Odds & Ends 4/2/14

CNN SERIES ANTHONY BOURDAIN PARTS UNKNOWN WINS PEABODY AWARD

The CNN Original Series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown is a winner in the University of Georgia’s 73^rd annual George Foster Peabody Awards competition, which recognizes excellence and meritorious work by radio and television stations, networks, webcasters, producing organizations and individuals.

In honoring the series, the judging panel noted, “Whether Bourdain’s tireless search for new taste experiences takes him to Myanmar or Detroit, he never fails to find great stories to go with the food.”

Produced by Zero Point Zero Production, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown

begins its third season on CNN Sunday, April 13 at 9pm ET.   Hosted by popular television personality, renowned chef and best-selling author Anthony Bourdain, the new season of “Parts Unknown” features excursions to Punjab, India, Las Vegas, Lyon, France, Mexico City, the Mississippi Delta, Russia, Thailand, and Bahia, Brazil.  

The Peabody Awards, the oldest in electronic media, are considered among the most prestigious and selective prizes.  The Peabody medallions will be formally presented on May 19 in New York City.  

CNN's original series DEATH ROW STORIES with Executive Producers Robert Redford and Alex Gibney continues on Sunday evenings at 9 PM ET

 

Jigsaw Productions and Sundance Productions collaborate with CNN Originals for series about America’s most compelling capital murder cases – Academy Award^®-winning actress Susan Sarandon will narrate

Alex Gibney and Robert Redford's eight-part original series, DEATH ROW STORIES with Academy Award^® winning actress Susan Sarandon narrating. 

Each episode of DEATH ROW STORIES unravels a different capital murder case with twists and turns worthy of a crime thriller.  All of these stories are true, and call into question the myriad of beliefs about the death penalty and the American justice system itself.  Susan Sarandon, whose Oscar honor was awarded for her powerfully moving portrayal of the Louisiana-based Catholic nun Sister Helen Prejean, who ministers to death row inmates and advocates for the abolition of capital punishment, will narrate each episode in the series.
Actor/director Robert Redford (who has won two Academy Awards^® and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award this year for his mesmerizing performance in ALL IS LOST) said, on the occasion of the announcement: “This series is about the search for justice and truth, we are pleased to be working with Alex Gibney to tell these important stories and give a voice to these cases.”
Director Alex Gibney said, “The series provides stark examples of the struggle between the powerful and the powerless.  The stakes – life or death – couldn’t be higher.”

This Sunday, April 6th's, episode:

EPISODE FIVE: “ROUGH JUSTICE IN THE BIG EASY”
In December 1984, a prominent New Orleans businessman was killed outside of his apartment, and police arrested a small-time drug dealer named John Thompson. The office of District Attorney Harry Connick, Sr., sent Thompson to death row.
A powerful law firm from the Northeast was brought in for Thompson’s appeals, only to discover they are out of their league in The Big Easy. The firm hires Elisa Abolafia, a local private investigator, who knows “where the bodies are buried in this town.” Three weeks before Thompson is to be put to death, Abolafia surreptitiously discovers evidence that was covered up by New Orleans officials to give Thompson a fighting chance, and eventually, his day before the U.S. Supreme Court. “Rough Justice in the Big Easy” is produced and directed by Kenneth Levis.

MORGAN SPURLOCK INSIDE MAN DIVES INTO AMERICA’S “CELEBRITY” OBSESSION ON APRIL 13 SEASON TWO PREMIERE OF CNN ORIGINAL SERIES

Popular CNN Original Series Morgan Spurlock Inside Man, hosted and produced by the Oscar®-nominated documentary filmmaker, launches its second season on CNN with an inside look into the cult of “celebrity” on Sunday, April 13 at 10pm ET, following the season premiere of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown at 9pm, ET.

In his signature storytelling style, which incorporates humor, inquisitiveness, impartiality and investigative acumen, Spurlock tackles a wide range of subjects that are part of the national conversation including, personal privacy, income disparity in the U.S, America’s obsession with pets, and the big business of college athletics. “Celebrity,” the season premiere episode will be live streamed on CNN.com beginning April 13.

The acclaimed program, which was recently honored with an award for  “Best Limited Series” by the International Documentary Association, premiered in June, 2013 on CNN, and averaged 434,000 total viewers for premiere episodes in the first season*.

Below are descriptions of Morgan Spurlock Inside Man season two episodes (airdates are subject to change):

Celebrity (April 13) – Spurlock becomes a paparazzo to explore first-hand America’s obsession with celebrity and sensationalism. From high-speed chases to perfect positioning for that million-dollar shot, Spurlock learns the tricks of the trade, hunting down the great white whale of celebrity photos... affair, scandal, wardrobe malfunction and maybe even a distraught girlfriend -- all in a days work for legions of the Los Angeles paparazzi.

Futurism (April 20) – Spurlock enters the brave new world of extreme life extension – from harvesting 3D printed replacement parts, and cryogenically freezing genome, to uploading his consciousness and becoming part of the “Technological Singularity.”  Spurlock’s quest to live forever includes visits to Santa Clara, CA.’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Cambrian Genomics in San Francisco, and No. Carolina’s Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Pets in America (April 27) – From toy dogs in fancy purses to puppy mills to shelter animals, Spurlock takes a humorous and poignant look at America’s cultural obsession with pets. To explore how less fortunate “would-be” pets live, Spurlock gets down and dirty as an animal shelter worker for the Animal Rescue League of Berks County (Reading, PA.), where each day can mean adoption or euthanasia.

Cyber Spying/Big Data (May 4) – How easy is it to track someone online? How much info does the government have on each of us? And how much info do corporations keep on us – tracking where we live, what we buy, and for whom we buy it? To uncover the scary truth about big data collecting, Spurlock journeys out to find out just how much information is kept on him.

The Book of Morgan (May 11)  - Spurlock travels to Nashville, TN – the buckle of the Bible Belt – to become a guest preacher at an atheist church, a controversial and growing movement in the US. Along the way, he visits evangelical mega-churches, Baptist gospel churches, mosques, Mormon gatherings, and more to try and figure out exactly why people need religion in their lives, why it creates so much conflict in this world, and what his own message is for his Sunday sermon.

UFO’s (May 18) –With an open mind, Spurlock steeps himself in the history, theories, and photographic ‘evidence’ of UFO sightings, embedding himself at several MUFONs (Mutual UFO Network) and communing with watchers, conspiracy theorists and other interested parties to make his own determination as to whether or not we are truly alone in the universe.

Income Inequality (June 1) – After moving into one of the most exclusive and ostentatious properties in America, Spurlock experiences the full “Downton Abbey” treatment by splitting his time living with both America’s 1% and the other 99%.

College Athletes (June 8) – Spurlock imbeds in some of the top college sports programs in the U.S. to see first hand what it takes to be a top-level college athlete, what kind of education these kids are actually getting, and what life is like under the watchful eye of the NCAA. Schools are making millions off the backs of these kids – should the athletes themselves be able to share in the profits?

Viewers are invited to follow, engage and interact with Inside Man and each other using hash tag #InsideManCNN and handle @InsideManCNN on Twitter and at Facebook.com/InsideManCNN.  In addition, the show blog CNN.com/InsideMan, will provide users with program information, behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and other special content. 

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.