WHYY Late Night

TV12's late night highlights

By Anna Christopher

An increasing number of Western wrestlers are penetrating the highly cloistered Japanese sport of sumo, a move that is causing a cultural collision of (literally) colossal proportions. In this Independent Lens film, husband-and-wife production team Ferne Pearlstein and Robert Edwards take their Super 16mm cameras into the sumo ring to document the cultural tug-of-war between ancient Japanese sumo rituals and Western modifications; glitzy marketing campaigns and sumo’s spiritual ties; and necessary concessions that come with trying to gain Olympic status. Pearlstein and Edwards also present intimate portraits of several leading sumo wrestlers, recording their daily lives, intensive training and the age-old culture of their sport.

Saturday, July 3 at 1 a.m.

Online Extra : Learn more about American-born sumo champions featured in the documentary -- including pioneering wrestler Jesse Kuhaulua; Akebono, the first non-Japanese grand champion; and current amateur heavy-weight Manny Yarbrough.

Movie "Broadway Danny Rose" (1984)

Third-rate talent agent Danny Rose (Woody Allen) would do just about anything to help one of his clients succeed. So when singer Lou Canova asks Danny to bring his mistress, Tina (Mia Farrow), to an upcoming gig so he can perform better, Danny obliges. Acting as if Tina is his girlfriend so not to raise suspicions about Lou's infidelities, Danny gets far more than he bargained for when mobsters show up at the club looking for the man who stole Tina away from their brother. Woody Allen also wrote and directed this equally hilarious and heart-rending film, which is now commonly referred to as the eccentric's one pure comedy of the 1980s.

Sunday, July 4 at 3:35 a.m.

Historical Blindness

Before gay pride parades, the Stonewall Rebellion and hit television shows like Will & Grace and Queer As Folk, many openly gay and lesbian artists, musicians and activists were blatantly overlooked due to their sexuality. Singer Lesley Gore hosts this special In the Life tribute to such unsung pioneers of gay and lesbian history as jazz composer Billy Strayhorn (pictured), civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, and Romaine Brooks, who was one of the first artists to visualize lesbian identity in her works. In a segment titled "Being Useful," the outspoken Harvey Fierstein offers constructive criticism to gays and lesbians who shun annual gay pride parades, and the episode also profiles the brave men and women who staged annual Fourth of July demonstrations outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall in the late 1960s.

Monday, July 5 at midnight

Alanis Morissette

Explosive and energetic, singer Alanis Morissette captivates the audience during this Soundstage concert special, infusing elements of hard rock, folk, electronic beats and free-flowing eastern melodies into familiar songs. She begins with popular radio tracks from earlier Grammy Award-winning albums, including "All I Really Want," "Hands Clean," "Thank U" and "Uninvited." The continually evolving artist also introduces fans to her latest album, So-Called Chaos, performing "Eight Easy Steps" and "Excuses."

Sunday, July 18 at 3:05 a.m.