Ear on TV: Week of June 1

The Conan O'Brien era for The Tonight Show begins this week, and for the debut on Monday, Pearl Jam is set to perform two new songs from their as yet untitled forthcoming album. One of the songs, "The Fixer," is also rumored* to be part of a Target promotion for the band, which is throwing fans for a bit of a loop.

*Rumors confirmed this morning, via official word from the band.

The once fiercely anti-corporate Pearl Jam find themselves in the same boat as other once guaranteed top-selling artists like U2 and Prince, in the unsteady waters of the recording industry. In order to make enough green, acts are co-opting their songs for TV commercials, shows, and even cutting exclusive deals with retailers. Prince did it with Target, and now the rumor is that Pearl Jam might be doing the same with the Minnesota-based store. This past Thursday, Pearl Jam played an invite-only show that saw Cameron Crowe directing the band in a promotion for Target. Several bloggers posted on it and then had their report removed, apparently forgetting they signed an NDA upon entrance.

While "everybody's doing it," Conan's guest for Tuesday night has taken it to the extreme. If you've watched any ESPN in the past few weeks, you've undoubtedly noticed that Green Day has suddenly become the house band. It's so widespread, even stories written for ESPN.com (like this one on the Stanley Cup Playoffs) are likening athletes to Green Day. I'm surprised they haven't changed the network name to GDSN, as Green Day seems to have purchased the channel outright. Whatever it takes to sell, I guess.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, June 1
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: No Doubt (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Tori Amos
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Big Pooh
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Pearl Jam
Tuesday, June 2
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Ponytail
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Green Day
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Paul Simon w/ Antibalas and The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Diane Birch
Wednesday, June 3
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Steve Earle
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Dave Matthews Band
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lissy Trullie
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, Elton John (REPEAT)
Thursday, June 4
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Elvis Costello
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Doves
Friday, June 5
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Asher Roth (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Say Hi
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Chickenfoot
Sundance: Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream of Trains: Robyn Hitchcock
Saturday, June 6
PBS: Austin City Limits: Bloc Party, Ghostland Observatory (REPEAT)
VH1: Iron Maiden: Flight 666: Iron Maiden