Friday, September 25, 2009

SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH... in the studio audience at The Apollo Theater for taping


Last night we went to the Apollo Theater (125 Street) to be a part of the tv show recording "SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH...", which airs on Sundance Channel.

The music was great but I have a feeling there's a lot of post work on Spectacle, as Mr. Costello tends to ramble on, just a bit (smiley-face).

Appearing and performing on the show: Allen Toussaint, Richard Thompson, Levon Helm and Nick Lowe. Also sitting in, Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan's Love and Theft) along with Ray LaMontagne who came out to sing the closing song, The Weight.

Only one reshoot for The Weight because continuity was off when LaMontagne appeared on vocals without any intro. Overall the taping went smooth and ended about 40 minutes early. Celeb sightings at the theater: New Orleans piano player Henry Butler and actor Steve Buscemi.

Being a television geek, I enjoyed watching the program monitor much more than directly watching the artists up on stage. I also noticed all cameras were HD. Hmm, guess that new fangled thing is catching on.

After a great evening of tasty music with Elvis we ended the night at Dinosaur Barbeque on 12th Avenue (and 131 Street) with BBQ and Belgian beer.

Look for this episode of Spectacle appear on Sundance in a few months.




AIRS ON Wednesday December 23 at 10:00PM
Elvis Costello returns for a second season of "Spectacle," a refreshing mix of intimate conversation and live musical performances. Internationally acclaimed during its first season, this original series allows some of the most interesting and influential artists and personalities of our time a rare opportunity to reflect on their work and jam with Elvis. This time, the Grammy® Award-winning singer-songwriter welcomes Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Allen Toussaint, who join Elvis in a memorable version of "The Weight."

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ken Burns - The National Parks

CBS News National Correspondent Jim Axelrod interviewed Ken Burns on CBS Sunday Morning and gave a sneak peak at the new PBS special called The National Parks, a 12-hour, 6-part documentary series that airs on PBS beginning next weekend, Sunday, September 27, 2009.

In the film, Burns calls the idea of the national parks "an idea that was as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical."

"For the first time in human history, land was set aside, not for kings and noblemen, not for the rich, but for everybody in all time," Burns told Axelrod.



Watch a sneak preview on Amazon.

Pre-order Price Guarantee! Order The National Parks now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you'll receive the lowest price.