TV Smarts

Some broadcast and cable programs contain material included in the public school curriculum and on standardized examinations. Here are home-viewing tips:

* Today--”State of the Union” (CNN, C-SPAN, KABC, KCBS, KCET, KNBC, KTTV 6-8 p.m.) The president’s annual appearance before Congress to outline his proposals for the year, with a presentation immediately afterward from the Republican Party.

* Friday--”Where Were You at 22?” (MTV 2:30-3:30 p.m.) Documentary in the “Choose or Lose 2000” series reports on the lives of candidates George W. Bush, Bill Bradley, Pat Buchanan, Steve Forbes, Al Gore and John McCain before they entered politics. For more information, including poll results from MTV’s “Kids Pick the President,” log on to https://www.chooseorlose.com. Also “Advertising Animals” (CNN 7-8 p.m.) Documentary about the use of animal characters in advertising, including a lizard in beer ads and dogs and cows in fast-food ads.

* Saturday--”The Clippers” (HIST 3-4 p.m.) Episode of the “Great Ships” documentary series describes the engineering principles that enabled Yankee Clippers, the fastest wind-powered ships ever, to traverse 2,000 miles of ocean within a week during the 19th century. Also, “So You Want to Be President?” (A&E; 5-6 p.m. repeats 9-10 p.m.) In this “Biography Close-Up” documentary, airing at the start of the 2000 presidential primary elections, people who have led our nation, and some who might have, are asked who drove them to seek office. Professor Michael Beschloss, a presidential historian and professor at USC, provides analysis. Also, “Kurosawa: The Last Emperor” (IFC 5-6 p.m. repeats 8:45-9:45 p.m.) A survey of the work of Akira Kurosawa, one of the most respected and influential filmmakers in history. Born in 1910, the son of a Japanese army officer who took his sons to see hundreds of silent movies, he achieved international prominence in 1950 with “Rashomon,” a film that gave the world a new word for multi-viewpoint storytelling. Frances Ford Coppola, Paul Verhoeven, Bernardo Bertolucci and John Woo describe their artistic debt to this Japanese master who died in 1998.

* Sunday--”CBS News Sunday Morning” (KCBS 9-10:30 a.m.) A survey of America’s involvement in Haiti, where U.S. troops are being pulled out this week. Rita Braver reports. Also, “Super Bowl Tailgate Marathon” (HIST 9 a.m.-noon) As a viewing alternative to the Super Bowl, this channel will rebroadcast documentaries on gambling, advertising, drinks and food.

* Monday--”Nixon’s China Game” (KCET 9-10 p.m.) Re-creation of a 1972 secret plan by President Nixon to terminate a quarter-century of antagonism between the U.S. and the world’s largest Communist nation. He subsequently characterized his time spent there with Mao Tse-tung and other leaders, which shocked both America’s allies and enemies, as “the week that changed the world.” “Nixon in China,” a dramatized version of these encounters in the form of an opera by American composer John Adams, with libretto by Alice Goodman, conducted by Edo de Waart, is available on CD.

* Tuesday--”Medieval Siege” (KCET 9-10 p.m.) Using full-scale reproductions, this documentary describes the physics involved in building and using 13th-century artillery--a wooden catapult that could hurl 250-pound boulders over an enemy city’s walls.

* Wednesday--”American Masters: Sidney Poitier” (KCET 8-9 p.m.) This documentary traces the career of one of America’s most enduring artists, still the only African American to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor, and one who opened doors for succeeding generations of actors of color.

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Compiled by Richard Kahlenberg in consultation with Crystal J. Gips, dean of the School of Education, College of St. Mary, Albany, N.Y. Columns available at https://www.latimes.com/tvsmarts.