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Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...
SERIES: Sundance, Wednesday 9:00p (60 minutes)
Starring
Elvis Costello
The Sundance channel brings Costello to TV with a new talk show featuring mainly musicians as guests.
| GENRE(S): |
Interview,
Music
|
| CREATED BY: |
Elton John
Elvis Costello
David Furnish
|
| FIRST AIR DATE: |
December 3, 2008 |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart
I like the serious, gimmick-free approach of the show.
80
Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd
Costello (who has subbed for David Letterman) makes a fine host--a bit reverential at times, but never as pious as, say, James Lipton can become over at the similarly configured "Inside the Actors Studio."
80
Variety Phil Gallo
Focusing the program on the shaping of a young artist limits the mainstream potential of the interview show but ramped up the opportunity for two musicians to explore the importance of music and musicians rarely name-checked.
80
Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm
Insightful, smart and lyrical, Spectacle soars when so much of cable TV seems intent on locating the most distressing nadir of human culture.
80
Slate Troy Patterson
Costello, unlike public television, asks viewers like you for nothing but your attention, which he rewards with intimate assessments of songcraft and the underappreciated architects of modern pop.
80
New York Daily News David Hinckley
The best moments in Wednesday night's chat between Elvis Costello and Elton John, which are good enough to recommend the show for fans of both men, serve up small but sparkling musical pleasures.
80
Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray
There are a few occasions when Clinton, a politician used to rolling right over interviewers to get his message out, finds himself speaking at the same time as Costello, but it's only noticeable because the host is for the most part the most self-effacing of interviewers.
80
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
All the performances are rough and under-rehearsed, which makes them appealing. Costello also keeps the atmosphere relaxed during the interviews, never seeming too eager to interject his own commentary or jokes.
80
Time James Poniewozik
Interspersed with cover songs, Spectacle is an engaging showcase for a curious mind.
75
Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan
Though Costello’s discussions with musicians falter from time to time, they also contain quite a few interesting stories and conversations. And whenever things threaten to slow down, the musicians just pick up their instruments and sing instead of speaking.
70
Salon Heather Havrilesky
While the unguarded moments and eclectic musical performances --typically Costello collaborating with a guest on one of his or her lesser-known hits--make Spectacle well worth a closer look, the show occasionally feels like a songwriter's version of "Inside the Actor's Studio," with all of the qualities and the faults that implies.
63
New York Post Adam Buckman
Great, great, great drummer, but a dull, dull, dull show.
50
Hollywood Reporter Randee Dawn
Alas, the program has little direction and almost no flow.
 The average user rating for this tv show is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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