July 11 - White Wedding
Rock Star: Supernova, July 11 - White Wedding by Jenn Brasler -- 07/12/2006 No, no one’s getting married. (Josh hasn’t proposed to Jenn yet.) But as Billy Idol said, it’s a nice day for a white wedding. Jill (right) is prepared for hers. But why is she wearing a wedding gown on stage at a rock show? (Warning: some questions may not be answered.) Brooke is wearing a blinding orange dress. It definitely doesn’t go with the red curtain on the stage. The audience cheers for the remaining 14 rockers. Brooke gives us the typical spiel about Supernova, then introduces Gilby, Tommy, and Jason, as well as Dave. Last week Matt (AKA Rio) was the first singer eliminated, mainly because of his song choice. And what did we learn, boys and girls? Duran Duran is not rock. Tommy says that he was voted to be the “hatchet guy” and was sad to let Matt go. Gilby warns that they were easy on everyone last week. No one should take the comments personally - they’re looking for the best singer. Jason just encourages them all to do their best. Last week Magni almost landed in the bottom three because his performance of “Satisfaction” was deemed “too Vegas.” This week he’s taking a page from Storm’s book and singing the Who’s “My Generation.” Magni… has no hair. Did he have hair last week? I can’t even remember. There are too many people here. Anyway, the performance is okay. I’m not too impressed. The outfit is nice - all black, including dark sunglasses. But the rocking is so-so. Even with the key change, I don’t think it shows off the talent he most seriously has. Jason thinks Magni had great control, and his experience is showing. Tommy thinks it was “ho-hum,” though he loved the ho; it just needs more hum. Gilby just says Magni was awesome. Jenny is doing “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. She’s slowed it down and it’s all focused on her voice. Good idea. She’s also playing up the sex kitten angle, which is smart, since she has a lot of sex kittens to compete with. The song starts picking up and Jenny is right on top of it. She can rock as well as she can do the calmer stuff. She seems very versatile. I like this a lot better than her performance last week. Gilby didn’t like the beginning but he liked it when it picked up. Jenny says she was going for contrast. Dave congratulates her for making an old song work, then tells her to go eat a sandwich. Dude, that’s totally what I say when I see super-skinny girls. Dave and I are on the same wavelength. Last week Jill… holy crap, what is Jill wearing? I can’t even concentrate on what Brooke is saying because Jill is distracting me. She’s wearing a wedding dress, completely with veil, and holding some roses along with a mic. Incongruously, she’s standing in front of a grand piano. Is she on drugs? I’m scared of her. Brooke is saying something about her singing Hole’s “Violet,” and suddenly it all makes sense - Jill is trying to out-Courtney Courtney Love. (Incidentally, I really want someone to sing “Celebrity Skin.”) Jill screams her way through the song. Jason looks like he has a headache. She loses the veil at one point, but that’s not helping. She’s too caught up in the spectacle and isn’t focusing on the singing. One of the girls in the front row of the audience looks a little freaked. Jill ends up flopping on the stage, giving us a peek at her underwear and the boots she’s wearing. Classy. Dave likes that Jill is willing to get messy. However, he didn’t like the Courtney impersonation. In fact, it was “uncomfortable.” Jill claims that this was her interpretation (I call bull) and she doesn’t know or care what Courtney has done. This was Jill coming out of her box. Dave says that in the album “Violet” is on, Courtney’s in a white dress and holding roses. Thank you, Dave. Gilby agrees with me that there was more screaming than singing. Tommy wonders if Jill is wearing panties. Wasn’t he paying attention. “Maybe, maybe not,” Jill replies. Brooke gives us the voting info. I’m going to stop reporting when Brooke tells us things we already know. I’ll trust that you all are smart enough to know how and where to vote, what the prizes are for the winner, and all that stuff. Last week Jason proposed to Zayra, for some unknown reason. This week she’s singing the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” Her voice is definitely better this week, but the arrangement is weird. It sounds almost Middle Eastern or Indian. Also, the wailing has to go. She sounds like she’s overpronouncing the words or singing everything too straight-on. It’s hard to describe. Plus, she’s singing the same parts over and over. Instead of a big ending, Zayra just… stops. Bleh. Gilby says Zayra gives it her all every time she performs, but she doesn’t seem to know what the band is looking for. “You haven’t told me,” Zayra replies. Um, yes they have. Many, many times. Also, be nice to the man who might be deciding your future. Gilby wonders if she owns any records they’ve been on. She’s heard of their music, and she was wearing diapers when their stuff was out. That’s no excuse. Shut up, Zayra. Everyone cheers for her. Tommy says it was okay. Get her out of here, please. Chris ruined “Roxanne” last week and almost got eliminated, but he made it to another performance. This week he’s doing Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out.” Interesting choice. I’d like to be in the room when the song-pickers come up with the choices. Chris is rocking the black eyeliner and white jacket, which makes me think he would be more comfortable doing something by the Killers or Panic! At the Disco. He’s okay. I thought “L.A. Woman” was better. I don’t like this arrangement; I prefer the original. I don’t know; there’s not much to say. Dave says it felt like a performance by the winner of a charity con-*test*-('"). Chris needs more info, saying that if Dave will tell him what’s going on, he’ll listen. Dave and Jason both think he lacks authenticity. Everyone’s favorite crazy girl, Dilana, has gone old school with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Speaking of interesting song choices. Do I need to tell you she’s awesome? She happens to look like Elvira, but that’s neither here nor there. Someone in the band is playing a little flamenco guitar and it sounds great. There’s very little rocking here; it’s very calm but very sultry and passionate. Like Jenny, Dilana is showing her versatility. Dave is surprised that Dilana took a classic Johnny Cash song and turned it into this. He says it was awesome. Tommy calls it amazing and says everyone loved it. Gilby says Dilana is unique and every performance she gives is unique. My boyfriend Josh wants to bring the soul and funk to Supernova. Too bad this week he’s wearing orange plaid and singing Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open.” Nooooooo! Call it denial, but I’m going to tell myself that he was late to the song-picking and wound up with this by default. Don’t try to tell me any differently. Although, as Creed songs go, this is one of the least objectionable. Josh also manages to make me forget that it’s by Creed. His voice is just so great. He starts out with the soul and remembers to put some rock in there, so I don’t think Supernova will be disappointed. I’m not sure he can win this, but he’s definitely a contender. Dave calls Josh one of the best singers he’s heard in a long time, though this performance was just average. Jason warns him to be careful about doing the Stevie Wonder thing. Dave agrees; if he uses it sparingly, it gives people chills. The other survivor of last week’s bottom three is Phil, who is singing “If You Could Only See” by Tonic. Yawn. He sounds like he’s whining. I still don’t think he has much of a personality. Duran Duran aside, Phil should’ve gone home last week. He’s not on the same level as the others. Dave likes Phil’s voice but thinks he should work on his stage presence. Tommy loves Phil’s swagger and the way he sings. Plus, he’s good-looking. Jason disagrees about the swagger (as do I), adding that he has to close his eyes to enjoy Phil’s voice. He’d like a harder stance. Storm! Wow, she looks like Shirley Manson tonight. She’s singing “Surrender” by Cheap Trick. This chick definitely knows how to work an audience. She’s pumped up “Surrender” a lot and made it more of a song that Supernova would appreciate. Storm shows off her range a little with some higher notes, but I’d like to hear more of that. Jason notes that Storm’s energy is always infectious. Dave says she can clearly sing and has a huge voice, but there was a little Broadway in her performance (specifically Cats). He wants her to have character, not be a character. I love Dave and Supernova’s comments. Patrice (who I like to think of as Storm lite) is up next with Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.” I want to hear Dilana rock the crap out of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” Patrice is playing a really cool green electric guitar. Oops, I think this key is a little too low for her. (The old American Idol start-out-low-so-you-can-hit-the-high-notes trick.) This is pretty average; it’s not spectacular but it’s not horrible. Patrice does have a great voice, though. I think she’s going to always be overshadowed by Storm and Dilana, though. Dave notes that Patrice dropped a line, but it doesn’t matter, since she sang and looked great. Tommy wants her to play it lower, but Patrice notes that she’s short. Gilby says she does things her way, and that’s the only way. Lukas, this season’s bad boy, wants to show us his softer side. Particularly, his Chris Martin side - he’s doing Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic.” Coincidentally, a few nights ago I was watching an episode from the third season of Scrubs and this song was played. I thought it sounded like Coldplay. This? Does not. It still retains a few hints of Coldplay-ness, but it’s all Lukas. I don’t care much for Lukas, but this is great. I think he’ll be in this for a long time. He’s got the voice, the look, and the attitude, and I think Supernova likes him a lot. Dave thinks Lukas has one foot in today’s music and a foot in the future, which is good. Jason takes issue with Lukas’ constriction of his sounds. Tommy tells him to shut up, then grins. Lukas respects Jason’s opinion. Jason warns him to take care of his instrument, his voice. Supernova thought Ryan’s guitar got in the way of his performance last week. So this week he’s singing the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” No, I don’t know what the connection is there either. You’ll have to ask Brooke. I don’t have much of an opinion of Ryan yet - like I said, there are a lot of people here - but I really like this performance. Ryan is all over the place and totally playing up to the audience. He shows off his pipes a little and I don’t think he’s trying to impersonate Mick Jagger at all. It’s totally his own. Dave thinks the performance was slow at the beginning, but then he showed his energy. He’d like to see him start off like that in the future. Tommy does a few Jagger poses, noting that he’s a showboat, so Ryan should do the same. I disagree - then wouldn’t they say he’s trying to imitate him? The baby of the group, Dana, proved her worth last week. This week… what? Steppenwolf? “Born to be Wild”? I don’t believe it coming out of her mouth. I don’t think Dana could make it in a hard rock band. She’s definitely trying, though, and her voice is great. She’s just not up there with everyone else. The guitar player likes her, though. By the end of the performance, Dana looks exhausted. So much for energy. Gilby wonders if Dana’s parents would recognize her now. He’s still waiting for her to get really dirty. She promises to do it. Tommy pronounces her “born to be mild.” She thinks her fishnets and leopard print are enough. Jason thinks she has a lot of power and they can work with her “clay.” “I like clay,” she replies. Honey, you’re verging on Kelly Pickler territory. Quit while you’re ahead Last week Toby did Coldplay, and this week he’s switching gears in a major week. He’s doing the Killers’ “Somebody Told Me.” Bleh. I like the Killers, but I’m so sick of this song. I wish they’d put in “All These Things That I’ve Done” instead. Anyway, I didn’t say such nice things about Toby last week, but he’s redeeming himself with me now. He shows off his voice nicely and works with the audience a lot. Also, if I might say, nice eyes! And I’m kind of liking the eyebrow ring. Gilby praises Toby for his great song choices. Tommy notes that obviously the women love him. Toby thinks that’s lucky, since he likes girls. Dave says Toby is vocally “dialed.” After we get the voting numbers one more time and see some commercials, we learn that the early bottom three are Jill, Chris, and Zayra. Right on.http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article9767.art&page=1
Rock Star: Supernova, July 11 - White Wedding by Jenn Brasler -- 07/12/2006 No, no one’s getting married. (Josh hasn’t proposed to Jenn yet.) But as Billy Idol said, it’s a nice day for a white wedding. Jill (right) is prepared for hers. But why is she wearing a wedding gown on stage at a rock show? (Warning: some questions may not be answered.) Brooke is wearing a blinding orange dress. It definitely doesn’t go with the red curtain on the stage. The audience cheers for the remaining 14 rockers. Brooke gives us the typical spiel about Supernova, then introduces Gilby, Tommy, and Jason, as well as Dave. Last week Matt (AKA Rio) was the first singer eliminated, mainly because of his song choice. And what did we learn, boys and girls? Duran Duran is not rock. Tommy says that he was voted to be the “hatchet guy” and was sad to let Matt go. Gilby warns that they were easy on everyone last week. No one should take the comments personally - they’re looking for the best singer. Jason just encourages them all to do their best. Last week Magni almost landed in the bottom three because his performance of “Satisfaction” was deemed “too Vegas.” This week he’s taking a page from Storm’s book and singing the Who’s “My Generation.” Magni… has no hair. Did he have hair last week? I can’t even remember. There are too many people here. Anyway, the performance is okay. I’m not too impressed. The outfit is nice - all black, including dark sunglasses. But the rocking is so-so. Even with the key change, I don’t think it shows off the talent he most seriously has. Jason thinks Magni had great control, and his experience is showing. Tommy thinks it was “ho-hum,” though he loved the ho; it just needs more hum. Gilby just says Magni was awesome. Jenny is doing “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. She’s slowed it down and it’s all focused on her voice. Good idea. She’s also playing up the sex kitten angle, which is smart, since she has a lot of sex kittens to compete with. The song starts picking up and Jenny is right on top of it. She can rock as well as she can do the calmer stuff. She seems very versatile. I like this a lot better than her performance last week. Gilby didn’t like the beginning but he liked it when it picked up. Jenny says she was going for contrast. Dave congratulates her for making an old song work, then tells her to go eat a sandwich. Dude, that’s totally what I say when I see super-skinny girls. Dave and I are on the same wavelength. Last week Jill… holy crap, what is Jill wearing? I can’t even concentrate on what Brooke is saying because Jill is distracting me. She’s wearing a wedding dress, completely with veil, and holding some roses along with a mic. Incongruously, she’s standing in front of a grand piano. Is she on drugs? I’m scared of her. Brooke is saying something about her singing Hole’s “Violet,” and suddenly it all makes sense - Jill is trying to out-Courtney Courtney Love. (Incidentally, I really want someone to sing “Celebrity Skin.”) Jill screams her way through the song. Jason looks like he has a headache. She loses the veil at one point, but that’s not helping. She’s too caught up in the spectacle and isn’t focusing on the singing. One of the girls in the front row of the audience looks a little freaked. Jill ends up flopping on the stage, giving us a peek at her underwear and the boots she’s wearing. Classy. Dave likes that Jill is willing to get messy. However, he didn’t like the Courtney impersonation. In fact, it was “uncomfortable.” Jill claims that this was her interpretation (I call bull) and she doesn’t know or care what Courtney has done. This was Jill coming out of her box. Dave says that in the album “Violet” is on, Courtney’s in a white dress and holding roses. Thank you, Dave. Gilby agrees with me that there was more screaming than singing. Tommy wonders if Jill is wearing panties. Wasn’t he paying attention. “Maybe, maybe not,” Jill replies. Brooke gives us the voting info. I’m going to stop reporting when Brooke tells us things we already know. I’ll trust that you all are smart enough to know how and where to vote, what the prizes are for the winner, and all that stuff. Last week Jason proposed to Zayra, for some unknown reason. This week she’s singing the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” Her voice is definitely better this week, but the arrangement is weird. It sounds almost Middle Eastern or Indian. Also, the wailing has to go. She sounds like she’s overpronouncing the words or singing everything too straight-on. It’s hard to describe. Plus, she’s singing the same parts over and over. Instead of a big ending, Zayra just… stops. Bleh. Gilby says Zayra gives it her all every time she performs, but she doesn’t seem to know what the band is looking for. “You haven’t told me,” Zayra replies. Um, yes they have. Many, many times. Also, be nice to the man who might be deciding your future. Gilby wonders if she owns any records they’ve been on. She’s heard of their music, and she was wearing diapers when their stuff was out. That’s no excuse. Shut up, Zayra. Everyone cheers for her. Tommy says it was okay. Get her out of here, please. Chris ruined “Roxanne” last week and almost got eliminated, but he made it to another performance. This week he’s doing Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out.” Interesting choice. I’d like to be in the room when the song-pickers come up with the choices. Chris is rocking the black eyeliner and white jacket, which makes me think he would be more comfortable doing something by the Killers or Panic! At the Disco. He’s okay. I thought “L.A. Woman” was better. I don’t like this arrangement; I prefer the original. I don’t know; there’s not much to say. Dave says it felt like a performance by the winner of a charity con-*test*-('"). Chris needs more info, saying that if Dave will tell him what’s going on, he’ll listen. Dave and Jason both think he lacks authenticity. Everyone’s favorite crazy girl, Dilana, has gone old school with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Speaking of interesting song choices. Do I need to tell you she’s awesome? She happens to look like Elvira, but that’s neither here nor there. Someone in the band is playing a little flamenco guitar and it sounds great. There’s very little rocking here; it’s very calm but very sultry and passionate. Like Jenny, Dilana is showing her versatility. Dave is surprised that Dilana took a classic Johnny Cash song and turned it into this. He says it was awesome. Tommy calls it amazing and says everyone loved it. Gilby says Dilana is unique and every performance she gives is unique. My boyfriend Josh wants to bring the soul and funk to Supernova. Too bad this week he’s wearing orange plaid and singing Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open.” Nooooooo! Call it denial, but I’m going to tell myself that he was late to the song-picking and wound up with this by default. Don’t try to tell me any differently. Although, as Creed songs go, this is one of the least objectionable. Josh also manages to make me forget that it’s by Creed. His voice is just so great. He starts out with the soul and remembers to put some rock in there, so I don’t think Supernova will be disappointed. I’m not sure he can win this, but he’s definitely a contender. Dave calls Josh one of the best singers he’s heard in a long time, though this performance was just average. Jason warns him to be careful about doing the Stevie Wonder thing. Dave agrees; if he uses it sparingly, it gives people chills. The other survivor of last week’s bottom three is Phil, who is singing “If You Could Only See” by Tonic. Yawn. He sounds like he’s whining. I still don’t think he has much of a personality. Duran Duran aside, Phil should’ve gone home last week. He’s not on the same level as the others. Dave likes Phil’s voice but thinks he should work on his stage presence. Tommy loves Phil’s swagger and the way he sings. Plus, he’s good-looking. Jason disagrees about the swagger (as do I), adding that he has to close his eyes to enjoy Phil’s voice. He’d like a harder stance. Storm! Wow, she looks like Shirley Manson tonight. She’s singing “Surrender” by Cheap Trick. This chick definitely knows how to work an audience. She’s pumped up “Surrender” a lot and made it more of a song that Supernova would appreciate. Storm shows off her range a little with some higher notes, but I’d like to hear more of that. Jason notes that Storm’s energy is always infectious. Dave says she can clearly sing and has a huge voice, but there was a little Broadway in her performance (specifically Cats). He wants her to have character, not be a character. I love Dave and Supernova’s comments. Patrice (who I like to think of as Storm lite) is up next with Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.” I want to hear Dilana rock the crap out of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” Patrice is playing a really cool green electric guitar. Oops, I think this key is a little too low for her. (The old American Idol start-out-low-so-you-can-hit-the-high-notes trick.) This is pretty average; it’s not spectacular but it’s not horrible. Patrice does have a great voice, though. I think she’s going to always be overshadowed by Storm and Dilana, though. Dave notes that Patrice dropped a line, but it doesn’t matter, since she sang and looked great. Tommy wants her to play it lower, but Patrice notes that she’s short. Gilby says she does things her way, and that’s the only way. Lukas, this season’s bad boy, wants to show us his softer side. Particularly, his Chris Martin side - he’s doing Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic.” Coincidentally, a few nights ago I was watching an episode from the third season of Scrubs and this song was played. I thought it sounded like Coldplay. This? Does not. It still retains a few hints of Coldplay-ness, but it’s all Lukas. I don’t care much for Lukas, but this is great. I think he’ll be in this for a long time. He’s got the voice, the look, and the attitude, and I think Supernova likes him a lot. Dave thinks Lukas has one foot in today’s music and a foot in the future, which is good. Jason takes issue with Lukas’ constriction of his sounds. Tommy tells him to shut up, then grins. Lukas respects Jason’s opinion. Jason warns him to take care of his instrument, his voice. Supernova thought Ryan’s guitar got in the way of his performance last week. So this week he’s singing the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” No, I don’t know what the connection is there either. You’ll have to ask Brooke. I don’t have much of an opinion of Ryan yet - like I said, there are a lot of people here - but I really like this performance. Ryan is all over the place and totally playing up to the audience. He shows off his pipes a little and I don’t think he’s trying to impersonate Mick Jagger at all. It’s totally his own. Dave thinks the performance was slow at the beginning, but then he showed his energy. He’d like to see him start off like that in the future. Tommy does a few Jagger poses, noting that he’s a showboat, so Ryan should do the same. I disagree - then wouldn’t they say he’s trying to imitate him? The baby of the group, Dana, proved her worth last week. This week… what? Steppenwolf? “Born to be Wild”? I don’t believe it coming out of her mouth. I don’t think Dana could make it in a hard rock band. She’s definitely trying, though, and her voice is great. She’s just not up there with everyone else. The guitar player likes her, though. By the end of the performance, Dana looks exhausted. So much for energy. Gilby wonders if Dana’s parents would recognize her now. He’s still waiting for her to get really dirty. She promises to do it. Tommy pronounces her “born to be mild.” She thinks her fishnets and leopard print are enough. Jason thinks she has a lot of power and they can work with her “clay.” “I like clay,” she replies. Honey, you’re verging on Kelly Pickler territory. Quit while you’re ahead Last week Toby did Coldplay, and this week he’s switching gears in a major week. He’s doing the Killers’ “Somebody Told Me.” Bleh. I like the Killers, but I’m so sick of this song. I wish they’d put in “All These Things That I’ve Done” instead. Anyway, I didn’t say such nice things about Toby last week, but he’s redeeming himself with me now. He shows off his voice nicely and works with the audience a lot. Also, if I might say, nice eyes! And I’m kind of liking the eyebrow ring. Gilby praises Toby for his great song choices. Tommy notes that obviously the women love him. Toby thinks that’s lucky, since he likes girls. Dave says Toby is vocally “dialed.” After we get the voting numbers one more time and see some commercials, we learn that the early bottom three are Jill, Chris, and Zayra. Right on.