Misc.
54 AMERICANWAY
JANUARY 1 2009
We’dmostwant to be interviewed by:
EllenDeGe-
neres. She justwants to dance.
We wouldn’t want to be interviewed by:
Oprah
Winfrey. She answersmost of her own questions.
Hostwithnoclue:
RegisPhilbin. But he’sbeendoing
it for so long, we let it slide.
Elvis Costello proves to be a
perfectly capable emcee on
his new show,
Spectacle
.We
break down his competition.
Hostswith
theMost
Most astute host:
The Daily Show
’s Jon Stewart.
When thingsgetbad, heknows that satire is theonly
way to stay sane.
Most underrated interviewer:
KellyRipa. No, really.
Overrated interviewers:
The women from
The
View
.
ELVIS COSTELLO
makes for the perfect talk-show
host simplybecausehe isn’toneby trade, andwhata
refreshingqualification for thegig that is thesedays.
Withentertainment-tube talkers lockedonautopilot,
audienceshavebecome immune to theperfectlycho-
reographed chatter of giggly guests and the hosts
whoenable their image-buildingbabble. Any sponta-
neity is a revelation.
As host of the new Sundance Channel program
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …
, which will air
throughMarch, the legendarymusician has created
a forum for in-depth dialogue rather than a plat-
form for star-making diatribes.
Spectacle
strikes
an
Inside the Actors Studio
vibe sans any hint of
pretentious overindulgence. The show’s laid-back,
intimate atmosphere is the kind that often unearths
intriguing situations; during their taped appearanc-
es, guests, including LouReed and even saxophonist
and former president Bill Clinton, have opened up
about the experiences that have shaped their lives
and theirmusic.
“It’s not a show about trying to uncover some
deep, dark secret somebody’s got hidden,” Costello
explains. “Rather, [it’s] their opportunity to talk
about some things theydon’t get to talkabout in the
regular showbiz interview.”
Legendary showmanSir Elton John, one of
Spec-
tacle
’s producers, has also popped by the set— not
to promote an album but to speak at length about
other
people’smusic. Costello remembers lookingout
the corner of his eye at the studio audience and see-
ingpeople surprisedby the honesty andmodestySir
Eltonwas showing, not the flamboyance people are
used to seeing
.
“It was about what really is within
him, which is his love ofmusic,” Costello says.
Costelloconsiders the show’s loosenessasan invi-
tation toguests todowhatever comes tomind. Each
segment begins with a performance that’s either a
songby theguest or connected tohimorher in some
way. Episodes have showcased Clinton being sere-
naded by a longtime bandmate of Elvis Presley and
Tony Bennett plucking Costello’s wife, jazz musician
Diana Krall, out of the audience for a rendition of
“I’veGot theWorld on aString.”
“What we see in these conversations is Elvis do-
ing a fantastically revealing conversation… kind of a
peer-to-peer conversation,” says another of
Specta-
cle
’s producers, MartinKatz. “In the Elton interview,
they ask each other questions about the nature of
the change to their own personas, about Elton be-
coming Elton and Elvis becoming Elvis. And there’s
nothing like it.”
Indeed,
Spectacle
is more about mature retro-
spection than young-adult looniness, the latter of
which is often typical of late-night TV. Costellohas a
smoothCharlieRose–like style; he is relaxedwithout
being sleep-inducingand chattywithout talkingover
his guests. Producer Stephen Warden got the idea
to have Costello host his own show after seeing his
masterful turnasaguesthostof
LateShowwithDa-
vidLetterman
. “The lightbulbwent off— like, he can
do that too?”Warden says. “Itwas impressive.”
Costello’s experience on
Late Show
taught him
valuable lessons that he’s able to put to good use on
Spectacle
. Kim Cattrall, for instance, showed up as
a version of her
Sex and the City
character, and she
andCostello spentmost of their timeflirting. “Itwas
funny,” Costello says, “but not very real.”
On
Spectacle
, “the conversations will be real,” he
promises. And in the primped, polished, pampered
worldof Hollywood, real is quite a refreshing change.
No stranger tobeing the interviewee, ElvisCostello is switching
things up on his new show, where he’ll be the one asking the
questions. ByKenParishPerkins
MUSICAL CHAIRS
ElvisCostello speaking
withTonyBennett
