Post by Kari on Jul 5, 2006 11:47:26 GMT -5
Metromix.com
Rock Star' returns with a glitter gap
But search for singer could yield surprises
By Maureen Ryan
Tribune television reporter
"Rock Star: Supernova" (7 p.m. Wednesday, WBBM-Ch. 2)already has one thing working against it: That dreadful name.
Supernova is the name of the band that will be formed, Frankenstein style, from the leftovers of other rock groups and a singer to be crowned this summer on the CBS talent show.
Last year's "Rock Star," as you no doubt recall, had the Australian band INXS on the hunt for a new singer. That band may have been past its considerable heyday, but the search for a replacement for the band's charismatic frontman, the late Michael Hutchence, lent the proceedings a bit of emotional weight and resonance (plus the band members were so impossibly nice, in that rough-hewn Aussie way, that you really wanted the enterprise to go well for them).
Finding a singer for a band with Tommy Lee in it? It's hard to care much about that. Supernova will no doubt be just another notch in the Motley Crue drummer's long career of on- and off-camera antics. Anyhow, along with the inevitable Lee, Supernova (doesn't it sound like a new car from Ford?) also includes Gilby Clarke from Guns N' Roses and Jason Newsted, late of Metallica.
Yes, in a music scene dominated by hip-hop, R&B, creative indie bands and Kelly Clarkson's brand of accessible rock-pop, CBS is trying to create a C-list Velvet Revolver. Forgive me for not being atingle with excitement.
Still, the main attraction last year was the simply top-notch crew of singers who got a taste of stardom from the first edition of the show. Anyone else still remember Sweet Suzie McNeil's incendiary version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (it still gives me chills recalling it a year later)? Or Chicago's own Marty Casey's ecstatic version of "Trees," a terrific song he wrote himself and debuted on the show?
The reason to watch "Rock Star: Supernova" (and despite that dippy name, there is a reason to watch) is not to see grizzled, journeyman rock dudes get their fame on again, but to experience those kinds of cool rock 'n' roll moments, courtesy of the talented contestants. Look past Tommy Lee, and you may just see the next Chris Daughtry or Suzie McNeil.
"Rock Star" also airs at 8 p.m. Thursday, after the official return of "Big Brother: All Stars" (7 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2). Thursday's episode of the latter show will reveal which past candidates were voted into the house (some of the residents were determined by audience votes).
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moryan@tribune.com
Rock Star' returns with a glitter gap
But search for singer could yield surprises
By Maureen Ryan
Tribune television reporter
"Rock Star: Supernova" (7 p.m. Wednesday, WBBM-Ch. 2)already has one thing working against it: That dreadful name.
Supernova is the name of the band that will be formed, Frankenstein style, from the leftovers of other rock groups and a singer to be crowned this summer on the CBS talent show.
Last year's "Rock Star," as you no doubt recall, had the Australian band INXS on the hunt for a new singer. That band may have been past its considerable heyday, but the search for a replacement for the band's charismatic frontman, the late Michael Hutchence, lent the proceedings a bit of emotional weight and resonance (plus the band members were so impossibly nice, in that rough-hewn Aussie way, that you really wanted the enterprise to go well for them).
Finding a singer for a band with Tommy Lee in it? It's hard to care much about that. Supernova will no doubt be just another notch in the Motley Crue drummer's long career of on- and off-camera antics. Anyhow, along with the inevitable Lee, Supernova (doesn't it sound like a new car from Ford?) also includes Gilby Clarke from Guns N' Roses and Jason Newsted, late of Metallica.
Yes, in a music scene dominated by hip-hop, R&B, creative indie bands and Kelly Clarkson's brand of accessible rock-pop, CBS is trying to create a C-list Velvet Revolver. Forgive me for not being atingle with excitement.
Still, the main attraction last year was the simply top-notch crew of singers who got a taste of stardom from the first edition of the show. Anyone else still remember Sweet Suzie McNeil's incendiary version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (it still gives me chills recalling it a year later)? Or Chicago's own Marty Casey's ecstatic version of "Trees," a terrific song he wrote himself and debuted on the show?
The reason to watch "Rock Star: Supernova" (and despite that dippy name, there is a reason to watch) is not to see grizzled, journeyman rock dudes get their fame on again, but to experience those kinds of cool rock 'n' roll moments, courtesy of the talented contestants. Look past Tommy Lee, and you may just see the next Chris Daughtry or Suzie McNeil.
"Rock Star" also airs at 8 p.m. Thursday, after the official return of "Big Brother: All Stars" (7 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2). Thursday's episode of the latter show will reveal which past candidates were voted into the house (some of the residents were determined by audience votes).
----------
moryan@tribune.com
