Nashville "Star?"

Okay, we all know that country music fans are a tough crowd, and very quick to judge.  We look for those who seem "authentic" and also have that certain "star quality" - which, to me, often just means "attractiveness." On a reality television show such as Nashville Star, we're even quicker to dismiss the music.  This time around, though, this stereotypical harshness is beyond deserved.  The whole lot of contestants on this show is considerably less talented than those I've seen on any other reality show.  For those of you who watched Can You Duet, I'm sure you'll agree with me here; there were legitimately great artists on that show (I still lament that the uber-cute and traditional country duo of Joey and Rory didn't capture the title of "America's next great country duo," but I have to hand it to Caitlin and Will for knocking us all out with their vocals).  There is not one contestant who really has captured my attention (save Melissa Lawson, clearly the most talented of the bunch), and I would call almost all of them mediocre at best.  Also depressing is the voting pattern exhibited by viewers. Can someone please explain to me how Melissa could have been up for elimination with those yahoos in Third Town?  How could that twerpy model Justin with the pathetically limp voice and completely vanilla presence have made it through this far?  Come on, America. I know the pickings are slim, but have a little integrity when you cast your votes.  A pretty boy model should NOT be beating a heavier, but better, singer.

If the dearth of talent and charisma among the contestants weren't enough to get you to change the channel, there is another reason to do so: John Rich.  This guy has an ego bigger than Texas, and I can't take one more night of hearing him run his mouth off. The way he got into the annoying, jerky rendition of "Ride a Horse, Save a Cowboy" was nauseating, and his comment about "riding" the contestant was just in poor taste.  Also, having Jewel as a judge on a country show is almost intolerable - does anyone remember her foray into hip hop a few years back? This woman has sold out countless times, jumping from genre to genre so often that frankly, I have no idea who she is as an artist, making it hard for me to take her criticism seriously.

So that's my Nashville Star rant for you. We'd love to hear how you feel about this contest (that I'll no longer be watching, by the way), so post comments here!