Ear on TV: Week of November 24

The word 'bravado' is a word often tossed about to describe rapper Kanye West, and at the root of it is the word is 'brave,' which is the best way to describe West's latest release 808s and Heartbreak. Here West sings, wears his heart on his sleeve, and wades through some moody (but smooth) electro beats, ensuring the alienation of many rap fans (something West has no problem doing).

It was the recent death of his mother and a painful breakup with his fiance that prompted this detour from his usual larger-than-life hip-hop productions, and in the great tradition of rock-by-way-of-pain classics like Big Star's Third, Neil Young's Tonight's the Night and The Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin, West has channeled his anguish into something more than just an album of feel good hits. When West performs on
the first single "Love Lockdown" on Letterman on Monday, and Conan on Tuesday, he's sure to be employing the Auto-Tune voice pitch negotiator that's all over the album, a device that also has alienated his fans to some degree.

Meanwhile, The Killers are also performing both Monday (Jimmy Kimmel) and Tuesday (Leno) nights, in support of their new album Day & Age. The album finds the Las Vegas quartet retreating a bit from the arena rock (via Springteen) aspirations of their last album, and instead releasing what sounds more like the logical follow up to their surprising debut. It's more entrenched in the 80's fixated sound of their debut, thanks in part to Euro-dance producer Stuart Price (Madonna,) which, while making it smaller in scope, fits the band better than the larger-than-life ambitions of the overmatched Sam's Town.

Finally, Tom Jones' first album in over 15 years (24 Hourse -- out tomorrow,) finds the Wales icon still in the mood to swivel the hips, delivering his knee-buckling croon over retro-soul beats currently in vogue with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen and Kate Nash. Jones teams up here with Brit duo Future Cut, who worked with Allen and Nash, and even gets contribution from Bono and The Edge, who contribute the infectious "Sugar Daddy." At 68, Jones knows he can no longer work the sex angle, so much of 24 Hours is more reflective and intimate, which is probably why his performances this week are limited to daytime television, hitting both Regis (Tuesday) and The Today Show (Wednesday,) along with a previously taped performance on BBC America's Graham Norton Show.

Ok, one last note. A recent performance of Ben Folds and Regina Spektor singing "You Don't Know Me" will be repeating on Kimmel Friday, and while it doesn't feature a mustachio'd Jason Sudeikis (SNL) on trombone (as performed on Conan last month) it was worth staying up for. (Sudeikis-laden performance below:)


Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, November 24
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Killers
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Kanye West
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Low vs Diamond
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: The Nightwatchman
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Young Jeezy (REPEAT)
Tuesday, November 25
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Dimmu Borgir
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: Bob Mould (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: The Killers
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Kanye West
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Knux (REPEAT)
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Beyonce
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: Tom Jones
Wednesday, November 26
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ludacris
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Adele
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Little Ones
NBC: The Today Show: Beyonce, Tom Jones
Thursday, November 27
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Apocalyptica (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Live From Abbey Road:
Shawn Colvin, Ray LaMontagne, The Zutons, Nerina Pallot (REPEAT)
Friday, November 28
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Ben Folds, Regina Spektor
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kaiser Chiefs
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: T.I. (REPEAT)
Saturday, November 29
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Tom Jones
NBC: Saturday Night Live: The Killers (REPEAT)
PBS: Austin City Limits: Coldplay, Michael Stipe (REPEAT)

Cougar Crazy

The main theme on this week's Nip/Tuck was obviously cougar related, and somewhere along the line, I lost count of all the cat references, as the number kept growing, like turning the pages of Cat Fancy magazine. Guesting this week were eighties ladies Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark (both of Knots Landing,) Shari Belafonte (Hotel,) and and Deb Shelton (Body Double), playing high society cougars on the prowl for a new plastic surgeon boy toy -- someone to make them feel and look good.

Lulu (Mills) invites Christian to their lair, for an interview dinner featuring other candidates vying for the desired 'position.' As they're introduced, we hear Barry Adamson's "Jazz Devil," playing up the James Bond vibe in the room, especially the line "call me Agent Double-O 6-6-6." But it also serves as another cat reference: "But first I found some cats, and they were howling at the moon / I told them "You play the instruments, and I'll play the baffoon."

But it's the song that follows that had my spine tingling. As Christian cuts to the chase and drops his kielbasa on the dinner table -- they actually dropped a wet hot dog to get the sound effect -- the music is David McCallum's "The Edge," a song many recognize as the song sampled in Dr Dre's "The Next Episode." But McCallum's original instrumental (done with David Axelrod) is perfect here -- and perfectly obscure -- to keep with the 007 mood and dramaticize Christian's large, uh... resume. David McCallum is known more for his role as Illya Kuryakin on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. but you can also see him regularly as Ducky on NCIS.

Once the cougar dinner scene is over, the cat references just never cease. Our other eighties guest star John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard) revisits his role as porn mogul Ram Peters and takes Sean on a tour of the cougars of the porn world, showing off his stable of over fifty actresses, done humorously to the tune of One Way's "Cutie Pie." Immediately after Ram laments that it's hard to find women over fifty who keep their appearances, we cut to the semi-sexy cougars going at it with Christian, one-by-one to Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever." All except Lulu, played deliciously by Donna Mills -- who looks pretty amazing for her 67 years of age. When Lulu tries to get Christian to bring out her "feline essence," the story line starts to mirror that of the Cat Woman, Jocelyn Wildenstein, a high society cougar in her own right. If it weren't true, it would seem even more batshit, wouldn't it?

Even before Lulu's 'feline essence' surgery, I was humming "What's New Pussycat" -- the Tom Jones classic is a karaoke staple of mine, if you must know -- so it's inclusion seemed obvious to me at least. Ditto goes for Hall & Oates "Maneater" which follows for the 'reveal.' It's fitting that it's Joan Van Ark's character who looks the most shocked, since that's the face we've all been making whenever we get a glimpse at her recent scary post-op pictures. She's the one looking more like Cat Woman these days. Someone needs to give that woman a scalpel intervention.

Meanwhile, the sad and crazy Colleen -- played brilliantly by Sharon Gless -- story nearly reaches tragic end. Sean finds out she's really just the kooky make-a-bearscare lady at the mall (am I the only one who thought her glasses and ears make her look like Arthur?) and he's understandably angry. Colleen, who's always backed by The Exorcist theme music (possession?) has her fatal attraction turn cinematic, as she attempts suicide like the original ending for Glenn Close' character. Could this be the 'one more death' that Ryan Murphy promised? As Dr. Dre would say, wait until "The Next Episode."

Playlist: Nip/Tuck - Episode 5.12
1. "Memories" - Waldeck - Kimber & Eden's porn shoot
2. "Jazz Devil" - Barry Adamson - Christian is introduced to the Cougar party
3. "The Edge" - David McCallum - Christian drops his resume on the table
4. "Cutie Pie" - One Way - Ram tells Sean about his over-50 actors and their needs
5. "Cat Scratch Fever" - Ted Nugent - Christian consults and peforms surgery on each cougar
6. "Take From Me" - Kissing Cousins - Sean advises Eden to end porn contract
6. "What's New Pussycat?" - Tom Jones - Christian plans and peforms cat reconstruction on Lulu
7. "Maneater" - Hall & Oates - Lulu's surgery is revealed to the other cougars
8. "Tubular Bells" - Mike Oldfield - Variation played for Colleen throughout
Compiled by Avalon at Niptuckforum.com

More: All that and I didn't even mention the Kimber/Eden sex scene. Perhaps it's just me, but I found it to be not sexy at all -- more cold and distant. Kimber's the cougar here, preying instead on her own past that she sees in 18-year old Eden. This can't end well for either.

Previously: Teddy Bear Teeth (Episode 5.11)