National Geographic Channel Marks the 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic with Explorers-In-Residence Robert Ballard and James Cameron

POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN (TV):

Three Exploratory New Films Offer Definitive Examination into Why and How the Titanic Sank, Who Fought to Save Her and How to Protect the Legacy of the Most Star-Crossed Ship of the 20th Century 

The National Geographic Society and National Geographic Channel have announced a major cross-platform initiative to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, to take place in April 2012, including three documentaries, a magazine cover story, books, and more.

At the centrepiece of the plans are three premiere films, two featuring National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Robert Ballard and James Cameron, premiering April 8, Sunday at 9 p.m. In Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron (April 8, 10 p.m.), the Oscar-winning filmmaker leads the ultimate cold-case investigation into the tragedy, bringing together the world’s leading Titanic experts to solve some unanswered questions behind the disaster including: How exactly did the ship break up? Why is one section of the ship so far away from the rest of the wreck? In Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard, the iconic explorer who discovered the Titanic retraces the steps of the people who set sail on that fateful journey and renews his quest to protect the legacy and the graveyard of the Titanic for another 100 years.

And, Titanic: Case Closed (April 9, 10 p.m.) presents a revolutionary new theory from historian and author Tim Maltin, which answers one of the greatest mysteries surrounding Titanic: how could two expert lookouts miss a giant iceberg lying straight ahead…something easily spotted on a clear night under a blanket of unusually bright stars?

Premiere TITANIC 100TH ANNIVERSARY programming includes:

SAVE THE TITANIC WITH BOB BALLARD (April 8/Sunday, 9pm)
One hundred years after the Titanic met its tragic end in the frigid waters of the Atlantic, the star-crossed ship faces a new danger, threatened by an explosion of interest that attracts treasure hunters and tourists in custom submarines. Now, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Robert Ballard – the man who discovered her wreckage – is on a new quest to protect Titanic’s massive underwater graveyard. The special re-traces the ship’s beginnings and examines its original plans – never filmed before – to reveal untold storiesof Titanic’s heroesand the unwritten story of her future. Delving into the personal side of the tragedy, Ballard meets with descendants of the ship’s Guarantee Group – nine men who built the magnificent ship with their own hands and lost their lives trying to save her. Ballard draws inspiration from their struggle – and support from their families – to fight for the ship today. Will he be able to save the ship this time?

TITANIC: THE FINAL WORD WITH JAMES CAMERON (April 8/Sunday, 10pm)
In this two-hour special, National Geographic Channel and Oscar-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence James Cameron bring together some ofthe world’s leading Titanic experts including engineers, naval architects, artists and historians, to solve the lingering mysteries of why and how an “unsinkable” ship sank. With remarkable underwater footage taken from Cameron’s more than 30 dives to the wreck, historical records and scenes from Cameron’s feature film, the team applies its unmatched expertise to unanswered questions about how the ship broke apart. Working backwards from the shipwreck on the ocean floor and using a never-before-seen stress model, animation (created under Cameron’s supervision by the company that executed the image capture in “Avatar”) provide an accurate picture of how the ship broke apart and why its remains are scattered.

TITANIC: CASE CLOSED (April 9/Monday, 10pm)
Built like a battleship, sailed under calm seas on a crystal clear night with the best captain of its day and a first class crew. Yet, despite all of this, the world’s most luxurious ocean liner, Titanic, met its tragic end on a frigid night 100 years ago. Left in her wake, one of the world’s greatest mysteries: how could this tragedy happen? Titanic: Case Closed presents a revolutionary new theory from historian and author Tim Maltin, which examines how two expert lookouts miss a giant iceberg lying straight ahead…something easily spotted on a clear night under a blanket of unusually bright stars, and why did a nearby steamer fail to comeTitanic’s aide? Maltin finds his answer is literally written in the stars, indicating thatTitanic sailed straight into a strange combination of atmospheric conditions ultimately responsible for deceiving many experienced people on a very cold night in the middle of the North Atlantic.