TV program notes -- week of Dec. 30

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Here are some television program notes for the week of Dec. 30 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Various dates and times (check local listings) (PBS) "Xavier: Missionary & Saint." Narrated by Academy Award-winner Liam Neeson and filmed on location in the footsteps of the Jesuit missionary, this documentary features locations as diverse as Rome, Paris, Spain, India, China and Japan, as well as interviews with world-renowned historians and theologians. The film commemorates the 500th anniversary of the birth of the most successful missionary since St. Paul, "one who died alone on a desolate island within sight of the land of his life's dream," says Neeson in the film's introduction. "He was unaware that he had forever changed the face and the race of Christianity."

Sunday, Dec. 30, 10-11 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Pilgrim Churches of Rome." Passionist Father Victor Hoagland introduces viewers to the rich history and exquisite art found in the seven principal churches of Rome traditionally visited by pilgrims as a way of gaining special indulgences.

Monday, Dec. 31, noon-1:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Vespers of Thanksgiving (2007)." The pope will preside at the first vespers of thanksgiving at the year's end in St. Peter's Basilica.

Monday, Dec. 31, 8-10 p.m. EST (PBS) "New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve: Joshua Bell's Romantic Violin." New York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel conducts the orchestra in a program of romantic violin showpieces featuring Joshua Bell. This year's New Year's Eve gala concert, from Avery Fisher Hall, includes several arrangements for violin and orchestra: Kreisler's "Liebesleid" and "Liebesfreud," Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Ravel's "Tzigane" and Schubert's "Ave Maria." The orchestra will also perform Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and Ravel's "Bolero." A presentation of "Live From Lincoln Center" (TV-G -- general audience).

Tuesday, Jan. 1, 8-9:30 p.m. EST (PBS) "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration (2008)." Continuing its holiday tradition, "Great Performances" returns to the stately splendor of Vienna's Musikverein for its 24th annual New Year's Day celebration with the Vienna Philharmonic. Georges Pretre leads the world-renowned orchestra in a selection of Strauss family waltzes. Also featured are festive ballets danced by the Vienna State Opera Ballet and a special appearance of the famous Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School. Walter Cronkite hosts (TV-G -- general audience).

Tuesday, Jan. 1, 9:30-11 p.m. EST (PBS) "Words and Music by Jerry Herman." This special chronicles the life and career of one of the American musical theater's iconic figures: the composer and lyricist of the shows "Hello, Dolly!" and "Mame." Jerry Herman and an all-star cast (including Angela Lansbury, Carol Channing and Michael Feinstein) chart his rise from topical off-Broadway revues in the 1950s to his first Broadway triumphs in the 1960s. The program features never-before-seen stills and archival footage from the original shows -- and a great Jerry Herman score (TV-G -- general audience).

Wednesday, Jan. 2, 8-9 p.m. EST (PBS) "Pioneers of Television." The first in a four-part documentary series, melding interviews with archival clips to offer a fresh take on television's first stars. Each of the four one-hour episodes focuses on a different genre: sitcoms, late-night, variety and game shows. This episode focuses on five key sitcoms: "I Love Lucy," "The Honeymooners," "Make Room for Daddy," "The Andy Griffith Show" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Interviewees include Joyce Randolph ("The Honeymooners"), Marlo Thomas, Andy Griffith, Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday, Jan. 2, 9-11 p.m. EST (PBS) "Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency." A biography of America's seventh president, the documentary explores whether Americans should celebrate Jackson or apologize for him. Viewers discover that Jackson fought in the Revolutionary War when he was 13 years old and that he used the skills learned in battle to kill a man over a gambling debt; that he led the U.S. Army to the most surprising victory in its history in the Battle of New Orleans, but also launched an unauthorized invasion of Florida; that he was the first great champion of the common white man and owned more than a hundred black Americans; that he dramatically expanded the United States and did so by brutally wresting vast regions of the south from American Indians; and that Jackson, in one of the boldest political strokes in history, founded the Democratic Party, yet was viewed by his enemies as an American Napoleon. Martin Sheen narrates (TV-G -- general audience).

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops