Ken Burns does The Daily Show...

Thursday night, filmmaker Ken Burns appeared on Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Be more Tuned In is happy to share the insightful video with our readers. The final three installments of Ken Burns' The War will air at 7 p.m., next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The film will also be repeated in coming weeks, so check out wpt.org for future air times.

'The War' arrives on WPT

After months of anticipation, Ken Burns' The War arrives on WPT Sunday night. The first installment of the epic documentary that tells the story of World War II through the residents of four American towns airs at 7. The remaining episodes of the 14-and-a-half-hour film will air during the following two weeks. Check the schedule at wpt.org for air times.

A few months ago we had a chance to chat with Ken Burns about the film in a Be more Tuned In podcast. You can find that exclusive conversation here.

If you are moved to share your own family's war story or want to learn more about Wisconsin veterans' experiences in World War II, visit the site of Wisconsin World War II Stories.

And, as is expected for a film that touches the history of so many families across the country, The War is receiving massive critical examination and praise. We've compiled a collection of recent articles about the program below:

Jo Anne Weintraub, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Many Battles of 'The War'

Gary Strauss, USA Today
Ken Burns' rush to capture voices of a fading generation in 'The War'

Charles Storch, Chicago Tribune
Documenting 'The War'

Sam Allis, Boston Globe
It's War

Gazing at the sky...

Wednesday night at 7, WPT will present Citizen Astronomers: Seeing in the Dark on both the regular statewide network and WPT-HD. This film by Timothy Ferris explores the world of amateur astronomers and the night sky that they spend hours poring over. When watched in high-definition, the sparkling stars of the night sky bound brilliantly from the screen.

After watching the program, take a turn as an astronomer yourself. The show's producers make it easy with a customizable star chart that will display exactly what is visible from your vantage point at any given time. An added observation guide helps city-dwellers learn how to find the best places to look for stars.

And to see how the pros view the stars, there are tour opportunities available to visit the Yerkes Observatory -- the world's largest refracting telescope. It is located on the shores of Wisconsin's Geneva Lake.

A Quilt Expo sneak peek...

The third-annual Quilt Expo has arrived!

This year's event, which is again presented by WPT, Friends of WHA-TV and Sewing With Nancy, runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Tickets are available from advance ticket vendors and are $8 at the door. There are hundreds of vendor booths filling more than 10,000 square feet of exhibition space, a judged and juried quilt contest with hundreds of quilts and a series of special lectures, Sit & Sew workshops, quilting celebrity events and special exhibits to visit. For more details about the event, visit the exclusive Quilt Expo Web site.

We headed to the Quilt Expo at its opening to provide a sneak peek at all of the wonderful aspects of the event that visitors can partake in through Saturday. Click the link below to see the photos from Thursday morning's opening hours. You can also click on the photos for a larger view. (Exclusive photos from the 2007 Quilt Expo after the jump...)


Shortly after the doors opened for the event, eager quilters filed into the Alliant Energy Center.

Throughout the Exhibition Hall, hundreds of vendors from throughout the United States offered innovative quilting and textile products, along with in-depth information and helpful hints for interested Expo-goers.











At the WPT booth in the front of the hall, WPT staff volunteers provided event information, offered entry forms for the free drawing and sold this year's official Quilt Expo t-shirts and tote bags.



Life-sized cut-outs of Nancy Zieman greeted visitors to the event. The real Nancy Zieman will be appearing at the WPT booth throughout the weekend to chat with quilters and other fans of Sewing With Nancy.



Throughout the event, expo attendees will find spectacular specialty quilt exhibits that showcase quilting work from around North America.

A series of Sit & Sew Workshops give quilters a chance to try out new products and techniques in person with the help of industry professionals and television personalities. Visit the information booth at the front of Quilt Expo to inquire about registration availability.







Elsewhere, a hearty collection of free lectures on dozens of topics are available for drop-in quilters.

The centerpiece of Quilt Expo is the quilt contest exhibit. Occupying the center of the hall, the enormous exhibit is home to hundreds of finely handcrafted quilts from artists and hobbyists from all throughout North America. Within the exhibit, visitors can get an up-close look at the colorful, intricate designs. Docents are available to provide insight into the quilts and to give viewers an opportunity to see the stitching and design-work that is hidden on the backs of many of the quilts.



Visitors admire the Best of Show quilt, which was created by Linda Roy of Knoxville, Tenn.

A real American Master...

Tony Bennett is the theme on WPT Wednesday night. Beginning at 7, the legendary performer is featured in Tony Bennett Duets: The Making of an American Classic. Then at 8, WPT will present the much anticipated American Masters "Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends." The film was produced by Clint Eastwood and interweaves Bennett's musical life story within a number of fantastic musical performances.

This article explains how the 77-year-old actor and 81-year-old singer met and describes how the film was created.

As one of the last of the great crooners, Bennett is still working a regular touring schedule. And, his music continues to get rave reviews. To hear some of the songs from the Duets album that is featured in Wednesday's first program, head on over to Bennett's official Web site.

And, to see how multi-faceted Bennett's talents are, you can find galleries of his paintings online at this site.

The markets and pumpkins in our own backyard...

Wednesday night, WPT will present an encore presentation of To Market To Market To Buy a Fat Pig at 7. The program will be followed at 8 by Lords of the Gourd: The Pursuit of Excellence.

Even though Wisconsin isn't featured in these programs, both of them fit perfectly with this time of year in the state. Curious about the ties? Read on...

In Wisconsin, this is a prime time of year to take advantage of the many markets, stands and farms that offer fresh produce. And with autumn approaching faster than we'd like, it's not too early to look toward apple and pumpkin picking opportunities, too.

In Madison, the Dane County Farmers Market continues on at the Capitol Square through the first week of November. Visit this site or this site to find other great markets and fruit and vegetable stands around the state. Apple aficionados can find their local orchards here.

And the giant gourds? Well, each year Nekoosa presents an annual Giant Pumpkin Festival. The festival draws growers from all over the state to bring their largest gourds for a weigh-in contest. The huge pumpkins are only part of the event that includes a car show, craft fair and pumpkin bake-off. To learn about the other activities (including a giant pumpkin drop from the top of a crane) visit this site. This year's festival is Oct. 6 and 7.

And for those already plotting their pumpkin-gathering trips, this site will help you out.

Finally don't forget our podcast interview with Rick Sebak. You can find it here.