This week on "Sunday Morning" (Dec. 18)
Host: Jane Pauley
COVER STORY: What’s to be done about fake news? | Watch Video
Are hacking, fake news and trolling presenting new and extraordinary threats to our safety and electoral process? Or are they just a 21st-century version of the same kinds of free speech that’s protected as the foundation of our democracy? Ted Koppel reports.
For more info:
- Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C.
- Glenn Beck
- White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest (whitehouse.gov)
- Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post
- Jonathan Turley, George Washington University
ALMANAC: “The Nutcracker” | Watch Video
On December 18, 1892, Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet had its world premiere in St. Petersburg, Russia. Jane Pauley reports.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: The taskmaster behind “The Nutcracker” (VIDEO)
For 50 years Irine Fokine (whose mother, prima ballerina Alexandra Federova, danced in the first performance of “The Nutcracker” in St. Petersburg in 1892) has overseen performances of the Tchaikovsky ballet. In this report originally broadcast on “Sunday Morning” December 23, 2007, correspondent Bill Geist attended rehearsals at Madame Fokine’s Ridgewood, N.J., dance studio, where she guides her young students through leaps and plies.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: A “Harlem Nutcracker” (VIDEO)
In a story originally broadcast on “Sunday Morning” on December 8 1996, host Charles Osgood reports on “The Harlem Nutcracker,” a reinvention of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet, reimagined by way of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, as a jazz-infused fantasy involving a grandmother revisiting the dreams of her youth. Features interviews with choreographer Donald Byrd and conductor David Berger.
For more info:
- George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker,” New York City Ballet (though December 31)
- “The Nutcracker,” San Francisco Ballet (though December 29)
‘TIS THE SEASON: That’s a wrap! (VIDEO)
One of the country’s most famous holiday gift-wrappers is Alton DuLaney, of Splendora, Texas. In 2008, he won the $10,000 grand prize in the Scotch brand Most Gifted Wrapper competition. Today, select clients pay him to wrap their gifts. Nancy Giles discovered why DuLaney considers his wrapping an art form.
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: An expert’s how-to guide to wrapping a present
For more info:
- Alton on the Spot (Blogspot)
- Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper Contest (Contest closed)
MUSIC: Robbie Robertson’s “Testimony” | Watch Video
Anthony Mason interviews the principal songwriter for the seminal rock group The Band, and together they revisit a time when Robertson was part of a revolution in music.
BOOK EXCERPT: Robbie Robertson on the “Last Waltz” concert
For more info:
- “Testimony: A Memoir” by Robbie Robertson (Crown Archetype); Also available in eBook, Abridged Digital Download, and Unabridged Audio CD formats
- robbie-robertson.com
- “The Last Waltz: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition” by The Band (Rhino Records)
PASSAGE: Craig Sager: “Every day is just a canvas waiting to be painted” | Watch Video
Jim Axelrod remembers sports broadcaster Craig Sager, who died this week after battling cancer.
For more info:
- “Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer, and the Things Worth Fighting For” by Craig Sager, with Craig Sager II and Brian Curtis (Flatiron Books)
‘TIS THE SEASON: The Harmony Project | Watch Video
In the many voices of the Harmony Project choir of Columbus, Ohio, its members find one community. Jane Pauley reports.
For more info:
- Harmony Project
- Follow the Harmony Project on Twitter and Facebook
HARTMAN: The Secret Santa police (Video)
This week, the Kansas City, Kansas, police department was on the take. Each officer in this room got at least a grand, courtesy of the anonymous, wealthy businessman known only as Secret Santa. Steve Hartman has more.
MOVIES: Nicole Kidman on a mother’s love | Watch Video
The Oscar-winning actress knows just how to break our hearts, but no story she’s ever told on screen makes her as emotional as her own. Tracy Smith has a profile.
For more info:
- “Lion” (Official movie site)
MILEPOST: National Film Registry
“The Lion King,” “Thelma & Louise,” “The Breakfast Club” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” are among the 25 films which have been added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.
PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)
“Sunday Morning” remembers several notable figures who passed away this week, including the creator of the Heimlich Maneuver, Dr. Henry J. Heimlich; E.R. Braithwaite, a teacher, diplomat and novelist famous for his roman a clef, “To Sir, With Love”; and actor Alan Thicke, best known for playing the TV dad of “Growing Pains.”
BOOKS: The alchemy of Paulo Coelho | Watch Video
Brazilian author Paulo Coelho’s book, “The Alchemist,” has spent an astonishing eight years on The New York Times Best Seller List, and has sold more than 65 million copies. His latest novel, “The Spy,” was inspired by the life of Margaretha Zelle, a Dutch courtesan and dancer popularly known as Mata Hari, who was executed as a spy in 1917.
Correspondent Rita Braver meets Coelho at his home in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss his unlikely journey to becoming one of the most translated authors in the world.
BOOK EXCERPT: From “The Spy” by Paulo Coelho
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: Paulo Coelho on books and the Internet
The Brazilian-born author of such bestsellers as “The Alchemist” has more Facebook followers than any other writer (more than 28 million), so he has a special affinity for the Internet. But what about books? In this web exclusive, Paulo Coelho explains to correspondent Rita Braver why he rid his home of thousands of books.
WEB EXTRA VIDEO: Paulo Coelho’s homage to Ernest Hemingway
In this web exclusive, the bestselling author of “The Alchemist” talks to correspondent Rita Braver about how he was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea,” and what he hopes readers take away from his own books.
For more info:
- “The Spy” by Paulo Coelho (Knopf); Also available in eBook, Digital Audio Download and Audio CD formats
- Paulo Coelho’s official site
PULSE: What’s your favorite Christmas song?
“Jingle Bells” (10%)
“Silent Night” (10%)
“White Christmas” (6%)
“O Holy Night” (3%)
NATURE: Penguins (Extended Video)
We leave you this last Sunday Morning before Winter among the penguins of Antarctica. Videographer: Ed Forgotson Jr.
WEB EXCLUSIVES:
CALENDAR: Week of December 19 | Watch Video
From the Electoral College presidential election to the Winter Solstice, “Sunday Morning” takes a look at some notable events of the week ahead. Jane Pauley reports.
NATURE UP CLOSE: Seals
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Have a sun artwork? We’d love to see it. You can email image files (jpg or tif) to Jessica Frank at JAF@cbsnews.com.