Apparently, he’s not satisfied with limiting his jokes to 140 characters anymore, so starting next month, Conan O’Brien will head out on the road to do a series of live dates across the US and Canada. Tickets for his June 1 show at Radio City Music Hall go on sale today (Mar 11) at 10AM EST (Buy Tickets). Who knows, if the tour goes well, it might lead to some television work.

UPDATE: Second shows have just been added in NYC, Boston and Chicago.

Conan O’Brien 2010 Tour Dates*
04/12/10 Hult Center For the Performing Arts, Eugene, OR
04/13/10 Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, BC
04/16/10 NB Performing Arts Center, Spokane, WA
04/17/10 River Cree Resort & Casino, Edmonton, AB
04/18/10 McCaw Hall, Seattle, WA
04/22/10 Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
04/24/10 Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, Universal City, CA
04/29/10 San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA
04/30/10 Dodge Theater, Phoenix, AZ
05/01/10 Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, NV
05/04/10 Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, Reno, NV
05/05/10 San Jose State Event Center Arena, San Jose, CA
05/06/10 Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, CA
05/09/10 Macky Auditorium, Boulder, CO
05/10/10 Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver, CO
05/13/10 McFarlin Auditorium, Dallas, TX
05/14/10 Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX
05/15/10 Brady Theater, Tulsa, OK
05/16/10 The Midland by AMC, Kansas City, MO
05/18/10 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
05/19/10 The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
05/20/10 The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
05/22/10 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON
05/30/10 Borgata Spa & Resort, Atlantic City, NJ
06/01/10 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
06/02/10 Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY New!
06/04/10 Wang Theater, Boston, MA
06/05/10 Wang Theater, Boston, MA
06/06/10 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
06/07/10 Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA
06/08/10 Dar Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
06/11/10 Bonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, TN
06/14/10 Fox Theatre Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

UPDATE: As expected, more tour dates have been added (note the gap between NYC and Boston, so expect more RCMH dates when the first show sells out). See TeamCoco.com for more details.

* I’m pretty sure this list of tour dates is incomplete.

Vancouver’s Dan Mangan is making US television debut on Friday, Feb 26 on NBC’s TODAY show— which is conveniently filming in his hometown of Vancouver for the duration of the Winter Olympics. Dan will be performing a brand new collaboration with Canadian musician/poet Shane Koyczan (the dude from the Olympic opening ceremonies) at 9:43am EST, so set yer alarm clocks folks!

In case you hadn’t heard, 2009 was a big for the Canadian folk troubadour. Dan released his sophomore record Nice, Nice, Very Nice, to wide acclaim in Canada (and on this blog), he took home the $25,000 top prize as Verge XM’s “Artist of the Year”, he bagged a couple CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards for “Best Song” and “Best Vocals”, and he toured extensively, playing throughout Europe and even one show in Dubai. This year is also looking strong for Mr. Mangan, in addition to the TODAY show coup, next month he’ll be playing the Arts and Crafts showcases at both Canadian Music Week and at SXSW. It’s been a while since Dan has played NYC, but hopefully we’ll see him around these parts in the not too distant future.

More Dan Mangan tour dates and the brand new video for “Road Regrets”, plus the slightly older, but awesome video for “Robots” after the jump.

Dan Mangan 2010 Tour Dates
Feb 26 2010 Vancouver, BC CBC Studio 1 w/ Fanshaw
Mar 11 2010 Toronto, ON Arts & Crafts CMW Showcase @ The Great Hall
Mar 12 2010 Toronto, ON Music BC CMW Showcase @ The Court House
Mar 18 2010 Austin, TX Arts & Crafts SXSW Showcase @ Presbyterian Church
Mar 20 2010 Austin, TX Spune 2K10 SXSW Day Party @ J Blacks 11AM-6PM
Mar 20 2010 Austin, TX SXSW Showcase @ live.create. lounge

Eager to dissect the final episode of LOST? Well, thanks to the New York Times Spring TimesTalks series, you can pepper your most esoteric mythology-laden questions at LOST showrunners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof on May 20, 2010 at the TimesCenter. Check out all the Spring TimesTalks events below:

Apr 8, 2010
Rob Thomas, Singer-Songwriter : A Conversation About Music (Buy Tickets)

Apr 28, 2010
Baseball’s Ron Darling (Buy Tickets)

May 6, 2010
Architecture of Dance featuring Peter Martins and Santiago Calatrava (Buy Tickets)

May 7, 2010
The Cooks Who Saved My Life featuring Rachael Ray, Ruth Reichl and Kim Severson (Buy Tickets)

May 20, 2010
“LOST”: The Final Episode (Buy Tickets) SOLD OUT

May 26, 2010
A Conversation with Scott Turow (Buy Tickets)

Normally, these posts would be posted each day, but I’ve been out of town for the past little while (thanks for not robbing me), so I’ve collected a few days worth of tweets here. Follow @bumpershine on Twitter to get updates as they occur.

“Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” tickets no longer on sale. TM note reads, “Please note tickets will not be mailed until after July 1, 2010.”

Free Marriage Ref Tickets (Feb 24, 2010): Ricky Gervais, Madonna, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld http://bit.ly/cOM5oA

Four Snoop Dogg CDs in the mail! It’s like my Birthday and Chanukah all rolled into one!

RT @livenationnyc Just Announced, Julian Casablancas @ Irving Plaza March 24th. Tix are on sale the Friday, Feb 26 @ 10 AM!

LOST: “The Final Episode” – A conversation with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (May 20, 2010) http://bit.ly/du8Fl1

Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza (Mar 9, 2010) goes on sale today http://bit.ly/dwP0Bj

Allman Brothers to stream NYC residency http://bit.ly/beXrsA

Tiger’s “apology”, full of righteous indignation, it’s douchetastic!

The NJ Nets are moving to Prudential Center for the next 2 seasons.

Steve Wynn and The Miracle 3 playing Lakeside Lounge tonight at 10:30PM (Fri, Feb 19) http://bit.ly/cW0qxC

Tonight (Jan 28) is the long awaited premiere of the fourth season (aka series 4) of the UK teen drama Skins. You can check out the e4 site for some episode 1 spoilers, or for those of who are a little more “adventurous”, I’ve heard of these things called torrents. No word yet on when BBC America will start carrying the latest season of Skins, but most likely that won’t happen for a few months. In other news, the MTV produced US version of Skins continues to search for cast members.

While Elvis Costello is currently wrapping up Season 2 of Spectacle with a special two-part interview with Bruce Springsteen (part 2 airs Jan 27 on Sundance), he’s also firming up his Spring tour schedule with a show at the United Palace Theatre on April 23, 2010. No word yet on when tickets will be on sale, but it looks like the Allman’s aren’t the only ones being kicked out of the Beacon this year. For fan club presales keep an eye out on tixx1.artistarena.com/elviscostello (user: elvis | password: costello).

More Elvis Costello tour dates and a clip from Spectacle after the jump.

Elvis Costello 2010 Tour Dates
02/07/10 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre
04/07/10 Davis, CA Mondavi PAC – Jackson Hall
04/08/10 Napa, CA Napa Valley Opera House
04/09/10 Scottsdale, AZ Scottsdale Ctr. For The Perf. Arts
04/11/10 San Diego, CA Balboa Theatre
04/12/10 San Luis Obispo, CA Christopher Cohan Center
04/13/10 Santa Barbara, CA Arlington Theatre
04/16/10 Atlantic City, NJ Caesars Atlantic City
04/17/10 Biloxi, MS IP Casino, Resort & Spa
04/20/10 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
04/22/10 Washington, DC Warner Theatre
04/23/10 New York, NY United Palace
04/24/10 Richmond, VA The National
04/26/10 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
04/27/10 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre

Even so, this year’s efforts to lure more eyeballs to the Globes include cramming even more stars into the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton hotel; hiring a host — the British actor and comedian Ricky Gervais — for the first time in 15 years; broadcasting the ceremony live from coast to coast; mixing up the order of the awards; following the telecast with an after-party show; and turning up the volume on the marketing.
…
NBC pushed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which bestows the awards, to hire a host. “It’s crucial in terms of advance publicity,” said Paul Telegdy, the network’s executive vice president for alternative programming. Mr. Telegdy noted that video promos featuring Mr. Gervais have been “a huge success” on the Web. The network’s goal for the show: a 10 percent ratings rise.

Why Mr. Gervais? “He’s just slightly dangerous,” Mr. Adelman said. “He’s always teetering on a should-I-really-say-that edge.” (While presenting at last year’s Globes, Mr. Gervais cracked a Holocaust joke.) [NYTimes.com]

In addition to hosting the Golden Globes on Sunday night, Gervais is doing a couple of nights of stand up at the WaMu Theatre at MSG on May 13 and 14, 2010. Tickets for those shows go on American Express early on sale starting Monday, Jan 18 at 10AM. Last but not least, Gervais is returning to the medium that made him famous next month in a new animated series based wildly successful podcast. The Ricky Gervais Show will premiere in the US on Feb 19, 2010 on HBO and in March 2010 on Channel 4 in the UK.

Since I’ve been catching up with the first two seasons of Skins via Netflix’s excellent “Watch Instantly” feature, I thought I would check out the what’s going on with the latest iteration of the popular British teen drama. Turns out that the new season of Skins (aka Series 4) will premiere on January 28, 2010 on e4 in the UK— no word yet on when it will debut in the US on BBC America. Seasons 1 and 2 of Skins are currently available via Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” feature and on DVD in the US, season 3 is currently only available on iTunes (though the UK DVD is available from amazon.co.uk). Here’s a little more info about what else is happening in the future of Skins:

In May 2009, E4 confirmed that Film4 and Company Pictures are in “preliminary talks” about a movie spin-off. It is unknown which of the cast members would be featured, or where the film will fit in the show’s continuity, leading to a possibility that both generations of characters will meet.
…
The first Skins novel will be released in January 2010. Authored by freelance writer Ali Cronin, the plot takes place between Series 3 and 4.

MTV have announced plans to adapt Skins to American television. The U.S. version will be filmed in Baltimore with an unknown cast. [wikipedia]

I was fortunate enough to attend the original taping of Wednesday night’s Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… (airing Dec 23 at 10PM on Sundance) and after seeing the entire thing on TV, I think this episode plays better now that it has been whittled down to a television friendly 45 minutes. As for the performances within the show, the full band rendition of “The Weight” (complete with 3 guitarists, 2 drummers, 2 bass players, 1 piano player, 1 keyboard player and Ray LaMontagne) was the highlight of the night for me, followed closely by Richard Thompson’s “Shoot Out The Lights” and Nick Lowe’s “The Beast In Me”. While the original taping suffered from too much Elvis and not enough guests, the edited version is actually more watchable because they were able to cut out some of Elvis’ more long-winded questions and focus a little more on the guests answers. Each guest got more or less an anecdote and a song and then they all came together for the big finale with “The Weight”. Levon Helm, who was defying doctor’s orders to be at the show, was the only guest who actually didn’t talk at all because of a severe vocal strain, so he and Elvis did a “Mr. Ed” routine where Helm answered questions via drum rolls (it was corny, but I guess they had to leave it in, otherwise Levon wouldn’t have gotten any “interview” time at all). For those of you who’d actually like to hear the man sing, I’m pretty sure Mr. Helm will be in better voice when he plays his big show at Terminal 5 on January 7, 2010 (Buy Tickets) with Okkervil River. Our friends in the Garden State can catch Levon at Harrah’s in Atlantic City on February 26 and then again at The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ on February 27.

In honor of tonight’s episode of Spectacle and Levon Helm’s recent Grammy nomination for his album Electric Dirt, I’m giving away a copy of Midnight Ramble, a gorgeous looking coffee table book featuring artist testimonials and some of the best photographs from Levon’s monthly all-star jam session at his home/studio/farm in Woodstock, NY. (US residents only, contest ends on December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PM.) Click here to enter the contest.

The Levon Helm Midnight Ramble
Artist: Levon Helm
Author: Paul LaRaia
Artist: The Band

The official record of the incredible down-home jam sessions held by Levon Helm, the charismatic drummer, singer, and sometimes mandolin player for The Band. Accompanying the spectacular photos are testimonials and remembrances from the notable blues entertainers and musicians who have joined the Ramble.

Contest entry form and more Levon Helm tour dates after the jump.

Levon Helm Tour 2010 Dates
01/07/10 Terminal 5, w/ Okkervil River, New York, NY (Buy Tickets)
01/08/10 Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, NY
02/26/10 The Wellmont Theatre, w/ The Duke and the King, Montclair, NJ (Buy Tickets)
02/27/10 Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Atlantic City, NJ (Buy Tickets)

You’ve seen the billboards, watched the promo videos, maybe even read some spoiler reviews, but as of tonight (Dec 9 at 10PM) the long wait is finally over. On the Season 2 premiere of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… mild mannered talk show host Elvis Costello, sits down with two of the biggest rock stars on the planet, Bono and The Edge, for a revealing fireside chat at Toronto’s Masonic Temple.

In honor of the premiere of Season 2 of Spectacle I’m giving away an awesome Sundance Channel Prize Pack (tote bag, baseball cap, t-shirt, usb key, pen and notebook) as well as Season 1 of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… on DVD. For your chance to win, fill out this contest entry form after the jump. Contest ends on December 16, 2009, 1 entry per household (IP checking is enforced), US entrants only.

Sundance Channel Prize Pack

Contest entry form, full set list from the Bono/Edge taping (including unaired performances), and Spectacle Season 2 schedule after the jump.

Spectacle: Elvis Costello with… Bono & The Edge
Taping Date: September 15, 2009
Taping Location: Masonic Temple, Toronto, ON
01. Please – EC & The Imposters
02. Dirty Day – EC & The Imposters
03. Mysterious Ways – EC & The Imposters
04. Stay (Faraway, So Close!) – Bono & The Edge
05. Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad – Bono with Davey Faragher & Pete Thomas
06. Alison – EC, Bono, The Edge & The Imposters
07. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of – EC, Bono, The Edge & The Imposters
08. Pump It Up / Get On Your Boots – EC, Bono, The Edge & The Imposters

Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… Season 2 Schedule
December 9 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Bono and The Edge
December 16 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Ron Sexsmith and Jesse Winchester
December 23 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Allen Toussaint
January 6 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Elvis Costello
January 13 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Lyle Lovett, Ray LaMontagne, and John Prine
January 20 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Bruce Springsteen pt.1
January 27 at 10:00 PM – Spectacle: Elvis Costello with TBD Bruce Springsteen pt. 2

The premiere episode of Season 2 Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… featuring Bono and The Edge is now available on demand from Time Warner Cable (in NYC) on cable Channel 1008. The regular season premiere is on December 9, 2009 at 10 PM on the Sundance Channel.

View more season 2 clips at sundancechannel.com/spectacle.

Hey, it’s Friday, and by my estimation, Chanukah is right around the corner, so why not have another giveaway right? To win a copy of Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition (featuring Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie), fill out the entry form after the jump. Contest ends on December 9, 2009, US entrants only, 18 years and older.

Product Description
Rowan Atkinson is deliciously twisted as the comic villain, Edmund Blackadder, in the enormously popular comedy series. Follow Blackadder in hysterical send-ups of the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan age, the Regency period, and World War I. This special edition contains new exclusive interviews and audio commentaries , making it a must have for all BlackAdder fans.
- Remastered series: The Black Adder, Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third, Blackadder Goes Forth
- New commentary by Rowan Atkinson and John Lloyd, Stephen Fry, Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, Tony Robinson and Tim McInnery
- Blackadder Rides Again: special 60-minute documentary to mark the 25th anniversary
- Exclusive extended interviews with Hugh Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry
- Costumes Revisited with Miranda Richardson, Patsy Byrne, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnery
- Plus Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, Blackadder the Cavalier Years, Blackadder Back and Forth, Baldrick’s Video Diary and more

If you like this video, you can head on over to the BBCAmericaShop.com and enter to win a $1,000 shopping spree! More details about the BBC America 2009 Holiday Sweepstakes after the jump.

BBC America Holiday Sweepstakes Details

First Prize:
A $500 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $500
BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Second Prize:
A $250 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $250
BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Third Prize:
A $100 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $100
BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Though the beginning of Season 2 is right around the corner, it looks like this season will be Spectacle’s last. According to a story from canoe.ca, Elvis indicated that he’s not interested in becoming the Charlie Rose of musical talk show hosts, even if the show ends up becoming a smash.

And no matter how successful the show is, Costello insists he won’t be back for a third series.

He says, “I wasn’t looking for a career in TV. It’s something I did as a side project from my real career.” [canoe.ca]

Season 2 of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… premieres on the Sundance Channel on December 9, 2009.

Season 1 of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… is available now on Blu-Ray and DVD disc.

To win a copy of Doctor Who: The Next Doctor and Are You Being Served? Christmas, fill out the entry form after the jump. Contest ends on December 1, 2009, US entrants only.

If you like these titles, you can head on over to the BBCAmericaShop.com and enter to win a $1,000 shopping spree! More details about the BBC America 2009 Holiday Sweepstakes after the jump.

BBC America Holiday Sweepstakes Details

First Prize:
A $500 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $500
BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Second Prize:
A $250 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $250
BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Third Prize:
A $100 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $100
BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.