Nickelodeon to go dark to encourage play
Nickelodeon proclaims its seventh annual Worldwide Day of Play when all of its various kids' channels - and their associated websites - go dark from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. So turn off the tube and chase those kids outdoors.
Local history, EmmysThe Museum of Broadcast Communications marks the 50th anniversary of the first televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon with an event at the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, exactly when the first debate took place. It's at WBBM Channel 2's Studio One. Bill Kurtis serves as moderator, with Newton Minow and Sander Vanocur discussing the debate. Tickets are $50, available at the museum.tv website or by calling (312) 245-8200. ... The Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts Sciences announces its annual local Emmy Award nominations at the Rockit Bar and Grill, 22 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28. Tickets are $15, $10 for NATAS members, and include a complimentary drink and hors d'oeuvres. Call (312) 369-8600 or email infonatas@aol.com to make reservations.Extra inningsDocumentary filmmaker Ken Burns returns to the steroid era of the '90s to update his PBS "Baseball" miniseries with "The Tenth Inning," airing in two parts over four and a half hours at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday on WTTW Channel 11.'Tiger' taleRunning counter to the usual Waste Watcher aesthetic, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" might be described as so good it's bad. In Ang Lee's cerebral take on chopsocky action movies, a series of meditations on the meaning of existence is regularly interrupted by some splendid and utterly fantastic fight sequences. It's at 7 p.m. Friday on AMC.False400266"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" flips the Waste Watcher aesthetic. False