TV, eh?

From a media release:

Toronto Hosts a SPECTACLE

• Celebrated Talk/Music series begins production of second season in Canada
• Season 1 DVD/Blu-ray box set released throughout North AmericaNovember 10, 2009

SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH…, the internationally acclaimed music television series conceived and developed in Canada, begins production today on season 2 with a special taping in Toronto. Canada’s first ever SPECTACLE taping will take place in the legendary Concert Hall at CTV’s historic Masonic Temple. Host Elvis Costello said “In the words of the great Joe Strummer, ‘Let’s Rock again!’”

In Toronto, SPECTACLE will tape in a room that has hosted a who’s who of music royalty in the past 50 years. The Rolling Stones rehearsed numerous times in the Concert Hall while Led Zeppelin played its first Toronto concert there. One of Canada’s best live music venues, the Masonic Temple’s Concert Hall has also hosted historic performances by The Supremes, The Who, Bob Dylan and James Brown. Home to MTV in Canada, The Masonic Temple is a living, breathing creative hub and beacon for the artistic community.

“I am delighted that we can continue where we left off—making intelligent, and informative music programming,” shares Sir Elton John, one of the series’ Executive Producers.

Embraced by both critics and viewers in its ambitious first season, SPECTACLE proved that there is a substantial audience for an intelligent and entertaining program about music, becoming one of last season’s top 10 new shows in Canada*. Designed to provide a forum for in-depth discussion and performance with the most interesting and influential artists and personalities of our time, the show fuses the best of talk and music television.

SPECTACLE’s inaugural season featured an extraordinary and eclectic roster of legendary musicians and fascinating personalities, starting with Sir Elton John, before delving into an astonishing range of musical genres, including pop, rock, jazz, country and even opera. Guests ranged from The Police to President Bill Clinton, and the series won rave reviews all over the world, airing on CTV in Canada and on Sundance Channel in the U.S., as well as on Channel 4 in the UK, ABC in Australia, HBO throughout Latin America, and in a number of other international territories.

For season two, the SPECTACLE production team has committed to raising the bar; guests will be announced later this month. Season one of Spectacle is now available on iTunes, and a DVD/Blu-ray box set will be released throughout North America November 10, 2009.

Co-produced by Toronto’s reinvention entertainment, SpyBox Pictures and Prospero Pictures, along with London-based Rocket Pictures in association with CTV and Sundance Channel, SPECTACLE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH… is an unpredictable and unprecedented television experience. The series of one-hour programs features everything from intimate one-on-ones with legendary performers and notable newcomers to thematic panel discussions.

SPECTACLE also features a variety of performance elements including unique collaborations, acoustic and impromptu “illustrative” demonstrations of the creative process, and some original interpretations of others’ songs by Costello.

The program’s eclecticism and depth reflect its uniquely qualified host. Elvis Costello is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee; a Grammy and Ivor Novello Award-winning (and Oscar-nominated) songwriter and performer comfortable in almost every genre imaginable; a musicologist of formidable breadth and knowledge; a contributor to Vanity Fair magazine; and a noted wit whose stint as guest host on The Late Show with David Letterman won rave reviews.

Consistent with Sir Elton John’s long-standing commitment to philanthropy and music, the series producers have struck an exciting association with the (Product) RED (www.joinred.com) campaign created to raise awareness and money for the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org) to fight AIDS in Africa. Select program excerpts and performances will be distributed in a variety of new media and conventional platforms, with a portion of the profits directed to the Global Fund.

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