Faces of America: Lucky celebrities get PBS to do family research for them
It's almost as if PBS read our minds.
Harvard University historian Henry Louis Gates is hosting a new documentary series celebrating the family heritage of 12 prominent Americans -- asking the big question of why does it matter to know who our ancestors were?
Faces of America, which runs on PBS through March 3, explores the genealogy and family stories of the following celebrities (selected countries of origin in parenthesees):
-- Elizabeth Alexander (England/Jamaica): Yale University professor and poet who composed a verse for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
-- Mario Batali (Italy): World-renowned chef, Food Network star and frequent competitor on "Iron Chef."
-- Stephen Colbert (Ireland): Comedy Central star of The Colbert Report.
-- Louise Erdrich (Native American/Turtle Mountain Chippewas): Celebrated novelist and author of "Love Medicine" and "The Plague of Doves."
-- Malcolm Gladwell (Jamaica/England): New Yorker staff writer and best-selling author of "The Tipping Point," "Blink," and "Outliers."
-- Eva Longoria (Mexico): Gorgeous star of "Desperate Housewives," and close namesake to Tampa Bay Rays slugger Evan Longoria.
-- Yo-Yo Ma (China): Legendary cellist and classical musician.
-- Mike Nichols (Germany): Hollywood film director best known for The Graduate and The Birdcage. A blood relative of Albert Einstein!
-- Queen Noor (Syria): Born Lisa Najeeb Halaby in the United States, she later studied architecture at Princeton University and married King Hussein of Jordan. Now chairs the King Hussein Foundation, which focuses on humanitarian causes.
-- Dr. Mehmet Oz (Turkey): Oprah Winfrey's favorite heart surgeon and diet expert.
-- Meryl Streep (Germany): Perennial Academy Award contender and star of "Sophie's Choice," "Mamma Mia!" and "The Devil Wears Prada."
-- Kristi Yamaguchi (Japan): Olympic gold medalist figure skater & Dancing With The Stars champion. Author of "Figure Skating for Dummies."
PBS has posted selected excerpts of these interviews on-line. Stephen Colbert is particularly proud of his family's labor on the Erie Canal, a public works project he admits he did not even recognize when he recently drove over a bridge crossing it.
Kristi Yamaguchi's maternal grandfather George Akira Doi was the only Japanese-American in his infantry unit in World War II. She discusses his heroism on the battlefield, even as his wife and family were confined in domestic internment camps.
But she also shares more lighthearted sentiments, such as the overwhelming gush of pride she felt during her first trip to Tokyo as a teenager -- especially being impressed by Japan's introduction of the Sony Walkman cassette player to the world.
And actress Eva Longoria riffs on her mixed "Texican" heritage and her fascination with the culture of her Aztec ancestors. Longoria reminisces about her childhood Mexican Easter tradition of smashing eggs on her head to celebrate the Resurrection.
The PBS "Faces of America" series is an entertaining way to explore the idea of researching your own family tree. But more importantly, you need not be a celebrity to celebrate these stories of how you wound up in America and what life was like eons before the Sony Walkman.
Consider having a Reel Profiles documentary crew do some of the heavy lifting for you. Reel Profiles capture the real life heroes in your past, present and future. (No, we don't have a crystal ball with TiVo. We mean there is no reason to wait until your hero's golden years to do a video tribute to him or her!)