Elvis gets his own TV show in Canada, US, UK

[scielle]

Yeah, there are accounts of this on the EC site. Apparently she was busy texting on her Blackberry when Tony called her up from the audience! Tisk tisk...

[Bud]

Mr. Bennett seems far more at ease than his host; at one point, he coaxes Mr. Costello's wife, the jazz singer Diana Krall, to come up and perform "I've Got the World on a String" with him. You can tell by Ms. Krall's reaction that she wasn't expecting the invitation. Neither was her husband.

From the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1228360 ... lenews_wsj

[Eric in Long Beach]

This show is almost enough to make me add the Sundance Channel, but I think instead I'll wait for the DVDs.

Or perhaps the episodes are streaming somewhere on the web?

[Bud]

Other than various snippets on Youtube and Sundance's own site, http://www.sundancechannel.com/spectacle, I haven't seen any full length cuts. If you happen to have FIOS, the full show is available through Video on Demand - in HD!

[Eric in Long Beach]

While it's true that I demand things to be awesome, I don't have FIOS. I could get Sundance through my cable provider (Cox), but I just addedd Setanta Sports USA (all the soccer I wanted that I wasn't already getting), and I don't want to jack up my monthly fees even more just for one show.

So, unless something better comes along, I guess I'll have to hold out for the DVDs.

[Eric in Long Beach]

I just discovered that I have Sundance Channel on demand for free!!! (For Bud: I have Cox Cable, and it's in the Freezone section.)

I currently have access to 4 episodes: Bill Clinton; Elton John; James Taylor; and Lou Reed & Julian Schnabel. I'm going to fire up the VCR soon in order to make my own DVDs.

[Bud]

Eric - Its pretty nice how some shows are available anytime you want to see them! Unfortunately, I've found that some of these shows are copy protected, and so I can't make DVDs from them. Maybe you'll have better luck.

FiOS is good stuff - maybe not exactly like the clip, though Actually, I was forced into it, sort of. I used to have DirecTV - so I could get all the NFL games, and MLB games too, so I could always watch our Giants! However, after I bought an HDTV, I found out that I couldn't see DirecTV's HD satellites because the house next door and trees blocked the view. Fortunately, my neighborhood was on the near-term schedule for FiOS, and we jumped in as soon as it became available...

[CarlG]

I've got my Tivo recording them. I have been very impressed with Elvis as an interviewer. Actually after his guest stint on Letterman, I had envisioned him doing a show kind of a cross between Inside the Actor's Studio and Sessions at West 54th.

So far the 3 aired episodes are:
Elvis with Elton
Elvis with Lou Reed
Elvis with Bill Clinton

I found the last one to very interesting. Mr. Clinton was very comfortable talking about music and his background playing.



Carl.

[Eric in Long Beach]

I watched the James Taylor episode the other night. It was enjoyable.

Bud, I can't DVR on-demand programs either, but I can tape them with my VCR and then convert the tapes to DVD.

[Bud]

Hey Eric - Might have to give that a try. I must admit I haven't recorded anything onto a tape in quite awhile, though...

**

Enjoyed Diana's surprise appearance with Tony Bennett. They performed I've Got the World on a String together. This shot was on TV Guide:



http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/spectacl ... s/296158/1

[Eric in Long Beach]

This is slightly off topic, but did you know you can no longer buy units that have only a VCR? Nobody makes them anymore by themselves. You have to buy them as part of a combo unit with a DVD player.

[Samuel]

Thanks for posting the pic Bud.

[scielle]

http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=1444833

(extract)

In the background of the Vancouver home that Elvis Costello shares with his wife Diana Krall, you can hear the crying of one of his twin three-year-old sons. Costello, doing press for his new TV talk show Spectacle, tries his best to appease the boy.

"Daddy, will be off in a minute, love," says Costello, one of the most influential musicians of the past thirty years. "We want to make sure the good people of Canada watch daddy's show."

Daddy's show is certainly a curious hybrid. The hour-long program - think Inside the Actors Studio meets Fishing with John with a dollop of Storytellers thrown in - features Costello peppering guests such as Bill Clinton, Lou Reed and the Police with questions about music, before jamming with them at the conclusion of each show.

[...]

"I don't like being away from my wife for more than three weeks at a time, and already the calendar is getting pretty booked," says Costello, who has tour plans in the U.K. this summer and itches to get back into the studio. "I really enjoy doing this and I hope people will like it, but I'm not sitting around waiting for my phone to ring. I already have a job that I quite like to do."

[imnoangel1975]

I just watched the episode which featured Pres. Clinton. (It was a really good show.) They panned the audience a few times to show Diana sitting in the crowd. Afterward, they showed Pres. Clinton making his way to greet and shake hands with Diana.

[scielle]

Spectacle just got the green-light for a 2nd season. Yay!

Fabulous show, and it's getting amazing reviews in Canada (plus great viewership - I think it premiered with about 3% of entire Canadian population watching!)

Congratulations to all involved.