Hi everyone.
The premiere finally aired last night, so here's the basics of Rising Star.
A contestant auditions for a spot on the show. He/she sings a song for the judges and the audience. If you watch American Idol and/or The Voice, you know what happens here. If the contestant impresses the judges, he/she goes through to the next round. Here's the twist, though. The "judges" aren't actually judges at all (they're "experts"), the show is live, and something blocks the contestant from seeing the judges and audience: a huge video screen called "The Wall". For the contestant to go through, they have to impress someone else: the citizens of America. They are the judges, and if they're impressed, they vote to put him/her to the next round. If they're liked, the wall raises. If they can't sing well enough, it stays down, they don't go to the next round and they go home.
For a major example, here is an amazing audition video of two rabbis named Arie and Gil Gat singing "Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel on the earlier Israeli version, HaKokhav HaBa (meaning "The Next Star"). Seriously, it's awesome!!
And here they are again singing "Hotel California" by The Eagles. These guys are fantastic! Not to mention they reached second place in the competition.
The series is hosted by Josh Groban, with Ludacris, Ke$ha and Brad Paisley as the "Experts". They don't exactly fill the mold as the judges. They do give opinions...and nothing else.
So Let's get this review started, shall we?
So we've met the host and the experts, heard about the show, what it's about and what it does to change the lives of contestants--blah blah blah.
After the experts got to their seats, Brad talked about meeting President Obama on Air Force One, and after that, Josh asked Kesha if she meet the Prez too, when Brad blurted out a joke about Bill Clinton (post-Monica Lewinsky) waning to meet her. The joke? “I think Bill Clinton’s her type.”
I laughed like hell. I admit it was cold and inappropriate, but hey, we laugh at inappropriate things sometimes. I already love them from the moment they opened their mouths, and Josh is a great clone-ish version of Ryan Seacrest. He has a nice amount of heart and humility and be close to the contestants without sounding robotic.
First up, the very first contestant, Joshua Peavy sang "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" and almost immediately hit it out the park. The experts were already impressed, with Brad and Kesha hitting their pads and almost pressed Luda's pad, while he stopped them to make sure he did the right thing, and did. His voice was fantastic, smooth and raw with a touch of Kenny Rogers (just a touch). He deserved to go through and I'm glad he is; even though I thought the producers put him first to gain buzz. Either way, he's so damn good.
Next, Lisa Punch from Brooklyn, New York (by way of Georgetown, Guyana) sang the classic Whitney Houston tune "How Will I Know". I like her voice a lot, but I feel it's pitchy in a couple places. But, she did pack the "punch" (get it? Pun.) in her audition. The Experts waited a while but later made the decision to give her the "Up" vote, just in time before her set ended. I feel sorry for her upbringing though. I hope she does get a nicer home life after the show. I guess the point of these shows; making people feel sorry for contestants because they're poor, and use it to help the contestant go through.
Then, Maneepat Malloy from Bangkok, China, sang "Con Te Partiro", an Andrea Bocelli signature. She's only 16 and she can almost sing like she's in an opera. She got a "Yes" vote from Kesha, and the first "Down" vote from Luda. I definitely understood his reason though; this song is a little too tough for an opera singer, let alone a teenager. So she needs to change her genre of choice soon, if she wants to advance in the competition. I find this one very so-so.
Our next contestants are the first couple to audition, Daniel & Olivia. I liked them well; they're a sweet couple who met because of their shared love of music. However...
I just didn't like their audition; it just wasn't that good. I didn't like it, the experts didn't like it, and America didn't like it. Their energy was great, though. They shouldn't quit at music.
Next up, Jesse Kinch from Seeford, New York. He sang "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins Before I get to his audition, I need to talk about his hair. It is beautiful. It's like a mix of Jim Morrison and Jesus. If I was white (or whiter than I am now), I want to grow it out and make it look like that.
And now his audition...His VOICE. God. Damn. His voice was giving me life. So booming, so awesome, so breath-taking. All of the Experts said "Yes" from the minute he sang, and America voted faster than my typing this review. From start to finish, it was magnificent. And his singing voice was a complete contrast from his talking voice, which was quiet like a mouse. I need to have sex to this rendition. Sorry if that was creeping you out, but that was sooooo good. And I'm sooooo glad he went through.'
Because of this, I name him the Favorite Performance of the Week.
I hope he's proud.
On the other side of the break, the first group Beyond 5, group of guys that are not more than 5 from Nashville, sang soon-to-be legendary Aloe Blacc song "Wake Me Up". It was very mixed for me; I didn't like some of their voices, kinda very screechy. Plus their dancing was corny at best. And they look like One Direction; the only good thing about them. So they need to fix the harmony. And it wasn't just that; they need the dancing fixed, too. Also, their name is ironic; there are five members in their name, with no more than that. Get it?
Before the next contestant, here are some random thoughts I had from watching:
Luda kept pressing the Red butting like he was leaving a building. Three acts getting the down vote. I'm not gonna hate him, because he has great points. He's not stupid when it comes to judging acts, he's much smarter than he lets on. Also, while it's her decision and her opinion, I find it a little irritating that Kesha Up-votes almost every act. I understand they all might have potential, but giving them an Up-vote makes people hating you because you're an "I think everyone has talent and I believe them. Yay Grass!" type of people. You can be subtle, just be honest, too. Also, I love when one of the experts gets up, walks over to other experts' pads, and press the pads for them. It makes me happy and makes me laugh. Especially when Luda does it. And I loooove Josh Groban as host; he's quirky, humorous, and has a lot of heart, pretty much what Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly doesn't have outside of energy.
Sarah Dahlink--I mean Darling sang Casey Musgraves acclaimed hit "Merry Go 'Round". She has a wonderful voice, so soothing and calm. The experts wanted (and expected) her to go a little higher in the vocals, an I agree. Can't wait to see what she does next.
Colin Huntley sing--well, "Sing". He sounded almost like Ed himself, but the experts were not impressed, and so was America. I think it was the first time that night the Experts were very honest about an audition. Kesha thought it wasn't the best song choice, and I definitely agree. The song is a bit too hard for anyone but Ed to sing without stopping for air, I think even Ed himself can't do it live. I think he has a lot of potential, with a great voice, and I think he should come back next season or two. He was really good.
Summer Collins sang "Classic". I kinda didn't like her voice; so raspy, but it's there. Luda and Brad pressed No, while Kesha pressed Yes. I find her another very So-So act. And when she began talking, it sounded like she had a moderate lisp. Plus because of her talking voice, I wondered if she was raised by hippies for parents. Or if she was high.
And finally, the artist they chose from an audition on Instagram, Macy Kate from St. Petersberg, Florida, sang "Me and My Broken Heart". She had that rock-ability voice. So rockin' without the screaming. And she definitely rocked the house. All the experts (I keep typing "Judges" before realizing) and America pressed "Blue/Up/Yes" (and speaking of that, when they went to Luda's pad, I laughed like hell.)
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and, funny, so did my brother. He just happened to hear about the show and downloaded the app immediately. Once Macy took her place, he signed in and pressed yes, being one of the first to do so. I found that awesome. The kicker: He's never heard of "Rising Star" before Sunday, and prefers hip-hop.
And that was the end of the first show, and that's the end of the first review. I loved every minute of it. The experts knew what they were doing, Josh is great as host, and the producers made some great choices in the "pretty-looking people on-camera" department. Because of that, I found a new summer appointment television. Mostly because I have to because of this review.
Oh, and if you read the other reviews from the other websites, please read this:
From what I read, the reviewers expected either high-brow, quality television, despite the fact that this is a singing competition show or that this is a generic train wreck waiting to happen just because it's yet another singing competition show post-American Idol and wanted to pound on it anyway just for awareness to their reviews. I don't blame them for their opinions, they can say what's truly on their minds; but the ones I've read ranged from "It's Bad so I'm being Honest" to "It's the Worst Show I Have Ever Watched, so I'm Being So Honest, It Seem I'm Trying Too Hard". It's a singing competition show. What the hell did you expect?? Revolutionary? The Wall thing and the voting aspect are kinda revolutionary but everything else is what you should expect on American Idol and The Voice. And speaking of The Voice, those spinning red chairs are just like the Wall; some pretty, shiny trinket we all came to see. They're no different than the fact that you sit on one. Now, I'm not slamming you because hate the show, I just feel annoyed by all the hate this show has. Yes, it's another singing competition show, but I bet you all you were feeling the same way about The Voice (and to some extant America's Got Talent and Idol) when it premiered, and look how they turned out. I know it's wasn't that good, but some TV shows start out bad before getting better. Let's give it a chance, and if it's not your cup of tea again next week, then that's fine. I'm not forcing you to like this show.
Favorite Performance: (Definitely) Jesse Kinch--"I Put A Spell on You"
Honorable Mention: Joshua Peavy--"(Everything I Do) I Do for You"
Worst Performance-TIE---Daniel & Olivia--"Counting Stars" &
Beyond 5--"Wake Me Up"
Well, everyone, thank you for joining me on the first Rising Star review. Check in every Tuesday at 8 o'clock for for my weekly review and (hopefully) if any of the next acts are better and if this show gets better than tonight. See you next week! Bye!
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