Rock Star: Supernova - Week three

Jenny Galt was the third contestant to be eliminated on Rock Star: Supernova. This is not surprising at all. She is not a bad performer by any means, but she's definitely not right for Supernova, or even for this show. On Tuesday night, she performed the Incubus song "Drive". She didn't sound bad, but as Gilby Clarke put it, she would fit in better at Lilith Fair than at Ozzfest. Technically, there was nothing wrong with her vocals on her Wednesday night performance of Stone Temple Pilots' "Vasoline", but she just didn't connect on a visceral level. She was the logical one to be let go. Hopefully, she can use the TV exposure as a springboard to future success with her acoustic duo Cherrybomb.

The other two people who landed in the bottom three were Dana and Josh. I like Dana a lot, but Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" proved not to be a good song choice for her Tuesday night performance. But on Wednesday, she chose the Sass Jordan song "High Road Easy" and rocked out like never before, keeping her safe for at least another week. When Josh performed Nirvana's "Come As You Are" on Tuesday, he based it more on the MTV Unplugged acoustic version than the harder-edged studio version, a move that didn't go over very well with Supernova or the viewers. Having learned his lesson, Josh did Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" on Wednesday and displayed an edge that was lacking from his previous performances. He's staying in the game for now.

Magni got my vote this week. (It bears mentioning that this was the first time this season that I felt compelled to vote for a contestant). His version of STP's "Plush" was spot-on. Supernova evidently agreed, because they asked him for an encore performance. Phil surprised me this week with his gripping rendition of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". He didn't even seem distracted when Jason Newsted bounced into his personal space. Maybe Phil wasn't kidding when he said he'd been holding back on us.

Patrice continues to be subtly effective. Her performance of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" was solid without being showy. (It actually meant something when Tommy Lee had kind words for it, considering that Motley Crue have covered the song in the past). Patrice also gets kudos for standing her ground against Jill in the reality episode. Jill created unnecessary drama over Patrice selecting that song before she could. She claimed that Patrice treated her like a five-year-old -- which I saw no evidence of -- but Jill certainly acted like a five-year-old brat. Having said that, Jill's performance of Free's "All Right Now" was alright, if a bit overheated.

Other high points: I enjoyed Storm's performance of the Cars' "Just What I Needed", even though it wasn't the best song choice for her. (By the way, I've already "Googled" Storm, and, um, parental discretion is advised). And that Lukas character did an entertaining metal-edged rendition of the Stones' "Let's Spend The Night Together", although he seems to be all showmanship and no pipes. I think he should take the advice of Newsted and the voice coach, and work on his voice a little. Or maybe even a lot. But he's probably too proud.

On the downside: Toby stumbled badly with his messy performance of Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train". It was like karaoke with a singer who's not on top of the song. That was supposed to display emotion? I wasn't feelin' it. I also wasn't feelin' Zayra's Bjork-like take on REM's "Everybody Hurts", but some viewers must have felt it, since she escaped the bottom three. She's bought herself more time. Dilana's rendition of the Cranberries' "Zombie" is making me think she is also all pomp and no pipes. But Supernova seemed to dig it. I think Ryan is on his way out. He seemed like a fish out of water doing CCR's "Fortunate Son". And what's with him saying he is "embarrassed" by Dana being on the show? Every week, Ryan seems to try a different tactic to help himself stand out -- and it just makes him look bad. Ryan needs to make his singing stand out next time, or else his first time in the bottom three will also be his last.

Overall, I think this season's contestants are growing on me. They are still no match for last season's ensemble, but they probably never will be, so I'll just have to get over it.

The official site:
http://rockstar.msn.com/

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