This Could Actually Be Cool (If You Like Widgets)

A press release landed on my desk this morning touting a new series that premiers on the Sundance Channel on December 3rd called "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...".

Apparently Elvis sat in for David Letterman at one point and proved himself to be a witty conversationalist, so the Sundance folks are building a show around him interviewing and playing music with some pretty notable cats. Among those scheduled to appear are Elton John, Rufus Wainwright, James Taylor, the Police, Herbie Hancock and the interesting pair of Lou Reed & Julian Schnabel. (Does Julian Schnabel play music?)

On the topic of interesting pairs, it seems that part of the show will be dedicated to "behind the scenes" footage of recording sessions by pairs of artists such as Chris Cornell and Timbaland, Melody Gardot and Larry Klein, and Dashboard Confessional and Adam Schlesinger.

This is where information got a little obscured behind the multiple mentions of the "ABC Widget Company", who are apparently a big, big, big sponsor of the show. Apparently there was a mandate to whoever wrote the release that it had to mention ABC Widget Company every other sentence.

They did try to shed some light on these "rare and unique portraits" by quoting the Senior Vice President of Widgets, whose secretary said for him that "ABC Widget Company is giving viewers a rare glimpse inside the critical role a producer plays in music and the intimate relationships they have with their artists".

I'm still a little bit in the dark on how this will relate to Elvis and his guests but certainly the folks at Sundance will be happy about cashing the ABC Widget Company's checks. (Look, I worked ABC Widget Company into this article seven times. Maybe ABC Widget Company would like to send me a check? I love the widgets made by ABC Widget Company!)

Gratuitous ABC Widget Company plugs aside, this could be a fun way to spend 60-minutes of your Wednesdays with Elvis and his peeps.

For more information on "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...," you can visit the Sundance Channel website here.