Ear on TV: Week of 12.20.10: Beach House

Beach House perform on Conan, Monday December 20

With only a few more days until Christmas, it's both time for holiday music and to reflect upon the past 12 months with year-end lists. One album that keeps popping up at or near the top of every list this year is the latest from Beach House, Teen Dream, released all the way back in January. Tonight, the duo from Baltimore will be all too happy to remind us why that album is still stuck in our heads, with a performance on Conan.

While the band continues to tour in support of Teen Dream, they also just offered up a new song for the holiday season, "I Do Not Care for the Winter Sun," free to download from their site. It's a song that's quite appropriate for the shortest of days and darkest of nights* but expect the band to play something instead from the album (likely, the great "Norway").

*Tonight, in fact, is a lunar eclipse occurring on the longest night of the year, the first time this has happened in nearly 500 years.

Finally, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon gets into the holiday spirit with special holiday-themed musical performances from Jose Feliciano (Thursday) and Aaron Neville (Friday). Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad," which has become a classic in the holiday season, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and the Roots will join in for a no doubt stirring rendition (queue the horns!). The Puerto Rican born Feliciano recently found his way to Daryl Hall's online show Live From Daryl's House to perform the classic:


Picks for the week
Monday, December 20
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Goo Goo Dolls (REPEAT)
E!: Chelsea Lately: Diddy-Dirty Money
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Brad
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Pink Martini
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Jimmy Eat World (REPEAT)
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Xzibit
TBS: Conan: Beach House
Tuesday, December 21
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Social Distortion (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Sam Adams
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Alberta Cross (REPEAT)
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Patti Smith
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Bettye Lavette with the Ese Vatos
TBS: Conan: Los Lobos
Wednesday, December 22
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Brad (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Patti Smith (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Sam Adams
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Whitney Cummings
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jose Feliciano
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Walkmen (REPEAT)
TBS: Lopez Tonight: will.i.am
Thursday, December 23
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Aimee Mann
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Get Busy Committee
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Aaron Neville
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Kate Nash (REPEAT)
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Filter
TBS: Conan: Reggie Watts
Friday, December 24
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Darker My Love (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Get Busy Committee
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Nas & Damian Marley (REPEAT)
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Johnny Mathis, Lyle Lovett
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Sugarland
Saturday, December 25
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Ellie Goulding
PBS: Austin City Limits: Ben Harper and Relentless7 (REPEAT)