VERMONT PUBLIC TELEVISION PROGRAM

HIGHLIGHTS FOR

FEBRUARY 7 TO 13

Feb. 7: Sunday at 2 p.m., VPT lightens up with a repeat presentation of “Make ‘em Laugh: The Funny Business of America.” Billy Crystal hosts this hilarious look back over the past 100 years. The first two hours focus on the outsider in comedy and domestic farce. The series continues next week.

At 8 p.m., “Nature” encores “The Beauty of Ugly,” a look at how things that humans may deem ugly can provide just the edge a creature needs to survive.

At 9 p.m., “Masterpiece Classic” brings back “Miss Austen Regrets,” a drama about Jane Austen’s lost loves. Olivia Williams stars.

Feb. 8: Monday at 7:30 p.m. on Vermont Public Television’s “Profile,” Fran Stoddard talks with Jacob Edgar, of Charlotte, Vt. He is head of his own world music label, Cumbancha. The program will repeat Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 and 11:30 p.m. Edgar hosts the new series “Music Voyager,” which premieres Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.

At 9 p.m., “The Bombing of Germany: American Experience” recalls how British and American forces carried out a bombing campaign of unprecedented might against Germany’s cities in World War II, claiming the lives of nearly a half million civilians. The program will also air on VPT’s World channel Feb. 9 at 8 p.m.

Feb. 9: Tuesday at 8 p.m., “Nova’s” cameras follow extreme divers into underwater caves that formed during the last ice age. Diver Kenny Broad calls them “a spectacularly beautiful alternate universe.”

At 9 p.m., the new season of Vermont Public Television’s “Emerging Science” continues. Bob Costanza and Jon Erickson of the University of Vermont’s Gund Institute for Ecological Economics explain their field. As ecological systems continue to be strained, their aim is to shift the world's economies away from the emphasis on infinite growth and toward a focus on sustainable human wellbeing. ~The program goes to Alburgh, Vt., to see an interdisciplinary project at UVM that brought together chemists, soil scientists, agronomists, ecologists and economists to test whether small-scale biofuel production can aid dairy farming in Vermont. The program will also air Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.

At 9:30 p.m., the new series “Music Voyager” explores world music and cultures with Jacob Edgar, who makes his home in Charlotte, Vt. In the premiere episode, he visits Mumbai for a Bollywood adventure.

At 10 p.m., “Frontline: Flying Cheap” investigates the crash of Continental 3407 a year ago in Buffalo, N.Y. Regional carriers now account for half the nation’s daily departures. The program will repeat on VPT’s World channel Feb. 10 at 9 p.m.

Feb. 10: Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., VPT repeats an episode of “Making Sense New England,” a series that explores how individuals and businesses in the region are coping in the economic downturn. The program profiles a Maine couple who were victims of investment fraud and finds how colleges in Vermont are helping students cope with escalating costs.

At 8 p.m., Henry Louis Gates Jr. investigates the family stories and ancestry of 11 renowned Americans in his new series, “Faces of America.” Among those featured are director Mike Nichols, skater Kristi Yamaguchi and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The program will repeat Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. on VPT’s World channel.

Feb. 11: Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on “Gourmet’s Adventures With Ruth,” Ruth Reichl and actor Diane Wiest visit renowned baker Richard Bertinet in Bath, England. The programs also air Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. on VPT’s main channel and Sundays at 8 p.m. on VPT’s Create channel.

At 8 p.m., “Small Town, Big Dreams: Lake Placid’s Olympic Story” tells how the village twice hosted the Winter Olympics.

At 10 p.m., “In Performance at the White House” presents concert hosted by President and Mrs. Obama that featured music from the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Feb. 12: Friday at 10 p.m. “Independent Lens” presents “PStar Rising,” the story of a single father who is determined that his 9-year-old daughter become a rap star.

Feb. 13: Saturday at 9 p.m., “Sherlock Holmes: The Empty House” begins the second season of the classic series starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes. Edward Hardwicke takes over the role of Watson. The story begins three years after Holmes died at Reichenbach falls.

At 10 p.m. on “Austin City Limits,” Them Crooked Vultures perform high volume rock ‘n’ roll.

At 11 p.m. on “Soundstage,” Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynrd perform classics from their 35-year career. At midnight on “Sierra Center Stage,” British folk-rocker Richard Thompson takes the stage.