July 26 - It’s All Been Done
Rock Star: Supernova, July 26 - It’s All Been Done by Jenn Brasler -- 07/27/2006 Jill thinks there’s nothing new to do in rock. Supernova definitely doesn’t agree. Now that she’s in danger of going home, will she eat her words and try something different? And will another singer criticized for never doing new things have to battle for survival? Brooke is doing the dress-over-jeans thing that has become a trend for some reason. We’re down to 12 singers, and by the end of the night we’ll be down to 11. Voting was up 15 percent last night, probably because I voted for Josh so many times I lost count. (I threw a vote Dilana’s way, too, just for the heck of it.) Hi, Supernova. Hi, Dave. By the way, for all you Metallica fans out there, they’re putting their catalogue on iTunes. Guess they need some money, huh? We get a recap of last night. Lukas brought it with “Bittersweet Symphony” and Toby did a 180 from last week with “White Wedding.” Dana went dark with “About a Girl” and Ryan went manic with “I Alone.” Dilana was the highlight of the evening with a terrific acoustic performance of “Time After Time.” Supernova was disappointed with Phil, who was so boring we all fell asleep during “One Headlight.” Josh tried “No Rain” but didn’t impress anyone (not even me, which is really bad). Magni was vocally terrific with “Heroes” but didn’t seem to focus. Zayra sucked with “Call Me,” which may have been a desperate attempt to get votes. Jill did “Brown Sugar” with Gilby, who worried that he would get cooties from her. Patrice was okay with “Remedy” but Supernova wants her to try something different already. Storm deserved the last spot with “Anything, Anything,” finishing it up with some stage diving. Tommy gives “Stormy” an A-plus on her stage diving, saying they needed that. He asks if that was her first time. She takes the bait, saying no, but she can make it look like it was. Dave quickly changes the subject, telling Patrice that when he told her she needed to switch things up, he was really talking to everyone. If they don’t, it gets boring. Patrice understands this and says that she’s seen Dave in all of his bands. She was trying to tell him last night that he’s consistent. Dave says he’s a fan and - say it with me - they’re just trying to help. Dave asks Zayra where she got her outfit. Zayra gives what she thinks is a clever answer: “Your wardrobe.” She knew he’d like it. Dave says he loved it. Gilby tells her she’s entertaining (we have very different ideas of what is entertaining, obviously), but he’s wondering when the pop show stops and the rock show starts. Zayra says music and rock are anything you want them to be. If she’s different, that’s a good thing. Uh… no. Gilby agrees and says that came through, but basically, she needs to do a rock song. Zayra says she’ll take that advice. Jason asks Phil what’s to be done with him. Good question, Jason. Phil requests that he be allowed to hang out a little longer. “I’ll show you,” he says, but it was more fun when Dana said it. He says he gets frustrated when they go to song selection and two-thirds of the songs aren’t heavy and intense songs. Except as Jenny said in my interview with her, it’s about taking a song that’s not heavy and intense and making it heavy and intense. Jason says they’re more concerned with Phil’s presentation. Dave points out that Dana and Dilana both had stripped-back songs that were intense in terms of performance and delivery. Obviously the singers here can all sing, but Supernova is looking for presentation and intensity on the stage. Apparently things got a little intense back at the mansion last night. The singers all toast to Storm’s stage dive before they eat. Then Ryan tells Jill that she can grind him any time. Jill says she had fun and interviews that Gilby is used to being on stage with Axl Rose; it’s a different dynamic having a woman up there. Ryan says that’s rock and roll. Jill says she was in the moment and wasn’t going to stop and thing about what she was doing. She interviews that she felt comfortable and at home on stage. She doesn’t take any of it back. After dinner, Dana, excited about her marked improvement, announces to the other singers that she learns even when they’re not talking directly to her. She interviews that “About a Girl” was a breakthrough performance for her because it showed her darker side. However, Ryan informs her that though she’s only 22, she’s not that young - and she’s not where she should be. Dilana says that Dana can be a rock chick, but does Supernova write a manual to be a rock chick in two months? Dana says they look at her appearance and prior performances. Dilana has never seen it in Dana to be a rock chick. Dana tries to give some excuses but Dilana doesn’t think she really listens to Supernova’s feedback. Dana interviews that no one has seen the real her because no one’s looking. Does that mean she’s fake? She announces that she’s going to do what she wants to do. Back at the Mayan, Gilby tells Jill that when she gets defensive, they get freaked out because they wonder if they’ll always be arguing with her. Jill says she’s Italian, so she’s hot-tempered. Also, it’s rock and roll. Be quiet, Jill. She continues that it’s a double standard that woman can’t show their sexuality but guys can. Except they told her that that’s all women show, and if she can show something else, she should. Gilby tells her that he’s played guitar for Heart and Ann Wilson never stooped that low to get her emotions out. Jill tries to interrupt but Gilby shushes her, thankfully. He tells her that all of her moves are predictable; he’s seen them at the Holiday Inn. He wants her to show something they haven’t seen. Jill says that everything has been done. What is she smoking? Supernova vehemently disagrees and talks over her. Jill says she respects where they’re coming from and they obviously don’t like her opinion. She’d like to step up and do something new and exciting. So do it already! Dave notes that Dana has said she’s done being a student. Does that mean she won’t be listening to the other singers and Supernova anymore? Dana says no; no matter how old you are, everyone still has room to learn. Every day is a new day to learn. What she meant is that she’s starting to believe she’s learning more from the other singers when they keep their mouths shut. The audience doesn’t like this answer. Dave notes that Dana got some good advice from Dilana last week. Dana agrees but says that when she’s feeling attacked, she doesn’t feel support. She feels like the other singers are calling out her flaws. This week’s encore honor goes to Storm. I would have liked to hear Dilana again, but she already got an encore, and Storm was definitely my second choice. She rocks it out, going even wilder. Sadly, there’s no stage dive, but I guess that would be too predictable. The other singers look like they love her. Brooke lets the singers know who the early bottom three were last night: Jill, Josh, and Zayra. (Ha, Zayra totally shakes her head and pleadingly mouths “not me” just before Brooke says that.) The bottom three changed, however, and the other two unlucky singers at the bottom are Phil and Patrice. The other singers are safe and Dana looks very relieved. So it’s time for the bottom three survival songs. The first singer is… Patrice. I guess that’s what you get for being boring. We get her little performance and comments clip package (her P&CCP, if you will). Tommy asks if she’s surprised. Patrice, wearing shades, says you can never know. She’ll be surprised if she goes, but she’s happy to do her thing. She’ll be singing “My Iron Lung” by Radiohead because it’s a great modern rock song. It’s beautiful, graceful, and in your face all at the same time. I’m not up on Radiohead and I’ve never heard this song, but the second Patrice starts, I like it. The song is perfect for her voice. She goes out in the audience, then does some tongue gymnastics with Lukas. I think she’s channeling Storm and Dilana, with the wild faces and the hoodie. Great survival song choice. If she’d done this last night, I doubt she would’ve been in the bottom three. The second singer in the bottom three is… Zayra. Yay! Thanks, everyone, for not voting. We get her P&CCP. Laughing, Gilby tells Zayra that this might be the last time she sings here. Please, please, please. She’ll be doing “Not an Addict” (which she calls “I’m Not an Addict,” but whatever) by K’s Choice. Another song I’m not familiar with, though I’m somewhat familiar with K’s Choice (mostly because they perform “Virgin State of Mind” in my favorite episode of Buffy). Instead of rocking out, as she’s been told repeatedly to do, Zayra has chosen an acoustic, stripped-down song meant to highlight her voice. We all know how that goes. It sucks. For the first time I wish Simon Cowell were here to tear her to shreds. Girl can’t sing. I wish I could turn this off but I’m not allowed to. Am I? No? Darn. So now it’s down to the last singer in the bottom three. Brooke says Josh’s name and I shout out, “Oh, come on, people!” Fortunately, he’s safe. Yay! I’m going to take credit for that, if that’s okay. The real final singer is… Phil. Lucky Jill. We get Phil’s P&CCP. Jason wants to be a believer again and wants Phil to give a performance they could watch over and over. Phil will be doing “Smoking Umbrellas” by Failure. Jason hopes the band’s name isn’t an omen. I’m 0 for 3 on songs tonight and I’ve never even heard of the band. It’s kind of interesting but hard to describe. I’m through with Phil. He’s so off key it’s not funny. It goes on forever. I check my e-mail. The song is still bad. It feels like the longest two minutes of my life. Supernova heads off to deliberate. After a break, Gilby says that Phil, Zayra, and Patrice gave three killer performances (eh). He starts with Patrice, telling her that her voice has kept her in this. She’s kind of done the same thing every time, but tonight was great. They want to see more of that from her, so she gets to stay. I figured. She definitely deserves it after that performance. Gilby tells Zayra it’s him and her again. Zayra says he can’t get enough of her. Gilby tells her she’s original. The audience agrees. Bleh. Gilby has a hard time imagining Zayra in the band. That makes 5 million of us. He tells Phil that he just gave his best performance yet (what?) but Supernova isn’t sure if they believe he wants this. Phil says that everything he does, he wants to be the best. He does want to win this. Gilby asks if he wants to win or be in the band. It’s the Hatchet Man’s turn. He’s wearing a hoodie with devil horns, which Josh seems to like. Tommy says it comes down to a question of commitment and Supernova questions Phil’s commitment. Therefore, he’s the next to go. Zayra is a cockroach, everyone. She just will not die. Everyone is shocked, especially Dilana and Storm. The audience cheers, but not because they’re happy. Toby is dumbstruck. The audience chants Phil’s name. Dave tells him he did a good job with his performance. Phil thanks Supernova for giving him a chance. He’s sorry they questioned his commitment. Maybe he was having a mellow day, but he really wanted to win and this breaks his heart. Gilby respects that Phil has stayed the same, but they weren’t sure he wanted to be in the band. They have to believe the singers want to be in. Dave thanks Phil and wishes him luck. It’s always interesting to see who the exiting singer hugs. Phil hugs Lukas, Jill, Patrice, Ryan, and Dilana. That’s definitely more interesting than whatever Brooke has to say. Post-show comments: Patrice says the decision to send Phil home was a huge message to her. She needs to bring world-class stage presence every week. She was surprised to be in the bottom three but she did what she had to do. Zayra, la cucaracha, is relieved because she (and all of us) thought she would go. She can’t believe she’s still here and she gets another shot. She’ll use it the best she can because this is a miracle. Ug. I leave you with a quote from one of my faithful readers, Steve, who fired this off to me minutes after Phil’s elimination: “Apparently, Satan wasn’t satisfied with J.D.’s soul from last year. He now has made a deal for Zayra’s, too.”http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article9791.art&page=1
Rock Star: Supernova, July 26 - It’s All Been Done by Jenn Brasler -- 07/27/2006 Jill thinks there’s nothing new to do in rock. Supernova definitely doesn’t agree. Now that she’s in danger of going home, will she eat her words and try something different? And will another singer criticized for never doing new things have to battle for survival? Brooke is doing the dress-over-jeans thing that has become a trend for some reason. We’re down to 12 singers, and by the end of the night we’ll be down to 11. Voting was up 15 percent last night, probably because I voted for Josh so many times I lost count. (I threw a vote Dilana’s way, too, just for the heck of it.) Hi, Supernova. Hi, Dave. By the way, for all you Metallica fans out there, they’re putting their catalogue on iTunes. Guess they need some money, huh? We get a recap of last night. Lukas brought it with “Bittersweet Symphony” and Toby did a 180 from last week with “White Wedding.” Dana went dark with “About a Girl” and Ryan went manic with “I Alone.” Dilana was the highlight of the evening with a terrific acoustic performance of “Time After Time.” Supernova was disappointed with Phil, who was so boring we all fell asleep during “One Headlight.” Josh tried “No Rain” but didn’t impress anyone (not even me, which is really bad). Magni was vocally terrific with “Heroes” but didn’t seem to focus. Zayra sucked with “Call Me,” which may have been a desperate attempt to get votes. Jill did “Brown Sugar” with Gilby, who worried that he would get cooties from her. Patrice was okay with “Remedy” but Supernova wants her to try something different already. Storm deserved the last spot with “Anything, Anything,” finishing it up with some stage diving. Tommy gives “Stormy” an A-plus on her stage diving, saying they needed that. He asks if that was her first time. She takes the bait, saying no, but she can make it look like it was. Dave quickly changes the subject, telling Patrice that when he told her she needed to switch things up, he was really talking to everyone. If they don’t, it gets boring. Patrice understands this and says that she’s seen Dave in all of his bands. She was trying to tell him last night that he’s consistent. Dave says he’s a fan and - say it with me - they’re just trying to help. Dave asks Zayra where she got her outfit. Zayra gives what she thinks is a clever answer: “Your wardrobe.” She knew he’d like it. Dave says he loved it. Gilby tells her she’s entertaining (we have very different ideas of what is entertaining, obviously), but he’s wondering when the pop show stops and the rock show starts. Zayra says music and rock are anything you want them to be. If she’s different, that’s a good thing. Uh… no. Gilby agrees and says that came through, but basically, she needs to do a rock song. Zayra says she’ll take that advice. Jason asks Phil what’s to be done with him. Good question, Jason. Phil requests that he be allowed to hang out a little longer. “I’ll show you,” he says, but it was more fun when Dana said it. He says he gets frustrated when they go to song selection and two-thirds of the songs aren’t heavy and intense songs. Except as Jenny said in my interview with her, it’s about taking a song that’s not heavy and intense and making it heavy and intense. Jason says they’re more concerned with Phil’s presentation. Dave points out that Dana and Dilana both had stripped-back songs that were intense in terms of performance and delivery. Obviously the singers here can all sing, but Supernova is looking for presentation and intensity on the stage. Apparently things got a little intense back at the mansion last night. The singers all toast to Storm’s stage dive before they eat. Then Ryan tells Jill that she can grind him any time. Jill says she had fun and interviews that Gilby is used to being on stage with Axl Rose; it’s a different dynamic having a woman up there. Ryan says that’s rock and roll. Jill says she was in the moment and wasn’t going to stop and thing about what she was doing. She interviews that she felt comfortable and at home on stage. She doesn’t take any of it back. After dinner, Dana, excited about her marked improvement, announces to the other singers that she learns even when they’re not talking directly to her. She interviews that “About a Girl” was a breakthrough performance for her because it showed her darker side. However, Ryan informs her that though she’s only 22, she’s not that young - and she’s not where she should be. Dilana says that Dana can be a rock chick, but does Supernova write a manual to be a rock chick in two months? Dana says they look at her appearance and prior performances. Dilana has never seen it in Dana to be a rock chick. Dana tries to give some excuses but Dilana doesn’t think she really listens to Supernova’s feedback. Dana interviews that no one has seen the real her because no one’s looking. Does that mean she’s fake? She announces that she’s going to do what she wants to do. Back at the Mayan, Gilby tells Jill that when she gets defensive, they get freaked out because they wonder if they’ll always be arguing with her. Jill says she’s Italian, so she’s hot-tempered. Also, it’s rock and roll. Be quiet, Jill. She continues that it’s a double standard that woman can’t show their sexuality but guys can. Except they told her that that’s all women show, and if she can show something else, she should. Gilby tells her that he’s played guitar for Heart and Ann Wilson never stooped that low to get her emotions out. Jill tries to interrupt but Gilby shushes her, thankfully. He tells her that all of her moves are predictable; he’s seen them at the Holiday Inn. He wants her to show something they haven’t seen. Jill says that everything has been done. What is she smoking? Supernova vehemently disagrees and talks over her. Jill says she respects where they’re coming from and they obviously don’t like her opinion. She’d like to step up and do something new and exciting. So do it already! Dave notes that Dana has said she’s done being a student. Does that mean she won’t be listening to the other singers and Supernova anymore? Dana says no; no matter how old you are, everyone still has room to learn. Every day is a new day to learn. What she meant is that she’s starting to believe she’s learning more from the other singers when they keep their mouths shut. The audience doesn’t like this answer. Dave notes that Dana got some good advice from Dilana last week. Dana agrees but says that when she’s feeling attacked, she doesn’t feel support. She feels like the other singers are calling out her flaws. This week’s encore honor goes to Storm. I would have liked to hear Dilana again, but she already got an encore, and Storm was definitely my second choice. She rocks it out, going even wilder. Sadly, there’s no stage dive, but I guess that would be too predictable. The other singers look like they love her. Brooke lets the singers know who the early bottom three were last night: Jill, Josh, and Zayra. (Ha, Zayra totally shakes her head and pleadingly mouths “not me” just before Brooke says that.) The bottom three changed, however, and the other two unlucky singers at the bottom are Phil and Patrice. The other singers are safe and Dana looks very relieved. So it’s time for the bottom three survival songs. The first singer is… Patrice. I guess that’s what you get for being boring. We get her little performance and comments clip package (her P&CCP, if you will). Tommy asks if she’s surprised. Patrice, wearing shades, says you can never know. She’ll be surprised if she goes, but she’s happy to do her thing. She’ll be singing “My Iron Lung” by Radiohead because it’s a great modern rock song. It’s beautiful, graceful, and in your face all at the same time. I’m not up on Radiohead and I’ve never heard this song, but the second Patrice starts, I like it. The song is perfect for her voice. She goes out in the audience, then does some tongue gymnastics with Lukas. I think she’s channeling Storm and Dilana, with the wild faces and the hoodie. Great survival song choice. If she’d done this last night, I doubt she would’ve been in the bottom three. The second singer in the bottom three is… Zayra. Yay! Thanks, everyone, for not voting. We get her P&CCP. Laughing, Gilby tells Zayra that this might be the last time she sings here. Please, please, please. She’ll be doing “Not an Addict” (which she calls “I’m Not an Addict,” but whatever) by K’s Choice. Another song I’m not familiar with, though I’m somewhat familiar with K’s Choice (mostly because they perform “Virgin State of Mind” in my favorite episode of Buffy). Instead of rocking out, as she’s been told repeatedly to do, Zayra has chosen an acoustic, stripped-down song meant to highlight her voice. We all know how that goes. It sucks. For the first time I wish Simon Cowell were here to tear her to shreds. Girl can’t sing. I wish I could turn this off but I’m not allowed to. Am I? No? Darn. So now it’s down to the last singer in the bottom three. Brooke says Josh’s name and I shout out, “Oh, come on, people!” Fortunately, he’s safe. Yay! I’m going to take credit for that, if that’s okay. The real final singer is… Phil. Lucky Jill. We get Phil’s P&CCP. Jason wants to be a believer again and wants Phil to give a performance they could watch over and over. Phil will be doing “Smoking Umbrellas” by Failure. Jason hopes the band’s name isn’t an omen. I’m 0 for 3 on songs tonight and I’ve never even heard of the band. It’s kind of interesting but hard to describe. I’m through with Phil. He’s so off key it’s not funny. It goes on forever. I check my e-mail. The song is still bad. It feels like the longest two minutes of my life. Supernova heads off to deliberate. After a break, Gilby says that Phil, Zayra, and Patrice gave three killer performances (eh). He starts with Patrice, telling her that her voice has kept her in this. She’s kind of done the same thing every time, but tonight was great. They want to see more of that from her, so she gets to stay. I figured. She definitely deserves it after that performance. Gilby tells Zayra it’s him and her again. Zayra says he can’t get enough of her. Gilby tells her she’s original. The audience agrees. Bleh. Gilby has a hard time imagining Zayra in the band. That makes 5 million of us. He tells Phil that he just gave his best performance yet (what?) but Supernova isn’t sure if they believe he wants this. Phil says that everything he does, he wants to be the best. He does want to win this. Gilby asks if he wants to win or be in the band. It’s the Hatchet Man’s turn. He’s wearing a hoodie with devil horns, which Josh seems to like. Tommy says it comes down to a question of commitment and Supernova questions Phil’s commitment. Therefore, he’s the next to go. Zayra is a cockroach, everyone. She just will not die. Everyone is shocked, especially Dilana and Storm. The audience cheers, but not because they’re happy. Toby is dumbstruck. The audience chants Phil’s name. Dave tells him he did a good job with his performance. Phil thanks Supernova for giving him a chance. He’s sorry they questioned his commitment. Maybe he was having a mellow day, but he really wanted to win and this breaks his heart. Gilby respects that Phil has stayed the same, but they weren’t sure he wanted to be in the band. They have to believe the singers want to be in. Dave thanks Phil and wishes him luck. It’s always interesting to see who the exiting singer hugs. Phil hugs Lukas, Jill, Patrice, Ryan, and Dilana. That’s definitely more interesting than whatever Brooke has to say. Post-show comments: Patrice says the decision to send Phil home was a huge message to her. She needs to bring world-class stage presence every week. She was surprised to be in the bottom three but she did what she had to do. Zayra, la cucaracha, is relieved because she (and all of us) thought she would go. She can’t believe she’s still here and she gets another shot. She’ll use it the best she can because this is a miracle. Ug. I leave you with a quote from one of my faithful readers, Steve, who fired this off to me minutes after Phil’s elimination: “Apparently, Satan wasn’t satisfied with J.D.’s soul from last year. He now has made a deal for Zayra’s, too.”