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Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine's 100

Twenty-one years after his death, Russian-born dance master George Balanchine is still regarded as one of the world's foremost ballet choreographers. Hosted by Beverly Sills, this Live From Lincoln Center special brings together talent from every corner of the Center's campus -- including tenor Placido Domingo, trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis, and actor Kevin Kline -- to celebrate the centennial of Balanchine's birth. This artistic extravaganza also features performances by stars from the New York City Ballet (a company co-founded by Balanchine), the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic and The Juilliard School.

Wednesday, May 5 at 9 p.m.

The Story of Mothers and Daughters

Loving. Complicated. Close. Distant. If you are a woman, chances are you've used these adjectives at one point or another to describe the relationship you have with your mother. In this poignant new special hosted by actress Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement), 40 diverse American women of all ages, races and classes intimately share the experiences they have had with this universal relationship. From birth to separation to life anew, the film weaves a repeating pattern of coming together and drawing apart, and shows how the relationship between a mother and her daughters changes over the course of a lifetime.

Saturday, May 8 at 8 p.m.

Dawn of the Maya

With their god-like powers, early Maya kings commissioned the construction of massive pyramids, murals, and temples -- astounding treasures that continue to be uncovered in the jungles of Guatemala. This National Geographic Special follows a team of the world's top archeologists as they make magnificent discoveries -- including a 2,000-year-old mural depicting the great Maya myth of creation and an ornamental sun god mask carved into a temple wall -- that reveal the existence of a previously unknown Maya dynasty that flourished well before the time of Christ.

Wednesday, May 12 at 8 p.m.

Pale Male

Due to globalization, urban sprawl and deforestation, many wild animals have been forced to seek out alternative, and in some cases very creative, habitats for themselves and their families. In New York's Central Park, one daring red-tailed hawk has done just that, constructing a nest with his mate and chicks in the most unlikely of places: the ledge of a multi-story Fifth Avenue apartment building. Filmed over a six year period, this Nature program follows the predatory bird as he courts, breeds, hunts and unknowingly develops a legion of human fans who root for his survival hundreds of feet below. Photo courtesy of palemale.com

Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m.

Equalizing Education

Fifty years ago today, legalized separation between blacks and whites in American schools was struck down by a monumental ruling in the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education. In the film With All Deliberate Speed by Wilmington-based production company Teleduction, scholars examine strategies used by the NAACP to combat segregation in Delaware (one of six states represented in the case), debate desegregation's successes and failures, and analyze multicultural education in America today.

Monday, May 17 at 10 p.m.

The Longest Day

Sixty years after the Allied assault on the beaches of Nazi-controlled Normandy, the logistics of the D-Day battles continue to amaze: after two years of planning, 160,000 soldiers and 17,000 paratroopers participated, supported by 7,000 ships and 3,000 planes. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of "D-Day," this Secrets of the Dead special combines dramatic recreations with rare film footage and testimony from veterans to determine how and why the Allies were victorious on June 6, 1944.

Wednesday, May 19 at 9 p.m.

Wildwood Boardwalk

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, which means that Delaware Valley residents will soon begin descending on New Jersey beaches in droves. A visit to the shore isn't complete without a stroll along the boardwalk, and this film celebrates all of the fun, food and family traditions that make Wildwood's one of the most famous. Journeying through one year in the life of the Wildwood boardwalk, from the stillness of a frosty winter day to the excitement of a sizzling summer evening, Philadelphia filmmakers Gustave Rosanio and Joseph Van Blunk explore its role as a constant in an ever-changing culture.

Photo: Temple University Urban Archives

Thursday, May 20 at 9 p.m.

The Secret Empire

In the film Lost in Translation, two Americans turn to each other for support amidst the unfamiliar surroundings of Japan, a country whose history and culture remain a mystery to many in the western world. The three-hour special Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire uses vivid reenactments to reveal the island nation's remarkable renaissance -- a period between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan evolved from chaos and violence to ritual refinement and peace. Once fiercely ruled by commanding shoguns and samurai warriors, the program shows how the cloistered empire built its relationship with the West and eventually emerged as a world power in the modern age. Read an interview with the flimmakers.

Wednesday, May 26 at 8 p.m.