Douglas Brooks West

Though their ranks largely included slaves and prisoners of war, the gladiators of ancient Rome enthralled the masses, and the most successful fighters in the game were treated as superstars, as this thorough documentary reveals. Historians and scholars recount the amazing stories of these larger-than-life warriors -- who included women, senators and even an emperor -- in this episode of the History Channel series "History's Mysteries."

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The murder of Lizzie Borden's Mother and Father undergoes a forensic investigation - on this Discovery Channel special

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Inside Islam explores the historic and poetic wellspring of the Muslim people and illuminates startling commonalities among Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Shades of difference between Islam's foundation and that of its counterparts prove more fascinating than divisive, e.g., Islam claims a direct line with Abraham via the latter's cast-off son, Ismael, while Judaism is linked to Abraham's more favored child, Isaac. Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the angel Gabriel each play major roles in the Quran; it was Gabriel, in fact, who transmitted the Word of God to the 40-year-old, seemingly ordinary Muhammad in the 7th century, making him extraordinary to millions today. Sure, anti-Western sentiment creeps into the story, but in every important way Inside Islam is an antidote to gross anti-Muslim bigotry. --Tom Keogh

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Though their ranks largely included slaves and prisoners of war, the gladiators of ancient Rome enthralled the masses, and the most successful fighters in the game were treated as superstars, as this thorough documentary reveals. Historians and scholars recount the amazing stories of these larger-than-life warriors -- who included women, senators and even an emperor -- in this episode of the History Channel series "History's Mysteries."

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In a neo-noir future, nightclub hostess and classy femme fatale Raven presents various stories that either involve some of her guests or even herself. Some are sleazy, some violent, some about love, and some about loneliness, some darkly humorous, and some bittersweet and tragic, some are gritty cyberpunk thrillers and some are more fantastical and lighthearted, but they are all spicy and original.

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