Masterpiece adds Mystery! Host

One of show business’s most eclectic talents is taking on a new role. Stage and film star Alan Cumming will host the upcoming season of Masterpiece Mystery!, making his first appearance when the series premieres on Sunday, June 22 at 9 p.m.

“I’ve had my eye on Alan for a long time, ever since I saw him in Cabaret,” says executive producer Rebecca Eaton. “His versatility as an actor makes him perfect for Mystery!, and like many of our favorite detectives, he’s absolutely charming.”

“I couldn’t resist the offer to host Mystery!,” says Cumming, who is currently enjoying one of the most fruitful periods in his prolific career. "I’m a huge mystery fan and appreciate the high caliber of programming that is offered to the public free of charge on PBS.”

A Tony Award®-winner for his role as Emcee in Cabaret, Cumming recently starred Off Broadway in The Seagull, and will be on stage this summer at the Lincoln Center Festival in Euripides’ The Bacchae. His extensive film appearances include X Men 2; Sweetland; the Spy Kids trilogy; Eyes Wide Shut; GoldenEye; Circle of Friends; The Anniversary Party (which he also wrote, directed, and produced), and he will be seen this fall in Boogie Woogie opposite Heather Graham. On television, he has appeared in Sex and the City on HBO, The L Word on Showtime and Midnight Snack on Sundance Channel. Born in Scotland, Cumming lives in New York City.

Masterpiece Mystery! follows the highly successful season of Masterpiece Classic, which launched the restyled Masterpiece in January with “The Complete Jane Austen.” Hosted by Gillian Anderson, the series achieved a 50% improvement in viewership over the ’06-’07 season in the overnight markets.

This season’s Mystery! lineup features The Men of Mystery, beginning on June 22 with three episodes of Inspector Lewis, a spin-off to the popular Inspector Morse series. On July 13, Michael Kitchen returns for the final three episodes of the acclaimed World War II series Foyle’s War, and on August 10, Elizabeth George’s incomparable New Scotland Yard team of Inspectors Lynley and Havers are back for the last time in two new episodes of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

Masterpiece Contemporary will premiere in October 2008. Tune in for Masterpiece every Sunday at 9 p.m. on WGVU TV.

NPR's China Coverage

NPR was in a unique position on Monday, when news of the devastating earthquake in China broke. In anticipation of broadcasts from Chengdu scheduled for next week, NPR's Melissa Block and Robert Siegel, along with a team of producers, were only about 45 miles from the quake's epicenter. Mid-interview when the earthquake hit, Melissa kept recording and calmly described the scene unfolding around her. Later in the day, Melissa filed a powerful two-way with Michele Norris from Juyuan Middle School, where hundreds of children are feared dead.



Robert Siegel with the Chambermaid who yanked him down 27 flights of stairs to the lobby during the quake.


As the NPR team continues to report the stories of those affected by the quake, you can read about their personal experiences in the quake on the Chengdu Diary blog.

Due to the earthquake, some of the stories planned for the series NPR and the New China have been postponed. Stay tuned to WGVU Radio for updates.

Signing Time Host, Rachel Coleman, Invited to Consult With World Organizations About Improving Deaf Education in Ghana, Africa

Rachel Coleman, Emmy-nominated host of Signing Time!, will be returning to Ghana, West Africa this week to speak with International NGOs, representatives of Ghana's government and educators about improving education for deaf students in Ghana.

Coleman (co-founder of Two Little Hands Productions and The Signing Time Foundation), along with representatives of the Utah-based Association for Deaf Children (ADC), has accepted a special invitation from Signs of Hope International and the Ghana National Association of the Deaf to meet several world organizations including the Ministry of Special Education in Ghana.

Read the full article HERE.

Signing Time! airs weekdays at 3:30 p.m. on WGVU TV.

Cuba’s New President Makes Plaza de la Revolución Debut

Hear coverage Thursday, May 1 on All Things Considered and Friday, May 2 on Morning Edition

Cuba’s new president Raúl Castro makes his first speech in the famed Plaza de la Revolución on Thursday, May 1. His brother and former president Fidel Castro delivered many memorable speeches there over the last 45 years to enormous throngs of Cubans. The country will be listening carefully to hear what changes Raúl may have planned, but will also be anxious to if he can stir the masses as passionately as his brother. Thursday on NPR’s All Things Considered, Correspondent Tom Gjelten reports on the speech and the scene at the Plaza. Then Friday, Morning Edition presents analysis of the rally and the future of Cuba and its new president.

All Things Considered airs 4 - 6 p.m. on WGVU AM & FM and Morning Edition airs 5 - 9 a.m.

Click here for more of NPR's Cuba coverage.