Ear on TV: Week of January 12: Crooked X

Call it a RockMitzvah. This week is the coming-out party for this metal band of 14-year-olds from Oklahoma, with the release of their self-titled debut tomorrow coinciding with a documentary on MTV. If the doc's title, Start a Band, Rock the World, sounds familiar, that's because it's the tagline for the Rock Band video game, which is no coincidence -- that game was the unlikely vehicle for the band's recording debut, with their first song, "Nightmare," getting placement alongside songs by their heroes like Metallica and KISS.

The documentary follows the rapid rise of CX, who have been playing together since they were ages 10 and 11, having failed at fifth grade football. Their first exposure came when they placed second in a nationwide contest on CBS Early Morning Live. That's where they were first noticed by eventual managers Spencer Proffer and Doc McGhee, who helped launch the careers of KISS, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and others. That led to tours opening up for KISS, Ted Nugent and, in a bit of irony, getting the honor of being the halftime entertainment at the last Dallas Cowboys game ever at Texas Stadium. They found a way to make it on the football field after all (even if the team imploded before the stadium's scheduled date). The whole week culminates with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which is where I guess we find out if they can play.

Meanwhile, singer/songwriter and musical offspring Rufus Wainwright sits in on Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..., in an episode that also features Wainwright's mother, Kate McGarrigle, joining him on stage for a song. While daddy dearest (Loudon Wainwright III) isn't there, he's brought up in discussion, song (Costello performs "New Paint") and by association with the presence of Bill Frisell, who played on Loudon's Here Come the Choppers! Rufus delves into his somewhat troubled past, even touching upon his recovery from meth addiction. It's Costello's best Spectacle yet as he's far more comfortable in the interviewer's chair now. It helps of course that Wainwright seems more than willing to talk about himself (see Lou Reed).

UPDATE: Fleet Foxes is playing Saturday Night Live this week as well, announced shortly after I filed this (as it usually goes).

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, January 12
Mojitos (w/ Cigar) on a beach in Mexico, zzzzz
Tuesday, January 13
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Airborne Toxic Event
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Tom Freund w/ Ben Harper
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: The Stooges (REPEAT)
MTV: Start a Band, Rock the World (documentary): Crooked X
Wednesday, January 14
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Brett Dennen
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Patty Loveless
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright
Thursday, January 15
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Crooked X
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Mute Math
Friday, January 16
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Delta Spirit
Saturday, January 17
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Fleet Foxes
PBS: Austin City Limits: Foo Fighters