Confession country buffs: If I had to whip out my iPod right now and construct Lisa’s Country Playlist, it would contain little more than the obligatory Gretchen, Carrie, and Shania. (Would it be too much of a stretch to include "Sweet Home Alabama," too?) But even though I’m no country connoisseur, the more I’ve read about Nashville Star through Mandi Bierly’s weekly posts and your astute PopWatch comments — sexual harassment allegations? excessive butt shots of a talentless pretty boy contestant? Billy Ray Cyrus’ facial hair? — the more I’ve contemplated adding it to my DVR lineup. And with Mandi on vacation this week (and a pop-goes-country theme in effect), I decided it was the perfect time to test the waters.
Although John Rich kicked off the show with a physical threat to the contestants, he generally kept the sleaze factor at a respectable "cross the street when you see that guy walking toward you" level. Now let’s get right to the lowdown on this week’s performers:
Gabe Garcia: To be fair, I lost power for a very frantic minute and missed the first part of Gabe’s song, but when I did tune back in, I was unimpressed by the contestant with the most votes. He lacked the same quality as most of the top 10: stage presence. Maybe Gabe does need to "turn the Texas on" or flirt with the lay-dees, but I didn’t hear enough passion in his take on Ricky Martin’s "Livin’ La Vida Loca," which is already a pretty corny song. And no amount of extension-enhanced hair-flips could make me vote for him.
Pearl Heart: I really really wanted the young, sisterly trio to kill with the B-52’s "Love Shack." Yet while their voices and harmonies were beautiful, they needed to practice what they sang and "knock a little louder,baby!" For such a fun song, I felt way too nervous for them throughout the performance, a feelingthat didn’t go away with John Rich creeping all over them and theirLimited Too garb.
Alyson Gilbert: I’m with Mandi on this one: It’s not that I love or hate her, I’m just bored. Alyson’s rendition of "I Think We’re Alone Now" would’ve worked better if she’s sped up or slowed down the tempo, but as it was, her performances ended up sounding like karaoke. Even worse, Jewel dropped the critical adjective made famous on that other musical talent competition: "pitchy."
Ashlee Hewitt (pictured, left): "Drive Me Crazy" by Britney Spears? As an unrepentant fan of Ms. Not-That-Innocent, I say,"Gimme, gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more!" But beyond her excellent song choice, I trulythought that Ashlee did a good job, infusing the number with aguitar edge and a little bit of twang. The way she hung onto those notes –like butt-ah! She and the judges kept saying how hard it was to turnBrit country, but maybe they didn’t get the memo that Britney Spears isfrom Kentwood, Louisiana and no stranger to the word "ya’ll?" Miley’sdad made a head-shaving joke, which made me think that Hannah Montanaprobably can’t watch this show without shouting "DaaaAAAAddddd" and hanging her head in horror.
Coffey: When I heard Coffey (fey-fey-fey) was going to sing"Umbrella" I was just waiting for someone else to bust out "SexyBack" and complete the Britney-Rihanna-Justin trifecta of this Top 40 lover’s dreams! Although the daughterdedication was adorbs, and I could feel The Coff’s heart and soulall the way from Tennessee to my little Ikea couch in Brooklyn, the way-too-low register and thesporadic cheerleader-at-halftime shouting fell flat.
Laura & Sophie: Thesegirls were stiff and nervous as they began their performance of "P.Y.T." (Michael Jackson, country-style? Really?) And although I’ve missed previous seasons, I can completely understand the PopWatchcomments that this season’s cast is most decidedly not the most talented in Nashville Star history. Also, not to start rumors (okay, let’s do it!) did anyone else noticeTommy singing his heart out during this song? Anyone wonder if his interest in Laura and/or Sophie goes beyond the music?
Melissa Lawson: I liked Melissa a lot better during the group rendition of "Like a Prayer" than in her solo attempt at "True Colors." No doubt, she’s got a beautiful voice, but her performance was ultimately forgettable. Letting the audience in on herpersonal journey — 67 pounds lost, you go girl! — might lure in some morevotes for her this week, and at least she wasn’t stuck in the bottomtwo again.
Shawn Mayer: There I am hoping for some JT and — bam! — Shawn delivers a little Bye ByeBye." So what if it’s N*Sync, I’ll take it, especially considering Shawn is one of the few contestants with terrific stage presence. Yeah, she probably should have limited her choreography to the subtle fist-pumpingaction at the start of her number, and avoided devolving into clunkyDarrin’s Dance Grooves routines. But that aside, Shawn rocked, and more importantly, she did what I thought thecontestants were supposed to do: Take a beloved pop song (or a NewClassic as we say around these parts) and put a country twist on it,revamping it into something equally as downloadable.
Tommy Stanley (pictured, right): The choice of "Maniac" sounded crazy on paper, butI loved the way Tommy aimed for his lower register on "floor" and "before,"instead of hurting our ears with flat high notes that were too far out of his range (like he did on the opening group number). Tommy seems to be missing some teeth in those profile shots, but,hey, no one’s perfect. And you can tell that he wants to be there and willprobably work really hard to make sure he’s not in the bottom two again next week. Plus, Ithink I’ll tune in again just to see the blossoming romance between himand Laura/Sophie…
Justin Gaston: So even with all the judges’ "mostimproved" kudos, our singer/model/actor in question is sent packing witha farewell montage that made Billy Ray and his uncomfortably tightjeans heavy with sorrow. Although he’ll have to fight Chase Crawfordfor the hair spray and eyelash curlers, I’m hoping Justin will find ahappy home as a new Gossip Girl cast member. The Upper East Side could use an acoustic guitar and some Southern charm.
So ya’ll, did you think that "pop goes country" was more countrythan it’s been so far this season? Is Danity Kane a healthy guiltypleasure? And who has the dreamiest eyes now that Justin is gone?
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I’ve watched every season of Nashville star and loved it till now. Now, I still watch but kind of cringe throughout it and am a little embarrassed to admit I had it on my tv (OK I tivoed it but anyway.) I think after every song choice I thought “Really?”
I was very disappointed in danity kane being on there. Not because I dislike them just because it felt like a cheap ploy by NBC. They should have had john anderson sing. They are trying to hard to be A.I.
I’ve lost interest now that the hot ex-underwear model has been given the heave-ho. So very very shallow.
What, NS couldn’t get a real country star or group to sing? Danity Kane was an embarrasment.
Umm, hello?? Danity Kane?? Danity Kan-not is more like it. Painful to the point where i almost feel bad for them. AND, I am a non-country listening nashville star fan at that!
Umm, but onto a more serious topic. I have to say, i found John’s comments at the end of the show exceptionally racist to be frank. He told Tommy not to be “out-countried”, then proceeded to emphasize he was being out-countried by Justin (of all people, he implied), and then said something like “don’t let Gabe Garcia Out-Country you for God Sakes!”. WTF? Why, because he is not a white-american and his last name is Garcia? So, Gabe (the front runner i might add) cannot be as country as a young caucasian from the navy??
Or was it just me?
Okay, um, InnerGruv, I think you missed the point. John was trying to tell Tommy that this was NASHVILLE star, and as such, he needs to be COUNTRY. And Gabe is from Texas and his sound reminds me of George Strait, who is VERY country, so I don’t think it was a shot at Gabe’s ethnicity. Personally, I LOVE Gabe and voted (more than once) for him both last week and this week. He’s my man and I hope even if he doesn’t win he pulls a Miranda Lambert and breaks out! I totally loved Livin’ La Vida Loca complete with it’s side of cheeze. It was the best last night!
While I think the judges are doing a terrific job (both with mentoring and critiquing), the contestants are just not that talented. There are a few lounge style country singers in the mix, but A (or even B)-list country stars? Not this season…
I think y’all were a little off on John Rich’s statement regarding Tommy and Gabe. What he meant was that Tommy needs to out-country all of the men, not only Justin—and it was a crying shame that Justin out-country’d Tommy—but even Gabe, who’s the most country-sounding guy. In fact, he’s really the only guy left with a truly country voice. This aside, this season is horrible. There were more cringe-worthy moments in this episode than I care to count. Almost every performance was sub-par, some were totally appalling. And really, what’s with this Danity Kane? Why, people, why??? And what about changing the format of eliminations after two shows? Didn’t they think the format out before they started airing the show? Has it occurred to them yet what a disadvantage it is to have the bottom two perform at the end, then eliminate one? The other act, unless it was fantastic, will stick in viewer’s heads. Tommy is in big trouble after his astoundingly bad “Maniac” debacle.
I was highly doubtful that Country goes POP would work and then here comes Like a Prayer. I absolutely loved 90% of the group performance, sorry Coffey&Justin, you stank.
On the individual songs, Melissa and Shawn brought it.
been watching since season one but after this year’s first two episodes couldn’t bring myself to watch any more – you would think it wouldn’t be that tough to pick out ten talented country singers from umpteen auditions that don’t need reshaping and mentoring but already know the ropes of singing and performing and exhibit a little star quality but john rich and company have really messed up; if nashville star survives this season i’ll check it out again next year (but not before)…disappointed fan signing off
Looking back on the previous years I’m surprised that there is no George Canyon, John Arthur Martinez, Matt Lindahl or Lance Millers, seasoned performers just needing a break. And none of the four I just mentioned won their seasons.
I don’t watch this show but I’m inclined to comment because I’m a grammar freak.
Apostrophes replace missing letters within abbreviations. Hence, “In Sync” becomes *NSync, not N*Sync. Further, “you all” becomes “y’all,” not ya’ll.
You’re writing about a country show, so at least get the “y’all” correct!
Danity Kane is just an all-girl singer version of The Pussycat Dolls. I am not impressed by either of those bands, but whatever. Nashville Star has had a Country singer on the show. Trace Atkins was on N.S. a couple of weeks ago.
This show used to have some very talented contestants who just had not been able to break into the Nashville recording scene. I don’t think any of the winners have been all that successful, but Miranda Lambert finished 3rd in season 1 and I think she’s doing okay. But this season is just a joke. I can’t imagine any of these contestants are going to be remembered after this season ends.
So Danity Kane is an all-girl version of the all-girl Pussycat Dolls?
I should have known once Nashville Star hit NBC all would be lost. Last nights show did it for me. So “Pop goes Country” caused the remote to go “click”. TV is becoming a wasteland so it’s hard to loose another favorite program. All I can hope for it that the USA channel can salvage things next year.
This weekend I saw a commercial for Nashville Star. I saw Billy Ray Cyrus, John Rich, special guest Danity Kane, and the slogan Pop goes Country. Pop goes Country? Danity Kane? What the ….? What did NBC and the producers do to that show!?! I used to like Nashville Star when it was…well, true Country. I have never watched Nashville Star on NBC and that promo justified my choice.
Perhaps the producers wanted to enhance the mentoring portion of the show so they needed contestants who would benefit from the mentoring that these judges could give.
Last night was it for me I think — I’ve enjoyed the earlier seasons, but there isn’t a tenth of the talent on this year’s incarnation.
OMG Would someone please kill this show before John Rich embarrasses the entire Nashville community. Please NBC – Save us all!
I can’t stand to watch John Rich. He’s so homophobic and bigoted. Just google John Rich and gay. He’s only 5 feet tall so I guess that explains a lot of that anger.
could someone please unplug the achy breaky billy bot 500 before he explodes and goes haywire? if he had an original thought or word come out of his mouth last night, i missed it. he read everything from a prompter (I said READ because it was obvious he infused no personality into it at all). even when booting justin, he stared straight into the prompter and read what he should say to him. i’ve seen more personality in a tree. thank god nbc listened somewhat to someone last week and gave the backstage gal more airtime. she was warm and genuine. boot billy, and let HER host the show!
The show was a little bizarre. The opening number, Danity Kane, Shawn’s dance moves and gold lame’ ensemble. Go Melissa!
Worst. Host. Ever. And in my heart, I’m still rooting for Laura & Sophie and Pearl Heart. I love female harmonies…but c’mon girls! Step it up already!
MsDaisy: Miranda Lambert has done very well, she gets tons of radio airplay and her 2nd album won Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music awards this year (curiously, because her 1st album was way better). Beyond her, it seems NS has not produced any real success stories, and it sure isn’t likely to this season.
The writer of this article should pull his or her head out of the sand and realize that it’s a country show. That means it’s about country music. Where country music is concerned, Gabe Garcia is obviously the only performer who has what it takes to be a real country star and not some 15 minute glamor queen who disappears with fantastic alacrity into the great nothing.
Okay, FIRST I can never find this blog. Why isn’t it under TV Watch? What’s the Pop Watch thing? SECOND, is Mandi the ONLY person at EW who listens to country music? If not, get the other ‘uns in here. If so, that explains their country-less “Music” section in the magazine. THIRD, Okay, what’s up with John Rich – who I’ve always loved — being so smarmy??? FOURTH.Whew… I’m losin’ count … Oh yeah, Melissa can SING. She just needs to leave those winks and nose crinkles behind. Stop focusing on her size and focus on her VOICE. FIFTH, sorry, but Laura and Sophie creep me out. And FINALLY, the show is on NBC now, for crying out loud, AND the writers strike is over. Can’t they hire better people to write Billy Ray’s stuff? Gawdawful. And I know I said that was “finally,” but I have one more question: what’s the deal with Jeffrey Steele? Married? Single? Cool dude? Sad 40+ year old guy trying to stay hip? I think he’s hot but what’s his story? The interwebs doesn’t tell all.
To CBF: but the question remains, if it’s a country music show, why did the judges choose so many performers who don’t even sound country???
Steele has been married for nearly 30 years to his wife (yes just one wife). They have 4 children, one of whom passed away at the age of 13 last year after an ATV accident. The family established a fund in their sons name to raise money to mentor children through skateboarding (his son’s passion) Steele is one of, if not the top songwriter in Nashville. Google his name and you will find his website. You can find a lot of info there.
I’ve been a big fan of AI for awhile and thought I’d give Nashivlle Star a try since it was easy to find and remember on watch NBC–and I thought it would help me with AI withdrawals (SYTYCD didn’t work). I love bluegass and alternative country and Americana…but wow–this show stinks to the moon! I thought AI could be Talent Show/Amateur Night sometimes. But THIS…THIS show has has a real problem: either the contestants have a teaspoon of talent and and no charisma or they have a 1/2 cup of charisma and no talent.
And do I freakin’ miss Seacrest! Who’d have thought? Billy Cyrus seems a nice feller and a good old boy, but how about the show adopting Miley?
Jewel’s a good judge and great mentor. Steele’s fun. John Rich…I don’t even know what to say.