T. Nelson stars.
Sunday 12/17
John Gotti: Life Behind Bars (Discovery, 9-10 p.m.)
This documentary debunks any lingering romanticism about Gotti or any other gangster. It's tough going, but a welcome dose of realism.
Tuesday 12/19
Japan's Secret Garden (PBS, check local listings)
The rice terraces of Japan are so ancient, whole new ecological systems have grown up in them. The farmers live in harmony with nature, and nature lives in harmony with them.
Wednesday, Dec. 20
Search for the Japanese Fleet (Discovery, 9-10 p.m.)
The documentary chronicles the search for the Japanese fleet sunk by the US Navy during the Battle of Midway. Of historical and technological interest.
Monday 12/25
Naughty or Nice Movie Marathon (Romance Classics, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.)
See the exquisite "Enchanted April," the family classic "My Six Loves," starring Debbie Reynolds, and many others in between.
Wednesday 12/27
Me and Isaac Newton (Cinemax, 8-10 p.m.)
Michael Apted ("7 Up") looks at scientists who have made extraordinary contributions in various fields. They talk about "thinking outside the box." Physicist Michio Kaku, for example, draws inspiration from ice skating - it's just him and Isaac Newton on the ice, and he then can return to his work refreshed.
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society
