KQED's Suzanne Romaine with The Cat in the Hat & friends

This morning KQED launched the new Cat in the Hat series at the PBS Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. The series will begin on KTEH September 6th and teaches science as only The Cat ( Martin Short) can. His Zany assistants Things 1 and 2 add to the fun.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 greet guests at their breakfast event in Austin, TX

I had the fun of escorting Thing 2 through all his photo ops with PBS luminaries.

We heard a lot of amazing "war stories" from behind the scenes. My favorite was from the man who's wife tripped over a light in her excitement to meet the Keno Brothers. She injured her elbow but in true volunteer fashion, she kept working. Finally her persuaded her to leave the convention center and go to the emergency room. She returned, within the hour, arm in a sling and finished the day. Now that's a serious volunteer!

We also heard some great stories from Steve Yvaska, The Seasoned Collector. He took a break from his Mercury News column to join us and share tips with the audience on how to judge if an old item is valuable or…just old. There were plenty of questions and Steve had the answers.

Party goers also got a sneak peek at the first of the 3 San Jose episodes. The programs are scheduled to air on KTEH this month Thursdays at 9pm on May 13, 20 & 27.

Here's a clip from hour 1.

John Gregg interviews Russell Baze at Golden Gate Fields

Be sure to join us tonight for This is Us. We'll profile thoroughbred horse racing's all-time winning jockey, Russell Baze. The hall of fame rider is once again gunning for a mount and a shot at the run for the roses and the Kentucky Derby this May. The leading money rider at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, Baze remains at the top of his game. To find out what keeps a veteran jockey in the saddle after 30 years, ridding and winning against much younger men, meet Russell Baze - the jock who never lost his passion for getting to the finish line first, tonight at 6:30 on This is Us.

First, Shafer questioned Poizner then came questions from the audience. The 60-minute question-and-answer session was taped by KQED. You can hear the program on Sunday, March 28, from 3-4 p.m., on KQED 88.5 FM in the Bay Area and KQEI 189.3 FM in Sacramento.

The forum, organized by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, is part of
their Road to the State House series and was hosted, in part, by Microsoft
and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Lead by Michael Isip, Karen Gabay, Susana Arias, Irene Dalis, Eddie Gale & Annie Morhauser discuss the State of the Arts.

"Got to Have Art" was Annie Morhouser's (Annie Glass) answer to the question, "if you wrote a slogan to sell the arts, what would it be?" Eddie Gale countered with "Inner Peace Through Art!" This was just part of a lively discussion about the arts between members and friends of KTEH and five local, fine and performing artists who have been profiled on This is Us.

How are artists faring the current economic climate, are they able to expand their audiences and is San Jose "artist friendly?" These are a few of the questions that were fielded by the stellar panel. Sculpter/painter Susana Arias and Jazz musician Eddie Gale weighed in with the individual artist's perpecitive. Irene Dalis, founder of Opera San Jose and prima ballerina, Karen Gabay offered the arts organization point of view, while artist/entrepreneur Annie Morhouser represented the business angle. The gathering was organized by KTEH/KQED and hosted by Joe and Nicki Parisi.

On the show this week, you’ll hear the remarkable stories of four Japanese Americans, a doctor who was one of only two women in her 1941 medical school class, a couple who’s story is hard to beat- they founded San Jose Taiko, and a man who’s name is familiar to all of us. We named our airport for him- Norman Mineta.

Finally, I hope you have an appetite because we’ll also learn a lot about making sushi from local chef- Kazoo. Here's a sneak peek:

John Gregg &

If you like history, we've found just the ticket and it's free! This is Us recently visited History Park where you can take a big step back in time and emerge in San Jose-1890. Many of the 27 buildings you'll see there are authentic, historic structures, moved to the park for preservation. A few have been replicated. The effect is fascinating.

You can stroll through the "town" or ride, in 1890's style, on the old San Jose trolley. When you get tired, take a seat in O'Brien's Candy Factory or watch the squirrels play from a park bench in the plaza.

The antique buildings are just the beginning. Docents, portraying people from the past, can be found in the print shop, the one room school house, theDashaway Stables even the doctor's office. We were able to interview many of these characters for upcoming episodes of This is Us including Charlie Parkhurst, the colorful stagecoach driver (pictured above), who drove between San Jose and Santa Cruz. Join This is Us for backdoor tours of History Park on March 10th & 17th.

This is Us also profiles famed play write and noted film director Luis Valdez, the creator of Zoot Suit and the highly acclaimed film La Bamba. The father of Mexican American Theater and El Teatro Campesino, Valdez reveals his journey from migrant farm worker to Hollywood fame.

Along the way, you'll also meet San Jose's Greg Smestad, an 8th generation Californio, who's family forged the Anza Trail. If California history and the story behind the story gets your attention, well, we’ve got just the ticket for you with another episode of This Is Us.
In case you are double booked, you can see it again on Saturday 2/20 at 1:30 p.m.

Here's a sneak peek!