Spectacle: Elvis Costello With - Season 1 on DVD

One of the surprise debuts of last year had to be Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..., a talk show featuring Costello pulling off the rare triple threat: host, performer and bandleader. Equal parts interview and jam session, the Sundance series relies upon Costello putting the artists at ease, getting even the prickliest of artists to open up and speak warmly about their influences.

But, as Martin Mull once famously quipped, "talking about music is like dancing about architecture," and so it's the tremendous musical performances sprinkled throughout that add beautiful flesh to the meat and bones discussion. Guests on the first season include Elton John (who also served as Executive Producer), Lou Reed, The Police, Rufus Wainwright, Kris Kristofferson, Jenny Lewis, She & Him and Smokey Robinson. And for not being a musician at all, Bill Clinton still held his own talking about his love of Elvis and jazz musicians growing up in Arkansas.


Highlights from the sessions -- recorded at both the famed Apollo Theater and 30 Rockefeller Center in NYC -- include Rufus Wainwright's discussion of meth use; artist Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) recounting personal tragedy involving Lou Reed and the death of his father; and the edge-of-seat uncomfortable interaction between Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland. It's naked moments like these that you never see on television anymore, and even if you have to suffer through paint-drying moments (James Taylor, Tony Bennett) to get to them, they're worth the effort.

Bonus features include four exclusive performances from Costello that didn't make the original telecasts. "Ballad of a Well Known Gun" (from the Elton John episode), "Beginning to See the Light" (Velvet Underground/Lou Reed), "Purple Haze" (with The Police) and the Smokey Robinson written classic for the Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, "No More Tearstained Makeup" (see video below). Plus, plenty of backstage interviews with Sir Elton John, Sting, Smokey Robinson, Rufus Wainwright, Rosanne Cash and even Elvis Costello himself.

Glee "Ballads": The Song Says It All

Up to now, Glee has sort of tip-toed around being a musical, keeping the songs primarily performance-based, with lyrical ties not overtly specific to the moment. "Ballads" is the first episode that really can't be called anything but a musical, with every song having overt literal meaning to the scene at hand. And if there was any question, Rachel set us straight at the end. "Just listen to the song, it says it all," she says before they launch into the overused (but still loved) "Lean on Me."

Speaking of "Lean on Me," I've always wished Glee would take more chances with it's musical choices, but time after time, they make the safest bet possible (although, I thought The Police/Gary Puckett mash-up "Don't Stand So Close To Me/Young Girl" tonight at least shook hands with bold). And since Glee: The Music, Volume 1 has done so well in the three weeks since its release, I don't imagine they're going to change that horse. This week, we're entering into Volume 2 territory, which I'd assume would take care of season one's soundtracks. Which begs the question: How many TV shows could release two soundtracks before Christmas, let alone in a season? Scroll down past the playlist for a list of songs on Glee: The Music, Volume 2 - on shelves December 8.

Playlist: Glee - Episode 1.10
1. "Endless Summer" Glee Cast (Lionel Richie & Diana Ross original)
2. "More Than Words" - Extreme
3. "I'll Stand By You" - Glee Cast (The Pretenders original)
4. "Don't Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl" - Glee Cast (The Police / Gary Puckett)
5. "Crush" (Jennifer Paige original)
6. "You're Having My Baby" - Glee Cast (Paul Anka original)
7. "Lean On Me" - Glee Cast (Bill Withers original)

The full track listing for Glee: The Music, Volume 2 (in stores December 8) is as follows:
"Proud Mary"
"Endless Love"
"I’ll Stand By You"
"Don’t Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl"
"Crush"
"(You’re) Having My Baby"
"Lean On Me"
"Don’t Make Me Over"
"Imagine"
"True Colors"
"Jump"
"Smile" (cover of Lily Allen)
"Smile" (cover of Charlie Chaplin)
"And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going"
"Don’t Rain On My Parade"
"You Can’t Always Get What You Want"
"My Life Would Suck Without You"

Previously: "Wheels" (Episode 1.09)

Spectacle: Who's Got the Biggest Ego?

It's amazing they fit all those egos on the stage at once.

We already knew about Sting's infamous ego, and Costello has shrunk considerably since marrying the female Harry Connick, Jr, but it still immense, according to sources. But I always thought Stewart Copeland's occasional foray into the ego field was ironic, as he usually comes off as a sort of lovable geek (like during the reunion tour press conferences). But here, he comes off like a blowhard. I'm sure he was both excited and felt comfortable from touring with Costello to give us, perhaps, too much information at too loud a volume.

Not sure why there's two sets of drums and two bassists needed on stage at the end. It did allow Sting to noodle up the neck during "Watching the Detectives," so there's that.

Playlist: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... - Episode 1.06 (The Police)
1. "Every Breath You Take" - The Police - sang by Elvis Costello
2. "Demolition Man" - The Police - Introductions
3. "Weird Nightmare" - Elvis Costello - performed by Elvis Costello and Andy Summers
4. "Message in a Bottle" - The Police - Live clip from concert DVD
5. "Roxanne" - Sting
6. "Alison" - Elvis Costello - Elvis with Sting
7. "Flow My Tears" - Sting - Elvis with Sting
8. "Watching the Detectives" - Elvis Costello
9. "Walking on the Moon" - The Police
10. "The Sunshine of My Love" - Cream



Previously: A Night of Kings (Clinton on Spectacle)

I'm in Mexico right now... posts have been written ahead of time and scheduled, so forgive the lack of response

Ear on TV: Week of January 5: The Police

If there's one flaw in Sundance's music-oriented talk show Spectacle, it's that host Elvis Costello can be a little too familiar with his guests, and that's exacerbated in this week's episode, with tourmates The Police stopping by the program. At several points during the separate interviews with members Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland and Sting, there's the urge to wake them up (Summers,) put them in restraints (Copeland) and slap their smug face (Sting). But it's also a strength of the show that Costello allows there various annoyances to come to the surface in an interview with him, as they feel comfortable to be how they are backstage on tour together.

The episode was taped the night before The Police shared the stage with Elvis Costello for their last performance (apparently, forever,) making this their second-to-last performance (and last televised performance) ever. It's a small stage (the smallest they figure they've played in 30 years) but it doesn't feel very intimate. It might be due to their being two drummers, two bass players, two guitarists along with keyboards (and a lot of ego) on stage mucking up the sparse sound of The Police's and Costello's heyday.

On the other end of that spectrum is Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, who sounds intimate even playing to large crowds at an outdoor festival. While he's expanded the instrumentation of his recordings in recent years, it's typically just him and his acoustic guitar when he makes these appearances. Even if he does bring a band with him when he performs on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night, his delivery still feels intimate, reserving volume instead for the strength of the song he's currently playing.

Finally, the band Little Joy, who play Carson Daly on Tuesday night, is Fabrizio Moretti (drummer for The Strokes) and Rodrigo Amarante (singer/guitarist of the Brazilian band Los Hermanos). The initial idea was a project unrelated to their current bands, a quieter, sparser sound (more intimate?) but Amarante sounds an awful lot like Julian Casablancas, and so it's tempting at times to think of them as a quieter, gentler Strokes. Still, their debut, Little Joy it's more than likely the best Strokes-related album since their debut (Is This It).

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, January 5
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Glasvegas
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Iron & Wine
Tuesday, January 6
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Unwritten Law
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: The Blood Brothers (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Little Joy
Wednesday, January 7
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lenka
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Okkervil River
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, The Police
Thursday, January 8
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Lady Gaga
Friday, January 9
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Eagles of Death Metal
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Yelle (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 10
PBS: Austin City Limits: Paolo Nutini, Grupo Fantasma (REPEAT)