I admit, I watched Nashville Star on USA this weekend. I’m not a country music fan (although I like old country - Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, etc.). There was nothing else on TV Saturday night, and so I got sucked in.
I found this show SO much more entertaining than American Idol! The level of talent that they actually showed was way better than anything I’ve seen on AI, and the music was just so much cooler.
And this from someone who would normally be listening to early '90s alternative, or '80s new wave.
Anyone else catch the show? What did you think?
And for the record, I really hope Tasha Valentine wins, because I would go out and buy her album in a second.
I just wanna say…
…we don’t really wear cowboy hats down here. If someone is wearing one downtown, they are either:
a) about to perform something somewhere, or
b) a tourist
Other than the hats, did they do anything to make us Nashvillians look like hicks?
Yes, better. Much more talented singers, and they can play instruments, AND they can write songs. And I’m not a country fan either. Making them perform in front of an audience, right at the start, is a very good idea.
It took me a long time to realize that sometimes they were singing original songs. Since my repertoire of country songs is so limited, I just assumed they were popular songs I’d never heard before. Good thing I wasn’t watching with anyone who’d mock me.
Max, I think most of the hat-wearers were from Texas. So not too bad.
SmackFu - Except for that unfortunate Nashvillian (Buddy something) wearing a black cowboy hat over a mullet.
I live in Nashville, but I don’t like country music. But there wasn’t anything else on on Saturday night. I’ve never watched American Idol, but I’ve heard the judges can be mean. These judges seemed honest, but not mean.
StG
I caught about three minutes of this show while looking for the basketball game.
Enought time to hear one of the judges say:
“It’s time for Nashville to have a big woman.”
Definitely honest.
I have never seen Am Idol - I frickin’ refuse.
My wife is a country fan, so I watched “Nashville Star.” I hated it of course, but did anyone else notice that almost none of the contestants could sing for shit? Forget the music, the voices were terrible!
hrh
I don’t know if it was better, but definetly good!
As opposed to hrhomer, I thought they sand WONDERFUL! Much better than American Idol singers, and some of them could be signed to a record deal right now.
I’ll be watching every Saturday. 
I liked it better than American Idol. Probably because NS is more my type of music thatn AI. I laughed out loud when they showed the audition tape of the girl putting her legs behind her head and Charlie Robison jumped up and said “She’s got my vote!” She wasn’t a bad singer either. And that outfit she wore while perfroming didn’t hurt; she was also the only female to wear a cowboy hat. Charlie Robison is so cool, and he’s even married to a Dixie Chick.
But we’ve already GOT Wynonna. 
I liked Nashville Star as well, much better than AI. We shall see how it progresses, but I also like the fact that the NS’s will be living together… kind of a Real World/AI mix.
The very presence of Charlie Robison is the reason I watch it.
“I love the way you slapped your ass.”
“::giggle:: Thank you.”
“But unfortunately, ass-slappin’ is only a very small part of country music.”
“I like your pants.”
“Thanks!”
“I was just wondering - do they sell any men’s pants where you bought those?”
“… ::goes backstage and cries about how somebody wore those very pants on the cover of Country Weekly, boo hoo::”
I love Charlie Robison. In fact, I’m listening to one of his albums right now.
Anybody know if they’ll be repeating any earlier episodes of Nashville Star? This is the first I’ve heard about it and it sounds pretty good.
Apparently, the woman I was referring to is named Kristen Kissling. Another great Charlie Robison moment on the show was when he was talking about whether to pick Amy Chappel and he said something along the lines of “I’m a man and my testicles have something to say about it.”
“And her singing made them, I don’t know, jiggle.”