Ear on TV: Week of September 8

Fresh from his (intentional) wardrobe malfunctioning performance on last night's VMA awards, rapper Lil' Wayne starts work this week getting ready for his appearance on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The host this week is golden boy Michael Phelps, and while hosts don't decide who the musical act, it's no coincidence that Lil' Wayne would be at the top of his most wanted list. Lil' Wayne's "I'm Me" served as part of Phelps' pre-swim preparation routine, so even though it's not on his latest album, I'm guessing that a special request will be made to at least play it as the second song (or maybe, ala U2 a couple years back, have Lil' Wayne play out the credits to it). I wonder if there will be sketch featuring both stars weighing in on the (exposed) boxers vs. (speedo) briefs age old debate?

If you can't wait until Saturday for some great live performances, I can heartily recommend Bon Iver, who's lyrics and yearning falsetto seem in stark contrast to Lil' Wayne, but there's an underlying raw confessional in both artists that makes the artists not as different as your ear would initially have you believe. When Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon) performs "Skinny Love" tonight on Conan, his pants may not be falling down, but he'll still be exposing himself to the audience.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the age spectrum, 50-year old Paul Weller continues to amaze, even at 30+ years into his career. The latest release from the former Jam frontman, 22 Dreams, is the best thing he's done in over a decade. Just check out him performing the rip-roaring title track Wednesday night on Letterman and you'll see the 'The Modfather' still has it.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, September 8
NNBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kardinal Offishall w/ Akon
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Bon Iver
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Katy Perry (REPEAT)
Tuesday, September 9
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Darkest Hour
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Gym Class Heroes
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Grizzly Bear (REPEAT)
Wednesday, September 10
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Paul Weller
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Cloud Cult
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Sugarland
Thursday, September 11
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Alice Cooper
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Langhorne Slim & the War Eagles
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Alejandro Escovedo
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: The Fab Faux
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Game (REPEAT)
Friday, September 12
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Terrence Howard
CBS: The Early Show: LL Cool J
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Best of Performances with MGMT, The Kooks, Lupe Fiasco, Tim Fite
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Raphael Saadiq
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Katy Perry (REPEAT)
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: LL Cool J
Saturday, September 13
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Lil Wayne