It's time to break out the wristbands and make like John Bonham as 'Late Show With David Letterman' hosts its first-ever 'Drum Solo Week' next week. Hopefully it won't involve any bizarre gardening accidents...

CBS announced Wednesday that the show will dedicate four nights to peformances by some of the music industry's top drummers and percussionists.

The lineup features an eclectic mix of musicians, including Neil Peart from Rush, who is regarded as one of the greatest drum soloists in rock music.

The week kicks off Mon., June 6 with a drum solo performance by Anton Fig, longtime drummer for 'Late Show' band leader Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.

"I like 'oldies,'" says Hilary Swank. "'60s, '70s ... I like that era." But how deep is her love for classic songs? We'll find out on the new 'Late Show' (11:35PM ET on CBS). Host David Letterman boasts of Swank's musical knowledge, and Swank confirms her encyclopedic memory for the hits of the past. Which is a potentially bad call on her part, because now she's fallen into Dave's trap.

Letterman and sidekick Paul Shaffer test Swank's know-how in a 'Late Night' version of 'Name That Tune.' But after the contest is announced, the actress look nervous -- and starts to jokingly bite her fingernails. Will she pass the test?

Hilary only has "two chords" to identify hits by artists such as Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind & Fire. Test yourself by watching along with the video -- can you name the title of the song before Ms. Swank does?

Joaquin Phoenix apologized to David Letterman on 'The Late Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS) for his previous bizarre appearance on the show back in February 2009.

That interview was a memorable event for all concerned.

Back then, Joaquin sported a long beard, unruly hair and dark sunglasses. He muttered his way through his 10-minute segment on the show, barely answered any questions, and then bizarrely announced that he was quitting acting to start a new career as a rapper.

Well, since that last interview, Joaquin has released the "mockumentary" 'I'm Still Here,' which he shot along with his friend Casey Affleck. The movie purports to cover his "lost period" -- and features full-frontal male nudity, topless call girls, tons of drugs, and a now-infamous scene involving defecation. However, following the movie's release, director Affleck revealed that the entire thing was a hoax.

Tonight, Joaquin was back on 'Letterman,' to explain what in the world he was thinking. Let's hear what he has to say for himself, shall we?

Although we think of David Letterman as being fairly "young at heart," we must admit that he's something of an elder statesman -- at least where talk show stars are concerned. Dave began his late night hosting career in 1982 -- long before the advent of, say, "Twitter," or even "The Internet."

And so it seems somewhat unfair that he has to grapple with the very recent concept of "Snooki," and then figure out what the phrase "GTL" means. But that's what happens on the new 'Late Show' (11:35PM ET on CBS).

Before Miley Cyrus performed the title track from her new album, she sat down with David Letterman on the 'Late Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS) -- and got him to laugh.

Referring to her frenetic and successful career, Letterman said, "It's the kind of thing that's so hard, maybe only a 17-year-old could do it really. You gotta have that energy," said the host.

"But you did it -- see there's just a handful of people, and you're one of them," said Cyrus. "The only two 17-year-old girls that made it, me and you," she joked.

OK, so Paige Miles didn't win 'American Idol.' But how many people can say they've talked to Dave Letterman and performed with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra on the 'Late Show with David Letterman' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS)?

When asked for her favorite judge, she's all about Ellen DeGeneres. "I really loved Ellen. She brought a really nice dynamic to the panel. She made us feel really comfortable... so we weren't always terrified to sing up there." No love for Simon, huh?

Watch the video after the jump.

Every Christmas, on the same Late Show episode where Dave and Jay Thomas try to knock the meatball off of the Christmas tree, Paul Shaffer does his impersonation of Cher singing "O, Holy Night." He didn't do it last night on the show, but he did do it, and CBS has it as a web exclusive.

By the way, Thomas didn't even get to throw a football last night. Dave knocked the meatball off before he could even get a football in his hands.

[Watch clips and episodes of The Late Show and other shows at SlashControl.]

It's not a regular thing to see late night hosts appear on other late night shows. But I think it was great that The Late Show with David Letterman's Paul Shaffer was given the okay to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live to not only plug his new book but also play with the band. I can't imagine Kevin Eubanks coming over to The Late Show and doing the same.

He also talked about his love for Las Vegas and Jerry Lewis. They don't do the split screen right though. Shouldn't they be looking straight ahead instead of at each other?

[Watch clips and episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live and other shows at SlashControl.]

It's great to see people like Don Rickles still on talk shows, entertainers from a different era. Better than sitting through Madonna again or Dane Cook plugging his latest romantic com-castrophe.

Last night on The Late Show with David Letterman, Rickles talked about signing up for his 51st year as a headliner in Las Vegas. I hope they told Rickles what was going to happen in the middle of the interview so they wouldn't risk a heart attack.

[Watch episodes and clips of The Late Show and other shows at SlashControl.]

One notably close figurehead in David Letterman-gate seems to have gone overlooked, a shiny bald one.

Letterman's longtime sidekick and band leader Paul Shaffer has just released a new memoir called We'll Be Here the Rest of Our Lives about his rise to late night music infamy. He talked more than a few ears off about his own life in music, but he's kept very hush-hush on the whole Letterman brewhaha.

"You know, I just can't talk about it," Shaffer told a Time reporter in a recent interview. "There is a legal proceeding going on. I've been advised that I can't comment on that stuff."

He couldn't even tell Harry Smith on CBS' Early Show on his own network just what the mood is like around Late Show central. However, the rest of both interviews offer a very interesting peak into a life in music that has spanned just about every end of the TV dial and a very funny diversion from Smith's persistent reporter powers to get something out of him about the whole scandal. Something tells me Shaffer would have made one hell of a good press secretary.

It's always great to see Don Rickles on TV. He's rarely out of form, and he has a knack for sailing some great zingers past the censors. Which means his appearance on last night's My Life on the D-List was a perfect opportunity, a place where he could be a bit more loose.

We got a taste of that from him, walking around Kathy Griffin's house, but we also got a glimpse of the guy I have heard about from comedians who've met Rickles - the old softie who is ever willing to talk shop with other comics. It was a great moment when Griffin and Rickles talked about how both of their mothers would try to tell them not to pick on people so much, with Griffin's mom providing a bit of the dialogue. Meeting Rickles was on Griffin's mother's "bucket list."

I thought I'd use the occasion to take a look around YouTube to find some of Rickles' best TV appearances. He seems to have been everywhere, from The View to cable.

David Letterman doesn't usually have monotone robots on his show, except for the nights that he has a politician on, but last night Optimus Prime showed up to give the Top Ten list, "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken By A Giant Robot." My favorite is number seven, because it's just so bizarre. I don't quite understand number one.

Actually, he was talking about Conan! Well, a little bit. He mentioned Conan and The Tonight Show in his monologue while Conan was starting his stint over on NBC. He talks about other things in the monologue too. I love how he calls Britain's Got Talent (where Susan Boyle performed) Who Loves Talent? Some exec get on that show right away!

(Dave also mentioned Conan in the Top Ten List.)

I would have posted this earlier today, but I couldn't read Prince's handwriting on the big sheet of paper he gave to Jay Leno last night. I thought it was just a goodbye wish, but now I see from TMZ that it was actually a dig at David Letterman.

It says "Jay is the best. Even Paul Shaffer knows it." Billy Crystal looks amused.

Jennifer Garner appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman last night, and Letterman spread ointment all over her knees and arms. OK, that won't make any sense until you see the context, but it doesn't look too sanitary to me. Garner isn't the only one hurt - Letterman sounds sick (hope it's not that dreaded...no, I won't say it).