9 p.m., Monday, Jan. 1
KCET (Los Angeles)

Anna-Lou Leibovitz is one of the icons of our culture who wields a magical camera. In this fine "American Masters" study, "Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens," we don't get very heavy into her personal back stories, though we follow her almost magical journey from news photographer in the rock 'n' roll world to photographic artist, and a genius one at both careers.

The director is little sister Barbara, in a co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York, Adirondack Pictures and Ranoah Prods.

"Annie" (she is icon enough that she only needs one name) came to prominence accompanying zany rock stars for Rolling Stone. Yes, her father warned her about hanging with such rowdies, and eventually she had to hide herself away to rid herself of the toxic substances of that lifestyle.

Today, she is top of the line, mostly more of a celebrity than her celebrity models who pose in worlds constructed by her grand imagination for Vanity Fair, Vogue and others. She is more of a visual person than a verbal one, and a remarkable one at that, not only by what she imagines in her photos and what we see. Add to that telling anecdotal testimony from such subjects as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Yoko Ono, Keith Richards, Bette Midler, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mick Jagger and others.