American Masters Premieres New Doc Spotlighting Singer Carole King

Hi Love!

THIRTEEN's American Masters Premieres New Documentary Carole King: Natural Woman February 19 on PBS in Honor of 45^th Anniversary of Her Landmark Album Tapestry

Four-time Grammy Award-winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, recent Kennedy Center Honoree and the first woman to be awarded The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Carole King's (b. February 9, 1942) career as a singer-songwriter is unparalleled. To date, more than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by more than 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles, including songs co-written with Gerry Goffin: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (The Shirelles), "Up on the Roof" (The Drifters) and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin). Now, King tells her own story in the new documentary American Masters -- Carole King: Natural Woman,premiering nationwide Friday, February 19 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the 30^th anniversary season of THIRTEEN's American Masters series. This year also marks the 45^th anniversary of King's landmark solo album Tapestry, which was released February 10, 1971, and spawned the hits "It's Too Late," "I Feel the Earth Move," "You've Got a Friend" and "So Far Away."

Weaving previously unseen and rare performances and home movies with a new, exclusive interview with King, American Masters -- Carole King: Natural Womandelves into her life and career. New interviews with friends and colleagues, including fellow songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Tapestry producer Lou Adler, drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, daughter and manager Sherry Goffin Kondor, lyricists Toni Stern and Carole Bayer Sager, and former manager Peter Asher, complete the biographical tapestry.

Director George Scott (Rufus Wainwright - Prima Donna, Great Performances"Elizabeth Taylor: England's Other Elizabeth") journeys through King's Brooklyn childhood, her early success co-writing some of the best-loved pop songs of the 1960s with then-husband Goffin for Aldon Music, and, following their divorce, her move to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles with two young children. There, she achieved solo success and became a central figure in the 1970s singer-songwriter movement, along with her contemporaries James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. King speaks candidly about her abusive marriage to Rick Evers, life on a ranch in Idaho, eco-activism, and initial hesitance about Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Douglas McGrath, writer of the Broadway musical's book, and author/music critic Anthony DeCurtis provide additional insights.

"Carole King has provided the soundtrack to so many Americans' lives, and her music remains current - when Aretha Franklin sang 'Natural Woman' last week, it trended on social media," said Michael Kantor, executive producer of American Masters.

Launched in 1986, American Masters has earned 28 Emmy Awards - including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special - 12 Peabodys, an Oscar, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards and many other honors. The series' 30^th anniversary season on PBS features new documentaries about Mike Nichols (January 29), B.B. King (February 12), Fats Domino (February 26), Loretta Lynn (March 4), Janis Joplin (May 3) and The Highwaymen (May 27). To further explore the lives and works of masters past and present, the American Masters website (http://pbs.org/americanmasters) offers streaming video of select films, outtakes, filmmaker interviews, photos, educational resources and more. The series is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET andalso seen on the WORLD channel.

American Masters - Carole King: Natural Woman is a production of 1515 Productions in association with THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC's American Masters for WNET. George Scott is director. Celia Moore is producer. Nick de Grunwald is executive producer. Michael Kantor is executive producer for American Masters.

Funding for American Masters is provided by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Rhoda Herrick, Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation, Vital Projects Fund, Rolf and Elizabeth Rosenthal, Lenore Hecht Foundation, The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, Judith and Burton Resnick, and public television viewers.

About WNET

As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN andWLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13,NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore App where users can stream PBS content for free.

### 

American Masters websites:   

http://pbs.org/americanmasters 

http://facebook.com/americanmasters 

@PBSAmerMasters

http://pbsamericanmasters.tumblr.com 

http://instagram.com/pbsamericanmasters  

http://youtube.com/AmericanMastersPBS    

#AmericanMasters  

   

-- Love Rae

Uncover the Story of Legendary Tennis Pioneer Althea Gibson

Hi Love,

September 4th at 9pm ET on PBS you can watch the true story of Tennis Pioneer Althea Gibson!

Here are the facts:

This fall, THIRTEEN's American Masters presents Althea, premiering nationwide Friday, September 4, 2015 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)during the U.S. Open.  

The 90-minute documentary reveals the highs and lows of this remarkable athlete whose life and achievements transcend sports and have entered the annals of African American history. From her roots as a sharecropper's daughter in the cotton fields of South Carolina, to her emergence as the unlikely queen of the highly segregated tennis world in the 1950s, her story is a complex tale of race, class and gender.

In recounting Gibson's story, the filmmakers were meticulous in finding period imagery, including over 450 vintage photographs. Producer and director Rex Miller weaves this archival visual material and interviews with those who knew Gibson, such as former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Wimbledon champions Dick Savitt and Billie Jean King (who also serves as one of the film's executive producers), Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, widow of Arthur Ashe, and more.

Though Gibson's accomplishments put her in the forefront of the struggle to eliminate segregation in tennis and to gain equal rights for players, she was a reluctant figure of the civil rights movement. "As far as Althea was concerned, it was not about representing the race," says Arvelia Myers, Althea's friend and tennis professional. Says Billie Jean King, "Arthur and I used our tennis as a platform, that's not what she wanted. She just wanted to play."  

"Gibson's athletic prowess was unmatched on the tennis court, making her a formidable competitor," says Michael Kantor, executive producer of American Mastersand tennis enthusiast. "Her story remains an important part not only of sports history and African American history, but of American cultural history. American Masters is proud to share the story of this trailblazing athlete and extraordinary woman."

Launched in 1986, American Masters has earned 28 Emmy Awards - including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series since 1999 and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special - 12 Peabodys, an Oscar, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards and many other honors. Now in its 29th season on PBS, the series is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET and also seen on the WORLD channel.

To take American Masters beyond the television broadcast and further explore the themes, stories and personalities of masters past and present, the series' companion website (http://pbs.org/americanmasters) offers streaming video of select films, interviews, photos, outtakes, essays and more.  

American Masters: Althea is a production of Rexpix Media productions in association with Thornapple Films and Augusta Films.  Co-produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).  Directed and produced by Rex Miller. Edited and produced by Elisabeth Haviland James. Produced by Nancy Buirski. Cinematographer is Rex Miler.  Executive producers are Billie Jean King, William Ackman, John Amos, Richard Browne, Tory Kiam, and Debbie & Larry Linett. Original score by David Majzlin. Leslie A. Fields-Cruz is executive director of NBPC.

Funding for American Masters is provided by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Vital Projects Fund, Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation, The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, and public television viewers.

Additional funding for this program is provided by the Browne Charitable Fund and Rema Dupont.

About WNET

As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEENand WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters,PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus,the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore App where users can stream PBS content for free.

Check your local listings for more!

--Love Rae