Been waiting on the May 22 release of John Mayer‘s new CD, Born and Raised, and today, he released the first video from the album: “Shadow Days.”

Some amazing scenery, and it’s one of those infectious songs that was stuck in my head the first time I heard it.

And, I dare you to watch the video and not have a hankering to embark on a major road trip.

P.S.: You can preview all the songs on Born and Raised at iTunes.

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• Filed in Music on TV, Ya Gotta See This!
• Tags: John Mayer, John Mayer Shadow Days

Sometimes John Mayer‘s celebrity overshadows his music – that recent Rolling Stone interview, for example – but even those who like to bandy about the word “D-bag” when talking about the Grammy winner have to admit that he has serious guitar skills and has written more than his share of great pop songs.

Tonight’s Mayer installment of VH1 Storytellers (8PM ET), then, is a chance to focus on his music, as the episode shows him in action during an intimate concert in Brooklyn last December. Mayer performs selections from his latest CD, Battle Studies, and gives a little background on the tunes, which means good music, a little bit of gossip for those US Weekly-reading Mayer fans among us (at least some of the new songs were reportedly inspired by his relationship and break up with Jennifer Aniston) and some self-deprecating humor (his reputation as a wiseass aside, Mayer’s concert patter almost always includes a few digs aimed at himself).

I saw Mayer live at the FUSE concert at the  fabulous Beacon Theater in New York City last November on the day Battle Studies was released, and this Storytellers performance was taped shortly thereafter, so two songs I’m sure will be highlights of the show: “Perfectly Lonely,” a perfectly infectious tune about just what the title says, and “Half of My Heart,” which I think is one of the most perfect pop songs ever.

Here’s a clip from tonight’s Storytellers, with Mayer performing the Battle Studies opener, “Heartbreak Warfare”:

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• Filed in TV News
• Tags: John Mayer, John Mayer Storytellers, VH1 Storytellers

Or both, if you’re one of the John Mayer fans who’ll snag tix for the singer’s November 17 concert in New York City, which will also be broadcast live on Fuse to celebrate the release of his latest CD, Battle Studies.

Mayer fans, of which I am one, have the chance to see the singer/songwriter at one of New York City’s best concert venues, the recently renovated Beacon Theater. Tickets for the event, featuring Mayer and his band performing songs from the new album (which will be released on Nov. 17), go on sale at the Mayer’s fan club Website on Oct. 16, and on sale to the general public on Oct. 17 at 10AM ET via Ticketmaster.

The Fuse broadcast, in HD, will air on Nov. 17 at 9PM ET, and the network is also launching a contest to give away tickets to the show.

Meanwhile, my fellow Mayer devoted can hear his new single from Battle Studies, “Who Says,” today on iTunes, and his “augmented reality” video debuts at JohnMayer.com on Oct. 19.

So, who else is going to the Beacon on Nov. 17?

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• Filed in TV News, Uncategorized
• Tags: John Mayer, John Mayer Battle Studies, John Mayer Fuse concert

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– What if Hurley, John Locke and Ben from Lost, Dwight Schrute and Craig Ferguson were Simpsons characters? It would be awesome, that’s what.

– VH1 is planning a Hills-ish reality series revolving around the rich and not-so-rich folk who frequent Aspen.

– Bravo reps are suggesting next week’s episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey will shed further light on the alleged criminal past of scene-stealer Danielle Staub.

– The next issue of Rolling Stone will reportedly feature a cover in which American Idol runner-up (sigh) Adam Lambert announces he’s gay. Inside, there will be stories where Miley Cyrus admits she can’t really sing so well and John Mayer confesses he’s in love … with himself.

– Kris Allen, future governor of Arkansas? Crazier things have happened.

– A Shot at Love star Tila Tequila is reportedly preggers. What are the chances this isn’t going to unfold on reality TV?

– Could Chuck return earlier than March 2010?

– And the next cast of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew will include a former Real World-er, Dennis Rodman, Heidi Fleiss and One Day at a Time star Mackenzie Phillips.

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• Filed in American Idol, Celebreality, Chuck, Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: A Shot at Love, Adam Lambert, Aspen, Ben, Celeb Rehab, Celebrity Rehab, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Chuck, Craig Ferguson, Danielle Staub, Dennis Rodman, Dwight Schrute, Heidi Fleiss, Hurley, John Locke, John Mayer, Kris Allen, Lost, Mackenzie Phillips, Miley Cyrus, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Rolling Stone, Simpsons, The Hills, Tila Tequila, VH1

41. Psych
How cool is Psych? So cool that among its many very diverse pop culture references has been Al B. Sure!, The Peanuts Christmas pageant dance, Drew Lachey and The Mentalist, a show that, as any Psych devotee will point out, came after our beloved Psych.

42. Best Week Ever – Best Pop Culture Wrap-Up Show Ever. Almost makes me forget how much I miss the Greg Kinnear and John “Skunk Boy” Henson days of Talk Soup.

43. The Sopranos reruns on A&E
The show’s still so good and so layered that you’ll find new things you didn’t catch the first time around, and I find I’m not missing the naughtier words at all.

44. Desperate Housewives
Was good, sucked there for a season or two, then bounced back. Despite the skepticism about the jumping-five-years-ahead storyline this season, I think it works, and has managed to freshen up a show that could have jumped into jumping the shark territory quite easily.

45. Boob tube to big screen adaptations
There’s the good (The Fugitive, The Adaams Family, The Brady Bunch Movie, Starsky & Hutch and most definitely the new Star Trek flick), the bad (Wild Wild West, Bewitched, The Dukes of Hazzard, Lost in Space and Scooby-Doo) and the what the hell were they thinking (The Honeymooners), but I always get excited about a TV show being made into a movie (or vice versa) and the possibilities of how some of my faves might be reimagined.

46. VH1’s Top 20 Countdown
Relying on VH1 videos to find new music? Yep, and I don’t care if that’s unhip. The fact is, I don’t remember the last time I saw a video on MTV, and though I often hear new tunes I like during The Hills or The City or The Real World (already admitted I’m still watching it), VH1’s weekend countdown of the top 20 videos is one of the best places to not only hear, but see new bands. It’s how I first discovered the pop/rock goodness of John Mayer‘s debut CD (after he had the bad luck to release the album on September 11, 2001), and I’d argue that American Idol “loser” Chris Daughtry owes a goodly portion of the success of his debut CD to his videos’ constant presence on the VH1 countdown.

47. Pat Kiernan on NY1
Those of you outside the NYC area may be unaware of the soothing morning goodness of hearing the delightfully smooth-voiced Kiernan tell you what’s in the newspapers every day, but if every city had Kiernan reading what’s In the Papers for them, it would amount to a better start to their day. Those outside NYC may also remember him as host of VH1’s World Series of Pop Culture, and you can also catch him on Twitter.

48. Malcolm in the Middle
Loving the FX repeats, especially of the later seasons, which I’d stopped watching when the show originally aired. But in the latter years, it’s all about Reese and Dewey and Hal (the comedic genius that is Bryan Cranston), as, apparently, the writers figured out what most viewers knew all along – Malcolm was a dud. The rest of the family rocked.

49. Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston, comedic genius (see above). Turns out he’s a damn fine dramatic actor, too.

50. Saturday Night Live
Yep, still watching it, every episode, every season, even when it’s not the must-see show during an election year. Love the Target Lady, love Kenan Thompson, love Andy Samberg‘s digital shorts, love the Justin Timberlake appearances. Most of all, love the history of the show … one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do as a TV writer was attending a live show (last season’s Jonah Hill-hosted ep). I was sitting there the whole time thinking about how I used to sneak out of bed to watch Eddie Murphy performing on that very stage. Back when Eddie Murphy was a comedic genius. Sigh.

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• Filed in I Love TV!
• Tags: A&E, American Idol, Andy Samberg, Best Week Ever, Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston, Chris Daughtry, Desperate Housewives, Eddie Murphy, FX, John Henson, John Mayer, Jonah Hill, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson, Malcolm in the Middle, Pat Kiernan, Psych, Saturday Night Live, Star Trek, Talk Soup, The Hills, The Sopranos, TV shows to movies, VH1