UPDATE: 20/12 -- CNN has made a late addition to the holiday lineup with a special from Alina Cho.

Big Stars, Big Giving

CNN national correspondent Alina Cho looks at celebrity philanthropy and how big stars can have a big impact. Cho interviews Halle Berry, Justin Bieber, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Edward Norton on the causes that have become their passions and how viewers can get involved.

Airing: 7:00pm Friday 24th; 5:00pm, 8:00pm Saturday 25th; 4:00am Sunday 26th.

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CNN Domestic will run a marathon of documentaries and specials over the Christmas / New Year holiday period. Details of airtimes are below, followed by descriptions of the documentaries.


Friday, December 24, 2010

6:00pm – 7:00pm - Dr. SANJAY GUPTA REPORTS – A CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL J. FOX
7:00pm - 8:00pm - BIG STARS, BIG GIVING
10:00pm – 12:00am - CNN PRESENTS: AFTER JESUS


Saturday, December 25, 2010

1:00am – 3:00am - CNN PRESENTS: AFTER JESUS
4:00am – 6:00am - CNN PRESENTS: AFTER JESUS
2:00pm – 3:00pm - CNN PRESENTS: THE TWO MARYS
3:00pm – 4:00pm - CNN PRESENTS: THE MYSTERY OF JESUS
5:00pm - 6:00pm - BIG STARS, BIG GIVING
6:00pm – 8:00pm - CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE
8:00pm - 9:00pm - BIG STARS, BIG GIVING
10:00pm – 12:00am - CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE


Sunday, December 26, 2010

1:00am – 3:00am - CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE
4:00am - 5:00am - BIG STARS, BIG GIVING
10:00am – 11:00am - RESTORING THE AMERICAN DREAM – A FAREED ZAKARIA GPS SPECIAL
1:00pm – 2:00pm - RESTORING THE AMERICAN DREAM – A FAREED ZAKARIA GPS SPECIAL


Friday, December 31, 2010

11pm – 1:00am - CNN NEW YEARS EVE LIVE WITH ANDERSON COOPER AND KATHY GRIFFIN


Saturday, January 1, 2011

2:00am – 4:00am - CNN NEW YEARS EVE LIVE WITH ANDERSON COOPER AND KATHY GRIFFIN
3:00pm – 5:00pm - ALMIGHTY DEBT: A BLACK IN AMERICA SPECIAL
5:00pm – 6:00pm - TOXIC TOWNS USA
6:00pm – 7:00pm - LOSING LENNON – COUNTDOWN TO MURDER
7:00pm – 8:00pm - IN AMERICA: GARY & TONY HAVE A BABY
8:00pm – 10:00pm - HER NAME WAS STEVEN
10:00pm – 11:00pm - TALIBAN
11:00pm – 1:00am - ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS
1:00am – 2:00am - LOSING LENNON – COUNTDOWN TO MURDER
2:00am – 3:00am - TALIBAN
3:00am – 5:00am - ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS
5:00am – 6:00am - LOSING LENNON – COUNTDOWN TO MURDER

All times noted above are eastern.


Sanjay Gupta MD

Part of the Obama Administration’s landmark health care reform law has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in Virginia. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviews Nancy Ann DeParle, the director of the White House Office of Health Reform about the Administration’s interpretations about this development – and other looming challenges to implementation of the new law. CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin weighs in on the legal challenges as well. Dr. Gupta also interviews 16 year-old Kiwane Clay, who overcame family financial strains obtain dialysis to manage his diabetes, and Dr. Gupta dissects the new child nutrition bill – and the healthy changes that could be coming to kid’s lunches.


A soldier’s story

CNN’s Jason Carroll follows three people from different walks of life, beginning with the moment they pack their bags through each chapter to becoming soldiers. Taking full advantage of unprecedented Pentagon access, Carroll goes behind-the-scenes to capture the day-to-day lives, triumphs and stumbles – during their transformation from recruit to soldier. Will McLain, from Rosamond, California, enlisted to escape the small town where he grew up. Latricia Rose, a young mother from Columbus, Georgia, sees the army as a way of providing for her family during tough economic times. And, Sgt. Randy Shorter is a father of two and heading back into battle to finish the job he started during his last deployment. These are some of the personal stories behind the deadly war in Afghanistan.


Downfall: The Tigers Woods Scandal

He was the most famous athlete in the world; on pace to shatter golf’s most prestigious title. But one year ago, Tiger Wood’s carefully crafted image came crashing down. CNN’s TJ Holmes talks exclusively to Tiger’s brother, Earl Woods Jr, and alleged mistress, adult entertainment actress Veronica Daniels for insights into the life of the world’s first billion dollar athlete.


Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports: A conversation with Michael J. Fox

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviews actor and advocate Michael J. Fox who speaks candidly – and sometimes humorously - about his experience with Parkinson’s disease, his foundation’s funding of a landmark study to identify biomarkers of the disease’s progression, and the need for more participation in clinical trials to more rapidly test and develop drugs that can slow or stop the progression of the disease.


CNN Presents: After Jesus

As two billion Christians worldwide prepare for the celebration of Christmas, CNN examines archeological evidence and insights from renowned authorities on the ancient church to explore how a faith challenged by the martyrdom of its earliest followers and apostles, could also survive controversy and vigorous debate over its orthodoxy, to become the world’s largest religion. Narrated by Liam Neeson, After Jesus explores the sometimes surprising early history of Christianity, and the challenges and struggles of the early church.


Restoring the American Dream: A Fareed Zakaria GPS special

Host Fareed Zakaria interviews former IBM chairman and CEO Lou Gerstner, Google, Inc. chairman/CEO Eric Schmidt, Coca Cola Company chairman/CEO Muhtar Kent, and Alcoa, Inc. chairman/CEO Klaus Kleinfeld about how technology, globalization and the recession brought about America’s unacceptable unemployment rate…and how America can leverage education and innovation to bring good jobs back to the U.S. This special is a companion to a recent TIME magazine cover story.


CNN Heroes: An All-Star tribute

Hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, in its fourth year, CNN and a Blue Ribbon Panel including Muhammad Ali, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Patricia Heaton, Ricky Martin, Apolo Anton Ohno and Holly Robinson Peete have chosen ten everyday people doing extraordinary things to change the world. The tribute show will honor all of the Top 10 CNN Heroes who will each receive $25,000, and will reveal the CNN Hero of the Year who will receive an additional $100,000. The All Star Tribute includes performances by Bon Jovi and Sugarland and appearances by Halle Berry, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria Parker, LL COOL J and Renee Zellweger, to name a few.


CNN Presents: The mystery of Jesus

Exploring the stories and questions surrounding Jesus, CNN Presents uses research techniques, medical modeling, and analysis from biblical scholars to try to answer: When was Jesus born – and was it in Bethlehem? What did he look like? And how did he really die? From Nazareth to Galilee to Jerusalem, this documentary, narrated by Liam Neeson, recreates Jesus’ largely unknown early life as a young Jewish boy, and then probes the mysteries of his betrayal, trial, execution, and the miracle of his resurrection.


CNN Presents: The Two Marys

Sigourney Weaver narrates this documentary of the biographies of the "Founding Mothers" of Christianity – and what the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene mean to believers today. CNN Presents traveled to Galilee, the northernmost province of Israel, where Jesus, and Christianity, was born to visit archeological digs, Jerusalem, and popular shrines in Rome and Fatima, Lourdes and Vézelay to show the great influence of the two women closest to Jesus. Scholars grapple with the reality of who these women were and how their roles continue to change the world's largest faith.


Almight Debt: A Black In America special

Every leading indicator – unemployment, income, wealth, educational attainment, homeownership and foreclosures – demonstrates that the African-American financial foundation is crumbling at rates that are comparatively worse than other segments of the U.S. population. Reported by anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, and told through experiences of members of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) in New Jersey, the first 90-minutes of this special explores how an institution central to African-American communities for generations is helping its 7,000 parishioners survive the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Following the documentary, a dynamic town hall discussion moderated by O’Brien will feature founder and senior pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes, clinical social worker and public relations executive Terrie Williams, syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary, FBCLG senior pastor Rev. Dr. DeForest Soaries, pollster Cornell Belcher and others.


Toxic Towns, USA - A Dr. Sanjay Gupta special

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports a year-long investigation into one town’s struggle for survival amidst 14 chemical plants. More than 8 in 10 residents of tiny Mossville, Louisiana, report serious health problems such as cancers and kidney disease and claim the toxic chemicals in the air, soil and water are making them sick. Gupta challenges manufacturers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to explain how residents can live safely in the shadow of chemical plants that spew tons of cancer-causing agents into the atmosphere every year.


Losing Lennon: Countdown to Murder

CNN anchor John Roberts traces the final three months of the life of the remarkable artist and musician John Lennon, founding member of music supergroup, The Beatles. Roberts traces a detailed timeline of the events leading up to Lennon’s assassination by Mark David Chapman outside of Lennon’s apartment building, the Dakota, in New York City on December 8, 2010. The documentary includes new interviews with John Lennon’s oldest son Julian Lennon, record producer/friend Jack Douglas, exclusive audio interviews of Chapman and his wife, as well as the medical team that tried to save Lennon.


In America: Gary & Tony Have a Baby

Gary Spino and Tony Brown have fought for gay rights all of their lives, but these days one of the most radical things a gay person can do is form a traditional family -- and that’s precisely what they want. Soledad O’Brien follows Gary and Tony on their struggle to have a baby that has a biological and legal connection to both of them. They spend a small fortune hiring an egg donor and a surrogate, and face a string of court battles. But all the medical miracles and legal maneuvering can’t guarantee the approval of the people around them… or even a baby.


Her Name Was Steven

Steven Stanton had a loving wife, beloved child, and an influential job as the City Manager of Largo, Florida. Then, the local newspaper revealed his decision live life as a woman. That revelation led to a raucous press conference followed by a televised City Council vote to remove Stanton as City Manager. Suddenly, Steven Stanton was thrust into a glaring national spotlight, while at the same time beginning a long, emotional and physical journey to become Susan Stanton. This two-hour film follows Stanton’s two-year transition through self-discovery, setbacks, challenges and self-acceptance.


Taliban

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper interviews Norwegian journalist, author and film maker Paul Refsdal about his unprecedented journey behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. No Western journalist has ever spent as much time with the Taliban, with as unrestricted access, as Refsdal. Refsdal’s film and Cooper’s incisive interview form this documentary of a band of unrelenting and unrepentant Taliban fighters at war, preparing weapons, coordinating attacks, praying, and interacting with their families. It’s a journey that ended in Refsdal’s own kidnapping and harrowing escape.


Atlanta Child Murders

Almost thirty years after the murders of more than 25 black children, teens and young adults, CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien investigates the nearly two-year siege of fear that gripped the city of Atlanta. Although Wayne Williams continues to profess his innocence from behind bars, with his arrest and conviction, he was described as both a “monster” – and the nation’s first Black serial killer. In his first television interview in 10 years, O’Brien has exclusive access to Williams and examines new evidence to offer viewers a new look at the persistent doubts, and decide for themselves who was responsible for all those lost young lives.