Rock Star: Supernova - Week six
Ooh! Double elimination! I was wondering if and when it would happen. INXS did it last season. The difference is that INXS did it to two contestants whose performances stuck out like sore thumbs that week. This week, the two unlucky contestants didn’t perform all that badly. In fact, no one performed badly this week – which is not to say that everyone sounded good.
Josh and Jill were the ones who got the dual axe. I think it has more to do with time constraints (there is now talk of Supernova tour dates!) and with past performances than with their performances this week. Josh and Jill were both on borrowed time for different reasons. Besides, this double-axe gives Supernova one less person to take to Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, Jill did a decent job on Tracy Bonham’s demanding “Mother Mother”, although her stage antics got in the way, even causing her to miss one crucial note right near the end. On Wednesday, she did okay with Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”, but she didn’t hit it out of the park. I’m at least glad that she didn’t whine about being let go.
On Tuesday, Josh did well with STP’s “Interstate Love Song”, with surprise backing by Tommy Lee on drums. But that’s beginning to look like a jinx, because this is the second time Lee didn’t save someone from the bottom three. On Wednesday, Josh sang Bad Company’s classic “Shooting Star”. He claimed it was one of his favorite songs, but he didn’t sing it as if it was. His performance was passable at best, and his head movements were distracting.
Josh and Jill both have talent but neither of them were contenders in this competition. In fact, Josh seemed relieved to be going, just as Dana did last week. Josh and Jill both have six weeks of TV exposure behind them, and now they are free to do their own things. And both might be more interesting when they do their own things, instead of doing covers. I think we will see more of both of them.
The big surprise this week was Lukas. He finally proved that he is not a one-trick pony, with his dynamic performance of Radiohead’s “Creep”. (Maybe that song is just a little too right for him, heh heh heh…). He finally let his vocal chords loose, especially for the “ruuuuuuuuuuuuun!” moment. He deserved his encore.
And I was glad there were two encores allowed this week, because Magni was equally deserving of one. His heartfelt rendition of Live’s “Dolphin’s Cry” stood out in an episode full of good moments.
Ryan, of all people, played the theatrical card this week when he performed the Stones classic “Paint It Black”. He came out on a darkened stage, and then was revealed wearing a hood with a mohawk wig attached(?), and wearing dark eye make-up in the shape of a mask. Oh yeah, and he did okay singing it. This bizarre display didn’t save him from the bottom three, but it probably saved him from elimination this week. When he chose to do Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” on Wednesday, I almost thought Supernova would give him the Matt Hoffer treatment. But they apparently appreciated his mood-swinging interpretation of the song. Of course, “Zayra” and “theatrical” belong in the same sentence every week. Zayra sang the Bowie-penned Mott The Hoople hit “All The Young Dudes”. As always, her outfit was eye-catching, and (strangely enough) it did evoke a ‘70’s glam-rock feel which was appropriate for the song. Her vocal, however, did not go over well. She missed far too many words, and her voice was way off-key. Most of the feeling for this song came from the house band (and possibly from Magni on guitar).
Dilana got the pre-planned perform-with-Gilby song, and didn’t even have to fight for it. The other contestants were probably afraid that Clarke would criticize the singer, the way he criticized Jill. (So, don’t grind on him, then!). Dilana and Gilby had good chemistry together, although their performance of the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” somehow didn’t work for me. Also, Dilana’s corny lyrics from the songwriting competition make me wonder if she is still a strong frontrunner.
Patrice did a predictably good job on John Lennon’s “Instant Karma”, and it saved her from the bottom three. Lucky for her, because the double-axe probably would have hit her. Toby had fun with the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down The House”, using a megaphone and siren as props. The megaphone didn’t really enhance his performance, but it helped him stand out for the first time in weeks. (Side note: I don’t remember Dave Navarro criticizing J.D. Fortune for using a megaphone last season). And Storm loomed Large once again, keeping her performance of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” under control, and excelling.
Now that two contestants have been eliminated at once, it should be fun to see how the remaining eight singers step up their game in the next few weeks.
Josh and Jill were the ones who got the dual axe. I think it has more to do with time constraints (there is now talk of Supernova tour dates!) and with past performances than with their performances this week. Josh and Jill were both on borrowed time for different reasons. Besides, this double-axe gives Supernova one less person to take to Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, Jill did a decent job on Tracy Bonham’s demanding “Mother Mother”, although her stage antics got in the way, even causing her to miss one crucial note right near the end. On Wednesday, she did okay with Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”, but she didn’t hit it out of the park. I’m at least glad that she didn’t whine about being let go.
On Tuesday, Josh did well with STP’s “Interstate Love Song”, with surprise backing by Tommy Lee on drums. But that’s beginning to look like a jinx, because this is the second time Lee didn’t save someone from the bottom three. On Wednesday, Josh sang Bad Company’s classic “Shooting Star”. He claimed it was one of his favorite songs, but he didn’t sing it as if it was. His performance was passable at best, and his head movements were distracting.
Josh and Jill both have talent but neither of them were contenders in this competition. In fact, Josh seemed relieved to be going, just as Dana did last week. Josh and Jill both have six weeks of TV exposure behind them, and now they are free to do their own things. And both might be more interesting when they do their own things, instead of doing covers. I think we will see more of both of them.
The big surprise this week was Lukas. He finally proved that he is not a one-trick pony, with his dynamic performance of Radiohead’s “Creep”. (Maybe that song is just a little too right for him, heh heh heh…). He finally let his vocal chords loose, especially for the “ruuuuuuuuuuuuun!” moment. He deserved his encore.
And I was glad there were two encores allowed this week, because Magni was equally deserving of one. His heartfelt rendition of Live’s “Dolphin’s Cry” stood out in an episode full of good moments.
Ryan, of all people, played the theatrical card this week when he performed the Stones classic “Paint It Black”. He came out on a darkened stage, and then was revealed wearing a hood with a mohawk wig attached(?), and wearing dark eye make-up in the shape of a mask. Oh yeah, and he did okay singing it. This bizarre display didn’t save him from the bottom three, but it probably saved him from elimination this week. When he chose to do Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” on Wednesday, I almost thought Supernova would give him the Matt Hoffer treatment. But they apparently appreciated his mood-swinging interpretation of the song. Of course, “Zayra” and “theatrical” belong in the same sentence every week. Zayra sang the Bowie-penned Mott The Hoople hit “All The Young Dudes”. As always, her outfit was eye-catching, and (strangely enough) it did evoke a ‘70’s glam-rock feel which was appropriate for the song. Her vocal, however, did not go over well. She missed far too many words, and her voice was way off-key. Most of the feeling for this song came from the house band (and possibly from Magni on guitar).
Dilana got the pre-planned perform-with-Gilby song, and didn’t even have to fight for it. The other contestants were probably afraid that Clarke would criticize the singer, the way he criticized Jill. (So, don’t grind on him, then!). Dilana and Gilby had good chemistry together, although their performance of the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” somehow didn’t work for me. Also, Dilana’s corny lyrics from the songwriting competition make me wonder if she is still a strong frontrunner.
Patrice did a predictably good job on John Lennon’s “Instant Karma”, and it saved her from the bottom three. Lucky for her, because the double-axe probably would have hit her. Toby had fun with the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down The House”, using a megaphone and siren as props. The megaphone didn’t really enhance his performance, but it helped him stand out for the first time in weeks. (Side note: I don’t remember Dave Navarro criticizing J.D. Fortune for using a megaphone last season). And Storm loomed Large once again, keeping her performance of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” under control, and excelling.
Now that two contestants have been eliminated at once, it should be fun to see how the remaining eight singers step up their game in the next few weeks.
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