What to Watch

Sunday, August 19, 2007

MONDAY:

READY TO PLAY

10 p.m. on PBS 26

Filmmaker Jennifer Crescenzo traces the story of the Glover Park Co-Ed Softball League, a local sports institution started in 1982 by her father, known as Crash.

The program, which illustrates the league's connection to the community, profiles the team players who take to the field -- including a salsa-dancing mortgage broker who plays first base and a senior lobbyist who fires wicked fastballs.

TUESDAY:

GOD'S WARRIORS

9 p.m. on CNN

CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports on religious fundamentalism as a force of politics -- and, in some cases, violence -- in this six-hour documentary, which airs over three consecutive nights.

On Tuesday, "God's Jewish Warriors" analyzes the conflict over Israel's West Bank. Wednesday's segment, "God's Muslim Warriors," looks at the growing conflict between Islam and Western culture.

Thursday, "God's Christian Warriors" examines how evangelical Christians have worked to influence American society and politics. This segment includes interviews with former president Jimmy Carter and the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.

WIDE ANGLE: GOLD FUTURES

10 p.m. on PBS

The glittering lure of gold is at the heart of a modern struggle in a 2,000- year-old Romanian village, where a Canadian company wants to excavate an open-pit gold mine at a spot thought to have been first discovered by the ancient Romans. On one side of the struggle are long-held rural traditions, environmental concerns and landowners trying to protect their homes, which would be lost in the excavation efforts. But mining advocates point to the economic need for the minerals -- not to mention the demand for jobs.

WEDNESDAY:

THE DEATH OF JFK Jr.

8 p.m. on TLC

Eight years ago, his Piper Saratoga plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard, adding another chapter to the star-crossed Kennedy story.

This new documentary chronicles the actions of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, on the summer Friday when they boarded their single-engine plane en route to cousin Rory Kennedy's weekend wedding.

The program looks at the investigation into the crash as well as the aftermath of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s death.

CITIES OF LIGHT: THE RISE AND FALL OF ISLAMIC SPAIN

9 p.m. on PBS

This special takes a journey through the symbols and sites of southern Spain, to a time more than a thousand years ago when Muslims, Christians and Jews thrived together -- until greed, fear and intolerance led to the dissipation of of the groups' fragile coexistence. The program looks at some of the discoveries that reached Europe by way of Islamic Spain, including the water wheel, algebra and the beginnings of modern medicine.

SATURDAY:

THE MURDER OF PRINCESS DIANA

9 p.m. on Lifetime

Was a conspiracy to blame for Princess Diana's fatal car crash in Paris? This original movie is based on a book of the same name by Noel Botham, which explores the death of Diana, her companion Dodi Fayed and their chauffeur Henri Paul on Aug. 31, 1997, as an unsolved mystery. The film, shot in Luxembourg and Paris, stars Jennifer Morrison (above) as an investigative reporter who sees the car crash.

"She starts piecing together a story and sees that things don't add up," Morrison said. "It becomes clear that people don't want her digging."

As her character launched an investigation into Diana's death, Morrison delved into people's fascination with the life of the princess. "It's hard to imagine that this woman, who was so loved by people, with crowds desperate to be near her, talked about how she lived with such loneliness," Morrison said.

Prior to the movie, at 8, Lifetime airs Princess Diana: The Martin Bashir Interview, from 1995.

Season Finales

Among broadcast and cable shows wrapping up this week:

Gene Simmons Family Jewels (Sunday at 9 p.m. on A&E): "Happily unmarried" former Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and former Playboy playmate Shannon Tweed wrap up Season 3 in front of the camera.

Ice Road Truckers (Sunday at 10 p.m. on History Channel): With ice melt fast approaching, the rigs hustle to complete their final trips up to the diamond mines.

America's Got Talent (Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC): Four hopefuls find out tonight which one walks off with $1 million.

The Knights of Prosperity (Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC): Eugene decides Louis should apply for the job with Ray Romano's film corporation.