Sometimes the Best Move
is Not to Play
- March 31
Is it possible that
NBC has actually learned something from ABCs
Millionaire debacle? Thats right, the one where they
ran three episodes of Millionaire a week, celebrities
and all, until they ran it into the ground. Its
possible
especially since they are going to give it a
rest after May Sweeps. Now the cynic in you may be
thinking that thats exactly why they are doing it -
save the big ammo for sweeps time. Logically, however,
thats a nice more for the show you dont want to burn
it out, and you also want to get enough time to tweak
out the show and add new bells and whistles to it.
The next question becomes will NBC do what ABC didnt do
be smart enough to try to add real programming to
their slate. ABC just kept riding Millionaire without
even thinking about getting good programming on until it
was too late. Although FOX has had very mixed results
with their attempts at throwing something after Idol to
see what would stick (Stacked? It did survive past one
season. Free Ride? Eh. Unan1mous? Jurys still out. Life
On A Stick? Buh-Bye) but I do give it credit for giving
House new life and for at least trying to trot out new
product. Lets see if NBC can learn their lesson.
The biggest difference is the way the show is being
treated. NBC is treating DOND like a television entity,
and not just some quick moneymaker. On the last State of
Play on DOND, we made a bunch of suggestions. It seemed
like NBC listened. If they keep the same care now as
they did then, then DOND will be garnering the huge
ratings for a long time to come.
Just no celebrities, please. We beg you.
We werent surprised when
Lisa was eliminated. We were surprised, however, when
Miss McFever wound up in the bottom
or were we? No one
was on their game last week, and when that happens,
complacency sets in. When complacency sets in, then
people dont vote and singers are at risk of leaving. Of
course, Katharines group will make sure that she does
not return to the bottom, which will help some people
and brutally cripple others. Lets see what we have
Of
course, we start with the deposed. In this case, you
needed some fantastic efforts, and we instead got
someone who tried too hard at songs that were too tough.
The voting audience called you on it and you left the
show. I did say that one of the three R&B females (Lisa,
Mandisa, Paris) would be leaving, long before they
should be, and in this case, its you.
So who gets to sigh
some relief this week?
Im
not saying that you are the favorite to win this quite
yet, but I do think you are the safest this week. There
are now only two R&B singers, and I think that you are
going to get most of Lisas vote. Now the question
becomes how do you want to play this competition. Do you
want to not lose and sing something safe, or do you want
to win and show us that you can do some rockin country
action?
You
are also safe, though I think you are not getting as
much of Lisas vote. Like Paris, you can make a huge
statement on this show, because country is a major home
for some nice gospel music. That being said, dont get
too gospelly, or you are going to alienate some more
audience and no one can afford to do that.
You
can go out and sing the theme from Gilligans Island and
be safe this week, because your fans will be coming out
of the woodwork to bail you out. You can certainly do
country and a dynamite effort will not only put you back
in the contenders spot, it will make people wonder how
in the world you got down there in the first place and
will pledge to keep you out of there.
I
consider you country, but my family considers you more
rock-a-billy with a touch of soul. Like Katharine, this
week is in your wheelhouse and you can do yourself a lot
of good in converting some votes over to your side.
So
everyone at GSNN hates your persona myself included.
However, my role is to be neutral and I know you are
also very safe. However, I am sensing that you are
behind Taylor, while Bucky is on the edge of the cliff.
If you can outperform him on Tuesday, you can knock him
off and take his votes, which will keep you on the show
longer and cause my colleagues to tear out what
remaining hair that they have.
Though
I think you are safe, this is a CRITICAL week for you.
Can you rise up to the challenge that Simon Cowell has
set up for you and do something different? If you can,
then you put yourself back up as a threat to make it to
the final 2. If you cant, then you are going to start
on the path of Anwar Robinson, be exploited by the
judges (mostly Simon) and probably not make the Top 4.
The choice is yours
I
dont think that you are bottom three worthy, per se,
but someone has to be down here, and that someone is
probably going to be you. Not only do you have to deal
with a chaos theory shift, but you have not been on your
game for the last two weeks. You need to step it up this
week, or else there could be a problem in your future.
Next
week will probably be the showdown between you and
Elliott. This week will probably be the showdown between
you and Bucky. You MUST out sing him
or do better
against Elliott than Bucky does against Kellie. A bad
vocal performance in a country field that may give you
problems could be the end of the road
and
Im even expecting that Ace is going to be considered
the worst singer of the night. But I dont think hes
the only thats going to be leaving. His whole base
knows he is in trouble, and Simon will probably say
something nasty to spark even more people calling in.
The fact that this is country week is going to work
against you this week, because youre not going to suck
badly enough that will spark your contingency to vote.
You MUST pull out your best performance to date and not
only blow out Ace, but probably blow out Kellie as well,
because if you dont, then, to quote the country show
Nashville Star, youre going to be hitting the bricks.
So I think that Bucky
finally gets to be that opening act, but the door is
wide open for Ace to walk through instead. Well see in
a couple of days wholl be singing their last song.
Gordon Pepper is secretly a fan of improv comedy...
just not of "Free Ride". Give him an ep or two of
old-school Whose Line anyday. E-mail him at
gordon@gameshownewsnet.com.
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