Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
John explains which tools he uses to create his marvellous sand sculptures, and why the finished works of art need protecting from the people who come to see them! Further north, at Toms River, we meet Lindsay Harrington, who works for a museum’s insect zoo, and is on the beach with colleagues trying to net a big catch of invertebrates.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
At the zoo, Lindsey carries out her daily tasks and presents spiders, scorpions, and millipedes to fascinated visitors. She hopes that by introducing people to insects and bugs at a young age, they won’t grow up afraid of the creatures she loves.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
Heading north towards New York, we pass the Twin Lights lighthouse and, overlooking the Hudson River, perhaps the most famous statue in the world, the Statue of Liberty. The city’s skyline has another iconic feature: the wooden water tanks perched on its rooftops. We meet Clive Bushy, a veteran installer who risks life and limb to keep the city’s water flowing.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
Clive repurposes spare materials from his work, crafting doors and tables from the high-quality wood he salvages. Today, he’s hosting a party for friends and family in his Brooklyn backyard. Next, we head to Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
In New York, Austin works as a bicycle messenger, weaving through the city’s relentless traffic to make urgent deliveries. He’s good at his job too, having recently won the world championship for couriers! He explains what he enjoys about his work, and why the bridges are significant to the city’s cyclists.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
The delightful soul/hip-hop performer Maya Azucena shares her talent and wisdom gained from growing up in Flatbush Brooklyn. Also a quick look at an African American rapper who can rhyme in Japanese!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
Maya Azucena talks about her various influences, which range from classic soul to gospel to synth pop. She talks about her experience growing up mulitiracial in an African American neighborhood and how it shaped her worldview.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
Vanessa Hidary is a New York poet and performer who tackles issues of race , ethnicity and identity both onstage and off. She mixes rap, observation and story telling to explore difficult themes and issues of importance to us all.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
United Kingdom
With Britpop at its peak, bands such as Oasis and Blur vied to have the biggest hits, but it was The Verve who struck a chord with perhaps the most memorable song of the era, “Bitter Sweet Symphony." But even their success was bittersweet, as they were promptly sued by the Rolling Stones, who claimed the band had stolen one of their melodies without permission.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
On the TV talent show, The Voice, Jennifer Hudson performs “Memory,” the show-stopping ballad from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s acclaimed musical, Cats. Jennifer also sang this part in a movie adaptation of the musical.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Jamaica
Bunny Wailer and other other one-time bandmates of reggae legend Bob Marley recall the rough and tumble early days of the band in Kingston. This is a must-see for all reggae fans, especially the soulful a capella chorus of "Small Axe" sung by Bunny at the end of the video!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Canada
This smash hit from Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer The Weeknd comes from his album After Hours. The song reached number one in more than thirty countries, and in the United States it was the first song ever to remain in the top ten of the Billboard charts for over a year!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
Jimmy Fallon can't believe he's at the White House on the Fourth of July. Watch part of his stand-up performance from that evening in which he does impressions of ten other comedians!
Difficulty:
Intermediate
United Kingdom
One of the great rock bands of all time, the Who, perform the song "Pinball Wizard" from their rock opera Tommy.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
USA
Jennifer's life couldn't be more different from that of her sister, who is married with three kids. Jenny's committed to her job and being a good aunt, but little else. This all changes when her sister takes off to Europe with her husband, leaving her alone with the kids.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? You will not be able to recover it.