Sundance Channel

How's this for reaching to find a promotional hook? The Sundance Channel, recognizing that Monday is the shortest day of the year, is programming a full day of--what else?--short films to celebrate the winter solstice. Maybe it should have gotten songwriter Randy Newman ("Short People") to pen some theme music.

When Emily Watson heard she was being sent a script for "Appropriate Adult," she was wary. The made-for-TV movie, which premieres Saturday on Sundance Channel, depicts the real-life relationship between British serial killer Fred West and Janet Leach, a social worker in training who was asked to sit in on police interrogations as an "appropriate adult," a role in the United Kingdom legal system meant to safeguard the rights of young people and vulnerable adults...

Cablevision Systems Corp. said Wednesday that it was wading deeper into the cable programming business by buying the Sundance Channel from its famous co-founder, Robert Redford, and two media companies for $496 million. The move surprised some analysts because Bethpage, N.Y.-based Cablevision, through its Rainbow Media Holdings subsidiary, already owns two movie channels -- AMC and the Independent Film Channel -- in addition to WE tv, a channel aimed at women. Some investors had wanted the family-controlled cable systems operator to use its cash to buy back shares.

'2011 Festival' Where: Sundance Channel When: 9:45 p.m. Friday; 9:25 p.m. Saturday; 9:35 p.m. Sunday; 9:35 p.m. Monday; 9:25 p.m. Tuesday; 9:45 p.m. Wednesday; 9:45 p.m. Thursday; 9:45 p.m. Friday; 9:40 p.m. Saturday Rating: Not rated 'White Lightnin" Where: Sundance When: 8 p.m. Sunday and 4:45 a.m. Monday Rating: Not rated 'Unmade Beds' Where: Sundance Channel When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and 1:35 a.m....

Since the current writers strike was first bruited, the prospect of more reality TV has been held out to the public like a threat -- coal in the stocking at Christmas, the boogeyman waiting in the closet. People watch a lot of reality TV as it is, but I suspect that even among its most ardent fans there are many who sense there is something not quite right about it, something not . . . real.

Independent female directors who have struggled to get their films made and seen by the public have found a home on the Sundance Channel. The cable channel's mission--showcasing the works of emerging filmmakers--will devote the month of April to the diversity and artistry of women filmmakers. She Said Cinema--now in its third year--will air a different feature directed by a woman each night. And on Sundays, Sundance will present short films.

Upping the ante on any TV show that got off to as auspicious a start as the first season of the Sundance Channel's music interview-performance series "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…" is a tall order. After all, the first episode featured a conversation with Elton John -- not coincidentally, one of the executive producers and a key mover behind the series -- before pairing its deeply knowledgeable, erudite and witty host with subsequent guests, including Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, Lou Reed, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, Renée Fleming and former President Clinton.

European entertainment conglomerate PolyGram said Monday that it is buying a half-interest in the Sundance Channel, a new cable channel co-founded by actor-director Robert Redford and Viacom Inc.'s Showtime Networks that features independent films. Sources said PolyGram will probably end up investing from $30 million to $40 million in the deal, depending on such factors as how quickly the channel rolls out.

Karl Lagerfeld loves the smell of construction sites, hates people who can't be alone, and he won't fly without the cushion his nanny made for him nestled on his stomach. He's pro-prostitution, one of his favorite art supplies is Wite-Out and he doesn't believe in reincarnation. He's one of the most important fashion designers of our day, but more than that, he's a fascinating character, as evidenced by Rodolphe Marconi's terrific documentary "Lagerfeld Confidential," which has its U.S.

"June 17, 1994" is Brett Morgen's tone-poem documentary about a day in the life of American sports and heroes of sport. It was the day that Arnold Palmer played his final, fraught round at a U.S. Open, the day the World Cup began in Chicago, that the New York Rangers got a ticker-tape parade for winning the Stanley Cup, that the Knicks and the Rockets played the fifth game of the NBA finals. Most famously, it was the day that, with former teammate Al Cowlings at the wheel, O.J. Simpson, charged with the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, took his slow ride around the freeways of Southern California in a white Ford Bronco, holding a gun to his head.

Constantly racing against the clock? Talk about "24: The Complete Eighth Season. " Get reacquainted with Jack Bauer and his ticking clock when the last season of the long-running series is released on DVD. There's a deadly terrorist threat, assassination plots to prevent and an explosive climax ? all in a day's work. (Tuesday) In a state of nostalgia? Talk about "Cardinals III/IV. " The double album by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals consists of tracks originally recorded in 2007 as part of a marathon session at Electric Lady studios in New York City ?

"June 17, 1994" is Brett Morgen's tone-poem documentary about a day in the life of American sports and heroes of sport. It was the day that Arnold Palmer played his final, fraught round at a U.S. Open, the day the World Cup began in Chicago, that the New York Rangers got a ticker-tape parade for winning the Stanley Cup, that the Knicks and the Rockets played the fifth game of the NBA finals. Most famously, it was the day that, with former teammate Al Cowlings at the wheel, O.J. Simpson, charged with the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, took his slow ride around the freeways of Southern California in a white Ford Bronco, holding a gun to his head.

— It's a reality show that sounds tailor-made for a buzzy cable network like Bravo: A hip gay couple from Manhattan tries to make a go at organic farming in upstate New York. But "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" is premiering Wednesday on Planet Green, a young eco-channel seeking to rev up its reputation with a prime-time schedule built more around high-drama characters than how-to environmentalism. With a new slate that includes programs about chefs, a fashion designer and a boutique owner, the channel's theme of sustainability is being stretched to include not only global warming and recycling, but also selling vintage clothes.

SERIES Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Your host has one week to teach 1,000 people how to cook in this new episode of the reality series (9 p.m. ABC). Gator 911: This new reality series documents the exploits of a Texas-based team of alligator experts (9 p.m. CMT). What Not to Wear: A self-professed nudist learns to dress for success on the season finale (9 p.m. TLC). Private Chefs of Beverly Hills: This new reality series looks at those who cook for the rich and famous (10 p.m. Food)

Upping the ante on any TV show that got off to as auspicious a start as the first season of the Sundance Channel's music interview-performance series "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…" is a tall order. After all, the first episode featured a conversation with Elton John -- not coincidentally, one of the executive producers and a key mover behind the series -- before pairing its deeply knowledgeable, erudite and witty host with subsequent guests, including Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, Lou Reed, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, Renée Fleming and former President Clinton.

Guest roster: Bruce Springsteen, Bono, the Edge, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett and John Prine will be among the guests on the second season of "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With . . . ," which launches Dec. 9 on the Sundance Channel.

'2011 Festival' Where: Sundance Channel When: 9:45 p.m. Friday; 9:25 p.m. Saturday; 9:35 p.m. Sunday; 9:35 p.m. Monday; 9:25 p.m. Tuesday; 9:45 p.m. Wednesday; 9:45 p.m. Thursday; 9:45 p.m. Friday; 9:40 p.m. Saturday Rating: Not rated 'White Lightnin" Where: Sundance When: 8 p.m. Sunday and 4:45 a.m. Monday Rating: Not rated 'Unmade Beds' Where: Sundance Channel When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and 1:35 a.m....

Guest roster: Bruce Springsteen, Bono, the Edge, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett and John Prine will be among the guests on the second season of "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With . . . ," which launches Dec. 9 on the Sundance Channel.

You may love your gold wedding band, but would you buy another knowing that it resulted in 20 tons of mine waste? Would you buy a bottle of water if you knew that eight out of 10 containers end up in a landfill or an incinerator and take 500 years to decompose? These are some of the lessons of "Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living," a new series running Tuesdays on the Sundance Channel.

Karl Lagerfeld loves the smell of construction sites, hates people who can't be alone, and he won't fly without the cushion his nanny made for him nestled on his stomach. He's pro-prostitution, one of his favorite art supplies is Wite-Out and he doesn't believe in reincarnation. He's one of the most important fashion designers of our day, but more than that, he's a fascinating character, as evidenced by Rodolphe Marconi's terrific documentary "Lagerfeld Confidential," which has its U.S.