Country pops out

So there was "Nashville Star" tonight, offering songs by Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Rickey Martin , 'N Sync, Rihanna and (twice) Cyndi Lauper. Hank and Waylon are now rolling over in their graves. Or they would be, except I'm pretty sure they don't spend any of their time watching TV; they spend all of it on beer, hookers and real country music.

(Yes, there are hookers and beer bottles in Heaven. And each costs a dime.)

Anyway, "Country Goes Pop" week promises to be as wildly unpopular as country week on "American Idol." It's a mix that occasionally -- but rarely -- works. Here are my comments; please add yours:

1) "I'm worn out," Gabe Garcia said. Dude, you just worked 75 seconds. Jimi Hendrix had guitar solos 20 times that long.

2) Jimi Hendrix wasn't watching tonight either, by the way. He was partying with Hank and Waylon.

3) That time limit continues to be the show's biggest flaw. Some singers snuck close to 90 seconds; most did less. Surely, "Star" could cut some of its time-wasting, to let people sing at least half a song.

4) Did NBC fire the lady in charge of under-lip shaving? Jeffrey Steele and Billy Ray Cyrus seem to be growing a separate hairdo there.

5) In some cases, I kind of wonder what the singers do. Consider Laura & Sophie. Jeffrey Steele picked the song, picked the arrangement, phoned the music director. Then people praised their choices.

6) Justin Gaston chose "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." This was the most country-guy choice he could find? Were the other options "I Feel Pretty," "Let's Hear It For the Boys" and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend"?

7) OK, I'll give the viewers credit. Last week, the bottom two consisted of people who didn't look like stars. This time, viewers ousted Justin Gaston, who is approximately the best-looking guy in the history of reality TV. He had little experience and -- until this week, when it was too late -- didn't really sing.

8) The comments about Justin made sense. "I don't think this is your gig," John Rich said. The real gig will be as a movie star, Billy Ray Cyrus said. Added Jewel: "Justin needs to work on his voice." That's a fairly serious issue during a singing competition.

9) "Nashville Star" seems to be copying the worst traits of "American Idol," including super-long pauses and a couple of "after this message" gimmicks. I wish the show would copy the best traits

10) Yes, I think "Country Goes Pop" was a bad idea. Still, several people reminded us they can really sing. To me, that included Alyson Gilbert, Gabe Garcia, Melissa Lawson and Shawn Mayer. Give them some room -- more time, fewer categories -- and they might even get Hank and Waylon to watch TV for once. In Heaven, you know, there's a 500-channel universe; in Hell, there's just the Fox News Channel.

Comments

[Elaine]

Gabe Garcia sure can sing. Oh, to be 20 years younger. Is there a Cougars for Garcia group yet?
Was glad to see Melissa do well, also. The Navy guy needs to go home soon, and he can take Alyson with him. After Gabe and Melissa, my next fave is Pearl Heart. They need work, but I'm rooting for them anyway. If little sis steps it up, they could be the next Shedaisy. There's even a tiny echo of Dixie Chicks in the harmony.
Just my opinion.