Radio On The TV: Week Of December 14, 2009
Elvis Costello is no stranger to defying expectations.
Even as an angry young man at the height of punk, Costello couldn't contain his interests/instincts, releasing the soul homage Get Happy!! and, soon after, his Nashville pastiche Almost Blue.
Since then, Costello has further established himself as an eclectic force, dipping his stylistic toe into myriad genres, performing with album-specific groups as well as his own long-running bands (the Attractions, the Imposters), and writing and releasing material with collaborators like Burt Bacharach.
So it's no surprise that EC is hosting a music performance and talk show, Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..., on the Sundance Channel, and that the lineup of guests is so varied and legend-heavy. The second season, which launched last week with guests Bono and The Edge, will feature artists as stylistically diverse as Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson, and Bruce Springsteen. The season runs through January 27th; full schedule below.
Sadly, Costello has stated that this second season will be his last—that he never meant to become a full-time TV host. Fair enough, but that's a shame for telly-watching music lovers everywhere. Promo, and interview clip with Bono and The Edge, below, and remaining schedule below that. Spectacle airs Wednesdays at 10p on Sundance.
Here's the full schedule:
Season Two of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...
December 9th - Bono and The Edge
December 16th - Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Ron Sexsmith and Jesse Wincester
December 23rd - Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Allen Toussaint
January 6th - Elvis Costello
January 13th - Lyle Lovett, Ray LaMontagne and John Price
January 20th - Bruce Springsteen Part 1
January 27th - Bruce Springsteen Part 2
This Week's Listings
This week a lot of big names are in play in the final week before most of the shows head into repeat mode next week. Leno keeps it mainstream thanks to Mary J. Blige and the spiky-haired, cheeks-sucking-in John Mayer, Conan's got Adam Lambert and Norah Jones, and Dave welcomes Alicia Keys and Kris Allen.
Not surprisingly, Jimmy Fallon has the most intriguing and eclectic lineup of the week: tonight it's rawk with Chevelle, Wednesday it's hip-hop with Raekwon, Thursday it's R&B with Boyz II Men, and Friday it's living legend Ronnie Spector.
The Jay Leno Show [sched]
Wednesday: John Mayer
Thursday: Mary J. Blige
The Tonight Show [sched]
Monday: Adam Lambert
Tuesday: Norah Jones
Thursday: Robin Thicke
Friday: Foreigner
Late Show With David Letterman [sched]
Monday: Alicia Keys
Tuesday: Leona Lewis
Wednesday: Kris Allen
Thursday: Matisyahu
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon [sched]
Monday: Chevelle
Wednesday: Raekwon
Thursday: Boyz II Men
Friday: Ronnie Spector
Jimmy Kimmel Live [sched]
Monday: Wolfmother (R)
Tuesday: Michael McDonald
Wednesday: Norah Jones
Thursday: Allison Iraheta
Friday: Mary J. Blige
Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson [sched]
Monday: Reba McEntire
Tuesday: The Broken West
Last Call With Carson Daly [sched]
Wednesday: Gossip
Thursday: Franz Ferdinand
Friday: Snoop Dogg
Lopez Tonight [sched]
Monday: 50 Cent
Wednesday: Marih Carey
Saturday Night Live [sched]
Saturday: Muse
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... [sched]
Wednesday: Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Ron Sexsmith, Jesse Winchester
Last week was notable mainly for the return of Jawbox on Jimmy Fallon. The D.C. post-hardcore legends had not performed together since 1997, and they've insisted that there'll be no further activity following the Fallon appearance. That's a shame, because their performance of "Savory" was fairly awe-inspiring.
The band also performed "FF=66" and "66" in rehearsal. Happily, the good people at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon have posted videos of those, too.
