I am a reality show junkie and while I may not like all the shows, I do enjoy watching most of them for the human spirit on display each week.
One show that is quickly going into the dumper is CBS’ Rock Star: INXS because the show is set up all wrong making for uninteresting viewing:


1. Hosts Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke are the Paula Abdul twins. They
have no critical feedback or personality to offer. They are a
figurehead and a cheerleader and not substantial personalities with an
opinion. The first week Dave had some bite in his singer critiques but
since then he has only lobbed sugar-coated Abul-isms.

2. The show used to be on three times a week. The first show of the
week has been dumped over to VH1 because the ratings for the entire
show are awful. Here’s why:

3. The show is ass-backwards. Right now the WORST three performers as
voted by America get to perform an INXS song to save themselves from
elimination. Huh? It should be the other way around! Give us the three
BEST vote getters and let them each perform an INXS song so we can bind
with them and cheer for them as they become better and better each
week. Right now we’re stuck with listening to the worst of the worst as
they shatter unknown INXS songs back into nothingness that no one cares
about anyway and the horrid example of that awful plan is Tara, who was
foisted on us three weeks in a row, as a bottom-feeder performer. We
kept voting her out. CBS kept bringing her back for solo performances!
We were tortured by her nasty attitude and superiority complex over
having to sing covers and to make us to put up with her week after week
in the losers-as-star-performers category was more than we could bear
and, so, we stopped watching and the dump to VH1 began.

4. We become numb rooting for the best singers we never get to hear.
Sometimes a great performance will be given an encore the next night
but that’s like re-working a beautiful painting before the paint dries.
You can’t improve on the significance of a memory with the immediacy of
a command performance. Let the best singer from the night before sing a
NEW song instead of the same song they performed the night before. CBS
is setting them up for failure by asking them to recapture their star
power in a bottle.

5. Jordis is the best singer and the most interesting personality and
she has heart and depth and a core and because of all that she probably
won’t win. INXS area bunch of boring old White Men and they want what
they are, so boring and imitative, young, White Men like Brandon or
Marty or Mig or J.D. will likely win. Here’s a great shot of Jordis in
performance. Remember her. Love her. Hope for her:

 Jordis

23 Comments

  1. i like jordis. marty pretends to be other people. brandon doesn’t listen to singing coach. mig is fake. j.d. not a nice person. too bad they keep getting rid of all the women.

  3. I can’t say that I have ever seen this show. It has probably came on since I’ve been over here. I am also a reality show junky, but now the format seems a bit contrite. What I like to watch the show for is the human interactions and mechinations.
    Kev

  4. Hi Kevin!
    It is nice to hear from you.
    The INXS show has an interesting premise: It’s a competition to replace former lead singer Michael Hutchence who died by suicide a few years ago.
    The show is not getting ratings. The show’s slated run has been cut by two weeks so it will finish earlier than planned.
    A lot of the music being performed are hits from the 80’s so there is a fun foundation of “found rock” to be had coming from the throats of young singers. Here’s the CBS website for the show:
    http://www.cbs.com/primetime/rock_star/

  5. Jordis does rock the hardest, but if you think INXS is just a group of boring white guys, you may as well say the same of U2. People love them (I think they are overrated), and I think INXS was more original and crafted much better tunes throughout the 80’s. My opinion 🙂

  6. Now that’s an interesting comment, Todd!
    I find U2… yes, another White Boy Band, to at least have songs that try to move the world in a better direction.
    Are there certain INXS songs that do more than entertain? Are there deeper messages beyond the surface of the song?

  7. I loved INXS and Michael Hutchence. INXS will not be the same without him. They’re not going to find anyone with half the charisma that Hutchence had. That much was evident from the brief glimpses I’ve seen of the show. (I’d rather watch Brat Camp.) It seems disrespectful to turn their hunt for a new singer into a reality show circus. If they want to continue on, that’s fine. I just think they’re going about it in the wrong way.
    Only good thing about that show: Drummer Jon Farriss. He’s still hot as ever.

  8. Hey BeckEye!
    Thanks for the correction for Michael’s name. I fixed it. 🙂
    I’m a Brat Camp fan, too! It looks like there is no hope for making Jada an empathetic member of society now or in her life beyond the sage. River Carving Canyon is my favorite!
    I agree the INXS TV show is a sorry mix. My feeling is no one wants to book INXS for big tours without a big name so, in order to feed their bank accounts, INXS decided they needed a Big Splash to put INXS back on the map and this show is the way they planned to do it.

  9. What terrible things you say!
    I actually really like this show! Of course, I’m one of those people who watches entire seasons of American Idol, too…voting and everything. To me, this was an American Idol with TALENT. The contestants are great singers (but Jordis rules, of course). Dave N. comes across as a pretty cool guy. And I loved loved loved INXS years ago. I don’t diss them for wanting a comeback. Why does being 40 (too old to rock?) matter? I think they’re still great musicians. I think people are upset about this “search for a new singer” because it seems disrespectful to Michael.It was a tragedy, but it was also a decade ago too. God forbid they move on. Watch a whole night (Tuesday) of the singing, and I think you’d find the show pretty entertaining.

  10. Sarah!
    I have not missed one Rock Star: INXS show yet and I watch all three nights during the week! 🙂
    I don’t find the singers particularly talented. Jordis is the top. Mig and Marty are okay but imitative. The others push too hard to be effective.

  11. With all of the HORRIBLE music on the charts today (bling bling, bitc$%es and ho’s rap of Fiddy Cent and his ilk, Mope Rock, Green Day wannbees and cookie cutter pseudo country), INXS look like Led Zeppelin….oh yeah sorry…another White Boy Band). When other artists of today can CREATE rather than IMITATE I will listen. As far as the talent on the show, I would take most of the singers over bilge rap/rock anyday of the week. This comes from someone who loved rap when it first came out and had something to say (Public Enemy, Kurtis Blow, etc).
    ‘New’ music today is just absolutely horrendous.
    BTW: Jordis is good, but what Marty did the other night with an acoustic guitar was sensational!

  12. Michael —
    I agree with you about the quality of today’s music.
    Jordis had a bad night this week. She seems to alternate each week between incredible and awful. She is still my favorite and the most talented.
    I felt Marty’s “trick” to play his own accompaniment backfired. I thought he was rushed, out of rhythm, off key and trying to imitate Kurt Cobain on the live Nirvana MTV session.
    That said, the final three will be Mig, Jordis and Marty and Marty will win by default because he’s a Kurt Cobain wannabee and the easiest to jam into the INXS PR machine.

  13. I WANT TO HERE JORDON PERFORM DRIFT AWAY BY DOBEY GREY.I THINK SHE WOULD DO THIS SONG GREAT,IT IS A CLASSIC AND AN ALLTIME FAVORITE OF MINE.I WATCH YOUR SHOW EVERY WEEK,PLEASE DO ME THIS HONOR.

  14. HELLO PAULETTE!
    JORDIS IS NOT HAVING GOOD PERFORMANCES LATELY. SHE NEEDS TO HONOR THE MELODIES OF THE SONGS INSTEAD OF SINGING RUNS. PERHAPS YOUR SONG SUGGESTION WOULD BETTER SUIT HER. 🙂

  15. love the show, real talent, not only sing but can play instruments and write, JD is a jerk, but has talent. But too selfish to be in a band. Jordis is wonderful. Marty took a crap brittany song and gave it blueys pain. Mig is an Aussie. it will be him.

  16. Hi cookie!
    I agree the show is slanted for a Mig win. I don’t find him particularly deep or interesting but, then again, I guess that makes him a perfect fit for INXS. 🙂

  17. Hi David,
    You said: “Are there certain INXS songs that do more than entertain? Are there deeper messages beyond the surface of the song?”
    I’m not a massive INXS fan, but I can think of one off the top of my head – “Guns in the Sky” was written as a protest song re Reagan’s Star Wars program. Not that it’s a lyrical masterpiece mind you.
    Besides, I think entertainment is a valid end in itself – anything that makes us feel a bit better, and more connected with others (when you can say – “yeah I’ve felt that too”) is a valuable thing.

  18. Hey Liz!
    Thanks for the pointer to the Star Wars song.
    I prefer bands like U2 who seem to at least attempt to give deep meaning to our lives beyond a simple chorus and melody in all their songs. 🙂

  19. I have watched all the episodes with some anticipation. Jordis had an horrendous night tonight and Marty seems to sound the same whatever song he sings. Suzie, Ty, JD and Mig are extremely talented and I have enjoyed all their performances. Mig is my favourite to win. Not because he is an Australian. But the passion and technical expertise he brings to the performance. But I do wish JD would pull his head in.

  20. Hi Suki!
    Thanks for the great analysis!
    I agree that Jordis is finished. She has given up. Last night’s performance was dreadful and uninspired.
    Marty is the same every week and I’m glad they hammered him last night for his screaming. He is imitative and does karaoke performances. Not really interesting.
    Suzie tries to hard to be liked.
    Ty is a great writer but his performances feel ordinary.
    Mig, I agree will win, because he is easygoing and has some talent and he knows INXS are the boss.
    JD needs to go. He’s blown any good vibes and is there just for the train wreck factor of watching a person implode.

  21. I just now shared the following with a good friend in email and I thought I would share it here with you as well:
    ***
    Jordis, I feel, has given up. She realizes she is too unique to be in INXS and she is right to feel guilty for taking up a slot.
    Deanna was awful. She has been repeatedly told by INXS to change her style and she is not unwilling to do so, she is just not talented enough to make it so. So… it’s good she’s gone.
    JD, even though he makes me crazy, gets the idea of the show. Unlike Marty, who feels INXS must “meet him halfway” (ridiculous!)… JD understands the show is looking for someone who can sing the old songs in concert and MAYBE create a new song or two later. INXS make their money in concert by singing their hits and they have no interest or desire to meet anyone “half-way” because they’re already rich and happy and content and they just want to keep the money rolling in for their retirement.
    Mig will win. He doesn’t get it yet like JD gets it, but he can sing well and he will do as he’s told and for INXS, that’s really the most important thing.

  22. Hi
    I have all the episodes of Rock star inxs except the first three. Can anyone get me all the episodes on dvd? I am in England but am willing to pay pleasseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
    Denis

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