Rockstar: INXS (1 Viewer)

[Jon Mercer]

I think Marty is gonna win.
It's sad to think that the show has about 4-5 eps left and that the band has probably already picked who they want.

 

[Bob_C]

Why is that sad? It's really no different than any other interview/audition process. Often the people doing the hiring already have an idea of who they want. But the voting process is important too, because if the audience doesn't like the new singer, they ain't buying the new record! INXS has to realize that. No matter how it turns out I enjoy this show more than the other reality shows. It's refreshing to see that you can be competetive without being backstabbing a-holes!

 

[Elizabeth S]

And maybe J.D.'s buzz cut cost him some votes, too.

In any case, I find that "first results" thing they showed at the end of Tuesday night very suspect. The show is taped on Monday. So Brooke just says her blurb about it so the "results" can be added on the screen on Tuesday night after about 3 minutes of voting on the East coast?!?!?!? I find that suspicious.

 

[Rob Willey]

Actually, the concert show is taped Sunday afternoon. And it's free if you're in the area and are willing to wait in line.

Rob

 

[Elizabeth S]

Rob, if I lived in the area, I would be in line every Sunday.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Hmm... none of the contestants blew me away, and they are all in the middle of the pack for me tonight:

Okay:

Marty - made the most of a bizarre song choice by INXS. He'll go far in this competition.
Ty - nice fun song that showcased his big voice. Too bad he's not likable.
MiG - thought it got a little pitchy and almost got lost on a few notes here and there. He's probably the band's #1 pick at this point, but I don't think he's a good fit.

Not bad:

Suzie - good job on a song she was not all that familiar with.
Jordis - didn't quite do it for me, she tried straddling too much happy with too little angst with "Knocking on Heaven's Door", but INXS loves her. I fear she won't sing INXS songs well enough, but they won't find out until 4 more people have been eliminated.

Not too good:

Jessica - didn't do Natalie Imbruglia any favors with her rendition.
Deanna - pressed a bit, and still lacks the nuances to take the song to another emotional level
JD - *zzzzzzzzz*

 

[Richard Travale]

MiG was great tonight I thought.

It's his contest to lose.

Anyone notice he has a bit of a lisp (I think that's what it is) just like Michael Hutchence did?

 

[Ivan Lindenfeld]

I have read this entire thread, and I see very little negative talk about J.D. The reason I mention it is that he bugs me. Makes my skin crawl. I've been trying to figure it out...he never seems sincere, maybe? I'd rather watch someone less pretty whose performance is about the song (Jordis) than watch J.D. who is obviously very good looking but the performance is about...J.D. I don't think he relates to the audience very well at all, either.

The idea of having women make a serious go at this is still silly to me, since the INXS catalog was written by and for a male lead singer, but you cannot deny the talent these women have for singing and stage performing.

Before I get flamed for being a sexist, yes I do think that a woman can absolutely nail a song written by and for a man, but we are talking about a whole catalog here, and an image going back to what, 1979?

Onto others:

Top 3:
Mig : gleaned a performance out of struggle (piano vs. vocal)
Jordis: That voice, the vocal control, the performance!
Marty: He didn't succeed 100% of the time, but he turned that song into something worth it.

Bottom 3:
Suzie
J.D.
Ty Yes, Ty. His image does not match his talent or performance. He bugs me.

Damn Deanna, you're gorgeous, but we already know you have big tits, put them away and let me judge the performance!

 

[Richard Travale]

Ivan, at first I thought that J.D was going to be a real contender. Then he sang a little song by Queen and it has gone downhill from there. The guy is a good singer but has a very limited range and that is a big strike against him. He tries way to hard to be intense and plus he's generally a jerk and there's no way INXS can't see that.

Marty is great but he seems to be pretty limited as well. He turns everything into a grunge tune mainly due to his Cobainesque voice. It's not a bad thing but I don't think it's right for "our band, INXS".

I got a weird vibe from Jordiss last night. I could not tell if she was genuinely getting emotional singing the song or was she trying to ride on her 'the man who sold the world' success.

 

[Doug Miller]

Ivan -- Funny you mention Deanna's assets. I turned to my wife last night and said, "Deanna's going to have a rough time tonight." Why she asked? "Because she's got her tits out." Sure fire sign she wasn't comfortable with the song.

I was one of the watchers that just hated Ty's performance. I liked the guy at first, but he's just too damn peppy in his performances. Plus, he had to go and play the race card last week, which killed me. Rock has been one of those arenas, IMO, that race was never a factor in. And then what does he do last week? Races to Bob Marley.

I thought JDs performance was pretty weak last night, but I still think he's the most appropriate for the band. Absolutely love Jordis, she'll get signed by someone, but just doesn't seem right for INXS.

Doug

 

[Elizabeth S]

In all fairness, I think "As Tears Go By" is a really difficult song to sing. J.D.'s worst performance (and he still can't stay away from the "moves" -- throwing the hat off, his quivering hand bit), but I'm sure he won't be cut yet.

I'm expecting the "first results" bottom 3 to have ended up in the bottom -- Jessica, Deanna and Ty. They'll probably be the next 3 to leave as they don't seem to have the core fan backing who votes no matter what.

My ideal final 3 would be MiG, Marty and J.D.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Did anyone else think "Bride of Frankenstein" when they saw Jordis perform last night?

 

[Rob Willey]

A pretty "meh" episode all around. Nobody really blew me away. I hope to see the House Band rock again next week.

I was a big Jordis fan, but she's really starting to bug me with her almost total dissociation from the emotional content of the lyrics she's singing. No anguish in Layla and Knockin' On Heaven's Door as a revivalist/gospel number? No!

My bottom three this week are Jessica, Deanna and J.D. One (or both) of the first two will probably go.

Rob

 

[Patrick Sun]

Results recap:

MiG got the encore, with Marty and Jordis singing a bit on backup.

Ty avoided the bottom three, but Suzie took his spot.

So Jessica, Suzie and Deanna got to perform an INXS, and I thought Deanna really blew it up with her song, so she got to stay, and finally, after singing her 4th INXS song, Jessica got the boot.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

It was only a matter of time with Jessica, and Deanna won't be around much longer either.

Suzie has been the biggest surprise for me. I've slowly comed around on her and think she might actually be a good fit for the band, although her low support in voting probably means she is out of the running.

Jordis' popularity continues to mystify me. She has a nice voice but turns pretty much every song into a sunny, feel-good experience. It's like she doesn't pay attention to the words she's singing. I agree that she's probably going to have a good opportunity to do something when the show wraps, but I don't think she's right for INXS.

Marty seems to be auditioning for a different band. I think he'll make the final three, but unless INXS wants to go in another direction, he's not going to win.

It seems almost a certainty that MiG has this wrapped up. (Did anybody else catch the band's comment about their pride in a fellow Australian?)

 

[Micheal]

Yup. Why the question mark? MiG was raised in Sydney.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

All I meant, which I forgot to include, was that the way they said it seemed like an obvious tip that he's going to win. (Not because of his heritage, although that doesn't hurt.)

 

[Micheal]

I just took it as being proud of a fellow Australian.
I see your point though...

 

[Elizabeth S]

Well, the conspiracy theorists think MiG is the "ringer". He's my favorite, anyway, but I certainly think he has been portrayed in only a favorable light on the show, he seems genuinely nice and supportive (easy if you know you're going to win), he's attractive, and he's Australian.

However, I must admit a fascination with J.D. When he's good, he's great -- he just has "it" and is mesmerizing to watch. (At least for one song -- who knows about a concert length performance of quivering hand motions.) While rumors abound, if you believe people who have attended the tapings, the editing has HELPED him by cutting out some of his lame excuses when he hasn't done well. I don't like that -- be straight up like Deanna or Jordis when they admit they didn't perform well.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

I wouldn't be surprised--and I can't say I'd blame them--if that's the case. Plus, I assume INXS played a large role in narrowing things down to the finalists, so it's natural to think that they had a good idea of who they'd like and who they wouldn't. Also in the mix had to be some picks purely for casting/personality purposes.

The way the voting works, it's entirely possible the outcome was predetermined. Even if the "winner" was chosen before the contest but shows up consistently in the bottom three, INXS is the final arbiter. It's a brilliant PR move--or would have been if anyone were watching the show--to get the band's name back in the public's awareness. While the ratings haven't been very good, INXS has received more attention than they would have if they'd turned up one day with MiG as their new lead singer. (Can't say that I'd listened to them much in recent years, but since watching the show, I've pulled some of their albums off the shelf.)