The Supernova Burnout week 9

Only three more weeks of results show, and we will have ourselves a new lead singer for Tommy, Gilby, and Jason.  Until then we will have to settle for a new song debut and an elimination or two, as we find out the results of this week’s Rock Star: Supernova performances.

The mansion footage is total fluff this week (as opposed to the mostly fluff that it usually is), so we won’t waste our time there.  The new Supernova track of the week is called “It’s On” according to Jason, though listening to it, it may be called “Shine On”.  The honor to front the Supernovans goes to Lukas tonight.  My least favorite of the three songs that we’ve heard, as this does not have the catchy hook and sarcasm of the first two tracks they performed.  Also, while visually Lukas fits the band perfectly, I thought the vocals didn’t gel as well as Toby or Dilana did.  Of course this could be due to the song as well.  Out of the three who have gotten the chance to front the band, Toby seemed the most natural fit thus far.

Speaking of the Austrailian, he got graced with the encore performance tonight.  However, much like last week when he fronted the band, that did not mean he was safe from elimination.  Storm, Ryan, and Lukas were your bottom three after the flash vote at the end of last night’s show, and wouldn’t you know that Toby . . . and Dilana joined them.  Magni wins!  Oh wait, evidently that’s not how it works.  Good to see his blatant begging and pleading for votes last night was successful.  He deserves to stick around for at least another week.  Brooke says that this means he got the most votes this week, but for all we know he could’ve been in third place all night and the bottom three leapfrogged him back and forth.
Up first to sing is Ryan, performing The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”.  From the start of the song when he popped open a champagne bottle, to the twirling of his corded mic, to leaping off of the amp tower, this was nothing short of a manic and crazed performance.  I think he was trying to hard and blew up on stage.  His worst effort of the last few weeks.  I can’t see “the Dark Horse” surviving the night.

Storm was next to the stage, and perhaps gaining influence from Ryan’s performance, she is singing “Helter Skelter” by the Beatles.  Another energetic performance, but in a more controlled manner than the Dark Horse before her.  Not her best outing, but not her worst either.  You could tell she was having fun up there and felt back in her element.  With this being her first time singing to stave off elimination, my guess would be that she survives.

Our final singer tonight is Dilana, proving that my theory about the voting masses revolting against her for last week’s outbursts correct.  She decides to capitalize on her situation and sing the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer”.  If I hadn’t seen Dilana do the whole crazy lady schtick during the first few weeks of the show, I would have been certain that she had snapped and gone off the deep end.  Maybe she did anyways.  It should’ve been a tip off when she stated that the song was dedicated to herself.  The intense eyes were working, the primal dancing, the banshee shrieks, it was all there.  Dilana even managed to forget some of the lyrics during the second half of the song.  I would think that this being her first forray into the brink of elmination she would be safe, but the downward spiral (blatant or not) is getting really bizarre.   We might have another shocker, as Dilana could get booted along side Ryan.

Gilby is up, and that means it’s time to dissect the dead wannabes walking.  Ryan has shown more growth than anyone in the history of the show, but is he right for Supernova?  Storm has been solid from the start, but where’s her growth?  Dilana’s performance came from left field tonight and they know she messed up during the song, but she’s earned serious cred with the boys.  Nobody gets to sit as we go to Tommy “the Hatchet Man” Lee for the verdict, and the ruling is Ryan is the only one going home.  The crowd shits all over Supernova, showering the decision with the loudest boo’s we have heard on the show.  Right decision though.  He was growing on me a lot, but out of those left it was his time to go.

Rock Star: Supernova week 9

Tonight is Viewer’s Choice night on Rock Star: Supernova (of course by Friday when I checked the website I was unable to find song choice, so I’m not sure how long the voting window for song selection stayed open).  Will Dilana get another smear job?  Will “The Darkhorse” continue to get pushed to the top?  Will Storm just get back to rocking out?  Those answers and plenty more questions as we get rolling on week 9 of the competition.

The show begins with post results show drama at the mansion, as Dilana is torn up, down trodden, morose, and devastated.  Did I mention she’s upset?  It all comes to a boil when a camera tries to zoom in on her talking to Lukas and Magni.  She flicks off the camera and runs away in tears, smashing a wine glass in the process — a glass that ends up sending a shard into Magni’s forehead (of which he later passes off as “only a flesh wound”).  I just can’t feel that bad for Dilana.  She knew she was going on a reality show.  She knew that there were going to be cameras every.  She knew that anything she said anywhere could come back and haunt her.  And if she didn’t, then she should’ve done her homework.

Also, while it is Viewer’s Choice week, there was a wild card choice for each wannabe that was a song that had been performed by someone else.  And guess what?  The wildcard was selected for all six of them (overwhelmingly so for all save Ryan).  That means that not only do we get to judge their efforts tonight, but we have something to base each one off of.

Storm was my least favorite tonight, but I am left to wonder if that is partially due to her performing a song that I neither am in love with or fits her natural vocal range.  However, when I heard what both Lukas and Ryan were performing I wasn’t looking forward to them either and they both brought their A-games.  Really everyone else gave one of their top performances, so the voting will really hinge on who has more fans amongst the voting masses.  Bad news me thinks for Magni, who despite some hillarious campaigning during his bio bump into his song (“Austrailia vote for me cause I’m better looking than Toby”, etc.), looks like he is in trouble given the treatment the fans have given him the past two weeks.

With Toby and Dilana already having sung with Supernova, I think that Ryan will get his chance this week.  I would most like to hear Lukas, but I think even if he lands in the bottom three there is no way that he goes home this week.  Thus he can be held back another week to look extremely jealous when whoever gets picked is fronting the boys instead of him.  If there were to be an encore I would give it to the Torontonian for his refreshing take on the increasingly tiresome Nirvana covers that seem to be part of the patchwork of this show.

The live studio crowds they get have really taken away from some of the performances too I think.  Obviously, because this is television, it is all the “pretty” people who get the spots in front of the stage, while Joe and Jane Average are the ones in the unlit stadium seating behind the Supernovans.  The pretties are mindless drones though.  I don’t know if it is by their own accord or through the Pavlovian direction of the producers, but no matter what song is performed they all clap or sway their arms in unison.  These are the only two movements they are capable of doing, and quite frankly there are times during a song (or even some songs entirely) when this is not only unnecessary, but disrupting as well.  Furthermore when there is an instance when the performer wants the crowd to sing the chorus for him or her (as Toby did tonight) they seem to miss the cue unless verbally goaded multiple times.  This is supposed to be a crowd full of Supernova’s fans?  Um, OK.

It is almost impossible to predict who will be staving off elimination tomorrow by performing.  I’d probably have more luck just randomly selecting names, but since I am a glutton for punishment I will give it a go.  Storm, Ryan, and Lukas were in the bottom three as the show went off the air, but I can’t see all three still being there tomorrow.  We very well could have our first week where everyone was in the bottom at some point.  I’ll keep Storm there, as she was a rung below the rest in my mind (and the Supernovans seemed to agree).  Magni’s fans haven’t been supporting him this far, so I see no reason why things will change.  Add him.  For the third one, I am sticking with my gut reaction from last week and saying that the voting masses will send a message to Dilana and put her up for elimination.  Now watch it be Lukas, Ryan, and Toby instead.  Enjoy the set list with original Rock Star performer in brackets.

1. Lukas – “Lithium” by Nirvana [Dilana]
2. Magni – “I Alone” by Live [Ryan]
3. Ryan – “Clocks” by Coldplay [Magni]
4. Storm – “Bring Me To Life” by Evanesence (w/Toby on backup vocals) [Jill]
5. Toby – “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol [Lukas]
6. Dilana – “Mother, Mother” by Tracy Bonham [Jill]

Friday Filecabinet 8.4

More quick hitting thoughts as we head into the weekend:

• Those of you hoping for this week’s “Who Wants To Be a Superhero?” recap will have to settle for this brief write-up.  The producers collectively shot themselves in the foot by elminating everyone’s favorite spandexed somebody, Major Victory.  Stan’s reasoning is that he was a parody.  Well duh!  That’s why we loved him.  A made for Sci-Fi movie pitting Major Victroy against the Dark Enforcer would have been so bad that the unintentional comedy would have been off the charts.  We’re talking enough material for the best episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 ever.  Sadly Fat Momma and Feedback are both so dry and boring that I may not even watch the finale now.

• USA basketball is cruising through the FIBA World Championships so far, but we are now in the medal rounds.  From what I can tell of their draw (assuming one side plays Saturday and the other on Sunday), they should cruise to the gold medal game.  There are two teams who I think have a chance of beating the U.S. – Spain and Argentina – and both appear to have gotten opposite side of the tournament draw.  Good for the Americans, but if they do manage to not play one of the other great squads before the finals that may come back to haunt them.

• I’ve been meaning to write up a review on Talladega Nights since seeing it a couple of weeks ago, but it keeps getting put off.  I can tell you that it is an extremely funny movie that is a must see if you’ve ever liked anything Will Ferrell has done.  The supporting cast is great as well.  Hopefully I’ll get the full post about it up by Monday, if not sooner.  Also, I want to try and get up an entry about my favorite shows on TV right now, which I’m sure will foster some nice debate.  At any rate, the ideas are starting to flow again, I just need to sit down and write.

• Couldn’t find the link to voting for the Viewer’s Choice week on Rock Star: Supernova.  My guess is voting already closed, because I know they tape the performance show in advance.  Sadly I can’t remember my favorite performances of those remaining, so we’ll just have to wait and see what they do.  On that note I am running out the door, so your filecabinet entry is a small folder this week.

The Supernova Burnout week 8

Here we are once again.  Who will sing with the band?  Who will get the encore?  Who (and how many) will get the hatchet?  It’s time to find out the results for Rock Star: Supernova week number 8!

Our opening recap/after show footage was actually somewhat interesting this week.  I tend to take the mansion coverage with a grain of salt, because it is very easy to edit down hours worth of tape (let alone a week’s worth) into almost anything you want it to be.  However, with that being said, Dilana came across as an asshole tonight.  I think it is safe to say that her and Ryan would not have anything to do with each other if they didn’t both happen to be auditioning to front Supernova.  Catty comments were made back and forth about not wanting to share lead singing duties with each other, and to me that part was understandable and humorous, but Dilana also saw fit to put down Ryan’s performance every way she could.  Then in a different segment where the wannabes had to be interviewed by three different talking heads (one of which was Mark from the original Road Rules, who evidently now works for Fox Reality because he finally got too old to be on all those MTV challenge shows, but I digress . . . ), Dilana felt it necessary to bury Lukas as well.  It seems to me that her head, like the Grinch’s heart after he gives back Christmas, has grown three sizes too big.  She would be well advised to listen, learn, and respect her fellow residents of Who (wants to be in Supernova) ville.

Speaking of Tommy, Gilby, and Jason, our debut original this week is called “Be Yourself (and Five Other Cliches).”  Even the song names have Mr. Butch Walker’s handwriting on them.  The song again seemed very much in his producing/song writing vein, but this go around had influences of the new British Invasion (think Artic Monkeys, The Zutons, The Kinks, et al).  Toby was selected to front them, and having heard his performance of the song I can’t think of any of the wannabes who would’ve done a better job.  Very different song than last week’s “Leave the Lights On”, and I think I like last week’s offering better.  I think that Toby gave a better performance than Dilana though, and if the songs continue to have the sarcastic, carefree vibe to them then the perceived front runners might not be right for the band.  The days are numbered before Patrice goes home, and Ryan, Dilana, and Magni might be too dark, angry, and/or grungy for this type of music.  Toby fits the mold the best, and I would like to hear Lukas and Storm get the next opportunities to front the boys because they may or may not be able to make it work well.

Our bottom three coming out of last night were Toby, Storm, and Patrice.  Suprisingly Magni is the only other competitor to join them on their feet.  Magni clearly does not have as big of a home grown fan base as the rest of those still alive.  If it were purely based on watching what these guys have done on this show, Magni should not be standing before Ryan or Dilana (not saying he is better than them, but he has performed just as well over the last few weeks, with emphasis on last night).

And surprise, surprise Magni is performing first with “Fire” by Jimmi Hendrix.  He decides to play guitar on the track and just murders the song, even prompting a raucous reaction from Tommy after he finishes (during a time when I’m pretty sure the Supernovans aren’t supposed to react).  He’s gotta be safe once again, but this is two weeks in a row when the masses have voted him to perform.  How many more chances are the boys willing to grant him, even if he continues to kill?

Patrice is up next, singing The Pretenders’ “Middle of the Road”.  I’m familiar with the group, but this was a song I did not recognize.  She gave a usual Patrice performance, solid, if not spectacular, and plenty cheery.  With the Ice Man delivering and the final performer of the night an elimination neophyte, Patrice has sung her last song.  I feel pretty confidant about that.

Finally, proving that even Supernova themselves can be shocked by the voting, Toby is called up to perform for the second time tonight.  “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots, performed earlier in the season by Magni, is his song of choice.  I remember Magni’s version being solid and faithful, but it does not stand out in my head.  Toby does a good job with the track, playing up to the crowd and tossing in a drum solo in the middle.  He sang with the boys earlier in the show, and it’s his first time in the bottom three, so he is safe.  Looking like it’s just going to be Patrice sent packing.

The band has talked things over and Gilby is here with the set-up.  They are shocked to see Toby up there, as they picked him to sing with them tonight, so he gets to sit down.  Magni killed, but this is two weeks in a row.  Patrice though has been here for four weeks now, but he’s glad she got a chance to sing her original.  With a build that weak it is blatantly obvious what is about to happen.  Tommy “The Hatched Man” Lee ends the misery by cutting Patrice clean and quick.

A few parting shots before I leave you.  No encore this week.  This is probably due to the double dip of drama revolving Dilana, but with Supernova debuting new songs with various wannabes each Wednesday now it also isn’t something they necessarily need to fill time.  With the numbers dwindling the encores may be done.

Also, as I again look at the match, we’ve got three more weeks before a winner is crowned.  We’re at six.  With single eliminations we go to five next week and four heading into the final week.  Even assuming they cut someone at the start of the final Wednesday, they would have to be down to three going into that show.  That means that we have double eliminations either next week, the week after, or both weeks.

Next week is viewers choice week, so it will be encores for everyone, but it should be six solid performances as everyone has nailed at least two songs.  I’ll have to look at the list of options, but I’ll try to toss out what I’d like to hear in this week’s Friday Filecabinet entry.  I would not be at all surprised if Dilana ends up in the bottom three next week though.  I think she may have lost a lot of votes due to how she came across tonight.  The drama is really starting to pick up!

Rock Star: Supernova week 8

We’re getting rid of the dead weight on the show at a furious pace now, and I imagine after tomorrow night Patrice will join the also-rans on the sidelines and we’ll be down to those with a fair-to-middling shot or better of winning this thing (and Ryan, who continues to improve and clearly wants the gig, but more or less has no chance of winning). It’s not that I don’t like Patrice either, she’s just “more than happy” as George Carlin might say, plus the rock has got to be brought coming off of acoustic week. All things point to a solid show from start to finish. It’s time once again for Rock Star: Supernova.  I’m psyched!

During Brooke’s intro we learn that there are only three weeks left in the competition, so if I am doing my math right that means we’re looking at double eliminations from here on out for a three person finale (I can’t see them dumping three people in a single week at this point in time). Guess Ryan might be leaving us too. We also learn that there will be two originals performed this week, and amid much fighting and debate it will be Patrice and Ryan with the honors (thanks in large part to Toby’s reasoning that they have both repeatedly been in the bottom, so they deserve them). Might there be a curse of the originals if their own work does not save Ryan and Patrice?

Patrice starts out the show with her original and it’s a catchy, happy pop rock song as one might expect. I’m trying to think of an existing bands sound to compare it to, but can’t quite pigeon hold it. Picture something ala Better Than Ezra meets Pink: catchy, would probably best be categorized as rock, but definately too upbeat and glossy for Supernova.

Conversely, Ryan’s original is much angrier and cruder, in a good way. The Supernovans all claim it was his best and most rocking performance, and I am inclined to agree. It was a song I could see a band like the Foo Fighters playing, and while it might not be perfect for Supernova it was definately in the ballpark of what you might expect from the band.

It was an interesting week for the rest of the wannabes. I think that the encore battle will be between Magni and Lukas, and based on the Supernova response I’m leaning towards the Torontonian. The weird part about those who are left is that nobody is totally well-rounded. Magni can sing and perform, but his personality is somewhat bland; Patrice is too happy; Ryan too dark and tormented; Dilana’s voice is borderline painful; Lukas has the voice and persona, but his stage presence is awkward; Toby can’t seem to figure out when to leave a good thing alone; and Storm doesn’t seem to have enough of a powerful presence to front a group of this magnitude.

Storm got overwhelmed by her song this week. She may have sung it well, but the song was larger than she was (pun intended). Dilana probably gave her weakest performance to date, with a song that was quite frankly too subdued for her. Toby butchered the arrangement on the classic Layla (one of the greatest guitar songs of all time), but luckily for him he gave the performance of the night (performance wise, though the singing and rearrangement could very well outweigh the good). When you throw in Patrice to the equation we have four pegs for three holes boys and girls.

The bottom three in the flash vote were Patrice, Storm, and Toby. I’m inclined to say it will stay this way, but last week should have taught us something. Storm was in the bottom three at some point last week, and her performance then was worse than this week’s outing, yet she managed to not have to perform. Magni, however, did end up having to perform as part of the bottom three last week. Also, Toby was in the flash vote bottom three last week, but he managed to not end up there. Bottom line is that I think Patrice is the only automatic bid to sing tomorrow night. I’m going to lean towards putting Storm in the bottom three as well, because I think some people may have gone out of their way to save her last week and they won’t do so again this week. For the final spot on tomorrow’s set list I’m going to make the surprise pick of Dilana. She has yet to be in the bottom three, and I don’t think her performance this week was very strong at all (in fact she may have been the worst of the group). Patrice is the one to go though.

Quick correction on the number of shows left before I bid you farwell. They crown a winner in three weeks, on September 13, but that actually means including this week there are four weeks left. Figuring we are down to two for the final week, that means that five have to go over the next three weeks. I’m gonna guess they’ll go from four down to two for the finals, which means it will be double eliminations either this week or next (and I would lean towards this week). With that in mind I have no clue who will be going home with Patrice, it has become that wide open. And now your week 8 set list —

1. Patrice – “Beautiful Thing” an original
2. Magni – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
3. Ryan – “Back of Your Car” an original
4. Storm – “Cryin” by Aerosmith
5. Dilana – “Every Breath You Take” by The Police
6. Toby – “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes
7. Lukas – “All These Things That I Have Done” by The Killers

Friday Filecabinet 8.3

A little bit of everything to disucss, but thus is the point of the filecabinet.  Movies, sports, television, and plenty of mindless banter.  Let’s get it on!

• Last week NBC was kind enough to deem us a Last Comic Standing, and that comic’s name is Josh Blue.  For those of you who didn’t watch the show, Josh has cerebal paulsey and is physically handicap.  Is that the reason he won?  It isn’t the only reason he won, and I think that’s the best way to put it.  Mr. Blue is a funny dude, but so was his co-finalist Ty Barnett.  It would be silly to think that compassion and pity didn’t have a role in the final vote, but that’s not to say the result would’ve been any different.  Josh is very clever and quick witted, with much of his routine being very topical, but there is no defining bit of his that can easily be recalled and retold to your friends who haven’t seen him.  This is why Josh Blue will never make it big.  Kudos to him for winning though.

• In other television news, G4 (the station formerly known as TV for gamers, but perhaps now known as the station that airs lots of Star Trek) will start airing Arrested Development weeknights at 11:30 starting September 4th.  While the episodes won’t be new, this is still very exciting news as Arrested Development is one of the funniest, if not the funniest, comedy to air in the 21st century.  G4 has been trying to compete with Adult Swim for viewship for the better part of this year, and while Banzai, Ed the Sock, and TV Funhouse may not have made the splash they were hoping for Arrested Development should draw away some viewers.  After all if I have to decide between watching an episode of Family Guy for the 20th time or AD for the second, I’m going with the Bluths.

• The minds behind Aqua Teen Hunger Force have made a movie that was first rumored to come out this past Spring, but now is rumored for a September release.  I say rumored because I have not found an official release date, and seeing as how September is just weeks away and it has already been bumped back once I am hesitant to commit.  When it does come out I will waste no time in seeing it though, as ATHF is non-sensical comedy gold.  Some information about the picture is available, including its fantastic title:  The Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie Film for Theaters.  Also to be rumored as part of the movie was a 40 minute drum solo by Master Shake . . . sadly this scene doesn’t appear to be part of the final cut.

• Evander Holyfield is schedule to get back in the ring and fight again tonight against some guy I’ve never heard of.  Based on this information I am going to pick the unknown guy to win in six rounds.  We’re getting close to the point where Holyfield is only going to retire when he can’t physically make it into the ring on his own.  Is it too cruel to wish one of these guys kills the man?  OK, maybe murder is a little harsh, how about just maiming him to life in a wheel chair?

• In other ridiculous sports news, Junior Seau retired Monday after an NFL career sure to secure his place in the Hall of Fame.  Not so ridiculous sounding, right?  Reports have surfaced that Seau is planning to sign with the New England Patriots today.  Can’t John McCain pass some legislature that makes retirement in professional sports binding?  This sort of stuff happens all the time.  At least in professional wrestling when a guy loses a retirement match they wait a few months to a year before bringing him back, and even then they usually attempt to repackage the guy as a different character.  And on that note I’d like to announce my retirement from the Stream of Consciousness … at least for today.

Who Wants to be a Superhero week 4

It’s that time of the week once again true believers.  What has Stan Lee got cooked up for our hero hopefuls this go around?  Will the Dark Enforcer foil their exploits?  Will anyone eat Fat Momma’s donuts?  What will Major Victory do next?  The answers will leave you rolling on the floor!

The show begins with the someday supers spending some free time patrolling the streets; stopping evil doers and helping the innocent and weary.  Creature makes a litterer go back and pick up his trash along with others, Feedback stands in front of a lingerie store window to prevent small children from thinking impure thoughts, and Fat Momma criticizes a meter made for parking in a loading zone.  Huh?  But the star of the segment is once again Major Victory, who, after taking off his cape and using it to cover a puddle for two old ladies, finds a way to work in a moonwalk after helping said elderlies cross the street.

Just as Stan congratulates the group on their good deeds, the Dark Enforcer rears his ugly head (both figuratively and literally, have you seen this guy’s mug?).  Turns out he’s been away on recon, and he has gotten confessionals from those close to our spandexed squad.  The comments are nothing exciting, basically a tool to contradict the stories of our contestants, made watchable mainly due to the reactions and teasing of our favorite super villian.  The videos do provide Stan with the needed fodder to make an elimination though.

Based on the fact that in a past life she tossed trash out of a hotel room window, and perhaps in larger part because she jaywalked while on her earlier peace keeping mission, Creature was sent home.  The remainees are of course very saddened and will miss her.  Being the thoughtful and environmentally conscious girl that she is, Creature sends over a basket of organic fruit to the lair for breakfast the next morning.  Everyone is happy once again, except for the one who complains about all the fruit being raw off camera.

The next task is one that has been teased all season, as the caped contenders are sent off to rehabilitate hardened prisoners.  There is a catch however, as Stan bestows secret sub-tasks on each person.  Lemuria is up first and she needs to sit on her prisoners lap for ten seconds.  Our gal in gold hardly manages to break the ice with the prisoner, let alone get on her lap before being yelled out for touching.  Needless to say she fails.  Up next is Fat Momma who is tasked with brushing back said prisoners hair three times.  Despite constantly being told not to touch, F.M. manages to eek out three brush backs before being sent off.  The missions continued to be accomplished as Major Victory successfully places his hand on a large black prisoners shoulders over the course of his time.  Last up is Feedback who proves to be the most successful of our homegrown heroes.  He manages to successfully initiate three hugs with said prisoner by connecting with him about losing their fathers.

The task is over, so that means it’s time for the final elimination of the night.  Lemuria is on the block automatically since she failed her mini task.  Up against her is Major Victory.  Stan has had a problem with Major Victory from the start about his disrobing.  You see, our favorite Mr. Incredible look-a-like used to be a stripper in his previous life, and some traits are hard to kick.  While most of his costume has stayed on, Major Victory seems to lose his cape almost every time out (despite repeated warnings from Stan the man).  However, his clothing issues are not enough to eliminate him.  Lemuria’s lack of accomplishment with the prisoner ultimately leads to her demise, proving once again that Major Victory is a winner, not a weiner.

The Supernova Burnout week 7

We get a real treat during act one of the results show this week as Supernova announces they are going to make their debut performance. Footage from earlier in the week is shown of the wannabes all cutting a demo of the new track, and as they come back from tape it is announced that Dilana is the lucky one fronting them tonight. Not a real shock, as the gang seems to be enamored by her. In case you didn’t know that the recap show isn’t live, the camera footage switches to that glossy rock video production look that MTV has been using the last few years for their awards shows.

Dilana holds her own, but the song is the true star here. Its got Mr. Butch Walker’s fingerprints all over it, and that my friends is a very good thing. The single, entitle “Leave the Lights On”, could easily be a hit single for these guys. It’s got an extremely catchy chorus and a rocking sound. As far as the bands the band members have come from, I would say that the song most closely resembles something Motley Crue would do moreso than a Guns ‘n’ Roses or Metallica track, but that is more just for the sake of comparison as this song has more of a happy almost pop edge to it. If you are at all familiar with Butch Walker’s solo albums, think of one of his faster tracks with less tounge-in-cheekiness.

Realizing that time has been on their side the last few weeks, we also have time for an encore. The guys deservedly give the honor to Ryan (even if it may have partially been because Dilana already performed). It’s funny, because even though I think that Ryan only outranks Zayra and Patrice among the remainees, he has delivered some solid performances over the past couple of weeks.

Time to get down to the business of the evening, as Brooke has Zayra, Patrice, and Toby stand due to them being in the bottom three as the show went off the air. Storm and Magni join them before all is said and done. I think two things stand out to me here. First that Lukas avoided the bottom three for the second time after a less than stellar performance, and the other being that Magni landed in the bottom three at some point despite a solid outing. Says a lot about the fan bases for both of these guys. I am led to believe that Lukas’ look and attitude is more endearing to the teenage girls who probably do the bulk of the voting (whereas they are probably a smaller percentage of the overall audience, but the other audience segments don’t necessarily text in a vote or run onto the computer to vote online after the show).

Zayra is up first, hopefully signifying the beginning of the end for her. She chooses to perform “Razorblade” by Blue October and I can happily report that it was awful. I am familiar with the band but not with the song, so I don’t know how the original sounds though this version seemed to have an original arrangement to me. There were definately Spanish influences in it, and from the way she sang the song, I was unable to understand hardly any of the lyrics. Coincidentally the one lyric that I could make out was when Zayra sang “I am proud of what I’ve done.” Which is fitting, because despite her complete lack of chemistry with everything that Supernova and this show is about, she did stay true to herself. She’s gotta be gone, but the question is will anyone join her in leaving tonight?

Patrice is up next, and we’re two for two with who needs to be performing tonight. She decides to switch up her original plans to do a ballad and instead goes with “Celebrity Skin” by Hole. I believe this is the song Lukas butchered the week that I missed the performance episode, so I’m thinking Patrice has gotta look good compared to that. Unlike the last few songs she has chosen, this is actually a track that is bolstered by Patrice’s overwhelming giddiness to still be singing on national television. Pretty standard version of the song that is made better by Patrice touring the stage, making stops to dane with the bassist and the other remaining contestants, before spending the last part of the performance up with the Supernovans. Much better than Zayra, but Patrice has been in the bottom four times now I think, so this may be the end of the road for her. If it is, it was a good way to go out.

And our last wannabe to sing tonight is Magni. Slight shock here, and I honestly think that he is safe regardless of what he picks (barring monumental suckage). In a really weird move Magni chooses Radiohead’s “Creep” as his song of the night, implicitly dubbing tonight’s show “the Lukas Rossi edition”. Unlike Patrice, however, Magni picks a song that Lukas sang well.

About 30 seconds into his performance a storm hits and my satellite signal dies, only managing to come back right as the show switches to commercials for the final time. I cannot make this up. So I am left in the dark until the videos come up on MSN. My guess is that Magni sits down first, and Zayra is the only one sent packing after Gilby puts Patrice on notice.

Turns out I was spot on in my predictions, down to the order.  Magni was told that he wasn’t close to being eliminated, and then Patrice was told that they could see her possibly fronting Supernova before Tommy “The Hatchet Man” Lee sent Zayra packing.  And everyone was happy.  And there was much rejoicing.  And we all said …. Amen!

Rock Star: Supernova week 7

Wow we’re in week seven of the summer’s best show, and I can’t tell if that seems long or short but it doesn’t sound right.  Quick note of housekeeping before we sink our teeth into the rawk.  I have decided to create a new grouping specifically for the Rock Star recaps and burnouts, so you should now be able to easily access all things Rock Star quick and easy.  Also, once again the set list is at the end of the recap.  Now then, after the shocking double elimination last week will the wannabes step it up and build off of the all-around solid outing they delivered last week, or are we back to Zayra doing interpretive Spanish dance and Ryan channelling his inner Johnny Cash once again?  It’s time to find out.

Right off the bat I feel a sense of fear come over me as Brooke announces a “very special” stripped down acoustic show, complete with string quartet.  If half of the remaining troupe can pull off passable performances tonight we’ll be lucky.  Ugh.

In the song selection footage we find out that one of the auditioners will get a chance to perform an original song, though the only two who fight for it are Ryan and Zayra (with the latter winning out).  Dave bashes the wannabes for not wanting to do their original, but with this being a specialty week I can understand the reluctancy.  Outside of the two who wanted to do their original, I can’t help but think that everyone else’s own music would be too loud and plugged in for acoustic week.  It is also announced that Gilby will be playing unplugged guitar for Toby this week.

So Zayra’s song was good out of context.  I mean it sounded like something Enrique Iglesias might sing, and I could hear it being played on some Spanish station or even a top 40 station, but it was by no means right for this show.  If she doesn’t end up in the bottom three then this show may as well change its name to American Idol: Supernova.

Patrice actually picked a real good song for her voice and sang it well, but her style and performance just don’t mix.  Patrice’s look basically range from pop punk to British punk (she had a Green Day vibe going tonight).  Perhaps more importantly is the fact that she cannot hide how happy she is to still be performing.  I think its great that she is digging this awesome opportunity she has as much as she is, but the last couple of songs she has sung needed to be performed with an edge that wasn’t there.  However, with all that being said, she might just survive the bottom three this week.

And the reason she might live to sing another week is because Lukas and Storm, who have now official dropped to no-mans-land between the good and the bad, each failed to bring their A-games this week.  Despite the praise of Dave and the gang, I thought that Lukas picked a horrible song for his voice.  There is a certain type of song that Lukas can sound really good on, but it seems that he can just as likely sound whiny and gravely with the wrong material.  I can’t really explain it perfectly, but know that is different than the problem I have with Dilana.  Dilana’s voice is just not refined at all, and it sounds hoarse no matter what she sings, however Lukas has sounded clear and powerful before.  Maybe it goes back to Jason’s complaints about him restricting his “instrument”.

Storm was probably fighting a losing battle before she even began her performance.  Much like Jill’s decision to perform “Respect” last week, “I Will Survive” is never going to be a rock song.  Unlike Jill, Storm at least partially didn’t have a choice in performing it.  Clearly this had to be the song that was left over for the week, and somebody was gonna get stuck with it.  There really wasn’t much effort in attempting to vary the song on Storm’s part though, and, as Dave pointed out,  Marty somehow made “Hit Me Baby One More Time” work as a rock song last season.  Tommy did get off the line of the night after the performance though, calling it “sauteed in wrong sauce.”

On the other end of the spectrum, it looks like it will be a close battle for the encore tomorrow night as well.  Toby, Ryan, and Dilana all had strong performances.  Personally I would give the encore to Ryan who gave a very strong and intense performance, clearly riding the momentum of his elimination saving rendition of “Enjoy the Silence” last week.  Toby gave a high energy version of his song and even through in the nice touch of closing the song on the bongos himself, but it may have been too faithful to the original to be repeated.  The same could be said for Dilana’s performance, save the lack of bongos, but the Supernova boys seem to really dig her vibe, so she may get the double dip.  She continues to grow on me, but I still have issues with her voice.

So it should be a close week in voting, as four wannabes vie to stay out of three spots.  I would have to imagine that Zayra will land in the bottom three after a week away between her song being both a pop ballad and in a foreign language.  Storm getting panned by the judges and also not really rocking out should land her in the bottom as well.  As for the third, I think that between the Supernovan praise and his track record Lukas will remain seated tomorrow, meaning happy Patrice will be singing for her spot.  Just to throw a monkey wrench into things though, the flash voting reveals Zayra, Patrice, and …. Toby in the immediate bottom three.  I’m starting to think that playing with a member of Supernova may be more curse than blessing, as it seems to kill you in the voting.  I guess people just take for granted the added support equaling more votes so they vote for others, where in reality the reverse is happening.  At any rate, I don’t think Toby will remain in the bottom, but it was eye opening.  And now your set list:

1. Zayra – “Lluvia De Mar” (original song performed in Spanish)
2. Magni – “Starman” by David Bowie
3. Patrice – “Message in a Bottle” by The Police
4. Lukas – “Hero” by Chad Kroeger (the Spider-man movie song)
5. Storm – “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
6. Toby – “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel
7. Ryan – “In the Air Tonight” by Phl Collins
8. Dilana – “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin

Flavor of Love

There really isn’t much to recap in this show per say.  Technically it is a reality show competition, but anyone who says that they care about who wins is lying.  Flavor of Love is about the journey my friends, and what a back-ass-wards journey it is!  Just when you think the absurdity is at the highest level something even more ridiculous happens … like a girl crapping on our man Flav’s stairs!  Welcome to the Jerry Springer of reality television.

This week’s installment gets off to an amazing start, as Flavor Flav is shown eating fried chicken during his testimonial/confessional scenes for the first half of the show, and lest I forget to mention he’s wearing a fantastic gold viking hat comeplete with ear flaps the whole time.  Flav takes three girls out on a date and spends time with each of them individually on a gondola ride, which Flav incorrectly refers to as a “gonzolia” for the entirity of the show.  Two of the girls, Like Dat and Buckwild, are chatting while they wait their turn.  Buckwild is a white girl who acts the most gangsta and ghetto out of everyone in the house, while Like Dat is actually from the ghetto.  Buckwild tells Like Dat that she is from Rancho Cuckamunga which evidently is not the ghetto, so Like Dat now things she is a faker.  I have no clue where the actual ghetto is, but more drama on this show can only be a good thing.

Back at the house, the girls who didn’t go on the date decide to pass the time by having a “booty contest”, which evidently just involves lots of ass shaking, and playing truth-or-dare, which involves skinny dipping and (literal) ass kissing.  These girls aren’t happy to be on TV at all.  No, they are just there to fall in love with Flav.

The quote of the night comes from the soon-to-be eliminated Wire, as she tells the rest of the girls that “she wants dark babies.”  Wire is the whitish girl in the house by the way.  This is followed closely by Something deciding that she is happy that she took a crap on national television in the middle of someone’s house.  Again, I have no doubt that each of these girls would be doing this behind closed doors if it meant they could fall in love with Flavor Flav.  There is absolutely no pandering to the camera at all.

You have to give it up for your man Flav though.  Anyone who can come out dressed in pimp pajamas with a royal cape and crown on over them for an elimination ceremony and not be ridiculed is doing something right.  I mean all the guy has to do is shout out his name after he is done speaking to the girls and they all reply back in unison, “Flavor Flav!”  That is something special my friends, much like this show.